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some underrated rogue-likes
8 years ago
I think everyone knows about the "binding of issac" and I think it's a great introduction to the genre, but I think that's the first thing everyone thinks about and I wanted to kind of share my thoughts on some others that feel underrated.
20XX: I've always wanted to play a randomly generated mega-man and this definitely fits the bill; the controls are tight and the combat is fluid. though I do feel it has the same issue binding of Issac has where sometimes it feels your items are carrying you a bit too hard. Also I feel it's constrained by the team's budget/time in that there are only 8 bosses and 2 final bosses; I really think more bosses with unique powers should be there to make each run feel more unique. Also they didn't put in the classic "final exam gauntlet" where you have to kill all 8 bosses in a row; arguably that part is padding plus it might be slightly unfair since unlike megaman proper you can only hold 3 powers, but I dunno, the final levels feel a bit anti-climactic.
Downwell:
Really fast paced action that is only limited by your reflexes, and has some great mechanics in play. It's amazing how much faster and fluid a platformer can be when you're going straight down instead of on a gradual ascent. none of the items/upgrades are particularly unbalanced enough to propel you to an easy win you definitely have to work for it. easy to pick up, challenging to master. I also like that you are incentivized to pick up and use weapons that might not be your first choice due to how the upgrade system works. I'm pretty sure it's like, 3 bucks on steam and will probably run on a toaster. my only gripe is kill combos stop being useful after 25 incentivizing you to prematurely end them so as to maximize your gains from this system
Nuclear throne:
insane difficulty, but it's usually heavily weighted in favor of skill and planing, it's a lot like binding of issac, but you're never going to roll a combination of upgrades that are going to make it so that actually playing through the run is just a matter of formality. also has a functioning online co-op mode unlike binding of Issac (which seriously has no excuse at this point, they're just phoning it in with A+ considering how well done "anti-birth" was by comparison and that was free lol). the kills are satisfying to get particularly when they tumble and get knocked back, potentially killing more enemies in the process with heavier weapons having more momentum. the destructable terrain makes the environment feel more alive while at the same time being of immense strategic use. Also the lore is top notch considering it's mostly hinted at, and there are tons of secrets that are well hidden (almost too well hidden tbh, you might think you beat the game and that is all the content there was if you didn't read the wiki or know about "looping"). Also I think a few of my re-occurring characters would fit right into the cast of horrible, yet charming mutants you play as which also might bias me more in the game's favor. sadly I've yet to get to loop 3 to complete my experience, but at some point maybe that will happen (I think all I need to do is play less WF and I could probably do it tomorrow)
Curse of the necrodancer:
I normally despise rhythm games, but this one is pretty legit. the music is amazing and memorable, and so are the monsters. Going into more detail about the monsters/bosses they usually have a music based pun thrown in there somewhere and/or have distinct features (ie. like a Minotaur whose horns are strung together so that they have a harp on their head, and there is a massive frankenstein creature that is half man half piano named "frankensteinway"). unlike the destructible terrain in nuclear throne where is mostly a consequence of destructive weaponry and explosives ripping through the scenery you are going to be using this a ton; in fact there is an entire zone where there are no doors and the only way to progress is by digging holes into other areas. also this game will kick your ass, but 99% of the time you'll see that it was your fault in hindsight. also the vampire girl is pretty cute (even if she's a little less meaty than my typical choice in monster girls lol). while I was able to clear most the game's content I think clearing it with Aria is asking too much of me considering the difficulty of her restrictions (yeah I know I just need to "git gud" but I can't see myself clearing a zone while only making one mistake anytime soon, thought to be fair it's a lot more reasonable than doing it with "the lost" in binding of issac, but that one used to be much easier to exploit in a lot of ways making it possible for me).
also these silly space jam remix things for the game amused me enough to make me look into it more and actually purchase it.
20XX: I've always wanted to play a randomly generated mega-man and this definitely fits the bill; the controls are tight and the combat is fluid. though I do feel it has the same issue binding of Issac has where sometimes it feels your items are carrying you a bit too hard. Also I feel it's constrained by the team's budget/time in that there are only 8 bosses and 2 final bosses; I really think more bosses with unique powers should be there to make each run feel more unique. Also they didn't put in the classic "final exam gauntlet" where you have to kill all 8 bosses in a row; arguably that part is padding plus it might be slightly unfair since unlike megaman proper you can only hold 3 powers, but I dunno, the final levels feel a bit anti-climactic.
