Welcome, Dear Reader, to another edition of Gone Rogue, the near-weekly round-up of all the most promising roguelike, roguelite, and roguish video games to have recently released on PC and console.
Before we get stuck into what is quite possibly the richest single week for new games since I started collating these releases – especially for those on Linux and Mac, which are often very underserved platforms – let’s have a word or two about housekeeping.
First up, as you scroll down you’ll see that I’ve collected the names of games and studios, release dates and platform info, and also the blurb as written by the developers themselves. I’ve skipped on free-to-play guff, anything rough, prologues and demos, and AI-made chuff.
If you want a more curated preview of what’s coming, including some thoughts from yours truly, head over to The Monthly Update for May, where you’ll find all of the best new games, with links to previous months if you need them.
We’ve also got our guide to the best new roguelikes, which takes a zoomed-out approach to the last year or so and is more selective overall. That said, I reckon a few of the games below are going to make the cut there, such is their quality.
In particular, I want to highlight Conquest Dark, which I’m playing for review and is bloody excellent. Then I’ll get to Maze Mice (from the dev behind Luck Be A Landlord) and Vellum. I also want to write up some nice words about Letterlike, which launched on PC this week; I’ve been playing on mobile for a while now and it’s engrossing.
Elsewhere you’ve got the full release of Approaching Infinity; a proper roguelike for sci-fi fans to lose themselves in forever. Then the brilliant Peglin is hitting consoles, Kieran really liked prison beat ’em up Kiborg, and I really enjoyed StarVaders, too.
Finally, there are loads of really interesting and experimental games releasing this week, so maybe now is a good time to take a punt on something a bit different. Either way, you’re spoiled for choice…
Maze Mice | TrampolineTales | May 2 | PC (Lin, Mac, Win) | “Maze Mice is a bullet heaven roguelite where time only moves when you move. Collect dots, level up, choose upgrades, and avoid cats. All at your own pace.”
Vellum | Alvois Games | May 2 | PC (Win) | “Write on! Defend the books in Vellum, a co-op, literary roguelike! Harness class-defining colors, master an inspired spellbook, and influence the growth of your enemy! As a group or solo, you’ll craft plot-twisting builds to rewrite the rules in Ink!”
Ocean Keeper: Dome Survival | RetroStyle Games | May 2 | PC (Lin, Mac, Win) | “Explore dungeons, fight hordes of monsters and survive on a huge map. This is Ocean Keeper – an action roguelike with tower defense elements. Mine resources in caves, customize your Mech Spider, upgrade different weapons and face dangerous bosses that won’t leave you a chance!”
Letterlike | Puzzlelike | May 2 | Android, iOS, PC (Win) | “Letterlike is a roguelike word game that’s all about collecting items, upgrading words, and upgrading letter tiles to make the strongest synergies and reach the highest scores!”
Azoove | Timeless Toucan | May 1 | PC (Lin, Mac, Win) | “Overcome limited communication with strategic cooperation in this co-op roguelike! Endure the Azoove desert to return a stolen spellbook — before it consumes your city. Trust your friends, play cards, manage resources and defeat the Fiend of Fortune!”
Glass Cannon | LisiSoft | May 1 | PC (Lin, Mac, Win) | “Chill roguelike where you plan your shots carefully and creatively eliminate enemies using different weapon combinations. Buy weapon mods to create powerful synergies and clear all 24 rounds.”
Peglin | Red Nexus Games | May 1 | PS5, Xbox | “Peglin is a Pachinko Roguelike – Fight enemies by collecting special orbs and popping pegs to deal damage. The enemies are tough, and if you’re defeated your run is over, but you’ve got powerful orbs with special effects and incredible relics that influence both your enemies and the physics you’ll use to defeat them.”
Kaiten | Fragilent | May 1 | PC (Win) | “Roguelike Tactical-Strategy Battle Game. Spin the Wheel, Make Your Move Based on the Result! Build Your Deck and Strengthen Your Team. Defeat Your Opponents and Unlock Special Abilities.”
StarVaders | Pengonauts | April 30 | PC (Mac, Win) | “Pilot a powerful mech to fight off the alien invasion in this ULTIMATE fusion of deckbuilding and grid-based tactics. Discover game-breaking combos, rewind time to alter your fate, and protect the future of humanity in this endlessly replayable roguelike.”
Versebound | Conifer Digital | April 30 | PC (Win) | “Slay hordes of enemies and fight mythical bosses in this challenging action roguelike. In a desperate fight for survival you must perform rituals, buildcraft and learn from every misstep to become stronger. Use unique abilities and powerful artifacts to beat every trial in the world of Kalevala!”
Witching Stone | Alexander Taylor | April 30 | Switch | “Witching Stone combines elements of puzzle games, roguelites and deckbuilders! Incrementally improve your spellbook, and find patterns on a unique puzzle grid, to battle deeper and deeper into the dungeon!”
Kiborg | Sobaka Studio | April 30 | PC (Win), PS5, Xbox | “KIBORG is a relentless rogue-lite beat’em up where you enhance your body with new cybernetic implants each run. You’ve been sent to the worst prison in the galaxy for crimes you didn’t commit. Death won’t provide an escape, but a violent reality show may offer a way out.”
Conquest Dark | Eldritch Sword Games | April 30 | PC (Win) | “Experience an ARPG’s rapid ascension to power in minutes, packed with savage, survivors-like action and devastating sword & sorcery combat. Perfect your builds through Dark Ritual runs that will decide humanity’s future as you battle endless hordes across haunting ruins and cursed kingdoms.”
