Top 10 BEST Rogue-lite (Rogue-like) Platformers of ALL TIME

[@ambersandboyland6240]

ScourgeBringer is god tier. 20 hours into the game I was starting to get bored, and then I tried 5 chaos with maxed out enemy health, room challenge, and oppression on. This completely changed up the game and made even the first stage feel impossible to escape. It forces you to re-work how you fight every enemy, every boss, and makes every encounter a heart pumping adrenaline rush.

[@vincentvalentine1877]

Oh I forgot I have this game, might wanna give it another go

[@richyLoLz]

i still can't beat the stage 4 or 5 judge 😓

[@youngmostafa]

Can’t believe I never heard of dungreed. Game looks good. Definitely on my radar now

[@reboot3332]

Amazing game. Must play if you like these type of games. Blade Assault has some of the same mechanics from Dungreed and I cant wait for Blade assault on consoles.

[@belldrop7365]

No joke about Dead Cells being "feel good to play" despite it's difficulty. It's a really good game, even if you are bad at it, like me.

[@commentarytalk1446]

Vagante for me is top pick. Can also do multiplayer adds a lot too imho. Noita is fairly amazing also. Rogue Legacy and Downwell and Scourgebringer all have tight designs too.

[@frozone-yeah]

Very nice display of the top 10 roguelikes. Noita really needs to expand to other platforms already, it needs to happen, there is little reason to not do it anyways.

[@Mastercar77]

Scourgebringer is also on PSVita *Love your videos by the way:)

[@LikeACrouton]

I'm glad you've broken them down by sub-genre. Comparing Dead Cells to Hades 1:1 is a bit weird, but you have to do it if you're only doing "rogue-lites"

[@ClemmyGames]

exactly

[@nafiurrahman8701]

Dead Cells would be always my favourite rogue lite. Playing this game for few months

[@RewdanSprites]

I love Vagante & Downwell. Such great games ❤. There's a few here I need to check out! Skul looks dope. I still haven't got round to playing dead cells yet 😅.

[@Geno746]

Ive been meaning to get Vagante, looks really fun.

[@alexandreantunescosta6216]

Awesome list! I'm kinda lazy moron to play rogue likes to the end, but I know the genre evolve to something really exciting and compelling. I only played "vagante" and game maker's original "spelunk" ( fantastique games ). Now is about time i will sink my teeth on "Rogue legacy" 1 and 2. Oh! Played your favorite ("Risk of rain") sometimes, but didn't beat it...will definitely return to it if my brain becomes more sharp.

[@LikeACrouton]

I mentioned this on an earlier video with Skul, but I love that game to bits. I still think it's the only one that really competes with Dead Cells in terms of just feeling good to play. I have been playing Skul off and on for 2+ years now, highly recommended.

[@zilverman7820]

Tried skull but it bores me out. Feels like playing grand chase only.

[@ThiVasss]

Vagante is in my wish list for like what, 8 years? I am not surprised I own all the other games tho. -.-

[@ShinoSarna]

If you like Super Metroid, I'd recommend A Robot Named Fight. It's prettyuch Super Metroid, but roguelike.

[@commentarytalk1446]

Clemmy when you update your metroidvania /2 2d platforming-RPG genre, I don't think I've ever seen you mention: UNEPIC. It was one of the first BIG INDIE games before even Spelunky or FTL or Owl boy. Worth covering: A Goldie & and Oldie.

[@drinibuzali1289]

He has mentioned all these games in the past cause I remember them. The indie scene is huge, obviously you can't remember them all when you make a list!

[@commentarytalk1446]

@@drinibuzali1289 I know he's the other ones, but I've never seen his mention for Unepic? I've gone through a lot of videos but no doubt there's many more I've missed! Hehe.

[@winstonsmith8597]

NOITA !!! Have a few of my favorite death scenes on my channel and I have lots more to post 😀

[@lauriwiiala5819]

Noita means witch in Finland.

