Welcome, Dear Reader, to this Friday the 13th Edition of Gone Rogue. As per usual, I’ve skipped the really scary stuff, as well as anything over-sexualised. Having said that, there are still loads of new roguelike and roguelite games in this week’s selection, and there are some big hitters, too.
For starters, I had a look at the recently released PC version of Shiren (or Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island, if you want to give it its full title), which was one of several high profile ports this week, another being the Xbox release of Wildfrost.
I’m looking forward to having a look at Letterlike, which crossed my path at the very end of the week. Also a new discovery: TankHead looks good, and it launched on the Epic Game Store this week and so might have flown under the radar.
This week I enjoyed playing the Early Access release of Bloodshed, which is a bit like classic Doom meets Vampire Survivors. I also like the look of Voin, but didn’t get around to that one.
If you turn-based tacticians aren’t satisfied by a new Shiren on PC, traditionalists might be interested in Beyond the Bridge, which is in part an homage to Moria, a traditional roguelike from yesteryear. I haven’t tried it, though – I’m still trying to find time for Caves of Qud.
Finally, I did have a lot of fun with Ballionaire, which is my highlight of the week thanks to its quirky humour and chaotic RNG gameplay.
Seal the Rift | Game Dog Studios | Dec 13 | PC (Win) | “Discover an endlessly replayable roguelike deckbuilder. Craft a unique deck, collect powerful relics, harness potent magic and enhance cards with “Boost” to overcome the challenges ahead as you set out to Seal the Rift!
Cowboy 3030 | Soy Boy Games | Dec 13 | PC (Lin, Win) | “Step into the Wild West future of Cowboy 3030, a third-person shooter with 3D bullet hell and roguelike elements. Play solo or team up with friends, as various heroes with unique abilities. Take on notorious alien outlaws, forge unique builds in every run and rise to become top gun of 3030!”
Kletka | Callback, In404 | Dec 13 | PC (Win) | “KLETKA is a co-op (up to 6 players) horror game about going down in an elevator that is trying to eat you. Feed the elevator, explore deadly floors and descend deeper.”
FuryDough | SquirrelConGafas | Dec 13 | PC (Win) | “🍩🔥🤪 Madness meets donuts! Smash Dough Mixers, outgun wild foes, and brave endless mazes in a roguelite rampage!”
Wizard Shrimp | Wizard Shrimp Games | Dec 13 | PC (Win) | “Wizard Shrimp™ is a bullet-hell roguelike game where you play as a Shrimp who is inexplicably also a Wizard?! Battle your way out of a slimy swamp, escape amethyst caves, and climb the Mushroom Wizard’s Tower to become the most powerful Shrimp this world has ever seen!”
Witch and Council: The Card | G1 Playground | Dec 13 | PC (Win) | “A roguelite deck-building game where you assemble a party with charming characters, build a powerful deck, and defeat your enemies. Experience the thrill of overcoming powerful foes with various strategies!”
Zombie Rollerz | Zing Games | Dec 13 | PS5, Xbox | “Zombie Rollerz: Pinball Heroes is the ultimate mashup of classic pinball and zombie defense with rogue-like elements to ensure no two playthroughs are ever the same!”
The Exile Princes | Pangolin Games | Dec 13 | PC (Win) | “A story focused, old school, procedural RPG: raise your banner and bring your house to victory in the unique medieval fantasy setting of the Exile Realms. Start out in questing service, gain companions, followers, power and influence, and ultimately through strength or guile learn to rule the lands.”
Dungeon Invader | Spring Games | Dec 13 | PC (Win) | “The ultimate deck-building roguelike dungeon crawler crafted with 3D design and pixel graphics – Dungeon Invader! Conquer the dungeon with your strategy and luck!”
The Backrooms: Survival | RE:CODE | Dec 13 | PS5 | “A horror game where you explore endless, creepy hallways. You must find food, water, and other supplies while staying away from dangerous creatures. The goal is to survive, keep your sanity, and escape to new levels, each with different challenges and resources.”
Waifu Survivors | Terra Bytes | Dec 13 | PC (Win) | “Advance with badass heroines, customize your skills, and face bosses with unique powers in Waifu Survivors. Fight against hordes of monsters, explore diverse maps, and engage in epic battles. Get ready for an exciting journey!”
Anzu | Was Running Studio | Dec 12 | PC (Win) | “Solve match-4 puzzles with Anzu to gather treasure, hatch eggs, and discover all the secrets of the prehistoric hub!”
Deathless. Tales of Old Rus | 1C Game Studios | Dec 12 | PC (Win) | “In Deathless, elements of a collectible card game, roguelike, and turn-based strategy combine seamlessly. Build a unique deck of cards, discover unusual relics, and defeat legendary bosses. No two journeys will ever be the same with endless Path. Crush the Evil and save the world!”
Letterlike | Ronald Lee | Dec 12 | Android, iOS | “Prepare for endless possibilities with Letterlike, a roguelike word game!”
