Why I LOVE Roguelikes (And You Should Too)

[@Schartin]

I really dont know why this video is just short of 500 views. I watched thought "this was a great video" and then stumbled upon the 34 likes. This is so well made!

[@specialagentcarmichael]

I really appreciate this! I am new to KZbin and so I am just working on making some good, high quality content that I would like to watch myself. It takes a lot of time to make videos like this (script, getting footage, editing, etc.) but I am glad it's paying off. Hopefully over the next couple months it can start to pick up! Again, I really appreciate this!

[@fancychairs]

this was an absolute amazing video, i'm shocked you don't have more likes or subs yet, you're going places with content like this man, you're goated

[@specialagentcarmichael]

I'm just going to keep posting gaming video essays with my thoughts and hopefully I grow! I appreciate the comment!

[@marknator]

I've got introduced to the genre after buying my steamdeck. I basically live at work now, so PC gaming is no longer an option and it's so nice to wake your deck from sleep, zone out for 10-30 mins of your free time and put it back to sleep again. Really recommend the genre to anyone who have little to no free time

[@specialagentcarmichael]

Couldn’t have said it better myself. I’ve also been living at work and so I haven’t had time to really play a story based game, so it’s nice to just pick up and be able to play such good games at the end of the day

[@alejandrosand]

not work but university, roguelikes are almost always light on requirements, now on the dead times i can play something in the small laptop otherwise i would need to carry the chunky big notebook to play something at Uni

[@specialagentcarmichael]

Wish I had that hack back in university - I lived a 20 minutes walk off campus so if I had a class that started in an hour, I would walk home, play for 20 minutes, then walk back to class cause I had a desktop

[@technoboop1890]

Its funny how certain factors can be such big positives for one person but simultaneously such turnoffs for others. For me, the "dopamine hit" type addictive gameplay makes me feel like im wasting my time, being "mindless fun" also just makes it feel a bit pointless, and being replayable also means a ton of doing the same thing over and over, which I'm not a fan of. But at the same time it seems to be a very popular genre so I guess I'm in the minority in this. Its nice to see other views on the matter regardless

[@Mattexx2908]

I'm on the same boat here. I played The Binding of Isaac for about 50 hours, but after that it just started feeling pointless and i didnt have any motivation to play. I played Hades for 4 hours and found it meaningless and pretty boring. I played Risk of Rain 2, Balatro and Vampire Survivors for around 5 hours each and had the same exact problems. I really want to like this games but i just cant.

[@specialagentcarmichael]

Super interesting - what games do you like? And why? Curious to hear your perspective.

[@TamTran-yo1cm]

it's fine, we are humans with different tastes. The best thing is that in a few years all the things you just said could eventually change. Enjoy games that you love playing, don't follow the trend!

[@technoboop1890]

@@specialagentcarmichael Primarily narrative games, for the story they provide. I suppose this comes from a sense of forward progress - everything you do is, if nothing else, in service of bringing you closer to your goal. Roguelikes of course lack this progress as when you die, you die, back to square 1. I also like games that challenge you (for example I love Sekiro), providing something to overcome - which is sort of strange because this comes with a lot of trying over and over until you can complete the task, sort of like roguelikes. I think the difference is that roguelikes often require "the right run", i.e. luck, or in the case or roguelites, your *character* powers up between runs, it isnt *you* that gets better at the game. There's also the fact that roguelikes are generally short, ofc they are meant to be replayed but I rarely find myself coming back. Mostly just because I feel done with it, there's usually not much to be gained by doing it all again other than a collectathon-like achievement system, which honestly I just don't really care about. For reference, these are the roguelikes I've played: Dead Cells Enter the Gungeon Hades Noita Returnal Risk of Rain Returns Risk of Rain 2 (I actually quite liked RORR and ROR2 as I felt like I was learning something with each death until I finally beat it. Plus the time=difficulty mechanic is interesting. That being said though, I still haven't come back to them after completing them once or twice). Edit - I realise I haven't really answered your question. Some of my favourite games are: Red Dead Redemption 2 Hollow Knight Outer Wilds Silent Hill 2 Sekiro Rain World Elden Ring Undertale Devil May Cry 5 Terraria Subnautica Portal 2 The Last of Us The Talos Principle (And many more...)

