Indie Roguelike Games to Play if You Like Hades

One of the biggest gaming success stories of 2020 was the roguelike ARPG Hades from indie studio Supergiant Games. After being released in September out of early access, Hades was met with universal critical acclaim and a massive following. Winning multiple awards at the Golden Joystick Awards and the Game Awards 2020, Hades helped the roguelike genre generate mainstream attention with its emphasis on narrative.

In Hades, while the player will often die, they also continue to receive buffs, treasures, and weapons, making subsequent runs a little easier. This mechanic along with the use of procedurally generated rooms and enemies define the roguelike genre. While Hades has undoubtedly become the new face of the genre, there are a number of fantastic indie roguelikes that players should not miss out on.

Updated October 31, 2024, by Huzaifa Haq: Supergiant’s success with Hades might seem like it came out of nowhere, but the studio has been in the game making business for a while, with incredible titles like Bastion and Transistor under its name. With the early access release of their sequel to Hades, it is about time to revisit this list and update it with some new competitors that have entered the arena. Hades is a roguelike game with an incredible amount of polish and a lot of character, but there are roguelites — games that blend the roguelike genre with another one — that are sure to strike fans’ fancy as well.

Skul: The Hero Slayer

Charming Role Reversal

Everyone has played the hero fighting off hordes of monsters and slaying the big bad necromancer attacking the castle. But Skul: The Hero Slayer asks players to approach the same situation from a different perspective: that of the monsters.

Instead of a traditional story about humans fighting off skeletons, the player takes control of a cute little skeleton that goes to fight off the big bad human army that’s threatening to destroy its entire life. The game features a variety of powers, cute graphics, and a surprisingly gripping story.

REDACTED

A New Look At Black Iron Prison

An in-depth look at the final moments of Black Iron Prison, from the Callisto Protocol, REDACTED has the player take control of a guard fighting through hordes of monsters, and a couple of fellow would-be-escapees, to reach the last shuttle leaving the site.

The graphics of the game are unique, with a fun comic-book aesthetic that isn’t found in many titles. This style is a departure from the one used in Callisto Protocol, and the tone of the story is quite different as well. The game features decent combat variety, with a couple of different suits and weapons for the players to choose from.

Gunfire Reborn

Endless Multiplayer Replayability

Gunfire Reborn is an FPS experience that blends progression and roguelike mechanics masterfully. The graphics of the game are a little simplistic, but they only add to the overall charm of the title. The vast weapon selection and character roster keeps players coming back for more.

Additionally, the game is co-op, meaning players can finally having a good rogue experience with their friends. There isn’t an intricate story to follow while players smash through enemies, but the combat is good enough to carry the experience to great heights.

Realm of Ink

Let The Foxes Out

The developer of Realm of Ink took the base ingredients from Hades, combined them in a Chinese-style hot pot, added folklore elements from the great nations of the East, and presented Realm of Ink. The game has a lot of the same gameplay elements as Hades, but has enough differences to keep it from feeling tedious or unoriginal.

The combat feels good and the enemies are quite varied, but the game lacks truly great metaprogression. The currencies are too easy to obtain, the perks aren’t very good, and the player can unlock almost everything after a few semi-successful runs. The game is decent, but it doesn’t have a lot of replayability.

Cult of the Lamb

Lead A Cult To Glory

Cult of the Lamb gives the player control of a deceptively cute lamb, and tasks them to take over a cult, as one might expect from the name of the game. The gameplay is a mixture of base management, resource gathering, a little fishing, and a lot of roguelike combat.

The game has surprising depth, with tons of customization options and combat mechanics. The contrast between the cute appearance of the player and cult members, and their barbaric practices makes the game very fun to play.

Hades 2

Imperfect, But Satisfying

What’s a great game for someone who really likes Hades? Why, the direct sequel to the game developed by none other than Supergiant Studios themselves. Admittedly, Hades 2 is a little lacking when it comes to content and polish compared to the original, but that’s because it’s still in early access.

It can be a little disappointing for someone looking for a fleshed out experience, but it is still a lot better than many other games in the genre. Everything that made Hades great, Hades 2 has in droves. Good combat, great lore, amazing dialogue, in-depth lore, and infinite replayability; what was in the original, can be found in the sequel. Hopefully, the full release will resolve any lingering issues the game has.

