The roguelike genre has grown from a relative niche into something much bigger. Roguelike games can be extremely difficult to crack; Typically, they have high difficulty, meaning you'll be banging your head against the wall as you learn to play the game, figure out what strategies work best in procedurally generated levels, and figure out how to defeat tough enemies or How to overcome challenges. 2024 showed that the genre wasn't a commercial force through hits alone Hades II And BalatroAnd also that roguelikes can be almost anything: from poker variants to engaging multiplayer action games.
lyrics of BalatroIt was undoubtedly one of these, if not Best game of the year. The game is extremely easy to pick up, being rooted in the construction of traditional poker hands, but each round feels extremely different due to clever and sometimes superpowered joker cards that can net you massive bonuses. The game is a perfect blend of skill, risk and a little bit of luck, and it feels great when you find a strategy that works perfectly in your favor. i think i will play Balatro With everything that's cooking for the game for years to come, especially Upcoming Major Updatesand now that game is on mobileI can play wherever I want.
That is, when I'm not dipping my toes back in. Hades IIThe game, which is still in early access, is shaping up to be a worthy successor HadesAnd it's arguably more fully developed than many finished titles. I have already put in over 30 hours Hades II, And I feel like I still have a lot to unlock and master, but I've purposely held myself back from playing more so that I don't burn out before the game reaches v1.0. i only beat the new boss Latest major updates One time was enough before taking this decision.
There are some other roguelikes that I love and want to invest more time into, but haven't been able to due to the sheer amount of other games to look at in this genre. shogun showdownwhich is about strategy and positioning, creates Showing you the future makes you feel like a geniusI really enjoyed getting control of the game's weapons and items so that I could make well-planned combos against waves of enemies.
blown in the windNew roguelike from dead cells Creators Motion Twin takes a lot of what it creates dead cells Awesome and it translates to 3D. The weapons are diverse, satisfying and can match well with each other. The game's biomes are creative and fun to explore, with lots of nooks and crannies. But where blown in the wind Where it really shines is its multiplayer – I had no idea until I played the game How good can roguelikes be with friendsLike Hades, blown in the wind It's also in early access, so I look forward to playing it more over the next year as Motion Twin does major updates.
And those are the only new roguelikes I've actually been able to spend time on this year. There's still a lot I want to play or barely touch on that sounds extremely promising. escape from vampires get Two Major crossover DLC I want to know about: One with Adverse and with one Castlevania(I've only played a few rounds Castlevania detail, and I was tickled to see how big the map was.) And while I'm talking about escape from vampires, hall of sufferingsomething like this escape from vampires mixed with old school diablo Aesthetically, Early Access has been abandoned, and I'd like to see how it's changed since I first got my hands on it last year.
evil prince of persiaA roguelike take on the classic prince of persia The action and platforming is an example of how big publishers like Ubisoft are jumping into the genre – and it sounds like it's right up my alley. Wicked Another early access roguelike on this list, but it has received several major updates since launching in May, including a Important updates in November Which revamped the art style and added new biomes, bosses and more. I should mention that too Wicked Too One dead cells Connection: It is made by Evil Empire, the studio that has worked on many dead cells Updates and DLC, which make me very confident that they will do a great job in taking the game to its final full launch.
Heck, 2024 has been such a banner year for roguelikes that even 2014's classic The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth She got an important new DLC update Added online multiplayer,
Huge number of great roguelikes just this year Shows that genre frameworks offer many ways to create interesting games. I especially appreciate how they're usually more digestible than blockbuster epics. There will be some promising roguelikes in the next year like kill pinnacle 2 And hyper light breakerBut I know I'll be returning to the many excellent roguelikes of 2024 again and again – well, just for one more round. Balatro,