Tiny Rogues caught my eye very recently. Having flown under my personal radar for the best part of 40 years, I figured I should remedy this failing at the earliest available opportunity. After reaching out to the game’s developer, I learned of the incoming update, and a date was set in my diary.
In the press release I was sent following my initial outreach, I got an overview of what to expect from the Between Heaven and Hell update. In that note, the game was basically described as Tiny Rogues 2.0, despite the fact that it’s still only in early access.
Once I took a closer look at the contents of the update, I began to understand why RubyDev was so confident about what was being cooked up. Between Heaven and Hell is basically a complete overhaul of the game as it was, and the expansion adds a range of quality of life improvements on top of a raft of sweeping gameplay enhancements.
I’m going to limit myself to the the next paragraph to relay the extent of the update, and then I’m going to jump into the main part of my Tiny Rogues review. Here goes:
Between Heaven and Hell introduces a range of new classes bringing the total number to over 30. It also introduces an entirely optional progression system that pulls everything together to make a more focused overall experience. There’s more – a lot more – including new weapons, items, companions, and more, however, this trailer will do the heavy lifting for me, and there are more details in this news article about the expansion.
What is Tiny Rogues, then?
Before we go any further, let’s pin down what Tiny Rogues is, for the uninitiated among us. As the name implies, it’s a game with the heart of a rogue, but as you can see from the attached imagery, there’s no turn-based element here. Instead, this action-roguelite blends top-down bullet-hell gameplay with light RPG mechanics to perfection.
The visuals are super cute and minimalist. There’s just enough detail for you clearly parse the screen at all times, but there’s not a pixel left over. You control a tiny little hero – no surprises there – but you get to pick from around 30 classes and they’re all both pleasantly designed. Each one has a completely different setup, a fixed starting point that leans them towards a clearly defined playstyle.
From these fixed starting points, through the pick-ups you earn and the decisions you make, you’ll craft your build as you progress through your run. I tried pushing my experience in a number of different directions, and the way the game was able to accommodate a broad range of gameplay approaches was nothing short of remarkable. Tiny Rogues might have the appearance of a puddle, but it’s as deep as a well-crafted RPG.
Tiny Rogues that go on big adventures
Every battle takes place within a small arena, but this creative limitation has resulted in some of the sharpest twin-stick action I’ve played since Enter the Gungeon. Here you’ve got a dash that’ll get you out of trouble, but you’ll need to deploy it routinely. It doesn’t take long before each room is filled up with tough enemies that sling many bullets. The challenge scales pretty well, though, and thanks to the new meta-progression I always felt like I was nudging things along.
I played a bunch of different classes during the beta and I had a blast with each one. I favoured the ranged characters and the magic-based ones, but there are plenty of close-quarters characters, too. It doesn’t matter who you pick; that choice will have ramifications. In fact, every subsequent decision you make will flow from that classy choice. Yet, within the more narrow confines of your original selection, there remains an impressive amount of gameplay variation to encounter.
There are so many potential directions an attempt might take. The number of skills to choose from is impressive, plus there are loads of weapons and changing up your main will drastically impact your tactics. You might be firing spells one minute and then pick up a staff that delivers bolts of electricity that chain between your enemies. For the next run you might pick an archer with a ranged attack, and spend your entire run focused on building accuracy with your bow while keeping your foes as far away as possible.
A tiny roguelite with a side portion of bullet hell
The combat in Tiny Rogues is refreshingly intuitive, which is a help because it’s not long before the screen fills up with damaging projectiles. The controls are silky smooth, in my experience, and I felt like I was in complete control at all times. That also meant that every time I messed up and bit too many bullets, it was on me and my own shoddy decision making. Still, everything feels nice and responsive.
You can level up your weapons, and you’ll need to either do that or pick up more powerful items that you discover on your way. When firing your chosen bow, sword, or sub-machine gun (!) you’ll target the nearest enemy automatically, and then it’s a case of following them with your analog stick to fire. It’s simple, neat, and effective.
As with any respectable bullet hell shooter, there are loads of bosses. Each one has its own attack pattern to learn and then defeat, and once again, the variety keeps things feeling fresh. Just like the various character classes, the depictions of these bosses are very minimalist, but once combat begins and the projectiles start flying, the lack of clutter helps keep things clear in the heat of battle.
Beyond Heaven and Hell – the future of Tiny Rogues
RubyDev has been clear about the plan for Tiny Rogues, and this hefty expansion is a signal of intent that the studio is going to support the game long into the night. To that end, in the trailer I shared above, we were teased with three different expansions.
The Into the Abyss expansion logo is adorned with tentacles, so an educated guess would be some sort of Lovecraftian affair. On the Edge of Infinity has got space vibes, and the sci-fi feels continue with Beyond the Matrix, which somewhat speaks for itself, I think. What’s significant about the last expansion is that it will mark the game’s exit from early access.
The platform that has been built via Between Heaven and Hell – which is free, by the way – has clearly been made with longevity in mind. As a result, the game is in great shape right now, and the future is even brighter for this minimalist must-play. If roguelites are your jam and you want a game that tests your mettle and teases just one more run, Tiny Rogues should go straight to the top of your wishlist.
The game is currently PC Steam exclusive.
For more great roguelikes and roguelites on PC, hit the link. If you’re after something a bit more accessible, please enjoy this video about the best roguelike games for beginners. Later gators!
