A couple of days ago, an old colleague of mine got in touch with a note about the ongoing publisher sale for Hooded Horse over on Steam, which is running until January 22.
This up-and-coming strategy publisher has been making impressive inroads into a genre previously dominated by Paradox and Sega. However, while Hooded Horse has most certainly made a big impact, I think the most interesting thing happening here is the games being signed.
Strategy meets roguishness
As someone who has always enjoyed both grand strategy and 4X games (as well as roguelikes), I think the intersection between strategy and roguelike design is one of the most fertile areas for interesting experiments within the genre.
Indeed, looking through Hooded Horse’s line-up reveals a bunch of games that use proc-gen, permadeath, and even roguelite metaprogression, but often not how we would normally expect to see them implemented.
Over the last few years, with Against the Storm standing as a key highlight, Hooded Horse has been actively courting roguelike and roguelite game developers because they know what you and I know: gameplay diversity is vital, and roguish game design is an efficient and elegant way of baking variety into the pudding.
“I personally love these games,” CEO Tim Bender told me when I asked why the publisher is signing more and more rogues. “He is coming, I discovered while I was sick and lying on the couch watching SplatterCat videos, and I knew I had to publish it.”
It’s a similar story when you dig deeper into the portfolio, with Tim mentioning a bunch of games that are already on my radar, one way or another, including 9 Kings, which I’ve already written about here.
“9 Kings I got addicted to the demo. Super Fantasy Kingdom and Bosslords, I fell in love with the builds the devs sent in. Further back, the Against the Storm devs are just the most amazing people I ever met. I’d love to say it’s some grander strategy, but so much comes down to just deciding: wow, this is cool, and these are cool people.”
New additions to the line-up
Alongside Architect of Ruin, Bosslords is the most recent game confirmed for the Hooded Horse line-up.
In it, you play as an eponymous bosslord and must build an army of monsters and other strange fantasy creatures, and then lead them into battles as you march on the imperial capital.
I asked Tim about this specifically, as auto-battlers seem to be a thriving new sub-genre, with Hooded Horse at the forefront of this emerging trend.
“Oh yah it’s so fun, devs are exploring ways to use the autobattler format to create new gameplay experiences, and I just enjoy these so much. I think it’s a really promising area of games.”
The Hooded Horse Stable
There are currently two lists of roguelike and rogue-adjacent games worth mentioning, the first being the ones you can play right now.
- 9 Kings | Sad Socket – One of my personal favourites, you must build a small kingdom and then withstand the armies that march on you.
- Against the Storm | Eremite Games – This absorbing and engaging RTS has you leading fantasy creatures through the end times.
- Battle Brothers | Overhype Studios – Not a roguelike at all, but it uses proc-gen and permadeath to create an atmospheric war game.
- Breachway | Edgeflow Studio – This sci-fi deckbuilder has you exploring the stars and engaging in tense turn-based battles.
- Darkwood | Acid Wizard Studio – A horror classic with an intense roguish twist. An old one, but a good one, with a sequel on the way.
- Every Day We Fight | Signal Space Lab – This unique tactical combat game is one of the more atypical roguish experiences in the roster.
- Heart of the Machine | Arcen Games – Arcen Games is a studio with a great history, and in this intriguing sci-fi strategy game, you get to play a sentient.
- He Is Coming | Chronocle – I grabbed this one in the Winter Sale, and I wasn’t disappointed with this fantasy roguelike with auto-battler elements.
- Super Fantasy Kingdom | Super Fantasy Games – I’ve been chipping away at this fantasy auto-battler for a month or so now, and it’s cute, quirky, and already tons of fun.
Finally, we have the various roguelike games being published by Hooded Horse in the future.
- Bosslords | RocketMoose Studios – A fantasy auto-battler where you must amass a small fighting force and then march on your enemies. Due in 2026.
- Darkwood 2 | Ice-Pick Lodge – The top-down horror returns, this time with a new team at the helm and a new setting.
- Drill Keeper | ShoulderByte – A fusion of siege defence and deckbuilding. Not sure how it’ll work, but I’m intrigued.
- Fogpiercer | Mad Cookies Studio – Battle through ice and fog in this train-bound thriller. Due this year (and pictured below).
- Menace | Overhype Studios – A sci-fi offering from the Battle Brothers studio, out on Feb 5, 2026.
All told, the above represents an impressive array of titles that utilise roguelike design elements in a range of interesting ways. What’s more, there are even more that only use proc-gen elements, and so I’ve not mentioned them here.
In fact, I’ve been increasingly drawn to Hooded Horse’s roster, and I’m sure that I am going to be covering more of their games in the year ahead. Next on my list is Super Fantasy Kingdom, but it might also end up being He is Coming, both of which I’ve been enjoying…
