When comparing Brogue vs Cataclysm Dark Days Ahead, the Slant community recommends Cataclysm Dark Days Ahead for most people. In the question“What are the best roguelikes/roguelites on PC?” Cataclysm Dark Days Ahead is ranked 3rd while Brogue is ranked 9th. The most important reason people chose Cataclysm Dark Days Ahead is:
Get taken back to when games were completely made of ascii letters and your imagination. Venture forth as an @ and survive the wild. With the classic ascii art, it is hard to ignore that this is not a graphical powerhouse, but of course that is part of the fun, allowing your imagination to fill in this void.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Easy to get into, hard to master
The gameplay itself is quite straightforward, making for mechanics that can be picked up within a few minutes of playing. Of course the challenge of the game is a whole other mater as like most roguelikes, this game can be quite challenging.
Pro Free to download and play for anyone
Doesn't cost a dime as the game is free to download and play. Which is great as there is no obstacle to one trying the game out.
Pro Simple and easy to understand design
The graphics of the game consist entirely of ASCII characters which keeps the design simple and easy to understand.
Pro Perfectly balanced rather than filled with features
The balancing is done quite well, as there is just enough elements to the gameplay to keep one interested without being overly complex or heavy weight.
Pro Open source
Pro Good graphics that are easy on the eyes
The game's dark, modern graphics help to make the game playable and look good even if you have very sensitive eyes.
Pro Can be played on persons preferred platform
It can be played on Mac OS X, Windows, or Linux, and on mobile devices running iOS or Android .
Pro Classic computer gameplay that offers a lot of nostalgia
Get taken back to when games were completely made of ascii letters and your imagination. Venture forth as an @ and survive the wild. With the classic ascii art, it is hard to ignore that this is not a graphical powerhouse, but of course that is part of the fun, allowing your imagination to fill in this void.
Pro Open source and very moddable, making for a game that anyone can change to their liking
The mod community is pretty active on this game, and you can create some really cool things with the tools they already provide. This way anyone can change their game to how they like.
Pro Super involved gameplay that allows the user to dive deep into the mechanics of the game
Everything from weather to crafting to martial arts are accounted for in Cataclysm. You can spend hours mastering the depths of this games systems that allow you to play however you want.
Pro Being in constant active developed allows the game to constantly grow
Experimental releases exit a few times in a single day. Many people are working on finding bugs, and developers are quickly fixing them and adding new features. This makes for a situation where the game is constantly growing and improving.
Pro Free for anyone to download and try, which leave no one out
The game is free of cost as well as open-source, meaning that anyone can download the game, install it and play it.
Pro Graphics can be used instead of ASCII, for those that would enjoy something more visual
Not supported on every version of the game, but you can have a graphical experience if you want by using a graphical tileset for the game. This will need to be done manually.
Cons
Con Difficult to learn
You can easily get confused by this game, unless you have prior knowledge of what's going on.
Con No classes
While not having any classes for the main character means that any item can be equipped it does make for less replayability due to not having different classes to try out on multiple playthroughs.
Con Lacking hardcore survival feel
The game gets to be rather easy once you spend a little time with it. Basements full of everything one needs to survive in every other house, and stores that look like they were left as seem out of place since in a disaster scenario most items would probably have been taken already.
You can tweak the options to suit a more hardcore experience if you so desire. The options allow for a wide variety of difficulty and playstyles.
Con Difficult to learn at first
This could be a pro for some but for many this will turn them away from the game.