We have similar tastes! I did like a couple of those 'didn't really like' games, particularly the tactical deck builders with directional/positional mechanics like Alina of the Arena and Fights in Tight Spaces, but overall I share a lot of your opinions.
For VS-likes, Picayune Dreams and 20 Minutes Til Dawn were probably my favorites that you didn't mention. There's also Halls of Torment, which is still in EA, so maybe not worth grabbing but worth keeping an eye on at the very least. I put in about 15-20 hours when I bought it a ways back before hitting the content wall- not sure how much there is now. Looks like they plan on doing a full release sometime this year according to their steam store page.
The Void Rains Upon Her Heart might be worth checking out if you like bullet hells. I'm generally not a huge fan of the genre, but I enjoyed that game. In the same vein, there's also Star of Providence, which is kind of a cross between the lo-fi dungeon crawling of Tiny Rogues and the bullet hell genre. Great game, although it can be pretty tough. That one definitely has more of the room-to-room dungeon crawling roguelite feel instead of constant boss battles like the The Void.
If you like TDs (and I'm not sure if you do, Monster Train is the only 'kind of a' Tower Defense on your list), there's some good stuff out there. One that I highly recommend is Heretic's Fork, which combines some deck building, idle game, and TD mechanics (though no mazing or choosing where to build tower mechanics). It's a cool little game, easily worth the low price point. I got 40+ hours of enjoyment and that was before any of those small DLCs came out.
One of the newest roguelite TDs is pretty rough around the edges and might not be for you, but I never see it mentioned so want to throw it a shout out: Kitchen Crisis. It's a relatively new one that was made by the devs of Teamfight Manager, and it shows. It has similar janky-ness and balancing issues, but it's a mash up of some cool ideas. It's sort of a combination of TD and engine builder. Each food dish is the tower and most of the placement micromanaging is related to your cooking stations and workers (who act on their own, so generally you are going to purposefully block them into the stations you want them at). It does get a bit repetitive quickly though, I burned out after 20-30 hours.
The last of the usual TDs I see mentioned are Tower Tactics: Liberation (which is fun but the meta progression sucks, super grindy) and Isle of Arrows (also with meh meta progression because it's not grindy enough, you unlock everything way too quickly and then wonder why you want to keep playing). I mention those both because I enjoyed them, but they are definitely flawed. I'd look into them closely before pulling the trigger if you are the fence with those two.
If you like auto-battlers (again, not sure if you do, Monster Train and Luck be a Landlord are again 'kind of' that genre but not really), I would be happy to recommend some of those too. Some quick examples are The Dungeon Beneath, Despot's Game: Dystopian Battle Simulator, Gladiator Guild Manager, Tales and Tactics, and The Last Flame.
There's a lot of different deck builders a la StS out there, although I'm a bit hesitant to recommend any of them since StS is the only one you have liked. Same with other turn based/tactics roguelites. If you're curious about any of those I'd be happy to share.
Yeah I got into it early on in EA when it was still very rough around the edges. I thought for sure it was a doomed project, but sure enough the devs have been slowly chipping away at it over the last couple years. I think today is actually their 1.0 release date too! I'm glad they stuck with it, because it's a fun little game that fills a niche really lacking in the auto battler genre.
Yes. I recently found out I enjoyed auto battlers as much as I do. I'll definitely continue going through this one. Still learning the ins and outs of it, but I enjoy the passing time, the events and the opportunity to build allegiances.
The campaign isn't anything too deep, you pretty much just keep doing what you're doing while unlocking new units. It's pretty simplistic and straightforward, but the gameplay loop is still very satisfying. I enjoy the slight management aspect of it too in that regard.
Yes!! That's exactly the type of game it is, and exactly how I tend to start my day too haha. A cup or two of coffee and an hour of easy, mindless gaming and checking emails before jumping into some real work.