Shogun Curse | Oh Baby Games | Dec 12 | PC (Win) | “Face demons and monsters while seeking revenge for the curse casted upon you. Will you find those responsible and finally lift it?”
Chernobylite | The Farm 51 | Dec 12 | Switch | “Chernobylite is a science-fiction survival horror RPG. Set in the hyper-realistic, 3D-scanned wasteland of Chernobyl’s Exclusion Zone, explore a non-linear storyline in your search to uncover the truth of your tortured past.”
Bronana | busy bear | Dec 12 | PC (Win) | “Bronana is a thrilling and hilarious survival roguelike. Embody the spirit of a fearless banana warrior to take down waves of vicious snack monsters. Through a rich variety of random events, grow stronger, evolve abilities, and face off against challenging bosses to save the homeland.”
Kemotaku | Kojika Games | Dec 12 | PC (Win) | “Kemotaku is a brand new roguelike card game mixed with puzzle, deck-building and tower-defence. Beat away attacking enemies and defend your town with a variety of animals!”
Hyper Tunnel | Gyxos | Dec 12 | PC (Win) | “A roguelike action game, fly and fight in first person with 6 degrees of freedom!”
Metroloop | WackyCoati | Dec 12 | PC (Win) | “Loot post-apocalyptic metro tunnels in side-scrolling mode and survive waves of monsters at stations in top-down twin-stick shooter mode. Upgrade your skills and weapons endlessly. How far will you get?”
For the King II | Iron Oak Games | Dec 12 | PS4, PS5, Xbox | “From the creators of For The King, the much-loved RPG that blends roguelite and tabletop gameplay comes a new chapter in Fahrul’s history, designed on an updated engine bringing innovation and gameplay refinement for returning heroes and new adventurers alike.”
Bloodshed | com8com1 Software | Dec 12 | PC (Win) | “Bloodshed is a Roguelite Survivors FPS; an exhilarating fusion of Roguelite elements merged with retro-styled visuals and first-person “Survivors-like” frenetic combat action!”
Defensurvivor | SignatureGamez | Dec 12 | PC (Win) | “DEFENSURVIVOR is a strategy game where you build obstacles and place and move units to block zombies. There are various units with unique characteristics and powerful high-level units that can be obtained through combination. Use randomly given units to survive until the end!”
Outbreak Survivors | Little Nap Studio | Dec 12 | PC (Win) | “In the apocalypse, survive against the zombies until the rescue come for you. In this Action Roguelite game, you will unlock new weapons, characters and unique skills to help in your survival.”
Clone Drone in the Hyperdome | Doborog Games | Dec 12 | PC VR | “Cut robots apart in VR. Feel your sword disintegrate their metal bodies. Now you live and die in the Crashloop, a roguelike tournament to the death. Lock swords! Shoot shurikens from your wrist! This is CLONE DRONE… in the HYPERDOME!!!”
Rogue Dimensions | Savage Old Gamers | Dec 12 | PC (Win) | “An Old School 2d Platformer, twin stick shooter, arcade roguelite adventure. Destroy the crystals blocking your way to freedom and earn new abilities along the way while teleporting between random levels at will. Find Weapons, buy upgrades, destroy enemies, discover secrets.”
Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island | Spike Chunsoft | Dec 11 | PC (Win) | “Arm yourself with knowledge of the dungeon’s threats, collect useful resources, and gather allies to make it through. Strive to reach the dungeon’s deepest depths and highest summits.”
TankHead | Alpha Channel | Dec 11 | PC (Win) | “A cataclysmic event has left the war-torn world of ECA largely uninhabitable. In TankHead, players step into the role of Whitaker, a sleepwalker who illegally ventures into the ECA on missions to recover high-value items.”
Beyond the Bridge | Sacker Games | Dec 11 | PC (Win) | “Beyond the Bridge is a tribute to one of the earliest roguelikes, Moria. Your journey begins with creating your character by choosing a class. From there, you’ll explore six procedurally generated levels before reaching the goal of your quest and making your escape!”
Kooky Kids Fort Defense | BlackRice Studio | Dec 11 | PC (Win) | “Tower Defense x Roguelite! Recruit Kids with branching Elite paths, use powerful Items, and gain randomized strategic Perks to defend your Fort against the Brats! Various challenging environments, Brats, and Bosses await you and the Kooky Kids.”
Crazy Dungeon | Crear Videojuegos | Dec 11 | PC (Win) | “Crazy Dungeon is a third-person action roguelike. Choose your character and level, survive as long as you can, and level up your skills after each round! Try to improve your stats with every run!”
Fortune Crafter | Viktor Lubianskii | Dec 11 | PC (Win) | “Fortune Crafter is a roguelike(rogueLite*) game that focuses on crazy synergies. You can play this game in local coop with as many friends as you wish. Or you can play several pvp modes. This game will be perfect for minmax enjoyers, since it has lots of deep mechanics and interactions.”
Ballionaire | newobject | Dec 10 | PC (Win) | “BALLIONAIRE is a fast-paced, kinetic roguelike where strategy meets physics to create outrageous wealth! Find and exploit game-breaking synergies as you theorycraft your way to victory. Welcome to the autobonker genre!”
