Roguelikes I Enjoy

(if you just want to get to the list you can skip the preamble)

So originally before I got into my list of favorites, I was going to do a deep dive on what a Roguelike "is" along with a short history of the genre and it's influences. I mean that was the plan until it turned into a short novella approaching 10 word document pages with the organization of a brain damaged sewer dweller trying to convince you he is the reincarnation of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and that you need to help him reclaim the throne of Austria-Hungary before he shanks you in the kidneys. So I gave up on that, which is honestly for the best as there are other websites and other bloggers who have already done this in far superior formats and with easier to understand detail than I could ever hope to convey. Then I rewrote the article as an opinion piece, and filled it to the gills with personal anecdotes and bad language. That too went on for far too long, and honestly there are a ton of other Roguelikes that while I might not have played much of if any of these games, I do know they are worth your time but its hard to make jokes about a game you've not played. So finally I opted to just list the games I love, like and or know I would enjoy if I gave them time, and just share a synopsis or two. This turned out almost as long as my other two attempts, but I'm a lot happier with it and I hope it makes for slightly more enjoyable reading then what I had started with.

Roguelike. The descriptor has absolutely flooded the indie game market these last few years (along with it's cousin Roguelite) and while it doesn't really bother me I know a fair few people find it to be obnoxiously boring. Which is fair in my opinion, as there seem to be a multitude of great game ideas ruined by following some variant of deck building twin stick something or other. But to me those are more in the "Roguelite" category. They share some attributes of a Roguelike but don't really fit the bill in it's entirety. I am pretty traditionalist when it comes to the term "Roguelike" so a lot of these games on the market just don't really count as a Roguelike to me. Now before you start gangstalking me and beat me to within an inch of my life I assure you this isn't like my other OLD MAN YELLS AT CLOUD posts. While it might sound like I'm playing at semantics (which I admit I kind of am) it's more or less just a definitions thing to me. For example, take the hit game Portal. While yes it is a game that takes place in the first person within a 3D game space, and you the player technically have some sort of gun, I'd be rather hard pressed to call it a "First Person Shooter". It has a lot of the same characteristics of one, but it's not exactly Halo. Which is all I am getting at here.


Ultimately (at least to me) the things that make a game a "Roguelike" are:

  1. They are randomized each play through to increase replay value.
  2. They are turn based (even in combat).
  3. Design caters to substance over style (i.e. gameplay over graphics).
  4. The game uses some sort of grid.
  5. Permadeth


I know a lot of people will disagree with that sentiment and they are free to do so. I am not the authority on this, just some dude on the internet who likes this style of game. But anyway on to the list.

Rogue


The one that started it all.

(Unless you count Colossal Cave Adventure)

It seems only fitting to start the list with the original. This is the reason the genre is called what it is. It is the foundation of this niche of gaming and many things we take for granted in modern RPG dungeon crawlers stem from this. Published in 1980 the game is fairly simple as far as story and premise goes. You (the Player) must descend into the depths of the Dungeon of Doom, find the Amulet of Yendor and escape back to the surface. This simplicity of motivation and "plot" is pretty synonymous with most Roguelikes. Go innadungeon, find Macguffin, ????, profit. There are no classes in Rogue but you can arm yourself with whatever weapons you may find and play accordingly. I do like this game and it's easy to see how important it was to CRPG's as a whole if you ever play it, but unfortunately I played NetHack before I ever played this and whenever I try to go back to it I just want to play NetHack instead. It's still a great game and worth your time, even if it's just a cursory look. I never got very far in it but I remember the monsters in the first few levels being just random animals and I'm not sure if that was done because of some sort of legal issue with TSR at the time of it's release. You can find it here and here.


NetHack

First released in 1987, NetHack was a spinoff of a game known as Hack (which in and of itself was a spinoff of Rogue). If I recall correctly, the additive of "Net" was due to the devteam's use of the early internet to collaborate. I could be wrong about that, I'm writing this from memory after all. The game is still being updated even now and the amount of stuff the DevTeam has added over the years is truly staggering. It is even a running joke among the community that "The DevTeam thinks of everything." For a long while it was said NetHack "had everything but the kitchen sink", so the DevTeam added in kitchen sinks.