[@winstonsmith8597]

@@lauriwiiala5819 I heard. To me it means awesome game.

[@drewsbwgaming3362]

Scourgebringer is also on PS4 as well. Just a note.

[@masterkutai]

Man Noita is hard. The first few hours are basically going be on knowing the mechanics and the interactions between elements. Also, despite how it looks, it’s not as controller friendly as I think it should. It seems to be made for mouse and keyboard. I hope they improved on that, since that would be very important to get it on other platforms. Not to mention that Steam Deck is around the corner.

[@NemesistheBoss]

Countdown to 100k

[@ClemmyGames]

SOON

[@manuldelkotik3228]

Hot video! Dungreed is new for me. Thanks!

[@RoadKamelot2nd]

20XX and 30XX should have at least been honorable mentions on this list.

[@adude1237]

I played this genre so much I did permanent damage to my hand. It's that good. (Mostly Dungreed)

[@mikos6353]

What about Neon abyss? I think it's really good

[@vincentvalentine1877]

It's mid

[@LikeACrouton]

I love roguelites, I love 2-d roguelites, I have played them for a decade. But I utterly despised Neon Abyss. 2-d bullet hell platformer with limited mobility options that offered nothing new/interesting and did not feel good to play. There's a ton of games that I think would go on this list before Neon Abyss. 20/30XX, Metal Unit, there's probably others I'm forgetting. And that's not even me saying those games *deserve* to be on this list, it's just me saying they'd make more sense than Neon Abyss. It's very pretty, but it Neon Abyss does not belong on a top 10 all time list imo.

[@mikos6353]

It's quite good, at least you can aim and shoot in all directions and there isn't many roguelite platformers like that. It was the reason why I bought it

[@darkchild130]

I had a ton of fun with NeonAbyss on gamepass

[@adden2242]

I already own Skul, love the game and still is very cool, not boring!!

[@drinibuzali1289]

Also the updates bro! Amazing stuff, hope we get another for items this time with the hard mode

[@Suzaru69]

What game name in thumbnail ? Good video

[@bigjen8238]

Skul

[@playbox511]

Hades is not on the list!! What a shame...

[@LikeACrouton]

It's not a platformer. I imagine the follow up to this video will be "isometric rogue-lites", where you'd see you Hades and your Dreamscapers and your Atomicrops and your Enter the Gungeons and Isaacs etc.

[@melvinveenstra5485]

Does enter the gungeon also aply here love this game after al these years

[@lauriwiiala5819]

No because its not platformer. Otherwise wheres Hades.

[@ClemmyGames]

Exactly

[@marcdereuter4370]

I don't the get principe about rogue like and rogue lite, what's the challenge playing games that get easier the more often you die? Where is the competition and reward playing a game that every stupid can finish when playing often enough. Or what the point? Please someone clear me up?

[@sharkastic2633]

If you think every stupid can finish a rogue, go get Dead Cells and see if you can beat it easily. You’ll have fun.

[@jh-ck6gt]

This is actually where most traditionalists draw the line between the (traditional) roguelike and the roguelite - the latter has meta progression, something the roguelike community dislikes in their games. This is very much why e.g. rogue legacy is kind of flawed - you have to keep bashing your head against it to make headway...

[@LikeACrouton]

I don't think anyone can "clear you up" on this if you really think this. You would have to go play some of the games to determine if "any stupid" can beat them. That's not to say some rogue-lites aren't "eventually" easier than many people would like them because they're overloaded with meta progression, but none of the ones that have stood the test of time fall into that category. Dead Cells, Gungeon, Isaac. Most of these rely far more on you "progressing" in your knowledge and skill than you progressing in the game. Most games also have a limit on how much meta-progression you can do, or the ability to gain said meta-progression scales with how far you make it. So you are actually also having to improve, despite what it may seem like from the outside. You can't usually literally outstat the final boss from meta-progress alone. Also keep in mind, you are typically dropped in with a random/weak loadout and you have to find the other stuff you're going to use on the run, to use against randomly placed/buffed enemies. So adaptation is usually a big thing, and that's also one of the biggest draws of the genre. But also keep in mind: rogue-lite and rogue-likes are fundamentally different in progression model, even though some people use the phrasing interchangeably when they shouldn't. Roguelikes, in the traditional sense, do not have meta-progression. So rogue-likes are actually a lot more difficult than most games. These also aren't the ones currently popular.

