When comparing Cataclysm Dark Days Ahead vs HyperRogue, 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 HyperRogue is ranked 73rd. 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
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
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.
Pro Unique geometry
HyperRogue takes place in the hyperbolic plane. The grid of hexagons and heptagons and the straight lines which seem to be parallel diverge and never cross and many more unique and unusual geometric shapes.
Pro Easy to get into
A bit like in chess, the basic mechanics are based purely on movement, so no keys to learn. There are no stats, and most creatures are killed with a single hit -- the same is true for the player, but like in Chess, moves which would immediately lead to being killed are forbidden, so the game is over only when you are checkmated. Advanced parts of the game world include lands based on more complex mechanics, and magical orbs which give temporary special powers.
Pro Many different areas
Many areas based on various themes (R'Lyeh, Desert, Overgrown Forest, Living Cave, Palace, Carribean, etc.)
Pro Turn-based roguelike or local coop roguelite
Can be played both as a turn-based roguelike, and as a roguelite with smooth time. Local coop is available in the roguelite mode.
Cons
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.
Con Strange visual choices
One of the selling points of the game is also one of its biggest weaknesses. For some, it's simply headache inducing to look at.