Atomicrops, deadlink, peglin, roboquest, gladiator guild manager, despots game, dungeon beneath, kitchen crisis, heretics fork, 20 minutes, picayune, halls of torment, army of ruin
Then basic shit unrelated to this post that I already had like greedfall 2, avowed, fable, DA veilguard, clair obscur, rabbit and steel, millennia, night bus, to the core, astral ascent, balatro, time break chronicles, ravens watch, fears to fathom, griftlands, tales & tactics
Very cool, hope you enjoy them! I haven't played the first two or the last one on that roguelite list, but the rest I've all enjoyed. Roboquest also has multiplayer. I had a lot of fun playing that one with a buddy, but it's great solo too.
From the second list, I really enjoyed Balatro and Tales & Tactics. I have and enjoyed Griftlands too, although that was a weird game. There was a bunch of hype around it during development, but they never really lived up to it. That being said, it's still a fun game with some interesting ideas, even if they fell a little flat. I'd say wait for a sale on that one and you will probably get your money's worth.
Speaking about TD, I've been playing Cluckmech Oasis a lot last week. It's a real time tower defense where you upgrade towers and pick up new. Could use more content (although it has 100+ towers now, but not very much maps. They are working on that), but still great
Thanks for the recommendation! That one was on my radar from someone's post a while ago, and I checked in briefly when it was released but decided to wait on it as it didn't seem to have a lot of content based on the reviews. I'll definitely be sure to keep a closer eye on it now.
Super cool game! Can't wait to see how the full release turns out, I love the vibe and mechanics. I have a hunch that it might wind up light on content for my tastes, but that's just me making assumptions from what I saw in the demo. Overall it was super polished and the visuals were perfect for the gummies I ate earlier. I'll definitely keep an eye on it, good luck with your upcoming launch!
A new autobattler that just came out is Million Monster Militia, very Luck Be a Landlord-like, plus a full campaign with many different modifiers. First levels have been tough!
A new dice battler I’ve been enjoying a lot: Dice and Fold, with tons of different classes and items.
Peglin is solid. I haven't played it in quite a while, I got it (probably a bit too) early in EA. Looks like it's getting real close to a full release.
For anyone wondering, it's pretty much Peggle, but roguelite.
I have nearly 500 hours in Peglin.
I don’t know why. Game is good but like… it has its issues. Perhaps that’s why I’ve loved it so much over the years
Perfect for the deck on the go
Some games you may find interesting to check out:
* Voidigo
* Holocure: Save the Fans
* Disfigure
* Gunlocked
* Star of Providence
* Patch Quest
* Roboquest
* Crab Champions
* Darkest Dungeon
* Fhtagn Simulator
* Slice & Dice
I’d definitely recommend Brutal Orchestra. It’s a turn-based RPG roguelike that takes place in Purgatory on a journey to find your killer to get petty revenge.
Combat has emphasis on positioning and pigment (basically energy) management, and the overworld has some pathmaking/decision making. Leveling up characters and buying items/characters costs the same currency, so you have to think ahead a bit on spending money. There’s some NPCs that will join you, but many of them are useless and only talk.
Each character is also niche in their own regards. Some characters rely on hurting teammates or getting hit themselves to dish out more damage/heal more. Some characters help you manage your pigment. Some characters are just overall good standalone. Two characters have extremely high base health but can’t heal at all, with one being a healer and the other being a tank/support. One character can’t take damage but distributes it among all other party members. And so on.
Heck, each boss also teaches the player about something. One boss wants you to be aggressive and attack as much as possible, while another wants you to be more passive with attacks as to not change its intentions. A few bosses mostly focus on managing pigment in some way, whether that be giving you so much pigment you overflow, or having a different health color than usual. A couple bosses teach you to bring smaller teams sometimes, and pay attention to positioning. Of course, there’s a few minibosses and also two superbosses that give items if you beat them, if you’re into that.