[@high.level.noob.]

I like rogue-likes as timewasters. The only rogue-like (which is actually a rogue-lite) that held my interest more was Hades.

[@quensive]

Watching the video made me feel „lol this is so me”

[@myrzanos7411]

Pacif drive is one of my favorites rouge lites . It was also nominated this year . But sadly it did not won. But still it is a nice game to check out.

[@specialagentcarmichael]

Cool! I will give it a look! Thanks for the recommendation

[@landonshimpa]

Great content dude. Can't help but agree with everything that you said here. My favorite genre on the whole, but sometimes I really yearn for a narrative and mechanical conclusion, so off to more standard single player games I go. But I always return to my favorite roguelike/lite of the season. (Currently tinyrogues)

[@specialagentcarmichael]

I feel that. I like branching out and playing something new, but I usually end up coming back to the same roguelikes as great comfort games that I know I love.

[@thecoolaxolotlnova8523]

The real gameplay is in the shops

[@logixindie]

Roguelike is the pinnacle of game design, although it became so diversified that everyone has a different idea of what it should be. I was curious about Balatro after hearing that it was inspired by another game which to me was the purest roguelike possible, soon enough I realized that Balatro is almost the perfect example of how a roguelike should be. Also I'm very excited for StS2! And also Civ7 but it doesn't fit the roguelike definition well.

[@specialagentcarmichael]

I wish I talked to you before I made the video - I could have sounded a whole lot smarter. You're spot on. Super excited for both StS2 and Civ7, despite it not being a roguelike. I think they are taking it in a great direction.

[@pansthederp964]

Rougelikes are my favourite genre of game I have so many Rouge likes on steam

[@danielsurvivor1372]

Rogue Likes Is basically better version of Souls Like. Souls like give you insane pain and boredom(it's not fun just dodging to hit boss once and then continue on dodging) But Rogue likes on the other hand give you perfect difficulty curve(usually, it depends on each game but average Rogue like>>>average souls like)

[@specialagentcarmichael]

I hadn't thought about it this way, but I see the similarities. Once you beat the boss of a roguelike, you can turn up the difficulty and keep the experience fresh, which I really like. I've had a similar experience with souls-like games.

[@alejandrosand]

Amazing video, I used play only factory/managing games like factorio or cities skyline for years and recently with the game awards i found balatro and i instantly felt in love, making me want to play more roguelikes, the main problem for me is that i find the cartoony 3d ugly and its hard to find roguelikes with the polished pixelart style that balatro has

[@technoboop1890]

Isaac, Risk of Rain Returns, Noita... Take your pick

[@sefaku3783]

Try Enter The Gungeon!

[@MagnitudeReviews]

This video deserves more views.

[@Mungdaal304]

I have a kid on the way so im progressively losing more free time as the months go on. games like balatro, vampire survivors, and enter the gungeon keep me going. Rogue likes are probably a top 5 genre for me

[@specialagentcarmichael]

Congrats on the kid!! I know when I get to that point in my life, the flexibility and ability to play 5, 10, or 15 minutes is why they will be my go-to games. There are so many good ones out there - I definitely need to try Enter the Gungeon

[@matute08]

​@@specialagentcarmichaelI just bought slay the spire and ror2, u should give risk of rain 2 a try

[@specialagentcarmichael]

I have Risk of Rain 2, but I played it back in 2020 before they had an actual ending or any of the DLCs, so it was a completely different experience. Definitely going to pick them up on sale and give it another try with a friend! We definitely need more co-op roguelikes. Super excited for Slay the Spire 2

[@Zmagz]

cool video dude. u need more views !!

[@Zyckro]

Good video! Not all of these are strictly positives, though. Naturally, since there are all sorts of people, you’ve got all sorts of players.