The player's motivation is practically identical to that of Rogue, which shouldn't be at all surprising since it's a derivative of a derivative, however there are a few more advanced parameters to obtain ultimate victory. You (the player) have been charged by your deity, to delve into the Dungeons of Doom to find the entrance of Gehennom (the underworld), retrieve The Amulet of Yendor from the clutches of the dark god Moloch, ascend back to the surface, travel to and through the four elemental planes to gain access to the heavens and relinquish the Amulet to your deity. Should you complete this daunting quest, your reward will be immortal demigod status.

As you can see it's a tad more difficult than it's predecessor. 

There are 5 available races, 13 available roles, and 3 alignments. Not all roles and alignments are available depending on the race one chooses at the beginning. Each role has certain skills and attributes that allow them to use certain weapons and gear better than other roles. While it is possible to level up these skills, this can take a while. Combat, while important is not the only way to advance in your quest, and fighting things indiscriminately is usually a very quick and easy way to die. Monsters are not the only thing you have to contend with in the dungeon, as hunger, traps, angry gods and the very RNG is seemingly out to get you at times. Items you find can be applied in unexpected and useful ways, but you have to be wary of using anything that is unidentified lest you fall victim to a curse. NetHack also has multiple nods to fantasy big hitters (LOTR, Discworld, Zork, etc) and it's underlying mechanics are akin to BECMI and 1e AD&D so the Grognards among you will feel right at home. There is a reason NetHack is considered one of the Big 4 of Roguelikes and I can not recommend it enough. It has multiple forks and variants due to it's code being open source, so there's a version out there for everyone.

Dumb stuff I've done in the game:

  • Knew about the game for years but didn't play it because I thought it was a game about computer hacking (Yes I am that dumb).
  • I was killed by the ghost of myself from a previous play through.
  • Tried to shortcut through the dungeon by digging straight down, and fell into a vampire's den.
  • Turned an entire dungeon level of monsters into statues by hitting them with a dead cockatrice. I then tripped down some stairs and fell on it and was therefore petrified.
  • Committed cannibalism.
  • Committed genocide.
  • Buried myself alive.
  • Fell of my horse and broke my neck.
  • Scared off a Gnoll with a camera.
  • Taught my dog how to shoplift.
  • Got stuck in a bear trap and was ripped apart by zombie Kobolds.
  • Was seduced by a water nymph who then stole all of my food and I starved to death trying to find her.
  • Angered my god and was evaporated by a vengeful lightning bolt despite being underground because I ate my cat.
  • Accidentally turned myself into a newt while fighting a bunch of Orcs.
  • Had my brain slurped by a Mind Flayer because I forgot they can use wands too.
  • Developed a burning hatred for Gnomes.

    AND MANY MORE!

You can find the game here or play it online via Telnet or SSH here.


The three different UI options from left to right: Terminal, Tiled, and the non-free Vulture found on Steam


Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead

CDDA is quite the departure in style and substance from the previous two entries. Instead of following the formula of High Fantasy Dungeon diving on an enclosed grid map in search of the magical MacGuffin, the game is an open ended post-apocalyptic setting where there are no winning parameters other than trying to stay alive by any means possible. This is no mean feat, as everything around you can and will likely kill you. Zombie hordes, mutated flora and fauna, Lovecraftian horrors, intelligent fungal spores, and even other survivors will erase you from existence if they get the chance. And if that wasn't bad enough you can die from infections, illness, starvation, exposure you name it. A lot of your time in the beginning will be spent just trying to figure out a way to boil water so as not to die from waterborne pathogens and finding loot to aid in your survival. Even once you do find stuff, you will likely have to abandon most of it as the undead hordes close in simply because you don't have enough pockets to carry it all. Yes that is a thing in this game. Unlike most RL games that have a player inventory limited by weight, CDDA tracks the collective weight of these items and their volume as well. This forces you to think tactically about your scavenging. Do you ditch your weapon to carry home this jug of bleach and come back for it later? Or should you play it safe and return for the bleach at a later date?

I know a lot of people will be put off by the sheer amount of ways you can keel over in CDDA and the realistic limits it places on you and your kleptomania, however this complexity goes both ways. It is completely possible to run innawoods and return to monkey one day, then build a raging Mad Max inspired death machine the next. Wanna become a cybernetic monstrosity and learn Ninjutsu? You can do that. Wanna wear cat ears and smoke a bunch of crack? CDDA likes the way you party. If you can think of it and survive long enough to train up the relevant skills needed to do it, more than likely you'll be able to pull it off.