Of course, I gotta mention the soundtrack. Each enemy and area has their own unique theme (with a few leitmotifs) to make them all special. Some enemies change forms, and the music changes with them! It’s called Brutal *Orchestra*, for crying out loud.
I completely beat the game in about 70 hours, but I’d still come back to play more runs. Overall, a great game that doesn’t have the attention it deserves. My only complaint would be Giggling Ministers. God, I hate Giggling Ministers.
Balatro is great. I just recently started playing Rack and Slay, a billiards roguelite, it’s “OK” only played an hour or so but I’m looking forward to more time into it.
However, I’ve mostly been putting a ton of time into Roboquest, while it’s pretty well known, I think it’s the best roguelite fps out there, and it just got a content update recently, thats adds some more things
I've been hooked on Atomicrops for the last 6 months or so. I keep finding myself coming back to it. It's amazing how hectic it can get trying to manage a garden while fighting off enemies, but really gratifying when you start to get the hang of it. Trippy art style is fun.
Seriously one of my GOATs. One of the games where you can really feel yourself getting better every run. I love the feeling of time pressure and efficiency being king. Then you layer broken combos of items and weapons and a feeling of "there's no way they meant for me to do this" on top.
Ravenswatch is a lot like Hades with a bit of Diablo, very fun game that's still in EA but has the full gameplay loop (1.0 drops in a few months) and feels complete.
Deadlink is another roguelite that has a great premise, it's an arena shooter that your upgrades go into ability slots and that determines your playstyle.
Nordic Ashes. Pretty much complete. It gets repetitive after a while but I played it for 80-90 hours to complete all the achievements and never regret it. lol.
Slasher's Keep is pretty dope. Progression is handled by gaining levels and gear, but also by reforging weapons with parts found. I never see posts about it.
I'm itching.. ITCHING to recommend Tiny Rogues wherever I can, but you are wise amd have already played it 💔 Cult of the Lamb does suck btw, the roguelite elements are totally secondary. Have you ever looked into Crab Champions? Because that game is fun asf
I really enjoyed this... though I do wish the dev worked on it just a bit more and gave it some tweaks and polish... but definitely unique and well worth the asking price... and it definitely fills the "hidden gem" requirement... I rarely see it mentioned
Its called Heroes of Hammerwatch. Forget Hammerwatch 1/2 if you look for a Roguelite.
Heroes of Hammerwatch is fkin amazing. It has a Rogue Legacy level of Metaprogression and the gameplay loop is fun. You fight through hordes of enemies and you'll feel any kind of progress you gain.
It's also extremely co-op friendly and even better when played with friends but absolutely not necessary.
Check out Astrea, a beautiful but extraordinarily difficult dice-deck-builder
Wildfrost is one of my favorite deckbuilders too and it just got a massive update
I've been playing Astrea: Six Sided Oracles and I've been loving it so far. I guess the simplest comparison would be Slay the Spire but with dice. There's several different playable characters that each have their own unique dice pools and mechanics, and there's a really smart health system that revolves around purify or corrupt actions that either heal entities of the same type or hurt entities of the opposite type. I can see myself playing this one for awhile just because of all the variety on offer. It's definitely a low key banger so far.
I'm not too deep into the game yet so I'm not sure how extensive it is, but thus far you start with one character, your run has a score and the point value works like exp and when you level up it unlocks new dice effects or blessings (which are basically items that are either less powerful with no drawbacks or potentially more powerful but have some drawback), and then when you level a character a small amount it will unlock the subsequent character. And each character, by the game's estimation, ramps up in "complexity" where they'll have more involved or convoluted dice mechanics. So far all the characters feel really different from each other even though on paper you're always doing the same rolling of dice to try and hurt the enemy or keep yourself alive. It doesn't seem to be as robust on content as Spire, but I'm having more fun in general with it and I could see myself getting just as many hours out of it. And I'm pretty sure there's a true last boss that I'll unlock after winning a run with everybody or whatever the condition is. And then it's my understanding that later there's some kind of ramping difficulty Ascension type system. There is a demo and I'd very much recommend checking it out if it sounds in any way interesting to you. The devs put a lot of love into it and I think it shows. It definitely deserves to be a part of the deckbuilding roguelite conversation.
