Roguelikes (and roguelites, depending on how serious you take the genre) can be daunting to get started with. Being dominated by indie games with few big name releases, from the outside looking in it’s hard to tell what is trash and what is treasure. Here’s a list of five games that shaped the roguelike into what it is today, hand picked for ease of introduction.

Enter the Gungeon

There is no better game for fans of The Binding of Isaac than Enter the Gungeon. Trapped in an endless, randomized dungeon, you’re tasked with building a gun that can literally kill the past. It’s as silly as it sounds, and never stops to question its own logic, instead iterating on the silliness with each new item and boss. It takes the charming pixel style, brutally hard boss fights, and endless item combinations that made Isaac the darling child of the genre, and introduces a more cartoony comedic style that is far less disturbing and much more endearing. It is derivative and at times a bit too easy, but Enter the Gungeon captures a certain whimsy that few games can. 

Risk of Rain Returns

Released in celebration of the original game’s ten-year anniversary, Risk of Rain Returns boasts beautifully remade pixel art, new characters, and new character builds that the original sorely lacked. Your ship crash landed on a hostile alien planet, and the only way home is to fight your way out. While the moment to moment gameplay is a side scrolling platformer, the game also features an unassuming lore compendium that’s hiding a shockingly sincere and heartfelt story. If you’re looking for 4 player co-op, few games in the genre can retain their polish and difficulty in multiplayer like Risk of Rain. If you slept on the original, or are looking to relive early 2010s nostalgia, this is the best choice on the list. 

Nuclear Throne

What it lacks in achievements to grind for and a deep story to get lost in, Nuclear Throne more than makes up for its shortcomings with the sheer polish of its moment-to-moment arcade fun. Playing as a hideous mutant in a wacky and grim setting reminiscent of Fallout, you either make it to the titular throne or die trying. The twin-stick shooter gameplay and destroyable terrain makes for some truly nail biting moments of emergent gameplay. Runs are short, death comes in an instant, and going on a post-apocalyptic rampage feels smooth as butter. This one is an easy recommend for someone who just wants to get into the action and go.

FTL: Faster Than Light

For a more strategic take on the run-based format, FTL: Faster Than Light puts you in command of a spaceship and its crew on an intense galactic voyage. When your crew intercepted critical data that could turn the tides of an intergalactic war, they also became the target of a massive fleet of enemy ships, and are now tasked with delivering the data safely to the rest of your fleet while avoiding pursuers. FTL is a brutally hard strategy game, demanding your full attention in learning its many systems. Putting in the time to learn will reward you with the most satisfying game on this list, assuming you don’t get tired of your ship constantly exploding. 

Tales of Maj’Eyal

I would be remiss to not include at least one classic dungeon crawler, and the best introduction to those would be Tales of Maj’Eyal. Set in a Middle-Earth inspired post-war fantasy, TOME puts the player in the shoes of an unassuming hero as they climb from commoner to unstoppable god-slayer. Runs are upwards of 30 hours long, and in typical fashion, death will send you right back to the start. As the dangerous world opens up, you’re thrown in the midst of a nonlinear story of political intrigue. If you enjoy the thrill of grinding achievements, TOME boasts a truly ridiculous amount of unlocks and content, much of which can be attributed to its almost thirty-year development history, which is ongoing to this day and includes a new expansion pack in the near future. If you’re hesitant to give it a buy, the full original game is still available free on the games website.

This list is just a drop in the ocean of roguelike games. If you have any recommendations you’d like to make, please share your thoughts with us on our Boss Rush Network Facebook Group or our Boss Rush Network Discord.

Featured Image Source: Devolver Digital