Downwell:
Really fast paced action that is only limited by your reflexes, and has some great mechanics in play. It's amazing how much faster and fluid a platformer can be when you're going straight down instead of on a gradual ascent. none of the items/upgrades are particularly unbalanced enough to propel you to an easy win you definitely have to work for it. easy to pick up, challenging to master. I also like that you are incentivized to pick up and use weapons that might not be your first choice due to how the upgrade system works. I'm pretty sure it's like, 3 bucks on steam and will probably run on a toaster. my only gripe is kill combos stop being useful after 25 incentivizing you to prematurely end them so as to maximize your gains from this system
Nuclear throne:
insane difficulty, but it's usually heavily weighted in favor of skill and planing, it's a lot like binding of issac, but you're never going to roll a combination of upgrades that are going to make it so that actually playing through the run is just a matter of formality. also has a functioning online co-op mode unlike binding of Issac (which seriously has no excuse at this point, they're just phoning it in with A+ considering how well done "anti-birth" was by comparison and that was free lol). the kills are satisfying to get particularly when they tumble and get knocked back, potentially killing more enemies in the process with heavier weapons having more momentum. the destructable terrain makes the environment feel more alive while at the same time being of immense strategic use. Also the lore is top notch considering it's mostly hinted at, and there are tons of secrets that are well hidden (almost too well hidden tbh, you might think you beat the game and that is all the content there was if you didn't read the wiki or know about "looping"). Also I think a few of my re-occurring characters would fit right into the cast of horrible, yet charming mutants you play as which also might bias me more in the game's favor. sadly I've yet to get to loop 3 to complete my experience, but at some point maybe that will happen (I think all I need to do is play less WF and I could probably do it tomorrow)
Curse of the necrodancer:
I normally despise rhythm games, but this one is pretty legit. the music is amazing and memorable, and so are the monsters. Going into more detail about the monsters/bosses they usually have a music based pun thrown in there somewhere and/or have distinct features (ie. like a Minotaur whose horns are strung together so that they have a harp on their head, and there is a massive frankenstein creature that is half man half piano named "frankensteinway"). unlike the destructible terrain in nuclear throne where is mostly a consequence of destructive weaponry and explosives ripping through the scenery you are going to be using this a ton; in fact there is an entire zone where there are no doors and the only way to progress is by digging holes into other areas. also this game will kick your ass, but 99% of the time you'll see that it was your fault in hindsight. also the vampire girl is pretty cute (even if she's a little less meaty than my typical choice in monster girls lol). while I was able to clear most the game's content I think clearing it with Aria is asking too much of me considering the difficulty of her restrictions (yeah I know I just need to "git gud" but I can't see myself clearing a zone while only making one mistake anytime soon, thought to be fair it's a lot more reasonable than doing it with "the lost" in binding of issac, but that one used to be much easier to exploit in a lot of ways making it possible for me).
also these silly space jam remix things for the game amused me enough to make me look into it more and actually purchase it.
Regarding 20XX, sadly, randomly-generated Mega Man doesn't work very well. Too many times, I'd end up in situations where poor layout or overpowered items basically nullified the stage designs: you'd find an alternate route or get some sort of jumping powers that let you just ignore the platforming and hazards. Mega Man is all about tight, careful platforming, so I felt like 20XX really dropped the ball in that regard.
Downwell is okay, but it never held my interest for long. The three-color graphical design seemed like a terrible idea. Color is very important to determining what's beneficial and what's hazardous in video games, especially in games as fast as Downwell, so it's really easy for your eyes to lose track of exactly what's happening in the game since everything's the same color.
And Nuclear Throne always just felt like a crappier version of Enter the Gungeon to me. The stages are way smaller in Nuclear Throne than in Gungeon, so the feeling of exploration is mostly lost, and in exchange you get much spammier combat where stuff keeps coming in out of nowhere to kill you. Can't say I was a fan.
One roguelite I really enjoy that's rarely mentioned is Eldritch, a first-person shooter/stealth game. It doesn't have a particularly large selection of items or powers, which is a bit of a bummer, but it compensates by letting you choose between combat or stealth in order to engage enemies, or you can just tunnel through the highly-destructible game world and try to avoid encounters entirely (and maybe find hidden goodies in the process). It's also pretty heavy on the atmosphere, with weird area designs and spooky music, and even a couple of enemies that are a bit unsettling.
as far as 20xx I think after it came out of beta they capped the jumping a bit to avoid that, but yeah at the very least jumping should probably be limited to a 1 time pick up, or a dangerous prototype or something. IMO I just think there are just not enough unique procedural generated level segments or bosses which is my main criticism. also yeah sometimes your default blaster is just too good; it makes it seem more like you're playing a Contra game than a megaman one, particularly the triple shot.
Yeah I suppose down-well is one of those things where you can either dig the art style or it sears your eyes. there are like 40 pallets they have, but the only one that doesn't cause problems is the default one which is a shame. I certainly don't think it'd hurt the experience if he went from a 4 bit atari pallet to a 16 one or even simply 8 bit, and I hope he considers a sequel with that possibility in mind.
Well I'd hope Nuclear throne is crappier, it's at least 5 years older if you count the beta stuff XD. Yeah not sure how much of the fun I had could be chalked up to the online co-op I got to enjoy with friends vs the actual core game. it does drastically improve my opinion of the game, and it's not even an official update (though I heard valambeer hired the guy who made the mod and let him do the updates relatively recently, so that might have changed in the last few months). Does enter the gungeon have online co-op? if it does I'll have to make more time to check it out; it definitely seems like it takes the things I enjoy from Binding of issac and nuclear throne and puts them in a neat package.
I think I've heard of that eldritch thing, I'll go ahead and look it up later to be sure.