[@chiefzwsgaming415]

Quality video👍

[@BroskiPlays]

I have literally 3000 hours in The Binding of Isaac. It shows that Roguelikes are the best games of all time.

[@fishy_fish1003]

Me too and yet still not at infinity %

[@Amy-kh3zl]

0:30 what game is this? with all those relic? 1:15 also this one

[@eugenekhatenevich4348]

1) Slay the Spire 2) Against the Storm

[@thomasdinh2k]

What is the best ios roughlike game that you guys have played?

[@Nobody-my7kj]

I'm just sad you didn't mention the binding of isaac AkA the GOAT of rogue-likes

[@specialagentcarmichael]

I know! I’m getting it this Holiday season and I’ll at least have clips of it in my upcoming video(s). I’m sorry for my sins against Rogue-like culture

[@Nobody-my7kj]

@@specialagentcarmichael lololol don't worry fam I really liked your video I just wished you would mention my fav rogue-like since I really loved how you explain and just talk about these rogue-likes and lites great video and I mean keep it coming man

[@xinaesthetic]

​@@specialagentcarmichaelFTL is another favourite.

[@dashima5879]

If I layout most nerdest "umm actually" based on wikipidia of my language thus very possible to be wrong: segregation of rogue-like and rogue-"lite" apparently was way before even ungrades that prolong outside of runs was started to added. It says in order to be most genuine rogue-like, game should also be a turn and tile based game. You know, Like game made in 1980. In this stand point, even Binding of Issac is rogue-Lite. And as for myself, I do not agree or understand the need of this segregation in the first place.

[@Octobris]

The subtle shade of not listing Astro Bot among "incredible games nominated for goty" :D

[@specialagentcarmichael]

I was hoping someone might pick that up :D I'll have to pick it up and play it sometime, but idk how it won GOTY - if someone can explain why it is so good, I would be appreciate the perspective

[@subwaytovenus3237]

I personally haven't played it, However it seems like a celebration of gaming through its lifetime of the medium. I think that the gameplay first philosophy and nods of nostalgia through the generations coupled with being light hearted and joyful, unlocked a thing a lot of people have been missing in games. Light hearted Whimsical joy. ​@@specialagentcarmichael

[@magicgotaidz]

@@specialagentcarmichaelfor me it felt like a celebration of video games. They made everything fun, the movement is fluid, the abilities are unique, the levels add interesting mechanics, the entire mood is just plain fun and happy. Very refreshing and I was not expecting to like it as much as I do.

[@specialagentcarmichael]

It sounds like I should definitely give it a try then - the movement looked incredibly fluid and something I wanted to try

[@manuerth]

I like pineapples

[@MaximumAxiom]

if you make more roguelike videos then I'll watch them

[@TheScuttlebug]

Feels slightly off to see a rogue like video where the only place I see Isaac is on the balatro cards

[@admik]

Man, I hope you haven't played Post Void yet, I think you'll LOVE it

[@admik]

also, great narration

[@baseballgenius3]

I love Spelunky 2, perhaps my favorite game ever. But a lot of the things you like about roguelites I often hate about them. I found hades and dead cells particularly miserable. They felt like they were less about skill and more about lucky pickups to get a great build. They also had non stop collectibles, which the Completionist in me wants to hunt down, but the pickups (and massive number of achievements) were extremely unsatisfying to complete. They were checking boxes but often with no sense of accomplishment, and just made the game feel bloated. Then there’s all the artificial difficulty from heat levels or equivalent. Again, a feature I hate. Just make the base game hard enough to stand its own. I got so bored with it so fast. Spelunky 2 has only 32 achievements, but most of them (save a few early basic ones) feel like legit accomplishments. They are hard and very specialized. The game also rewards skill and knowledge exclusively - there’s still a luck component in finding a few good items but the truly essential ones can be forced by executing some very difficult tasks along the way. It was amazing, and I happily played 450 hours, more than any other game ever, and have completed 7-99. That was the most satisfying thing I’ve ever done in gaming. Every single thing about the game (base ending, hard ending, reaching cosmic ocean by doing hard boss with extra stuff along the way, then going all the way through the ocean to 7-99) was genuinely really hard when you start. It took a long time to beat the base ending, but once I got good the base ending was trivial, the hard ending was almost automatic, and even getting to the ocean was something I could do consistently. That means I’m not just getting lucky, I’m getting really good at a game that’s very hard, and the accumulated skill gives me a shot to reach 7-99. It’s amazing. Not to mention the incredible coop! Hades, dead cells, slay the spire, binding of Isaac, etc all have way more achievements, and massive numbers of collectibles, all of which take a long time to collect (even if you know what you’re doing), and most of which don’t add anything to the game. Anyways… I think roguelikes are great, but the ones that people like to glaze to me are the least compelling, and I complain not just to be a hater, but because I really wish these games with inherently fun gameplay would stop with the irritating design decisions like a million collectibles, cosmetics, and so on. Make them harder but cleaner without all the bloat.