Wizard of Legend 2

Magician’s Day Out

Wizard of Legend 2 brings to life the elemental magic dreams that fantasy nerds all over the world have had since their childhood. Whether its lobbing giant rocks at enemies, summoning a mini tsunami, or firing ice spikes at monsters, Wizard of Legend 2 has it all.

The bosses in the game are a little annoying to deal with, but they can be defeated with dedication, the proper tools, and the right mindset. There aren’t a lot of things to upgrade in the game, but players can tweak the difficulty settings in different ways to make their runs more interesting.

Balatro

Not Quite Poker

Poker is part luck and part skill. Take both those factors, crank them up to 200, pray to the RNG gods, and viola! It’s Balatro. A roguelike poker game with no microtransactions, no actual gambling, and no predatory design; the only thing Balatro is going to take away is the player’s time.

The game is a single-player experience that has the player counting cards and spamming powerful perks for a chance to win it all. It has a surprising amount of build variety, enough replayability to keep thousands of players coming back, and a score counter that keeps on rising.

Enter The Gungeon

Almost A Bullet Hell

Enter the Gungeon is a fast-paced roguelike that deserves all the praise in the world for being such an unapologetically fun game. The game almost feels like a bullet-hell shooter at times, given how much stuff can be happening on the screen at a moment’s notice.

Getting great weapons and blasting the opposition never fails to be entertaining. Enter the Gungeon deserves a ton of credit for its mesmerizing gameplay loop and more people should check this amazing game out.

Slay The Spire

Math Was Never This Fun

The idea of combining roguelike gameplay with deck management sounds like a rather odd experiment on paper. So, props should be given to Slay the Spire for the innovative manner in which the game manages to combine both forms of gameplay together.

The end result is a highly replayable game that is a ton of fun to get through. After a few runs, players will have a great set of abilities to tackle even the toughest foes in the game.

Risk Of Rain 2

Welcome To The Third Dimension

Risk of Rain 2 is everything that a sequel needs to be in the modern gaming industry. The title features massive improvements across the board, with its roguelike gameplay being an absolute blast.

The sense of progression is paced brilliantly, neither overpowering the player early on nor making it unfair for them as they approach the game’s climax. It’s a great title that fans of Hades should definitely try out.

Darkest Dungeon

Horror Comes In Waves

If players want to check out an incredibly hard turn-based game that doesn’t hold back on difficulty, then Darkest Dungeon is the way to go. With the sequel to this game already out, there’s no better time to check out the original and get familiarized with the tough gameplay mechanics.

Darkest Dungeon‘s Lovecraftian roots make it a highly playable game indeed, although the difficulty curve can take a while to get used to. Players who decide to weather the early storm will find themselves enjoying a brilliant game indeed.

Crypt Of The NecroDancer

Rhythmically Tap The Enemies Dead

Combining rhythm gameplay with a roguelike structure is a pretty unique concept indeed. Congratulations should therefore be given to Crypt of the NecroDancer‘s developers for making this idea so fun to play.

The game can take a while to get used to, but its charming art style and amazing OST should quickly get players into the groove. Defeating enemies while listening to these wild beats is a ton of fun!

Binding of Isaac

Tears Are Good For The Soul

Originally released in 2011, Binding of Isaac is perhaps the most influential indie roguelike as the series would go on to sell over 5 million copies and renew attention in the genre. Inspired by the biblical story of Isaac, players control and navigate the PC Isaac as he fights his way through a monster-infested basement after overhearing his mother’s intention to sacrifice him. Featuring procedurally generated dungeons inspired by the original Legend of Zelda game, players collect powerups and items in order to defeat enemies and bosses. If Isaac died, players would have to start over in a newly-generated dungeon, and the roguelike nature of Binding of Isaac encouraged multiple playthroughs and provided players with an opportunity to slowly improve over time.

Eventually, developer Edmund McMillen would go on to remake the game as Binding of Isaac: Rebirth in 2014 after being limited by the Adobe Flash platform. Featuring a visual overhaul, multiple ports, additional content, and gameplay features, Binding of Isaac: Rebirth was released to critical acclaim like its predecessor. Fans of Hades looking to replicate the excitement of slowly learning a game’s mechanics through continuous playthroughs should look no further than Binding of Isaac: Rebirth.