CDDA is extremely modular too. Towns too large? You can change that. Tired of grinding just to be something's lunch meat and want a nice peaceful game? Easily done. Do you hate ASCII graphics? The game comes with a bunch of preinstalled tilesets. The community has also made a whole bunch of extra goodies that you can tack on to the vanilla build to make it suit your tastes even more. Speaking of the community, it is very devoted and its quite obvious how much they adore the game. When CDDA was first released for play testing in 2010 it was only available on Linux. People who used Windows exclusively at the time could only play it via SSH, but allegedly some mad lad created a teeny tiny featherweight Linux distro that booted into shell just so people on Windows could play it via Virtual Machine while they waited for the game's creator to port it over to Windows (which he did late 2011).

CDDA is technically still under development believe it or not. Even more surprising, this labor of love has been done by a single person (at least last time I checked). If you are a fan of survival games or would just like a more open ended RL, CDDA is a must try for you.

Dumb stuff I've done in this game:
  • Got robbed of all my clothes at gun point at a truck stop.
  • Died in a glorious last stand in a booby trapped shack.
  • Burned to death in a forest fire I started.
  • Became addicted to heroin.
  • Had my lungs turned into cream of mushroom soup.
  • Lost my leg in a minefield.
  • Played as a katana wielding neko maid cosplayer.
  • Was thrown violently through the window of a vehicle at 85mph.
  • Watched an NPC have a running gun battle with a horde of zombies as he burned the town around him.
  • Ate a 3L jar of mayonnaise.
  • Killed a man for his Mosin Nagant with a glass shiv only to get eviscerated five seconds later by a moose.
  • Had a private war with a mutant bear that nearly drove me mad.
AND MANY MORE!!!

You can find the game here.


Seriously though. Fuck that bear.


Ancient Domains of Mystery (ADOM)

ADOM or Ancient Domains of Mystery is quite the departure from some of the other games in this list. Released back in 1994, it is truly outstanding that it was made by a single man. The reason I say this is that, while the various dungeons might be randomized it has a fairly unchanged world map, and if I had to describe it to someone who had never played a roguelike I'd compare it to Skyrim via terminal. It, like NetHack is one of the "Big 4" of RL's and it definitely deserves the title considering how much work it's creator Thomas Biskup has put into it. Set in the mythical land of Ancardia, you the player are tasked to head out and find the source of chaos and evil that has ripped it's way into the Drakalor Chain and find a way to stop (or join) it. Unlike a lot of roguelikes that are set in a single and procedural large dungeon, ADOM has a set world map with multiple smaller (but also randomized) dungeons that the player can delve into. So while the world map is pretty much always the same, the dungeons and towns the player finds themselves in are always a little different each time. This helps the player learn about the carefully crafted world of Ancardia but does not detract from the replayability of the game itself.

ADOM has 12 races and 22 classes available to choose from. This allows for some truly varied styles of play and helps the replay value of ADOM. While I personally have not played the game enough to give you an accurate account of how truly varied this is, it speaks volumes to how much ADOM's creator, Thomas Biskup put into this insane game. If I had to describe it to someone who has literally never played a RL in their life I'd compare it to an Elder Scrolls game in it's complexity and style. The sheer amount of love put into the world is very admirable and has placed ADOM quite high in the annals of RL history. It is still available for free, both in Terminal and Graphical form, but is available with more goodies and settings on Steam. You can find the free versions here (Also the creator is very fond of receiving postcards from all over the world if you're up to it).



Whichever way you choose to play, the game has plenty of detail and complexity to add to your experience.


Moria

Other than Rogue, this is probably the oldest dungeon crawler I have ever played. Based on the world of Tolkien, the player is tasked with descending into the Mines of Moria to slay the Balrog, beyond that there are little similarities. Unlike many games, Moria has a starting town that the player finds themselves in at the start of the game, allowing them to buy and sell items throughout the length of their adventure. Containing 8 Races, and 6 Classes there are plenty of diverse ways for you to play through the dungeon. This is fairly impressive considering it was released in 1983! I do admit the version I have played was Umoria which as far as I know is just the game ported from Pascal to C. I haven't done much with this one, but I can say that levels are not preserved in memory so previously visited dungeon levels will disappear as you travel between levels and will be replaced by new ones. I personally don't like that much but I do see the appeal. Player power lever is much steeper than say Nethack and by the end of the game your character will be fairly OP compared to their starting point. Moria later branched into one of the Big 4 of RLs titled Angband, which is one of the most branched RLs in the history of the genre as far as I know. 


