Fire up the “new game announcement” klaxon because it’s time for something fresh and exciting that combines a bunch of my favourite things, including cats, roguishness, classic Pac-Man gameplay, and the ability to freeze time!
More specifically, today marked the announcement of Maze Mice, the next game from Trampoline Tales, the team behind the excellent dystopian slot machine roguelike, Luck be a Landlord (you can read my review right here).
Maze Mice might evoke the spirit of Pac-Man but that classic gameplay comes with a big fat cat of a twist: time only moves when you do. That means you’ll be on the run from a feline terrors, grabbing cheesy bites, and choosing new abilities in true roguish style, this time with the ability to pause the action and take a breath.
The best laid plans of mice and men suggest a PC (Lin, Mac, Win) launch at some still-to-be-determined point of 2025, but release plans often go awry, so stay tuned for more news on that front.
Still with us? Of course you are! If you want to keep reading about great hand-picked rogues, the following articles represent a huge collection of the best roguelike games ever made.
Next, there are genre-specific lists that delve into the best roguelike games of all types. I’ve pulled out the best examples from each category, alongside the links to more in-depth articles!
The best turn-based roguelikes: Caves of Qud | There are some seriously incredible turn-based roguelikes out there. Of all the modern games, these are the closest to the original Rogue.
Awesome first-person rogues: Gunfire Reborn | We almost went with Blue Prince for this spot, but most people checking out first-person rogues probably want to wield a gun, you know?!
Cool roguelike deckbuilders: Balatro | Sorry, Slay the Spire fans, but this poker-solitaire deckbuilder has stolen Mike’s heart and won’t give it back.
Exciting roguelike platformers: Spelunky | Now, don’t get us wrong, Dead Cells is an incredible game, especially with all the DLC switched on. But when it comes to impact, you just can’t beat Spelunky.
Amazing action-roguelites: Hades 2 | And finally, let’s wrap things up with our favourite of them all. There’s no beating the original Hades, although Hades 2 comes pretty close!
