The rogue-like genre has become so massive over the last decade, arguably due to the success ofThe Binding of Isaac, that it’s beginning to become diluted, so much so that it’s even spawned its own spinoff genre, the rogue-lite. With the rogue-like genre now deep in the mainstream of indie games, their design and visual style have drifted further and further from the genre’s origins.
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This list aims to provide a variety of highly regarded old-school, classic rogue-likes that often feature simplistic graphics,turn-based gameplay, and resource management. Some games featured may be more modern, but fitted with a retro style in a homage to a more classic era of gaming.
10Rogue
The game that started it all and the origin of the apt term “rogue-like”,Roguewasdeveloped in the ‘80sby Michael Toy and Glenn Wichman, though Ken Arnold would later contribute to the project also.Roguefeatures turn-based movement and combat that takes place on a grid, all (originally) displayed with ASCII graphics.
Roguewas inspired by old text adventure games, with heavy inspiration from theDungeons & Dragonsrole-playing game, also.Roguealso procedurally generates many aspects of the game, and burdens players with permanent death, making each run intense throughout its entirety.
Roguebecame extremely popular, and itscomplex but elegant designprovided a more than solid foundation for other developers to build upon, which they have to great success in many modern titles.
9NetHack / Vulture
Originally derived fromHack(which in itself was a clone ofRogue),NetHackis a fork ofHack, meaning that the developers took the source code ofHackand began to develop it independently. Many considerNetHackto be an evolved version of the originalHack, andNetHackin itself has had several forks since its original release.
Perhaps the most accessible version ofNetHackto play isVulture For NetHack, a fork ofFalcon’s Eye. The game convertsNetHackintoan isometric gamewith mouse control and much-needed graphical improvements, but unfortunately, it does have interface issues that could turn some players away. Regardless, at its extremely low price at the time of writing, it’s worth giving a go.
8Angband
Based on the works ofJ.R.R. Tolkien and Middle-Earth,Angbandwas released in 1990 as a new-and-improved version of the similar game,Dungeons of Moria(often referred to as justMoria). The game plays similarly toRoguebut features 100 floors and is notoriously difficult.
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InAngband, players begin in a town rather than a dungeon, and it’s there that they can buy equipment to prepare for their run. The game also features characters and items taken from Tolkien lore, and like many classic rogue-likes, it focuses its gameplay on resource management and turn-based combat.Angbandalso allows players to save their progress, though it maintains the rogue-like staple of perma-death.
7Dungeon Hack
In 1993, thisDungeons & Dragonsgame combinedRoguewithD&DRPG mechanics. Inspired byRogue,Dungeon Hackfollowed all the tropes, including procedurally generated dungeons and perma-death. However, inDungeon Hack, permanent death is an option that the player can remove.
Furthermore,Dungeon Hackuses pseudo-3D graphics to create a first-person perspective with varied and colorful environments and enemies. This variation and evolution in visual style, as well as the combined mechanics and gameplay of rogue-likes and RPGs, makeDungeon Hacka game that remains unique even to this day.
Dungeon Hackalso featuresin-depth character creationthat allows players to really customize and analyze their build before they begin playing, but the game also includes the option to choose from a set of preset characters for those who want to get straight back into the action.
6ADOM (Ancient Domains Of Mystery)
First released back in 1994 with ASCII graphics,ADOMhas long been in on-and-off development and is now available with both sound and tile-based graphics on the Steam store.
What makesADOMunique from other rogue-likes of its time is its focus onexploring a larger worldfilled with procedurally generated dungeons, dialog, story, and quests for the player to complete. The game also includes multiple win states, as well as an alignment system not dissimilar toDungeons & Dragonsthat can affect which quests are available to the player.
Overall,ADOMis a great game for fans of RPGs and open-world exploration that also want classic old-school rogue-like combat, resource management, procedural generation, and permanent death.
5Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup
Dungeon Crawl Stone Soupwas developed by a large community of rogue-like enthusiasts and is a spiritual successor toLinley’s Dungeon Crawl, which was released in 1997 and programmed by Linley Henzell.
What makesDungeon Crawl Stone Soupunique is that to obtain the “Orb of Zot” and win the game, players must first find three of 15 “Runes of Zot”. These runes can be found in a variety of branches throughout the dungeon; these unique areas provide more variety and strategy to the game, and allow players to experience the game differently every time even if they have beaten it before.
4DRL
Originally titled “DoomRL” for “Doom Rogue-Like”, this game had to change its title due to legal issues. Now titledDRL, the game is now open-source, andeven has a spiritual successor(created by the same developer) in the form ofJupiter Hell, which can be found on Steam. The gameplay is extremely fast-paced and focuses on brutal gunplay and quick and easy decision-making.
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DRL, which was first released in 2002, parodies the original 1993 FPS,Doom, focusing on simplistic controls and ease of use. This focus on making the game easy to learn and quick to pick up and play helped to popularize “coffee-break” or “lunch-break” rogue-likes that could be played in a short space of time. The game has procured a cult following over the years, including Spelunky creator, Derek Yu, who even designed a widely-used graphics pack for the game.
3Tales of Maj’Eyal
Released in 2012,Tales of Maj’Eyal, likeDungeon HackandADOM, combines RPG mechanics with that of a traditional rogue-like. Different from older and more traditional rogue-likes, however, isTales of Maj’Eyal’sgraphics, which are made up of full-color sprites and look very much like a commercial game. This is mostly in part to its release decades after the games it was inspired by and the developers chose not to take a purist’s approach to the art direction of the game.
What makesTales of Maj’Eyalparticularly unique is its control scheme and the fact that it can essentially be played entirely with a mouse. Furthermore, although the gamefeatures the permanent character deaththat is such a staple to the rogue-like genre, players can gain more lives through leveling up.
2Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead
Cataclysm: Dark Days Aheadis a hardcore rogue-like that was released in 2013, and finally launched on Steam in March 2023, ten years later.Cataclysm: Dark Days Aheadis notorious for its extreme difficulty meant to immerse players in an apocalyptic simulation.
The game prides itself on its heavy amount of customization and player freedom; players can essentially do whatever they like in the procedurally generated world, but they will likely be focused on just trying to stay alive, which they probably won’t be able to do for very long. The game is not beginner-friendly at all but can be rewarding if players stick to it.
A few unique things aboutCataclysm: Dark Days Aheadare its vehicles and vehicle customization, crafting/building system, and RPG skill and proficiency system. This game is great for players who love challenging and granular experiences, and unlike most of the entries on this list,Cataclysmis set during a modern-day zombie outbreak, rather than a fantasy world.
1Caves of Qud
Based heavily on the tabletop role-playing gameGamma World,Caves of Qudtakes place in a post-apocalyptic future full of mutated creatures, humans, and a hefty amount of cybernetics.
The game originally followed the rogue-like perma-death structure but with some of the larger-scale RPG elements of certain classic rogue-likes such as an over-world and large map to explore above the titular caves. Further, into its release,Caves of Qudnow features plenty of quality-of-life features and even different game modes, including one that replaces permanent death with a checkpoint system.
