Roguelike & Roguelite Games With The Best Power Creep

While the term 'power creep' - where a player's gear or character can become obsolete as they get more and more powerful - is usually a glaring negative, the roguelike and roguelite genres have found a way to incorporate it instinctively into their design.

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By  Robbie Mitchell

While the risks of power creep do still remain, the diversity of the genre has meant that there are many ways to tackle the issue. From 2D dungeon-crawlers to third-person Sony console exclusives, roguelikes balance player struggle with an eventual feeling of being a one-person army.

8 Returnal

The Third-Person Roguelite Ninth-Gen Showcase

While the bite-sized play sessions and constant improvement of roguelikes have made them the bastion of the indie video game scene in recent years, that is not to say that the genre has no place within the AAA space. Housemarque's 2021 Sony console exclusive not only proved to be an intriguing third-person horror-inspired take on the genre but also showed off the graphical and lighting capabilities of the latest PlayStation hardware.

Returnal retains the artifacts and consumables of other titles in the genre while injecting some pseudo-rhythm mechanics into the flow of gameplay. It offers also alternative fire modes on all weapons, allowing for bullet hell-style combat and harkening back to the developer's arcade roots. Beyond that, the constant narrative and gameplay progression allows for a steep learning curve that allows players to dominate from above once they've reached the peak.

7 Dead Cells

A Tightly-Wound 2D Roguelike Indie Darling

Combining the explorative elements of Metroidvanias with the character development of the roguelike genre, Dead Cells' 2018 release brought with it a whole host of new players to the gameplay style. The Prisoner's substantial buffs, alongside gradual improvements to combat and movement effectiveness, across every run have become hallmarks for many roguelike fans.

Specific to Dead Cells' island are the whole host of modifications and mutations that allow for a much more focused player experience. Permitting players to specialize their gameplay style is a boon to the title's steady individual power creep. However, the steady incline to absolute power is seemingly a little tighter than other games in the genre.

6 Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor

Changing Genres & Killing Bugs From An Isometric Perspective

Released four years after the success of its cooperative FPS namesake, Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor not only expands on some of the ideas of the original but applies the engaging moment-to-moment gameplay to a new genre and a new perspective.

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By  Peter Morics

The auto-firing nature of combat spurs on an inert trigger happiness in players, and the title's unlockable specializations allow for a much more nuanced and diverse set of powerful skills. Utilizing the combined destructive force of turrets, tunneling, and mining explosives, players can create synergetic gameplay that annihilates enemies in later stages. Bolstered by Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor's overclocking system - which allows for weapon boosts ranging from +200% fire rates to splitting of laser beams - players can see a vast difference in how their first descent into the underground may feel compared to their hundredth.

5 DRL (Formerly DoomRL)

A Top-Down Roguelike Interpretation Of An FPS Staple

While the classic hellspawn-slaying experience of 1993's original DOOM may have been ported to almost every electronic device at this point, the gameplay of 2002's DoomRL could not have veered further from id Software's original vision. While the open-source, turn-based interpretation of classic DOOM may have switched to a drastically different genre, the soul of the title remains much the same.

Retaining DOOM & DOOM 2's classic music and effects, DoomRL (simply called DRL since 2016) reinterprets Doomguy's protection of humankind through the leveling, buffs, and equipment of a very competent roguelike. While the fast pace and combat-centric nature of DOOM may feel incohesive with DRL's design, the lack of intricate number-crunching means that the pulverizing punk-rock essence of the FPS original remains.

4 Hades

A Modern Titan Of The Roguelike Genre

As a winner of seemingly countless critical and player-led awards, Hades' success can be seen as proof of not only the Roguelike's current renaissance but its cemented place in the industry. Supergiant Games' 2020 roguelike ARPG is a tightly-bound experience with the gameplay and narrative bolstering its core moment-to-moment action.

While the incremental improvements to weapons, attributes, and abilities are enticing, Hades' understanding that players seek different end-game goals is important. While many gamers will laud the title for its steady difficulty curve and eventual player power creep, those who wish to further challenge themselves are able to do so with the assistance of Hades' various modifiers. Though Zagreus' departure from the Underworld does engage in much of the narrative heavy-lifting, its cohesion with the roguelike's 'try and try again' gameplay elevates the title.

3 The Binding Of Isaac

A Journey Towards A Narrative & Mechanical Power Fantasy

With its 2011 roots in the relatively archaic Flash format, the extent of The Binding of Isaac's commercial and cultural success is arguably unparalleled in the roguelike genre. Although the title has received continued updates and expansions, the power creep of the game has been somewhat kept at bay with strategic buffs and nerfs.

Reinforced by the game's plot of Isaac fearing for his life and eventually slaying his mother after progressing through layers of his basement, players interact with the title's powerful weapons and synergies. While the potential for overwhelming power creep is there, especially with increased game knowledge and understanding, the cohesion of increased power with the game's narrative makes sure it never feels unduly earned or out of place.

2 Risk Of Rain 2

Where Powering Up Is Not Only Encouraged But Necessary

Although the roguelike genre is arguably as successful now as it has ever been, unbalanced combat and skewed gameplay can falter a title prematurely. As such, it would be understandable if developers shirked the responsibility of continued updates for roguelike titles - that cannot be said for Hopoo Games and their extensive support for Risk of Rain 2.

Even with expansive additions such as the title's Seekers of the Storm DLC bringing new characters, alternative skills, and buffs have ensured that there is a semblance of parity between all Survivors. The moment-to-moment gameplay of Risk of Rain 2 is as direct an analog for power creep as is possibly manageable - scrounging the realms of a playthrough to buff and bolster one's arsenal before rushing to the teleporter. As such, with the availability of upgrades and abilities, a player's first excursion into the Titanic Plains will differ greatly from even their second.

1 Vampire Survivor

The Screen-Covering Bullet Hell Roguelike Darling Of 2021

The crux of the roguelike gameplay loop is, of course, trying, failing, and getting incrementally stronger. However, what Vampire Survivors' enduring success has seemingly shown is that a player's feeling of bullet hell dominance over hordes of enemies is just as grossly engaging.

Vampire Survivors is a more than competent roguelike, and it strives to create a steady balance of abilities and weapons. Yet the title's generosity in stat-enhancing Eggs alongside the upgradability and synergy of weapons quickly bestow players with a tangible sense of destructive improvement. However, Luca Galante's understanding of player-led challenges has seen them permitting players to curb the power creep and turn off Eggs, allowing for an arguably more gradual and methodical gameplay experience.