Roguelikesand handheld consoles are a match made in heaven, and the Nintendo Switch is no exception to this. The stop-and-go nature of portable consoles like the Nintendo Switch andSteam Deckis perfect when paired with run-based games like roguelikes.
Moonlighter
One Step From Eden
Astral Ascent
Dead Cells
Vampire Survivors
Cadence of Hyrule
The Binding of Isaac Repentance
Into the Breach
10 Best Roguelike Games On PS5
The PS5 has plenty of roguelikes to choose from, but these 10 games are the best ones to play.
you’re able to pick up the game, do a run until your character dies, then power it off and continue with your day. Once you get a small break again, you can pick up the Switch and jump back into your favorite roguelike for another run. The Switch in particular has some amazing roguelikes in its catalog that fans of the genre will love, so here are the best ones you should add to your gaming library if you have a budget of $30.
WHERE TO PLAY
For Megaman X fans, 30XX is like a dream come true. You can tear up its procedurally generated levels with a friend through co-op play, but just seeing the equivalents of Megaman X and Zero on screen at the same time is already a ton of fun for fans of the blue bomber.
Fans ofMegaman X’s side-scrolling, robot-busting action will love 30XX. Imagine if each level of Megaman X could be randomized and procedurally generated, so you get a new experience every time you play. Now throw in some roguelike buffs like charging your buster faster or having an additional jump to spice things up, and the end result is essentially 30XX.
However, 30XX also adds cooperative play to the classic formula by having one player take control of Nina who’s similar to Megaman, and the other player using Ace, who’s similar to Zero. This is the closest Megaman X fans will get to a cooperative game starring their two favorite characters. 30XX’s two-player co-op is also perfect for the Nintendo Switch since you’re able to hand off the second joycon to a friend whenever either of you want to get on a 30XX run.
9. Moonlighter
In Moonlighter, you’ll get to adventure into dungeons and collect loot at night. By day, you run a shop where you can sell your loot to the village. From there, you can spend your gold to help the town more or upgrade your equipment, so you can delve further into the dungeons.
To start, the pixel animations ofMoonlighterare a joy for the eyes, and the story is just captivating enough to pique your curiosity and lure you into its dark, slimy depths. What makes it stand out as a roguelike is its store-based addition to the usual loop of “loot, die, upgrade, repeat.” After you return from its Legend of Zelda-esque dungeon crawling segments, you get the option to sell some of your goods to the townsfolk. This part of the game is about guessing what the best price is based on your buyer’s reactions, which is surprisingly fun.
On the Switch, Moonlighter runs with almost no hiccups and since it’s not a graphically intense game, it will also keep your Switch’s battery alive for longer when you’re playing in handheld mode. Arguably, handheld mode also hits one of the few pain points of Moonlighter, which is how its text bubbles can be hard to read on the Switch’s small screen. But this doesn’t take away too much from the fun gameplay loop and the store segments use easy-to-decipher faces to let you know what price you should be setting.
8. One Step From Eden
The basic concept of this game will be familiar to fans of Megaman Battle Network, but One Step From Eden also adds roguelike elements to the mix, giving it an addictive loop of finishing runs, unlocking more characters and cards, then bringing it into another run. If you loved the battle mechanics of the Battle Network series, then you’ll love One Step From Eden.
Another game for a different type of Megaman fan, One Step From Eden is anamazing deck-buildinggrid battler similar to Megaman Battle Network. Players have a 3 x 6 tile board where half of it belongs to the player and the other half belongs to their opponents. Each character has their own way of gaining energy, whether it’s attacking enemies or passively generating it themselves. But once you build up that energy, you may use it to cast cards that have special effects on the field and their opponents.
Similar to 30XX, One Step From Eden also has a two-player co-op mode, which is perfect for the Switch since it comes with two joycons. You and your partner are stuck playing the same character, however, but you’ll still get to finish an entire run building a deck together and arguing over which relic is best for your builds.
One of the kings of Roguelikes, Hades is the perfect combination of amazing game mechanics, beautiful art style, amazing soundtrack, and an emotional story all in one game. its setting in Greek Mythology also lets you meet up with classic gods and heroes through Zagreus' adventures.
The perfect starting point for anyone interested in the roguelike genre, and a masterpiece for veterans to enjoy.Hadestakes place in mythological Greece where you get to play as Zagreus, the son of Hades, as he attempts to escape the underworld. In each escape attempt, your aunts and uncles on Olympus will bestow powerful boons to give you enough strength to break out and finally reach the surface.
What follows afterward is a tragic story of a son simply trying to fix his broken family, and along the way, he meets famous characters from Greek mythology who had unfinished business when they died. With an emotionally-charged story and scored with an incredible soundtrack by Darren Korb, Hades easily justifies its place asone of the best roguelikes of all time.On the Switch, Hades' 15-30 minute runs are perfect to squeeze into a short break, and there are plenty of breaks after a biome to pause and pick up another time.
6. Astral Ascent
Armed with some of the smoothest combat mechanics a fan can ask for, a relaxing soundtrack, and gorgeous pixel art that’s second only to Moonlighter in its quality,Astral Ascentis a phenomenal roguelike to play on the Switch. You play as one of four prisoners trying to break out of an astral prison created by a sadistic being known as the Master. Its basic combat mechanics are reminiscent of One Step From Eden in that you’ll build energy through your character’s basic attack, and then spend that energy to cast spells. As you cast spells, they’re replaced by the next spell in order. However, while One Step is played on a grid-battle system, Astral Ascent is a side-scrolling platformer.