[@Rkcuddles]

Recommend more mobile ones please. Some of them looked cool in your B roll but you didn’t mention the name.

[@Maplefoxx-vl2ew]

i don't like rogue likes, i'm good. i used to have the world record speed run for have a nice death.. i had enough of rogulikes for one lifetime i play Celeste now.. lol not like it's any easier tho. i play modded

[@specialagentcarmichael]

Not everyone has to like the same things. I appreciate you sticking around and sharing your thoughts though!

[@MaxAngor]

Those are all roguelites. ADOM. ToME. Qud. Those are REAL roguelikes.

[@ishtarxdd]

lol at the start he goes over the "great titles nominated for goty" and doesnt mentioned the one that won

[@patrykzukowski7471]

I don't like roguelikes. Balatro is different, because it has 0 downtime.

[@specialagentcarmichael]

Interesting - I hadn't thought about it this way, but you're right. It has next to no downtime, especially if you speed it up to 4x. What kinds of games do you normally like?

[@patrykzukowski7471]

@@specialagentcarmichael Gotta say, after giving it a bit more thought I realised my mind haven't fully grasped the whole picture: I think why Balatro is different from a roguelike such as, say, Rogue PoP is that there indeed is almost 0 downtime, but not only in general, but it also lacks moments where you are NOT focused on your build and it's improvement. In other roguelikes the gameplay mostly revolves about your skills and level design, but in Balatro it mostly revolves around your build and there is very little time where you aren't thinking about it and about how you can improve it. The improvement opportunities are also plentiful and they're often meaningful, so there's almost no downtime here, too. I think that's the gist of it. So maybe I actually DO like rougelikes, but only those that are 90% focused on the roguelike aspect, instead of being 90% focused on being just a platformer/shooter/whatever. And to answer your question: I play lots of genres such as platformers, puzzlers, puzzle-platformers, stealth games, adventure games, RPGs, action RPGs, some jRPGs, shooters and everything Kojima.

[@specialagentcarmichael]

That makes a lot of sense - I played a run of Balatro last night and was basically only focused on my build because that is the key element of the game. I was focused on my jokers and what I needed for a better run. I understand where you are coming from, but part of the reason why I love roguelikes such as Hades is because the meaningful dialog helps break up the intense combat and the push and pull feels really good. This reminds me a lot of Valheim - you can work on your base in the Meadows if you want a chill experience, or you can dive into another Biome and mine / look for other goods. It sounds like card based roguelikes are your go to. Slay the Spire is an obvious recommendation, but there are other great ones out there - those focus on what cards you get to define and choose your build, much like Balatro. Sounds like you play everything - 2025 will be a good year for games!

[@patrykzukowski7471]

​@@specialagentcarmichael I ignored Hades for a long time until I played Pyre and realized that this studio is just something special. I'll have to play Hades, but there are way too many good games coming out recently. But some day. Some day.

[@fishy_fish1003]

Bro. Play Isaac

[@javierinDeutschland4155]

This, i am shocked is not even mentioned or shown here, i have 1000+ and is such masterpiece.