The roguelike genre has gone from being a relative niche to something much bigger. Roguelike games can be very difficult to understand; They generally have a high difficulty, meaning you'll be banging your head against the wall while learning how to play, figuring out what strategies work best in procedurally generated levels, and figuring out how to overcome difficult enemies or challenges. 2024 proved that the genre wasn't just a commercial force through hits like Hades II and Balatroand also that a roguelike could be almost anything: from a poker variant to a flashy multiplayer action game.
talking about Balatrowas certainly one of, if not hebest games of the year. The game is extremely easy to learn due to its roots in traditional poker hand building, but each round feels wildly different due to the clever and sometimes super powerful wild cards that can give you huge bonuses. The game is a perfect combination of skill, risk, and a little bit of luck, and it feels so good when you find a strategy that completely stacks the chips in your favor. I think I'll be playing Balatro for years to come, especially with what's in the works for the game's next major update. And now that the game is available for mobile devices, I can play wherever I want.
That is, when I'm not dipping my toes in Hades II. The game, which is still in early access, is shaping up to be a worthy successor to helland is arguably more developed than many finished titles. I have already dedicated more than 30 hours to it Hades II, and I feel like I still have a lot to unlock and master, but I've intentionally refrained from playing more so I don't get tired of the game before it reaches version 1.0. I only beat the new boss in the most recent major update once before deciding that was enough.
There are a couple of other roguelikes that I've loved and want to spend more time on, but haven't due to the sheer number of other games in the genre to try out. shogun showdownwhich has to do with tactics and positioning, makes you feel like a genius by showing you the future. I really enjoyed handling the weapons and in-game items so I could pull off well-planned combos against waves of enemies.
blown by the windthe new roguelike dead cells creators Motion Twin, takes a lot from what it does dead cells great and translates it to 3D. The weapons are varied, satisfying, and can combine well with each other. The game's biomes are creative and fun to explore, with plenty of nooks and crannies. but where blown by the wind What really shines is its multiplayer: until I played it, I had no idea how good roguelikes with friends could be. As hell, blown by the wind It's also in Early Access, so I'm looking forward to playing it a lot more next year as Motion Twin makes major updates.
And those are just the new roguelikes I've been able to dedicate time to this year. There are still many more that I want to play or have barely touched and that look extremely promising. vampire survivors got two main crossover DLCs I want to delve into: one with Against and one with castlevania. (I've only played a couple of rounds of the castlevania expansion, and I was tickled by how big the map was.) And while I'm talking about vampire survivors: torment roomswhich is something like vampire survivors mixed with an old school devils Aesthetically, I left early access and want to see what has changed since I first dabbled in it last year.
The Rebel Prince of Persiaa roguelike version of the classic prince of persia action and platforms, it is an example of how large publishers like Ubisoft are launching themselves into the genre, and it seems like something that suits me. Rogue is another early access roguelike on this list, but it's received plenty of major updates since its release in May, including a significant update in November that revamped the art style and added new biomes, bosses, and more. I should also mention that Rogue also has a dead cells connection: It is made by Evil Empire, the studio that worked on many dead cells updates and DLC, which gives me a lot of faith that they will do a great job guiding the game to its eventual full release.
Heck, 2024 has been such a banner year for roguelikes that even the 2014 classic He The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth Got a new major DLC update that online multiplayer added.
The large number of great roguelikes only this year shows that the genre framework offers many ways to create interesting games. I particularly appreciate that they are generally more digestible than blockbuster epics. Next year has some promising roguelikes like Kill the needle 2 and Hyperlight Breakerbut I know I'll be returning to many of 2024's excellent roguelikes again and again, well, after just one more round of Balatro.