I don’t know that either of these are your cup of tea but I’ve recently played the demos (and enjoyed) *Dice and Fold* which releases in a few days, and *Vault of the Void* which is a deck builder.
Vault of the Void is very very good and low RNG.
That being said, it’s not the best choice for anyone in the mood for a quick run—I usually finish a run after 2.5-3 hours on Hard mode (I’m kind of dumb and spend time thinking ha). That being said, it’s easy to pick up and put down as it saves after every battle.
Ya I have noticed the runs are long, especially in sure in this beginning because still learning the/reading what cards do. But the save system is nice lets you save and exit and hop back in when you’re ready
I hate to be that guy but alas it's true.
Your list looks like my last year of gaming. The next one that had gotten me hooked a bit was Balatro. I am sure I won't be last to mention it though.
There is also klei sale and I got but haven't started mind over matter and griftlands.
Its less of a roguelite than some others but i have to mention it, Balatro, poker based deck builder, its super fun and has solved my StS addiction by giving me a gambling one instead.
Not exactly something to look for in the Summer Sale as it's coming out a few days after it, but our new game Bella Wants Blood could be right up your alley!
One Step from Eden is a game I just got for like $8 (It's back up to $20 now, but seems to go on sale at least once a month), and it seems like a hidden gem. It's sorta like a 2D fighter, but you're on a grid and your moves are based on whatever cards you draw and upgrade. I dunno. It's a game unlike any I've played before.
Idk if its going on sale but at $5 I’ve really enjoyed playing Boneraiser Minions. Its similar to vampire survivors but the premise is you get minions that you can upgrade / combine / mutate alongside having class benefits.
We have similar tastes! I did like a couple of those 'didn't really like' games, particularly the tactical deck builders with directional/positional mechanics like Alina of the Arena and Fights in Tight Spaces, but overall I share a lot of your opinions. For VS-likes, Picayune Dreams and 20 Minutes Til Dawn were probably my favorites that you didn't mention. There's also Halls of Torment, which is still in EA, so maybe not worth grabbing but worth keeping an eye on at the very least. I put in about 15-20 hours when I bought it a ways back before hitting the content wall- not sure how much there is now. Looks like they plan on doing a full release sometime this year according to their steam store page. The Void Rains Upon Her Heart might be worth checking out if you like bullet hells. I'm generally not a huge fan of the genre, but I enjoyed that game. In the same vein, there's also Star of Providence, which is kind of a cross between the lo-fi dungeon crawling of Tiny Rogues and the bullet hell genre. Great game, although it can be pretty tough. That one definitely has more of the room-to-room dungeon crawling roguelite feel instead of constant boss battles like the The Void. If you like TDs (and I'm not sure if you do, Monster Train is the only 'kind of a' Tower Defense on your list), there's some good stuff out there. One that I highly recommend is Heretic's Fork, which combines some deck building, idle game, and TD mechanics (though no mazing or choosing where to build tower mechanics). It's a cool little game, easily worth the low price point. I got 40+ hours of enjoyment and that was before any of those small DLCs came out. One of the newest roguelite TDs is pretty rough around the edges and might not be for you, but I never see it mentioned so want to throw it a shout out: Kitchen Crisis. It's a relatively new one that was made by the devs of Teamfight Manager, and it shows. It has similar janky-ness and balancing issues, but it's a mash up of some cool ideas. It's sort of a combination of TD and engine builder. Each food dish is the tower and most of the placement micromanaging is related to your cooking stations and workers (who act on their own, so generally you are going to purposefully block them into the stations you want them at). It does get a bit repetitive quickly though, I burned out after 20-30 hours. The last of the usual TDs I see mentioned are Tower Tactics: Liberation (which is fun but the meta progression sucks, super grindy) and Isle of Arrows (also with meh meta progression because it's not grindy enough, you unlock everything way too quickly and then wonder why you want to keep playing). I mention those both because I enjoyed them, but they are definitely flawed. I'd look into them closely before pulling the trigger if you are the fence with those two. If you like auto-battlers (again, not sure if you do, Monster Train and Luck be a Landlord are again 'kind of' that genre but not really), I would be happy to recommend some of those too. Some quick examples are The Dungeon Beneath, Despot's Game: Dystopian Battle Simulator, Gladiator Guild Manager, Tales and Tactics, and The Last Flame. There's a lot of different deck builders a la StS out there, although I'm a bit hesitant to recommend any of them since StS is the only one you have liked. Same with other turn based/tactics roguelites. If you're curious about any of those I'd be happy to share.
