• sugar_in_your_tea
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      10 months ago

      It should be:

      • permadeath
      • randomized runs (maps and equipment)
      • usually grid-based movement

      The last seems to be an unpopular definition though.

      • JohnEdwa@sopuli.xyz
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        edit-2
        10 months ago

        Also some people would add not having upgrades or unlocks of any kind that persist between runs for a game to be considered a true roguelike, the idea being it’s you the player who learns and gets better to eventually be able to beat the game, and not because you failed 50 runs to eventually unlock enough hp and damage upgrades.

        Which is why the “correct” term for most of the games is roguelite and not -like.

        • sugar_in_your_tea
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          10 months ago

          Yup, that’s what I mean by permadeath, you start each run from scratch, though you may unlock access to content (i.e. open a new area, unlock a class, etc) that the next play through can access.