When comparing Road Not Taken vs Hoplite, the Slant community recommends Hoplite for most people. In the question“What are the best puzzle roguelike games?” Hoplite is ranked 2nd while Road Not Taken is ranked 4th. The most important reason people chose Hoplite is:
You must plan your movements and attacks, paying attention to all enemy positions and their attacks. This makes for a game that the player can pore over their options, for as long as they like, which can be pretty enveloping.
Specs
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Pros
Pro In game notebook keeps track of recipes even after death
Most roguelikes, that when the player dies sees that they looses everything upon death to be forced to start from scratch to play again. Road not Taken is similar but with one tweak that the game has an in game notebook that remembers the players discovered recipes, even after death. This way some info is retained after death that can help the player when they start over.
Pro Deep crafting mechanics
With over 200 items in the game that can be combined the user has plenty of options to experiment with in order to discover new recipes. These recipes allow for one to craft useful items that will help them advance in the game.
Pro Deep gameplay that harkens back to chess or other grid based games, where planning and strategy take a front seat
You must plan your movements and attacks, paying attention to all enemy positions and their attacks. This makes for a game that the player can pore over their options, for as long as they like, which can be pretty enveloping.
Pro Easy to understand the rules as any pertinent info is relayed before a move decision is needed
Someone called it "Chess, the roguelike". You have all the information before you move, every time. Enemies follow a simple ruleset, with no variation. There is almost no randomness. You know that you will die the turn before you do, and you will die because you painted yourself into a corner.
Pro Great replay value thanks to the roguelike random generation
There is a good list of achievements, which creates a high replay value. It encourages the user to play very differently in subsequent replays. Which is great for keeping the game fresh.
Pro Can be played at your own pace thanks to the turn based nature of the title
Hoplite is a turn based game, making for something that people can take their time with, deciding on their strategy for each move.
Pro Extended gameplay when you finish the title, with the fun but difficult game+ gameplay mode
Starting on level 16, the altars get replaced by a portal. The player has the choice to "win" the game by exiting through the portal, or to ignore the portal on that level and venture deeper, aiming for higher scores on progressively more difficult floors. This is great for those that enjoy more challenge and extra content past the regular ending.
Pro Well-balanced
Other, more popular, mobile roguelikes are far too random. A lot of people associate roguelikes with randomness, but a lot of effort goes into making sure that they provide consistently winnable games. When you lose a game it should be because you did something dumb, not because the RNG didn't deign it today. Hoplite nails this.
Pro Large assortment of enemies keeps the gameplay and strategies required fresh
There is a wide array of enemies to encounter and fight, which keeps encounters fresh as well as the strategies needed.
Cons
Con Little end-game satisfaction
Beating the game can feel a bit lackluster as the game does not really push the point of the story or really leave the player intrigued as to want to go back and find the other secrets in the game.
Con Short game
Hoplite does not take that long to complete as it can be finished in an average playthrough in around an hour.