Alexia Unplugged

There are some genres that are just hard to get into. Souls games and souls-likes are one, with their high skill floor and unforgiving stakes. Rogue-likes are similar. It can be super discouraging to start level one over and over again! Here are two new indie rogue-likes to start off with if you’re interested in the genre, but not sure how to play it.

Spells & Secrets

I’ve written about this game before, but it really is just a fantastic introduction to the rogue-like genre. The graphics and character customization are super cute and familiar for a cozy game audience, and the simple gameplay is super helpful since this is a genre that’s known for its difficulty. It starts out quite easily, but the progression is dynamic, exciting, and familiar.

Ravenswatch

In Ravenswatch, you play as a member of an evil-fighting group of fairytale heroes (and villains) to try to prevent the apocalypse. I love that this game incentivizes the players to try out many different heroes and has mini-quests within each level.

Ravenswatch is fun to play with friends, especially someone who is more experienced or confident playing this genre. It’s fast-paced, but that makes it more fun to play over and over again! Every game is different, especially with its deck-building approach to leveling up. The social nature of this game makes it more fun too!

Other Roguelites

These are just the first couple roguelites that pulled me in. I prefer games with a lower skill floor, so roguelites and roguelikes were just difficult for me to enjoy; Constantly dying was hard. But I’ve since found a soft spot for the genre through Spells & Secrets and Ravenswatch.

There are countless other excellent games in this genre: Hades (and Hades II), Slay the Spire, and Noita could also be great jumping-off points for someone looking to learn more about the roguelites!

Do you like roguelites? What are your favorites? Let me know in the comments!