When comparing Elona+ vs Pixel Dungeon, the Slant community recommends Pixel Dungeon for most people. In the question“What are the best roguelikes/roguelites on PC?” Pixel Dungeon is ranked 29th while Elona+ is ranked 37th. The most important reason people chose Pixel Dungeon is:
There are multiple [mods](http://www.slant.co/topics/1961/~what-are-the-best-pixel-dungeon-mods) available that extend the gameplay or even just change it outright. This way there are many choices to the player as to how they would like the game to play.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Active community
Even though the original developer of the game finished Elona, the community came and made an expansion called Elona+ which is updated regularly to this day (adding a new story, items, NPCs). In Elona you can only go around North Tyris, in Elona+ you can go to South Tyris and Lost Irva after finishing the Act 1.
Pro Easy to get in
Of course, to be at the top a visit or two to a wiki might help. But to start to play and have fun? Aside the starting tutorial, you don't need anything more. This is a far cry away from other roguelikes which try to be as much as in deep, but end up being too complex.
Pro Graphically pleasant
The zelda-like (or RPGMaker-like) graphic might not be everyone's cup of tea, but is pleasant to look at, and makes everything very clear and intuitive.
Pro Surprising amout of content
Number of skills. Number of unique abilities gained at certain skill levels. Number of spells. Number of random quests. Number of weapons. Number of combinations of everything with any material. Pets. Everything is up to 11th in this game.
Pro Lots of customization options
Do you want to become a snail pianist? There are a lot of customization options like races, jobs, and clothing.
Pro The game can be modified
You can replace or add some files to make your own NPCs change their appearance and add some new features to the game.
Pro Marry anyone
You want to marry a girl? How about a god? A dog? If you find that boring, how about a Tentacle monster that can destroy worlds? in Elona+ you can marry any of them.
Pro A variety of mods are available, which extend the gameplay by a large margin
There are multiple mods available that extend the gameplay or even just change it outright. This way there are many choices to the player as to how they would like the game to play.
Pro Tons of replayability thanks to the randomly generated level
In true roguelike fashion, levels are randomly generated each time a new game is started. On top of this mechanic, Pixel Dungeon goes one step further by randomizing effects of all items as well, so it's impossible to tell if a dropped item will have a positive or a negative effect based on its sprite representation.
Pro Challenging and fun gameplay that lends itself well to repeat plays
Pixel Dungeon's gameplay is intuitive, allowing for it to be easy to get into. What is great though is that it's also very challenging, quickly making the experience both rewarding and addictive. Just one more game is a thought many will have before actually turning off their device.
Pro Detail-oriented design lends itself well to many gameplay elements, giving a feeling of polish and care not normally found on mobile
Small details in the art design helps to add immersion to the gameplay.
Pro A good variation in items allows the player to constantly discover new and exciting ways to tackle the game
Next to the typical selection of buffs, de-buffs, potions (that can be either consumed or thrown), weapons and armor (the latter two have to identified and can carry with them bonuses and curses), there are also less common items like random teleportation scrolls, map reveals, etc.
Pro Easily play without an internet connection as the game can be played in-full offline
Pixel Dungeon does not require an internet connection to use, making for a good game to play when there is no internet to connect to such as on flights.
Pro Beautiful pixel artwork that should offer a good bit of nostalgia for anyone who grew up with games that look similar
This looks like one of the good SNES RPGs. For someone who grew up loving those games, that's a huge plus.
Pro Being completely free and open-source means that anyone can try the game in order to see if they like it
No advertisements, no in-game store, and available for free with the source code available on GitHub.
*There is a link in the game where users can donate money to the developer. This of course does not mean you have to, but it is marked as a game with in-app-purchased because of it.
Pro Has a reasonable amount of strategical depth where the player can easily plan out their next move
The top-down, turn-based nature of the game gives the opportunity to plan out a complex series of moves. This way there is no time constraint, and the player can leisurely strategize what they would like to do next.
Pro Hold your device as you like as the game can be played in portrait or landscape
Allowing the user to switch from portrait or landscape makes for an easy way to switch playstyles (one handed, two handed) depending on what device is being used (tablet, phone) as well as what is most comfortable for the user.
Cons
Con Eventually all your PCs will look almost the same
Since there isn't a siginificative penalty about a wizard who is even a farmer, who is even a fencer, who is even a bodybuilder, eventually all your PCs will end up being some "jack of all trades", with the only limit to them being imposed by the player himself and a bit by the initial race chosen. This makes it a bit repetitive over more playthroughs.
Con Some NPCs have untranslated dialogues
The developer is Japanese, so is the game. All the important dialogues are translated, while the others are not.
Con Pixel Dungeon is hard
Pixel Dungeon's difficulty can be a turn off for some players as it is quite challenging. While there will be those that enjoy such difficulty, those looking for something easy may not enjoy the game.
Con Overly random
A lot of people see roguelike design as being based around randomness. It's actually a far more precise set of balances than that. A lot of roguelike developers shy way from "randomly generated content" in favor of the term "procedurally generated content." The reason for this is that a well designed roguelike is well balanced enough that if you lose or win, it's all because of the actions you took.
Pixel Dungeon has a habit of sometimes generating dungeons that are basically impossible and sometimes generating dungeons that are laughably easy.
Con Randomness cannot be turned off
Since everything in Pixel Dungeon is randomized, sometimes a player's character can get killed in ways that cannot be avoided. There is no way to escape this issue since randomization is baked in with no way to turn it off.