Wildfrost | Deadpan Games, Gaziter | Dec 10 | Xbox | “Take on the elements in Wildfrost, a tactical roguelike deckbuilder! Collect and upgrade card companions, ready to withstand waves of deceptively cute Pengoons, Gobblers and brutish boss monsters. Test your skills in daily challenges, and build up the town of Snowdwell, unlocking more cards to aid in your fight against the everlasting frost.”
Dagger Froggy | Solluco | Dec 10 | PC (Win) | “Dagger Froggy is a small action Roguelike, Where you face hordes of enemies… Cute? With each round you get stronger, But so do the cute creatures. >:)”
The Carnival of Company | Craftbridge | Dec 10 | PC (Win) | “A dark action-adventure with rogue-like RPG elements, ‘The Carnival of Company’ lets you defeat demons, consume their essence for power, and customize combat with the ‘Path of Carnival.’ Uncover secrets, exact revenge, and shape your destiny.”
Raiding Party | Skull Splitter Studios | Dec 10 | PC (Win) | “RAIDING PARTY is a retro action roguelite with horror gameplay elements. You play as the Wastelander, a retired agent who is ordered to retrieve an ancient AI device. Recruit, train, and lead a raiding party of elite warriors against an evil empire as you discover the AI can help save humanity.”
Voin | Nikita Sozidar | Dec 10 | PC (Win) | “Crafted by a solo developer, VOIN is a first-person hack-and-slash. Cleave through hordes of enemies in fast-paced combat. Explore dark fantasy realms filled with secrets and dangers. Discover powerful gear and weapons, and face menacing bosses in your quest to cleanse a broken world.”
Eden Survivors | Aeternum Game Studios | Dec 10 | PC (Win) | “Welcome, hackers, you’re being transferred to Eden City to defend its citizens against the alien threat! Eden Survivors is a single-player survivor-like auto-shooter where players must defeat hordes of alien invaders until the extraction time.”
Cast Dice Away | Fun Gate Studio | Dec 10 | PC (Lin, Win) | “A board game-style survival adventure on a deserted island! In Cast Dice Away, roll dice to explore the island, gather resources, and survive. Each roll triggers unpredictable events, challenging you to strategically navigate diverse environments as you seek escape.”
Undead West | Deathless Games | Dec 9 | PC (Win) | “A western themed roguelite bullet hell where the player uses an array of weapons, whiskey infusions and buffs gained from defeating bosses to complete each stage.”
Magic Overflow | Apirei | Dec 9 | PC (Win) | “Magic Overflow is a first-person shooter where you fight using magic. With a programming-like crafting system, connect spells logically, and create your own powerful magic. And destroy these horde of enemies.”
Astraea | Visabee Games | Dec 8 | PC (Win) | “Unleash bolts, set traps, and bash through relentless hordes of minions to protect a little girl from Hera’s wrath in this rogue-lite shooter.”
Dead Dawg Delivery Co. | Blaxorus | Dec 7 | PC (Win) | “Deliver the package, sabotage your friends, and avoid the horrors lurking in procedurally generated maps. Only one of you can claim the reward—everyone else is just in the way.”
Halved | Alexander Velazquez | Dec 7 | PC (Win) | “Halved is a roguelike action RPG game with only 5 levels but with endless possibilities in terms of item build. Play as one of 5 characters and traverse the dangerous parts of the world with the help of the mysterious Father against his rebel/tyrant son, S.A.N.E.D.”
The Bewildering Basilica of the Bishop of Bobtown | Matrix Goat Studios | Dec 7 | PC (Win) | “The Bewildering Basilica of the Bishop of Bobtown is a deckbuilding, tactical roguelike focusing on controlling the battlefield and getting your units close enough to the enemy commander to kill them while defending your own leaders. Summon units and wield skills to protect them to defeat your foes!”
PhaigeX: Hyperspace Survivors | Traitorean Games | Dec 7 | PC (Win) | “PhaigeX is a fast-paced “Bullet Heaven” space shooter that tasks the player to explore various space sectors and contain a rising incursion of rogue AI-controlled units. Pilot a variety of ships, call in the support craft, and use a myriad of upgrades to lay down heavy firepower towards the enemy.”
Miracle Heroes: Temporal Bounty Hunter | Cat Play Studio | Dec 7 | PC (Win) | “Miracle Heroes is a multiplayer light rogue-like game. In the game, players must choose suitable combinations from a rich arsenal of weapons and items, with each playthrough offering a fresh experience.”
Forest Heroes | Hoochoo Game Studio | Dec 7 | PC (Win) | “Forest Heroes combines tower defense with roguelike deck building. Enjoy intense battles and diverse strategies with simple controls!”
1 Trait Escape | Andrew Katz, Jeremy Collette | Dec 7 | PC (Win) | “An action rogue-lite set in the 1 Trait Danger universe. Fight your way through swarms of enemies and bosses with minigames sprinkled in-between. Grow stronger every time you fail until you are able to escape back to Earth.”