[@marcdereuter4370]

@@LikeACrouton Really thanks a lot for the information, that helps me a lot to give them a last chance. It's not like i never played some titles, i thought even some were pretty good, the only thing i really didn't like was the meta-progession, all of these games would have fit way more on my expectations if they haven't been rogue like or rogue lite games, sad to say that.

[@marcdereuter4370]

@@sharkastic2633 Actually i finished Dead Cells, i played it due to the good critics and i'am really a fan of pixel art and 2D games. The one big point that i really hated about the game was the principe of roguelike. Same for children of morta for me, i guess i'am just too old 😅

[@videogamersadvocate9925]

Nice video. Dead Cells is a masterpiece in my opinion. I had heard great things about it prior to its release and waited two more years before finally trying it for myself. What a marvelous game. The fluidity of the game play is so well done. Rogue Legacy is highly entertaining and has exceptional charm. I have Risk of Rain 2 and haven't played it since the 1.0 update so I need to check it out again.

[@gagagod]

dead cells is great game, i dunno why i bored so easily

[@chrissantos9725]

Maybe because of the death rate, lol!

[@gagagod]

just remembered i finished it in the first or second play through. i wish i didnt win

[@gagagod]

made me feel like i completed it, no need to play further or something

[@ChiChan404]

dead cells is a random platformer, without roguelike function it would be forgotten, people play 500 to finish a 1h30 game in reality

[@everbornnjackson]

Dead Cells is more than deserving of its spot. And for those that dont know by now, Skull IS that good. And even tho it kicks my ass sometimes, Risk of Rain 2 is incredible as well. Great list !

[@louisc6743]

20XX is fun if you like Megaman

[@RoboBreaker]

The Dead Cells Killer is here, and it's called "FOREGONE"... And you missed it.

[@DISCO-munication]

Not really. That game is just a cheap clone, just another Dead Cells rip-off, extremely generic and bland. With "mostly positive" reviews. Kudos to Clemmy for knowing his shit and not including bad games in his videos.

[@darkchild130]

Foregone is extremely generic and dull. I finished it in one sitting and will never play it again

[@tecnique000]

Great list but I think Rogue legacy has worse controls that Dungreed 🤔

[@Winter-gn1lz]

Can you make a list of pixel art games like stardew valley

[@DISCO-munication]

he already did, check his channel

[@salvador6182]

oh nah gungeon was ROBBED

[@ClemmyGames]

Platformer?

[@salvador6182]

@@ClemmyGames actually i dont know how to read at all

[@aswinidehury8549]

Dead cells is one of my best game and I am still playing it everyday for one complete run... And thanks for pick in no1 spot

[@shiyoutarocurva1910]

prefer skul over dead cells, plus getsufumaden is already out it looks better than both, haven't tried it yet tho

[@sharkastic2633]

You prefer swarms of copypasted enemies and only a few dozen different skulls to unique enemies, areas, and music as well as over 100 weapons that can all be mixed and matched and far better movement?

[@marvelex96]

where is arboria?

[@DrTeeth66]

I bloody LOVE Arboria. Infinitely replayable fun!

[@marvelex96]

@@DrTeeth66 arboria its the best rogue-like game ever hahah

[@user-stanrbm]

Risk of Rain 2 is not platformer. This is a roguelike third-person shooter. Risk of Rain 1 is platformer or run and gun with roguelike.