FTL: Faster Than Light

Traverse The Vastness of Space

Alongside Binding of Isaac, 2012’s FTL: Faster Than Light helped popularize the genre in the indie scene by incorporating different gameplay elements from traditional roguelikes. Based on tabletop board games, FTL places players in charge of a spaceship and its crew while avoiding a pursuing rebel fleet. The spaceship has a variety of systems such as engines, weapons, shields, med bays, and more that require players to micromanage effectively while they traverse through randomly generated waypoints. Over time, the spaceship will gain additional crewmates, money, and enhancements, but if the player loses in combat, they lose their progress and must restart from scratch.

Although FTL features roguelike elements, it also integrates tactical combat, management mechanics, and a sci-fi setting. This unique blend of different styles has aged gracefully, and to this day, no other roguelike game feels like FTL. It’s unforgiving in its difficulty, yet extremely rewarding once players manage to get the hang of its mechanics. Similar to games in the Dark Souls franchise, FTL requires patience and a learning curve from players but will also reward them well once they learn from their mistakes. For Hades fans looking to find a more difficult roguelike with a learning curve, FTL is a great place to start.

Dead Cells

Metroidvania on ‘Cells’

Hades fans looking for an indie roguelike with a combat system similar to Hades should give Dead Cells a try. Often described as a “roguevania”, Dead Cells combines the procedurally generated levels and permadeath mechanics of roguelikes together with the action-platforming elements of Metroidvania games. Originally released in 2018, players take control of a clump of cells that can occupy the body of a prisoner in order to fight their way out of a dungeon. Much like Hades, Dead Cells puts a heavy emphasis on combat mechanics such as dodging and pattern recognition.

On the other hand, Dead Cells is arguably more punishing than Hades. With only a few minor upgrades that carry over in different runs, Dead Cells is fast-paced with a focus on twitch gameplay and combos. If players aren’t careful, they could easily die within a few hits and be forced to start a new run. However, the progression value of Dead Cells is arguably much better than Hades, and players will get much more out of replays despite its limited story. Dead Cells is a great roguelike for players who enjoyed the combat system of Hades and are looking for an even greater challenge.

Children of Morta

A Family Friendly Tale

On the other hand, if Hades fans are looking for a more story-driven experience in a roguelike title, Children of Morta is their best bet. Featuring an entire family of heroes called the Bergsons, players must help them overcome a supernatural force known as the Corruption. As players progress through the game, they unlock new family members who each have their own playstyles, and the family must traverse through procedurally generated dungeons defeating enemies and bosses along the way.

One of the most interesting features of Children of Morta is its narrative experience. Not only do players get to witness narrative changes and dialogue at the end of their runs, but there’s also procedural narrative events that can offer unique stories on different playthroughs. Each Bergson family member has their own individual story which serves to strengthen the overall narrative arc. Along with sidequests, Children of Morta feels like one of the rare roguelikes to feature a fleshed-out world and narrative. Hades fans will find plenty to love in Children of Morta, especially if they enjoyed the emphasis on the story.

Spelunky

Side-Scrolling Roguelike

The original Spelunky was released in 2008 and was one of the first games that utilized roguelike elements in a side-scrolling platformer. Players take control of a cave spelunker who explores procedurally generated caves while collecting treasures, fighting enemies, and saving damsels. Although Spelunky isn’t as difficult as other roguelikes, it still features frequent deaths, a lack of checkpoints, and a focus on the discovery of mechanics. An enhanced version of Spelunky was released in 2013 and its sequel, Spelunky 2, was released in 2020.

While the original Spelunky is a fantastic game, it’s likely that Hades fans will enjoy its sequel a little bit more with the addition of lore and backstories for the characters. However, Spelunky does differentiate itself from Hades with its focus on the platformer mechanics. Much of the game revolves around avoiding traps, and the combat is very basic in order to emphasize the platforming aspects. In terms of how Spelunky feels, it’s more akin to the physics of the Super Mario series. That said, Spelunky is one of the best roguelike series and Hades fans will likely enjoy the progression system and backstories.