Additionally, Astral Ascent also has a two-player co-op mode where each player can choose one of the four prisoners to play as. Each character has their own unique group of spells, but being able to synchronize your attacks and dodges with a friend is both a joy to watch and hilarious fun when you bulldoze through a boss.
A classic roguelike that rewards perseverance and solid platforming skills, Dead Cells walks a delicate balance of challenging yet heavily rewarding gameplay. Its progression will start off slow, but it builds up very quickly.
Dead Cellsis a widely-belovedMetroidvaniaroguelike because of how complex and fun its procedurally generated maps can be and its simple yet refined combat mechanics. You’ll play the aptly named Prisoner as they attempt to escape from a disaster-stricken island. While the story is on the simpler side, the storytelling is done through environmental clues, flavor text on items and loading screens, and rare interactions with characters.
But one of the most appealing points of Dead Cells is how it always focuses on how to reward the player for good performance. Finish a level quickly, or scour through a level for a majority of its enemies will result in bonus cells (the out-of-run progression currency) and a free weapon. Collecting a Cursed Chest will give you three useful items, but also lead to your death in a single hit. However, killing 10 enemies removes the curse. In this way, the power scaling of Dead Cells' upgrades never trivializes the content until you’ve unlocked the later mutations and weapons, which should be seen as your reward for either sticking with the game or performing well in enough runs to unlock them.
4. Vampire Survivors
A “must own” roguelike for any fan of the genre or anyone on a portable gaming console like the Nintendo Switch, Vampire Survivors is an addictive blast to play through. Slay monsters of the night en masse with all sorts of powerful weapons and a whole mess of upgrades and combos.
If you’ve never played a roguelike before and want to play a simple one with friends, your best options areRisk of Rain 2andVampire Survivors. Vampire Survivors has popularized an entire genre of roguelikes named Bullet Heavens, and it has an extremely simple control scheme (you’re ultimately just walking around a map). But the charm of Vampire Survivors is how fun it is to collect XP gems, create crazy builds, and just how satisfying finishing a run is. You’ll start as a simple Survivor with just a single weak weapon, and after 10 or so minutes, you’ll become a mass monster-mulching lawnmower.
The Nintendo Switch’s portable nature pairs well with Vampire Survivors’s ~31-minute runs. Plus, it’s a great game to play for long periods in the Switch’s mobile mode since its graphics are 16-bit, so it shouldn’t be too taxing on your batteries until the madness of its late-game runs starts to unfold. Its local co-op is alsoperfect for when you have multiple joyconsto share with your friends.
3. Cadence of Hyrule
Just like Crypt of the Necrodancer, Cadence of Hyrule rewards players for following the rhythm of music while also exploring dungeons.
One of the few Nintendo Switch exclusives,Cadence of Hyrulecombines the rhythm mechanics fromCrypt of the Necrodancerwith theLegend of Zelda. Similar to Crypt, you and the enemies of each dungeon will move and attack the rhythm of the music that’s playing (in Cadence, it’s usually a remix of a Legend of Zelda song). However, what sets apart Cadence of Hyrule from the other roguelikes on this list is how it treats death. In Cadence, when your character dies you lose all of your equipment, but unlike other roguelikes, you can choose where you want to respawn. Metaprogression follows the roguelike style of using currency that survives after you die, and most of the unlocks allow you to start each new run with a weapon or an item. Over time, it starts to feel less like a roguelike and more like a typical Zelda game with some extra challenges.
Overall, it’s a fun game for Zelda fans, and it leans more toward Zelda’s dungeon-crawling RPG aspects with just enough roguelike mechanics to keep fans interested.
2. The Binding of Isaac: Repentance
Weighing in with all the updates and DLC from previous editions of the game, The Binding of Isaac: Repentance is the ultimate version of the game. If you love dark stories in your roguelike games, you’ll love this one.
The Binding of Isaacis a classic, and Repentance comes with all the content available for the game. For those unfamiliar with this game, you play as a small boy named Isaac as you desperately try to escape your homicidal Mom after she receives a vision from god to sacrifice you. After that, the player is treated to a dark story of how Isaac has to fight throughhis basement, past his mother, and even fight the devil himself to get his freedom.
What’s made Isaac so popular over the years is its focus on a wide variety of artifacts that can synergize with each other and how every run unlocks more content. Artifacts can make Isaac cry more tears to defend himself with or make the tears swirl around him like a rainstorm. There aren’t too many other complicated mechanics besides minor bullet hell ones where enemies will throw a multitude of different kinds of projectiles your way while your build (hopefully) bulldozes through them. But this simplicity in artifacts and unlocks, along with its dark story, are what makes the Binding of Isaac Repentance such a treat to play.
1. Into The Breach
From the creators of FTL, Into the Breach encourages players to come up with creative solutions to their problems. Between giant mechs, massive murderous insects, and time travel, fans of tactical RPGs will find this sci-fi game to be an engaging masterpiece.
From the creators ofFTL, Into the Breach is a tactical turn-based strategy where finesse and clever solutions will get you further than simple brute force. Most of your attacks don’t do that much damage (something hitting for 2 damage is already pretty big) but each one comes with the additional effect of moving enemies to where you need them to go. Pushing enemies into mountains, slamming them into one another, or just using small quirks in the environment will be the main way you solve the many bug-shaped problems Into The Breach will throw at you. But knowing the best time to use each option, and how to maneuver your few key pieces to where they need to be will always take precedent.
On the Switch, Into The Breach is an amazing tactical RPG to have in your library because each battle only takes a couple of minutes to complete, making it an easy game to pick up and put down whenever you need to.
The 15 Best Roguelikes For Under $20
These are the best roguelikes for under $20 right now so you don’t have to worry about taking out a small loan to pick them up!
