Looking to introduce yourself to Roguelite games, or perhaps seeking more games to add to your library? Here's my pick of 5 Roguelites for September 2022.
Cult of the Lamb
Cult of the Lamb casts players in the role of a possessed lamb saved from annihilation by an ominous stranger, and must repay their debt by building a loyal following in his name. Start your own cult in a land of false prophets, venturing out into diverse and mysterious regions to build a loyal community of woodland Followers and spread your Word to become the one true cult.
Cult of the Lamb was only released last August 11, but is already one of the most played roguelites, reaching an all time concurrent player count of over 60,000. In its first week, it reached one million players. To celebrate this achievement, free major updates are planned to provide more depth to the game.
In Cult of the Lamb, you must collect resources to build your cult, perform rituals to the gods, and reinforce your cult through sermons. You can't have any competitors either, and you must defeat rival cults and absorb their power in a randomly generated world. In this dark-themed roguelite combined with its adorable art style, there's nothing to hate.
Vampire Survivors
Vampire Survivors is a time survival game with minimalistic gameplay and roguelite elements.
There's no place where to hide, all you can do is try to survive a cursed night and get as much gold as possible for the next survivor, before Death inevitably puts an end to your struggles.
Vampire Survivors remains in Early Access, but don't let it fool you. This game packs tens if not hundreds of hours of gameplay in it already, with thousands of possible permutations of weapons, Arcanas, and characters to make sure every run is different. The Castlevania inspired minimalist roguelite is an easy start: it works on mouse, keyboard, controller, or even touch screen. This intuitive onboarding doesn't mean a low ceiling, however, as figuring out the combination that works for each clear may take dozens of clears.
As of the time of writing, Vampire Survivors is on its final major update before its full release, but at this point it has more than 95% of the planned content already. Vampire Survivors on its own has also birthed a new genre of top-down roguelites, one of which is our next featured game.
Soulstone Survivors: Prologue
Face the Lords of the Void and their endless minions, collect their Soulstones and become a god! In this Action Roguelite, unveil secret spells, craft mighty weapons, unlock multiple characters, discover game-breaking synergies and conquer the power of the void.
Soulstone Survivors: Prologue is the demo version the game, and is also free. The full game is set for a release this year, but no month was named. Luckily, you can try it before then right now.
Even though a demo, Soulstone Survivors: Prologue already boasts many hours of content. There are 3 playable characters, and dozens of skills you can attain upon leveling up. Hundreds of power-ups are available to empower both your characters and skills, as well as a skill tree to provide permanent stat buffs to your character.
By the full version, Soulstone Survivors will have hundreds of skills, including unique skills depending on the Weapon, Character, and Class you are using. More enemies, characters, and runes are also set to be included in this full version.
Hades
Hades is a god-like rogue-like dungeon crawler that combines the best aspects of Supergiant's critically acclaimed titles, including the fast-paced action of Bastion, the rich atmosphere and depth of Transistor, and the character-driven storytelling of Pyre.
- Battle Out Of Hell: As the immortal Prince of the Underworld, you'll wield the powers and mythic weapons of Olympus to break free from the clutches of the god of the dead himself, while growing stronger and unraveling more of the story with each unique escape attempt.
- Unleash The Fury Of Olympus: The Olympians have your back! Meet Zeus, Athena, Poseidon, and many more, and choose from their dozens of powerful Boons that enhance your abilities. There are thousands of viable character builds to discover as you go.
- Befriend Gods, Ghosts, and Monsters: A fully-voiced cast of colorful, larger-than-life characters is waiting to meet you! Grow your relationships with them, and experience thousands of unique story events as you learn about what's really at stake for this big, dysfunctional family.
- Built for Replayability: New surprises await each time you delve into the ever-shifting Underworld, whose guardian bosses will remember you. Use the powerful Mirror of Night to grow permanently stronger, and give yourself a leg up the next time you run away from home.
- Nothing Is Impossible: Permanent upgrades mean you don't have to be a god yourself to experience the exciting combat and gripping story. Though, if you happen to be one, crank up the challenge and get ready for some white-knuckle action that will put your well-practiced skills to the test.
Supergiant Games' masterpiece, Hades, is still a must-play two years after its release. Hades puts you in the blazing feet of Zagreus as he makes his way out of Hell itself. It is by no means a highway, as thousands of enemies stand in his way courtesy of his father Hades.
This multi-award winning game is an experience and a half, and whether you're a beginner to roguelites or a multi-running veteran, Hades is a premier choice to sink your hours and days into. It remains as a consistent recommendation to those looking for a new roguelite game, as it does everything perfectly. Gameplay feels smooth, the characters are lovable and they certainly do not feel hollow. The storyline perfectly weaved into the game does not feel like an afterthought, and Supergiant Games once again shows their mastery over story.
Risk of Rain 2
- Survive and Alien Planet: Over a dozen handcrafted locales await, each packed with challenging monsters and enormous bosses that oppose your continued existence. Fight your way to the final boss and escape or continue your run indefinitely to see just how long you can survive. A unique scaling system means both you and your foes limitlessly increase in power over the course of a game.
- Discover Powerful New Items: More than 110 items keep each run fresh and full of new challenge. The more items you collect, the more their effects combine, the more surprising some of those combinations might be. The more items you encounter, the more lore (and strategy) you’ll discover through the logs.
- Unlock New Ways to Play: Unlock a crew of eleven playable survivors, each with their own unique combat style and alternate skills to master. Learn the secrets of the Artifacts to toggle gameplay modifiers like friendly fire, random survivor spawns, item selection and more. With randomized stages, enemies, and items, no run will ever be the same.
- Play Solo or Co-Op: Tackle the adventure solo or with up to three friends in online co-op, or compete in the rotating challenge of the Prismatic Trials. Brand new survivors like the Captain and MUL-T join classic survivors such as the Engineer, Huntress, and–of course–the Commando.
Initially made available in Early Access in March 2019, Risk of Rain 2 fully released 2 years ago. If you're not new to roguelites, you may have heard of this one before, or even picked it up for a couple (hundred) runs, then forgot about it. Earlier this year though, Risk of Rain 2 launched its Survivors of the Void expansion, building on the base game with even more content like new pickups, weapons, and even a stage.
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