[@LikeACrouton]

I also thought this one was a stand out as strange. You can do platforming in 3rd/first person, but I think that RoR2 places such a low emphases on world navigation that it's a bit of a strange shout here. Given we're probably also going to get Isometric (Hades, Isaac, Gungeon) and 3d (RoR2, Chronus, Sifu) and maybe even shooter (Zigurrat, Void Bastards, half the boomer-shooters) lists, I agree it's kind of the odd-man-out here on this list.

[@Jerolp23]

​ @Like A Crouton i guess you could really make these lists based of the genre of the game (platformer, rpg, action, dungeon crawling etc...) instead of the graphics type.

[@lauriwiiala5819]

I'm not sure why but I dont love Dead Cells. I played it allmost 100 hours, but just dont have fond memories. Perhaps malaise as mechanic and the hurry that it brings. One little mistake in otherwise perfect run and its over.

[@vincentvalentine1877]

They reworked malaise recently

[@sharkastic2633]

One little mistake does not end your run if you aren’t cursed.

[@lot10games]

Great 👍

[@trickycheat3570]

Tsk tsk still no Towerclimb, your lost Clemmy.

[@augusto256]

Noita is cool

[@NicolasREVA7X]

Noita and Dead Cells are brilliant!

[@OHikcc]

Good Good Good Good

[@rubenmantero7566]

Hades?

[@darkchild130]

It’s not a platformer

[@rubenmantero7566]

@@darkchild130 good point 😅

[@jccs98]

spelunky number 1 spelunky 2 number 2

[@sharkastic2633]

Spelunky 1 and 2 are bad, actually.

[@jccs98]

@@sharkastic2633 you mistyped “I am bad at spelunky 1 and 2, actually”

[@ronin413]

Hades

[@adamluther5836]

This will probably sound pretty dumb given the title of this video, but personally speaking, I sorta hate most rogue-lites. I feel like too often developers use this style of design to cut so many corners and end up with incredibly generic and empty games that disrespect your time. I think because of this, I have such a greater appreciation for Dead Cells. The amount of content, updates, and upgrades this game offers is certainly not cutting corners, and the high speed movement; and fast, fluid combat let you jump right back into the action after each death sure doesn't disrespect your time. Dead Cells isn't perfect, but to me, it's the rogue-lite for people who hate rogue-lites, probably because, IMO, it shames so many other games in the genre.

[@masterkutai]

Dead Cells made me “get” rouge lites. It opens the door for me to the whole genre, which I never get it before. Also, when I test other games, I have the feeling “I’ve been spoiled by Dead Cells”. The fluidity, the variety of the weapon and the distinctiveness of it, the level design, the pixel art graphics that feels hi def, the game is just amazing. Also despite how hard it is, it never feels unfair when you die. It speaks passions, the tuning and quality control that the game has.

[@LikeACrouton]

I think this is primarily because Dead Cells is fun immediately, whereas some roguelites don't get fun until you've done some meta-progression and have game experience. You have "hope" you could beat the things if you were just a bit better, independent of you getting meta-progression. You need to be able to obviously see ways to improve besides just "leveling up". Dead Cells does it well. I think Skul and Gungeon do as well. Essentially, the game has to be fair levels of difficult and have an obvious skill ceiling independent of it's meta-progression to really stand the test of time. Dead Cell's raw levels of polish, content, and smart design also just make it the best in this genre, but there's definitely plenty of others worth a shot.

[@mortimerwake2974]

This is Catacomb Kids erasure

[@julioagua]

6 years in early access??? :O

[@LikeACrouton]

yeah like Julio said, that game has been in EA for 6 years. None of the games on the list are EA.

[@makemeboom]

WHERE IS HADES ????????

[@ClemmyGames]

Platformer?

[@thuggeegaming659]

"Rogue-lite" is a gatekeeping term. Just call them roguelikes.

[@gon-salis3008]

.

[@zbyszekkiebasa906]

I don't get the hype around risk of rain 2, it is a good game, but defenietly not of one the best rogue-likes

[@Ulieq]

I hate rogue-lite I'm sick of it half game genre bleh

[@juliovega951]

Hades