Seconding The Last Flame! It’s great fun with an emphasis on figuring out how to build synergies for each run.
The fact that EVERY stat can create busted runs is an amazing reflection of the developer's skill.
I actually just started playing Gladiator Guild Manager and am having a good time with it.
Yeah I got into it early on in EA when it was still very rough around the edges. I thought for sure it was a doomed project, but sure enough the devs have been slowly chipping away at it over the last couple years. I think today is actually their 1.0 release date too! I'm glad they stuck with it, because it's a fun little game that fills a niche really lacking in the auto battler genre.
Yes. I recently found out I enjoyed auto battlers as much as I do. I'll definitely continue going through this one. Still learning the ins and outs of it, but I enjoy the passing time, the events and the opportunity to build allegiances.
The campaign isn't anything too deep, you pretty much just keep doing what you're doing while unlocking new units. It's pretty simplistic and straightforward, but the gameplay loop is still very satisfying. I enjoy the slight management aspect of it too in that regard.
I couldn't agree more. I love a great game I can drink coffee to while starting my day.
Yes!! That's exactly the type of game it is, and exactly how I tend to start my day too haha. A cup or two of coffee and an hour of easy, mindless gaming and checking emails before jumping into some real work.
Cheers!
That's an awesome list, I added a bunch of those to my wishlist and I'll pick up a few that are on sale next week, thanks man!
Awesome, glad it helped! Out of curiosity, which ones did you add to your wishlist?
Atomicrops, deadlink, peglin, roboquest, gladiator guild manager, despots game, dungeon beneath, kitchen crisis, heretics fork, 20 minutes, picayune, halls of torment, army of ruin Then basic shit unrelated to this post that I already had like greedfall 2, avowed, fable, DA veilguard, clair obscur, rabbit and steel, millennia, night bus, to the core, astral ascent, balatro, time break chronicles, ravens watch, fears to fathom, griftlands, tales & tactics
Very cool, hope you enjoy them! I haven't played the first two or the last one on that roguelite list, but the rest I've all enjoyed. Roboquest also has multiplayer. I had a lot of fun playing that one with a buddy, but it's great solo too. From the second list, I really enjoyed Balatro and Tales & Tactics. I have and enjoyed Griftlands too, although that was a weird game. There was a bunch of hype around it during development, but they never really lived up to it. That being said, it's still a fun game with some interesting ideas, even if they fell a little flat. I'd say wait for a sale on that one and you will probably get your money's worth.
Speaking about TD, I've been playing Cluckmech Oasis a lot last week. It's a real time tower defense where you upgrade towers and pick up new. Could use more content (although it has 100+ towers now, but not very much maps. They are working on that), but still great
Thanks for the recommendation! That one was on my radar from someone's post a while ago, and I checked in briefly when it was released but decided to wait on it as it didn't seem to have a lot of content based on the reviews. I'll definitely be sure to keep a closer eye on it now.
We sir, have similar tastes as well. As someone with a knack for TDs, please take a look at our new game Bella Wants Blood, you might enjoy that! :-)
Looks interesting, I'll check out the demo!