Tales of Maj'Eyal



Ah TOME. While I have never gotten particularly far in this game, I have spent many a sleepless night on it only to restart due to death, forgetting what I had done due to gaps in play time or uninstalling the game and later wanting to play it again. I don't know a whole lot on this one's history other than it was originally titled Troubles of Middle Earth & Tales of Middle Earth before being completely rewritten with a new engine and everything. It has a very nice tiled setup, with beautiful music and effects (although those who are used to AAA games might fight me on this). It is available for free here, but is also available for sale on Steam with added benefits and what not. One of the defining features of this RL over others (at least in my mind) is the use of an MMO like hotkey bar, allowing you to use a multitude of skills, spells and items on the fly without what some might deem an overly complex meta command (i.e. ctrl+whatever). This hotkey bar can also be accessed via mouse as well if you don't feel like using your keyboard for whatever reason. In fact the entire game can pretty much be played entirely with a mouse if you are so inclined (or you are holding a sleeping infant in one arm as was my case years ago). Not only does the game have these more modern features that definitely makes it more appealing to those just dipping their toes into the genre, it also has a more modern inventory screen that players of the hit series Diablo would find very familiar. Another fascinating aspect of the game is that it allows for mods. I pretty much stick to just the vanilla game but I do know that TOME's player base has made some pretty cool stuff including entire new story lines.

In tome there are 16 races available, although there are only 10 in the free version of the game, with 6 being available at the start and 4 being unlockable. TOME has a whopping 37 classes for you to play as, however in the free game there are "only" 29, and you only start with 7 and must unlock 22 others by playing through the story. Out of all of the games on this list I'd have to say this is a great start for the uninitiated or for those who are turned off by the heavy keyboard use of other games.


DoomRL



This game falls into what is known as a "Coffee break RL", as it has a much shorter completion time compared to other roguelikes. It is a fast paced (at least by TBS standards) game that seeks to capture the hell to leather action of a shooter game. However playing it as a balls to the walls shooter with zero thought to strategy is a sure fire way to end up horribly mangled by the denizens of Hell. The game follows the hit 90s game it is based upon, with a simple 3 class system, nice and simple skill tree and gameplay familiar to those who enjoy "boomer shooters". Find keys, use keys to access the level exit, kill anything that gets in the way, repeat. The weapons and gear range from old favorites to the occasional offshoot. It is a very enjoyable game both in ASCII and Tiled mode and worth a shot despite Bethesda sending it's developer a C&D order, which honestly just skyrocketed it's popularity. You can find the game here.


Dungeon Crawl: Stone Soup



Released in 2006 and still being updated, DC:SS is a very popular game based off of another RL titled Crawl. In this game the mission is about as straight forward as some of the others on this list. The player must delve into the depths of a dangerous dungeon, collect at least 3 runes of power to gain access to the Realm of Zot and retrieve the Orb of Zot before returning to the surface. Unlike say Nethack or Rogue, where the map is a set to a stationary grid on the screen and the player moves within said grid map, your player character stays stationary and the map moves around them. This allows for a much larger and open style of map (which is probably why games like ToME and CDDA use it as well). Along with this is a handy auto explore button so that you can zip through tunnels and scour every inch of a dungeon level without falling into the trap of holding down the movement buttons. Another fun aspect this game has is it's Arena mode, where you can spawn any monster from the game in whatever number you want, to have them fight another creature. Ever wondered how many orcs it takes to kill a dragon? This is the mode for you. Last I checked, the game has 25 classes (called backgrounds), 26 races (called species) and a multitude of Gods you can worship. Different Gods grant different boons and bonuses, however angering ones God can lead to terrible consequences. Over all I find the game fun and engaging but is more combat focused than say Nethack, which is absolutely fine I'm just biased.  You can find the game here.


Brogue



This is an absolutely gorgeous RL that combines ASCII and ANSII in a way that I can only describe as artistic. It is essentially the same as Rogue in so far as plot goes for the game. Go innadungeon, grab Amulet of Yendor, leave. The game is classless and raceless, but is extremely flexible in it's style of play, and is a much prettier and modern approach compared to it's predecessor. Originally released in 2009, it like many other games in the genre is constantly updated. There isn't much else I can say about the game other than to reiterate how beautiful it is. It's truly amazing how nice a game with such primitive graphics can look and you would do yourself a disservice by not playing it. You can find it for free here.


