Roguelike games are taking the indie scene by storm. Their procedurally generated levels offer challenging gameplay that is never quite the same with each playthrough. What really makes them hard is that, if you fail, you’ll have to start from the beginning. Here are 4 Canadian made roguelikes that we played and enjoyed here at Girls on Games.
Subaeria: Think Fast!
This one is for the puzzle solvers as Subaeria’s levels require a bit of ingenuity and some fast thinking to complete. As a young girl navigating the underwater city, you must avoid and overcome the Cleaners, a squadron of automated robots bent on killing you on sight. Armed with nothing but your wits and your trusty droid, you must lure, push, distract or control the Cleaners in order to destroy them and progress further within the city. If they get you, then it’s game over and you have to start over. With each of your playthroughs, you’ll learn the patterns of the Cleaners, unlock apps for your droid and buffs for your character.
Subaeria is available on PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
Flinthook: Hook, Sink and Plunder
Flinthook will have you zipping around space pirate ships looking for treasures and secrets. With its charming pixel art and rocking chiptune soundtrack, Flinthook has a metroidvania gameplay that hinges on quick reflexes. Use your trusty grappling hook to move and dart around the procedurally generated levels, gun down enemies with your Blast Pistol and give yourself a fighting chance by using your belt to slow down time. Reach the end of the level to plunder the ship’s booty or perish, sending you all the way back to the beginning. With each playthrough, you’ll level and unlock perk cards that will help you progress further. The perks can either play to your strengths or help you compensate for your weaknesses.
Flinthook is available on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch.
Crypt of the Necrodancer: Don’t Miss a Beat!
Explore procedurally generated dungeons to the beat of a electro inspired soundtrack in Crypt of the Necrodancer. Move to the beat of the music, learn the enemies’ patterns to attack or avoid them and defeat the mini-boss to move on to the next area, all that before the song ends! If you are struck down or if the final note is played before you reach your goal, you’ll have to start all over again. Defeat enemies and find chest to earn coins and visit the shopkeeper to spend that hard earned money on equipment upgrades. Move around to the beat of the game’s soundtrack or load in your favourite songs. Dance game fanatics can even play using their gamepads instead of the traditional controller or keyboard.
Crypt of the Necrodancer is available on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PS Vita, Nintendo Switch and iOS.
Darkest Dungeon: Something Wicked Lies Beneath
An adventurer’s life is not an easy one… Darkest Dungeon will have you on edge exploring dark procedurally generated dungeons set to the eery soundtrack composed Stuart Chatwood. It mixes roguelike mechanics with turn based RPG combat but the kicker is the affliction system: if your heroes’ stress level gets too high, it may enhance or hamper their combat abilities. Recruit and train a band of heroes and build your power by exploring dungeons to enter the last stage where the final boss resides: the darkest dungeon. If one of your heroes is struck down, he or she is lost forever and a replacement must be hired. This game will surely please RPG players that love to manage a party and navigate through maze-like dungeons.
Darkest Dungeon is available on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and iOS.
DISCLAIMER: Codes for Subaeria, Flinthook and Crypt of the Necrodancer were provided through PR. The opinions expressed in the article above have not be affected by, dictated or edited in any way by the provider. For more information please see Girls on Games’ Code of Journalistic Ethics.