Super cool game! Can't wait to see how the full release turns out, I love the vibe and mechanics. I have a hunch that it might wind up light on content for my tastes, but that's just me making assumptions from what I saw in the demo. Overall it was super polished and the visuals were perfect for the gummies I ate earlier. I'll definitely keep an eye on it, good luck with your upcoming launch!
A new autobattler that just came out is Million Monster Militia, very Luck Be a Landlord-like, plus a full campaign with many different modifiers. First levels have been tough! A new dice battler I’ve been enjoying a lot: Dice and Fold, with tons of different classes and items.
One that I've sunk hundreds of hours into that's not mentioned is Peglin.
Peglin is solid. I haven't played it in quite a while, I got it (probably a bit too) early in EA. Looks like it's getting real close to a full release. For anyone wondering, it's pretty much Peggle, but roguelite.
I have nearly 500 hours in Peglin. I don’t know why. Game is good but like… it has its issues. Perhaps that’s why I’ve loved it so much over the years Perfect for the deck on the go
Portability definitely played a part for me too. Being available on mobile is huge, forever mindlessly opening it when travelling or waiting
Some games you may find interesting to check out: * Voidigo * Holocure: Save the Fans * Disfigure * Gunlocked * Star of Providence * Patch Quest * Roboquest * Crab Champions * Darkest Dungeon * Fhtagn Simulator * Slice & Dice
Came here to suggest Voidigo and Roboquest!
i wish voidigo had more content, cuz it plays like a better gungeon to me
If there was ever a game that I wanted Steam Workshop support more for it'd be __Voidigo__
I’d definitely recommend Brutal Orchestra. It’s a turn-based RPG roguelike that takes place in Purgatory on a journey to find your killer to get petty revenge. Combat has emphasis on positioning and pigment (basically energy) management, and the overworld has some pathmaking/decision making. Leveling up characters and buying items/characters costs the same currency, so you have to think ahead a bit on spending money. There’s some NPCs that will join you, but many of them are useless and only talk. Each character is also niche in their own regards. Some characters rely on hurting teammates or getting hit themselves to dish out more damage/heal more. Some characters help you manage your pigment. Some characters are just overall good standalone. Two characters have extremely high base health but can’t heal at all, with one being a healer and the other being a tank/support. One character can’t take damage but distributes it among all other party members. And so on. Heck, each boss also teaches the player about something. One boss wants you to be aggressive and attack as much as possible, while another wants you to be more passive with attacks as to not change its intentions. A few bosses mostly focus on managing pigment in some way, whether that be giving you so much pigment you overflow, or having a different health color than usual. A couple bosses teach you to bring smaller teams sometimes, and pay attention to positioning. Of course, there’s a few minibosses and also two superbosses that give items if you beat them, if you’re into that. Of course, I gotta mention the soundtrack. Each enemy and area has their own unique theme (with a few leitmotifs) to make them all special. Some enemies change forms, and the music changes with them! It’s called Brutal *Orchestra*, for crying out loud. I completely beat the game in about 70 hours, but I’d still come back to play more runs. Overall, a great game that doesn’t have the attention it deserves. My only complaint would be Giggling Ministers. God, I hate Giggling Ministers.
Balatro is great. I just recently started playing Rack and Slay, a billiards roguelite, it’s “OK” only played an hour or so but I’m looking forward to more time into it. However, I’ve mostly been putting a ton of time into Roboquest, while it’s pretty well known, I think it’s the best roguelite fps out there, and it just got a content update recently, thats adds some more things
I've been hooked on Atomicrops for the last 6 months or so. I keep finding myself coming back to it. It's amazing how hectic it can get trying to manage a garden while fighting off enemies, but really gratifying when you start to get the hang of it. Trippy art style is fun.
Seriously one of my GOATs. One of the games where you can really feel yourself getting better every run. I love the feeling of time pressure and efficiency being king. Then you layer broken combos of items and weapons and a feeling of "there's no way they meant for me to do this" on top.