GnollHack | Hyvän mielen pelit ry | April 30 | PC (Win) | “GnollHack is a remastered and enhanced version of the classic roguelike game NetHack, one of the most iconic games developed in 1980s and 1990s.”
Gloamvault | NoodleGameDev | April 30 | PC (Win) | “”90s Black Metal Monster Collector!” In Gloamvault, you can charm any monster you encounter and add it to your party. Create a party with up to five minions and descend into the depths of the dungeon. Fuse any two monsters together to create stronger ones. Good luck surviving…”
Mayhem Maidens | Game Studio Inc, KADOKAWA | April 30 | PC (Win) | “Ready for some chaos? Command 5 characters in this Roguelite Tower Defense! Build your dream team, crush enemies, and have a blast with adorable pixel art!”
DeadZone: Rogue | Prophecy Games | April 29 | PC (Win) | “Deadzone: Rogue is a fast-paced roguelite FPS set in deep space. Blast through hordes of enemies with devastating weapons. Define your combat style with powerful augments and upgrades. Grow stronger with each death, solo or in co-op. Fight. Die. Revive. Repeat.”
One Room Dungeon | DarkLordGame | April 29 | PC (Mac, Win) | “A roguelike team builder, auto-battler meets inventory management, where you are a little dungeon keeper who has to fit minions, relics, and items in a very tidy way in his tiny one-room dungeon to empower himself to protect the dungeon from the raiding adventurers.
Dimensionals | Mino Games | April 29 | PC (Mac, Win) | “Dimensionals is the hottest roguelike turn-based RPG with tons of Heroes to collect and level up. Build a party of 3 heroes and combine hundreds of skills to create insane combos in the ultimate tactical challenge. Fight through an epic story told in the style of voice acted comic book cutscenes.”
Bosorka | Sengi Games | April 29 | Switch | “Bosorka is an exciting action game that combines the best elements of the roguelike and shoot’em up genres with incredibly stylized top-down 3D visualization. Immerse yourself in this dark fantasy world and show the demons who’s the power to be reckoned with.”
Spooky Survivors | Aligned Games | April 29 | PC (Win) | “Spooky Survivors puts you in the shoes of Van Hobo, a quirky hero battling the supernatural! Start with all unlocks BUT choose which to level up as you face endless waves. Equip powerful gear and unlock unique abilities. Outlast the nightmare and prove yourself as the ultimate spooky survivor!”
Approaching Infinity | IBOL | April 29 | PC (Win) | “Approaching Infinity is a turn-based space RPG in the spirit of the sci-fi classics, with endless progression and exploration. Fight tactical battles or use diplomacy. Seek powerful artifacts. Quest, mine, trade, and craft. Level up forever or attempt 10 victories in hardcore or adventure mode.”
Spellslayer | One Up Plus | April 29 | PC (Win) | “Take on the role of a spellcasting slayer puzzle tactics roguelite. Use a combination of clever positioning, strategic thinking and pure casting power to vanquish your enemies and claim the ultimate power source!”
Rogue Scum | Secret Shark Club | April 29 | PC (Win) | “Sci-fi action-roguelike survivors bullet-hell with dialogs.”
Badlands Crew | Runner Duck | April 28 | PC (Win) | “Create, customize and command your battle wagon to conquer crazed enemy factions and save innocent survivors scattered throughout the lawless Badlands in the aftermath of a devastating apocalypse. Do you have what it takes to Build, Evolve and Fight to survive?”
Thrice Cursed | Pixel Anvil | April 28 | PC (Win) | “A roguelike game with Souls-style combat. Fight with a customised character through quests in a random order with randomised loot. Your character’s build will be influenced by what you can find or buy. Every run feels a little different.”
Kaamos | Pepperbox Studios | April 28 | PC (Win) | “Kaamos is a bite-sized turn-based puzzle roguelike where battles are fought by matching tiles on a grid with looping rows and columns. Build your character and deck of tiles by looting equipment from your foes. Traverse a dark medieval world where the Sun went down and never rose again.”
Kingdom’s Deck | Ivan Aco | April 28 | PC (Lin, Mac, Win) | “Build by day, defend by night! Kingdom’s Deck is a card-based city builder where you build and protect your Kingdom from the enemy siege. Build your deck, deploy your cards wisely, defend your walls, manage your resources, and respond to various events that will shape your Kingdom!”
Collateral Dungeon | Techosaurus Studios | April 28 | PC (Win) | “Collateral Dungeon is a tactical puzzle dungeon crawler. Explore as an archaeologist trapped in your most recent dig: an enemy-infested dungeon. However, you are a lover, not a fighter. Without weapons, you must turn to your wit and clever traps to defeat enemies lest you relive your failings.”
Skogdal | Erlend Kirkeboe, Kay Arne Kirkeboe | April 28 | PC (Win) | “A deckbuilding adventure card game set in a rustic Norwegian town during the 90’s. Recruit followers, draft cards and build powerful combos. Explore a hand-crafted world across multiple runs and uncover an unsettling mystery…”
Combolite | Kristoff Red | April 28 | PC (Lin, Win) | “In this satisfying roguelike deckbuilder, every weapon you buy matters! Strategically order them to trigger powerful combos, send the enemy flying with physics-based hits, and watch your damage reach MILLIONS and above!”
Magic Rune Stone | eFun Studio | April 26 | PC (Win) | “This is an action rogue-lite adventure game where you will play different roles with different equipment and blessings.You will constantly challenge powerful enemies and kill bosses. The game comes with a “Survivors Mode”. One game, double the fun. I hope you like it.