Pixel Dungeon



Released in 2012 for Android (and later on other platforms) Pixel Dungeons was developed as a RL streamlined for touch screen smartphones and tablets, before making the jump to PCs. I originally found it while looking for other RLs to play on the go, and while I am not a huge fan (that is to say I like it but don't love it) Pixel Dungeons is a phenomenal place to start for the casual newb of the genre. The game has 4 classes, and each class has 2 additional subclasses that help switch up your playthroughs, it is definitely a fun game worth looking into even if you are a seasoned veteran of the genre. I think the part I admire most about this one is the sheer number of forks available out there, as like most RL developers, PD's creator has left the code as open source. I'm fairly positive there are an equal amount of forks of other games in this list but I just happen to run into more of this one than any other considering how prevalent smart phone apps are nowadays. You can find it on Google Play Store, iOS App Store and here for those of you on home computers.

Zomband

A lesser known roguelike, with a familiar premise. Your city has been flooded with hordes of undead flesh eating zombies and you have to find a way to survive. Scavenge for supplies, crack zombie skulls, get eaten. Everything one needs for a fun open zombie game. Honestly it has been almost 15 years since I last played it and I find CDDA to be a much better (if not more complicated) game but it is still worth a look. Despite the "band" in it's name it is not a fork of the massively popular Angband but does seem to share similar controls. You can find it here, just scroll to the bottom.


Gruesome

This game is a fan made RL based in the world of Zork. If you don't know what Zork is, you make me feel very old (Wonderful text adventure written by the legendary Infocom). Released in 2009 for Windows, the player takes control of one of the most insidious creatures in fantasy canon, The Grue. You are tasked with reaching the surface, devour hapless adventurers and avoid any and all light, as it is instantly lethal to you. It's a fun little coffee break style game and definitely a fun gimmick to be sure. You can find the game here.


AliensRL

Made by the same guy as DoomRL and by the title you should get what it's all about. Coffee break style RL where you take on the role of a Colonial Marine sent out to a colony to investigate a distress beacon most deem a false alarm. Obviously it's not and the place is crawling with fucking bugs. You get 7 classes to pick from and must make your way through the game and try and survive against the Xenomorph onslaught. Has nice music and what not, full color ASCII, but no tiles. You can find it here.


More...

Here are a few games I've played little to none of but I know they would be phenomenal if I gave them the time. Click the titles to visit their homepage.

Dwarf Fortress



SIL




WazHack




Caves of Qud




Moonring





Angband




Unreal World





Crossfire





Egoboo



Honorary Mention: Barony



Okay so TECHNICALLY this isn't a traditional roguelike, but it's too good not to mention. First person, real time, with level editor, couch co-op and cross platform online multiplayer, this is THE game if you like the idea of a Traditional RL but are put off by the old school ASCII graphics or just want a refreshing take on the genre. I can not sing this games praises enough, and while I absolutely suck at it the game is absolutely worth the money. If you happen to find it on sale you can even get a 4 for 1 sale that allows you to gift it to your friends (at least on Steam). Some might be put off by it's voxel graphics but I assure you it's not some lame Minecraft copy. It's quite difficult though so I suggest those of you new to the concept of a RL play through the tutorials. They also recently just did a massive overhaul of the UI making it even more stylized and fun for the player base. First time I played I was murked by a boulder trap in less than 5 minutes of play, and new this was the game for me. All and all I'd say it's a glorious little romp through the dungeon diving genre and is even better with friends. You'll slay, be slain, starve and gain great wealth and laugh the whole time you play it. You can find it's homepage here.


This post took me fair too long to complete for how little is in it, but I have been exceedingly busy as of late. I do hope it gives you a solid starting point in this niche genre of gaming. It can be frustrating in it's difficulty but extremely rewarding for those who enjoy deep gameplay mechanics in lieu of graphics and "modern" amenities. I really hope you all try at least one of the games on this list if you've never played one, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. My love for old school D&D and this genre of computer game has me wanting to try my hand at programming, and if my old idiot brain is intrigued I can only imagine how the rest of you might react. God speed and good hunting lads.