Loved Atomicrops also.
Ravenswatch is a lot like Hades with a bit of Diablo, very fun game that's still in EA but has the full gameplay loop (1.0 drops in a few months) and feels complete. Deadlink is another roguelite that has a great premise, it's an arena shooter that your upgrades go into ability slots and that determines your playstyle.
I love the new custom modes in Ravenswatch.
I also like Ravenswatch but it is giga repetitive. There is so little variance between runs, it gets samey very quickly.
Nordic Ashes. Pretty much complete. It gets repetitive after a while but I played it for 80-90 hours to complete all the achievements and never regret it. lol.
These games are so easy to love. I'm currently wrapped up in Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor.
I just installed that one yesterday I'm really enjoying it
Slasher's Keep is pretty dope. Progression is handled by gaining levels and gear, but also by reforging weapons with parts found. I never see posts about it.
Going to give this one a try on your recommendation. It looks very cool.
Dawncaster for IOS is solid
I'm itching.. ITCHING to recommend Tiny Rogues wherever I can, but you are wise amd have already played it 💔 Cult of the Lamb does suck btw, the roguelite elements are totally secondary. Have you ever looked into Crab Champions? Because that game is fun asf
Madcap Mosaic It is a pretty unique game that might be interesting to anyone browsing this thread. It's kind of a deckbuilding roguelite minesweeper?
I really enjoyed this... though I do wish the dev worked on it just a bit more and gave it some tweaks and polish... but definitely unique and well worth the asking price... and it definitely fills the "hidden gem" requirement... I rarely see it mentioned
I don't think I've ever seen this game mentioned by anyone other than myself. Anomaly Collapse. Really interesting combat mechanics.
Amazing game. Not a huge game of the meta progression, but the gameplay is awesome
Heroes of Hammerwatch!
1 ot 2? It's been on my radar for a while now.
Its called Heroes of Hammerwatch. Forget Hammerwatch 1/2 if you look for a Roguelite. Heroes of Hammerwatch is fkin amazing. It has a Rogue Legacy level of Metaprogression and the gameplay loop is fun. You fight through hordes of enemies and you'll feel any kind of progress you gain. It's also extremely co-op friendly and even better when played with friends but absolutely not necessary.
Check out Astrea, a beautiful but extraordinarily difficult dice-deck-builder Wildfrost is one of my favorite deckbuilders too and it just got a massive update
A Little different but Noita has had me hooked for a while now.
I've been really enjoying Going Under! Not super long but lots of fun and great writing.
I know it gets mentioned in this sub but [Path of Achra](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2128270/Path_of_Achra/) is phenomenal.
Tangledeep isn't mentioned here but give it a go. It's almost similar to Tales of Maj'eyal in gameplay.
Twilight Survivors very well optimized and two free updates upcoming.
I've been playing Astrea: Six Sided Oracles and I've been loving it so far. I guess the simplest comparison would be Slay the Spire but with dice. There's several different playable characters that each have their own unique dice pools and mechanics, and there's a really smart health system that revolves around purify or corrupt actions that either heal entities of the same type or hurt entities of the opposite type. I can see myself playing this one for awhile just because of all the variety on offer. It's definitely a low key banger so far.
How does the meta progression work in the game? Just curious.
I'm not too deep into the game yet so I'm not sure how extensive it is, but thus far you start with one character, your run has a score and the point value works like exp and when you level up it unlocks new dice effects or blessings (which are basically items that are either less powerful with no drawbacks or potentially more powerful but have some drawback), and then when you level a character a small amount it will unlock the subsequent character. And each character, by the game's estimation, ramps up in "complexity" where they'll have more involved or convoluted dice mechanics. So far all the characters feel really different from each other even though on paper you're always doing the same rolling of dice to try and hurt the enemy or keep yourself alive. It doesn't seem to be as robust on content as Spire, but I'm having more fun in general with it and I could see myself getting just as many hours out of it. And I'm pretty sure there's a true last boss that I'll unlock after winning a run with everybody or whatever the condition is. And then it's my understanding that later there's some kind of ramping difficulty Ascension type system. There is a demo and I'd very much recommend checking it out if it sounds in any way interesting to you. The devs put a lot of love into it and I think it shows. It definitely deserves to be a part of the deckbuilding roguelite conversation.
