When comparing Random Adventure Roguelike vs Shattered Pixel Dungeon, the Slant community recommends Shattered Pixel Dungeon for most people. In the question“What are the best roguelikes on Android?” Shattered Pixel Dungeon is ranked 3rd while Random Adventure Roguelike is ranked 13th. The most important reason people chose Shattered Pixel Dungeon is:
SPD'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.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Fun mix of sandbox and roguelike gameplay, where you decide where you want to go and what you want to do
The game sets you in an open world with random quests. You can go wherever you want, kill monsters, help people by taking quests, craft items, improve your equipment, or even sail to another island. This makes for a game that can be played as the player wants, exploring and adventuring as they please.
Pro Retro but modern look and feel makes for a game that gives some nostalgia while also keeping up with its contemporaries
The game has no graphics (apart from the icons for the items and menus) but has a nice layout design and colorful text. It just feels like an old-school game made today.
Pro Enormous amount of content that allows for tons of customization, allowing each game to feel unique
There is a huge number of skills and ways you can improve your character, with a cool leveling system. The sheer amount of customizations included in this content makes for a way to have unique playthroughs, when making different choices.
Pro The turn based gameplay lends itself well to those that enjoy taking their time with thought out moves
Like an true roguelike the game is turn-based, meaning every turn the player takes, the rest of the board takes on turn. This way you can easily labor over what you would like to do next, as nothing happens in the game until you move.
Pro Completely free, meaning anyone can try the game
The game is currently completely free, with an option for donations so the developer feels more motivated to continue developing the game. There are no ads, and there's no bonus if you donate. It's just an altruistic option.
Pro Intuitive interface where it is pretty easy to figure out how to navigate the game
Being based on text graphics the game controls are pretty intuitive being that what there is to do is displayed in text on the screen.
Pro Challenging and fun gameplay that lends itself well to repeat plays
SPD'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 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 Tons of replayability thanks to the randomly generated levels
In true roguelike fashion, levels are randomly generated each time a new game is started. On top of this mechanic, Shattered 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 Frustrating in a good way
You have to learn in bits & pieces, requiring patience & tenacity. Then you get to do it all over again w/ different classes, challenge modes. Very replayable.
Pro Frequently updated
The creator updates this mod about once a month, bringing TONS of additions including skill trees, bug fixes, and difficulty tweaks.
Cons
Con Very small overland screen/map
While there is a huge amount of customization and crafting, the dungeon and overland map/screen seems added as an afterthought. The result is that it's easy to lose track of where you are, and it often feels like you aren't "going" anywhere.
Con Buggy
Crafting weapons seems to not allow any weapon higher than a 1/1. The game may crash when trying to save and exit or just crash while playing. Making for a frustrating experience.
Con Low quality graphics
Con Not recommended for the impatient type of player.
Con Extremely, even maddeningly, difficult
Con Hard to master
SPD's difficulty can be a turn off for some players as it is quite challenging and takes a long time to master. While there will be those that enjoy such difficulty, those looking for something easy may not enjoy the game.
Con Strange graphics
The 2.5D graphics or how to call it is confusing even after days of playing - you tap where you don't want to all the time. Zoom levels are wrongly set - everything is either too big or too small. The smooth paning when moving your character is dizzying for someone's head...