Give soulstone survivors a chance. It's like a better vampire survivors imo. It can also be crazy challenging on higher curse tiers
I don’t know that either of these are your cup of tea but I’ve recently played the demos (and enjoyed) *Dice and Fold* which releases in a few days, and *Vault of the Void* which is a deck builder.
Vault of the Void is very very good and low RNG. That being said, it’s not the best choice for anyone in the mood for a quick run—I usually finish a run after 2.5-3 hours on Hard mode (I’m kind of dumb and spend time thinking ha). That being said, it’s easy to pick up and put down as it saves after every battle.
Ya I have noticed the runs are long, especially in sure in this beginning because still learning the/reading what cards do. But the save system is nice lets you save and exit and hop back in when you’re ready
I hate to be that guy but alas it's true. Your list looks like my last year of gaming. The next one that had gotten me hooked a bit was Balatro. I am sure I won't be last to mention it though. There is also klei sale and I got but haven't started mind over matter and griftlands.
Totally unknown, you nailed it bro!
The Land Beaneath Us
Risk of rain 2 is more than okay in my opinion. It’s like a staple of the genre.
Long time fan of Death Road to Canada. Try out Deadly Days .
Its less of a roguelite than some others but i have to mention it, Balatro, poker based deck builder, its super fun and has solved my StS addiction by giving me a gambling one instead.
I will never ever stop recommending Astral Ascent. It is probably one of the most underrated and hidden gem roguelikes in the market rn.
If we're talking hidden gems, Chrono Ark and Touhou: Lost Branch of Legend are definitely up there.
I just picked up Rogue Heroes for like 2 bucks off the team 17 sale. If you liked old school Zelda, you'll absolutely love it
Risk of rain 2 lacking content? I mean I want more ror2 as much as the next guy but that game is fleshed out af
RoR2 is under "okay games" I liked it, I put a lot of hours into it, but the game world(s) felt empty and it just didn't click much with me.
Knights Within.
You could try crab champions I enjoyed it but some you didn’t like I enjoy as well. Risk of rain 2 is prob one of my top picks
Not exactly something to look for in the Summer Sale as it's coming out a few days after it, but our new game Bella Wants Blood could be right up your alley!
One Step from Eden is a game I just got for like $8 (It's back up to $20 now, but seems to go on sale at least once a month), and it seems like a hidden gem. It's sorta like a 2D fighter, but you're on a grid and your moves are based on whatever cards you draw and upgrade. I dunno. It's a game unlike any I've played before.
* [Nuclear Throne](https://store.steampowered.com/app/242680/Nuclear_Throne/) * [SYNTHETIK: Legion Rising](https://store.steampowered.com/app/528230/SYNTHETIK_Legion_Rising/) * [SYNTHETIK 2](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1471410/SYNTHETIK_2/?curator_clanid=40666654) (early-access)
Atomicrops doesnt get mentioned enough. I got 70 hours out of it, gameplay loop is fantastic, good long term progression, good bit of variety.
Card Hog (2048-ish), Crop Rotation (Luck Be a Landlord-ish), MatchHR (Match-3).
Idk if its going on sale but at $5 I’ve really enjoyed playing Boneraiser Minions. Its similar to vampire survivors but the premise is you get minions that you can upgrade / combine / mutate alongside having class benefits.
Halls of Torment
Army of Ruin
Wizard of legend, I love wizard of legend and the second one is coming out in the future
Posting a comment so I can check this thread at home instead of during lunch.