roguelike

Roguelike is a subgenre of role-playing games defined by several core design elements: procedural generation of levels, permadeath (permanent death of the player’s character), turn-based movement on a grid, and often ASCII or simple tile graphics. The term originates from Rogue, a Unix game released in 1980 by Michael Toy and Glenn W. Sutton. Rogue’s combination of randomly generated dungeons, one-life playthroughs, and lasting consequences inspired a broad movement in game design.

Classic roguelikes typically emphasize exploration, tactical combat, and resource management within a procedurally generated dungeon that presents a new experience on each run. Gameplay is usually turn-based and grid-based, with a focus on careful planning, risk assessment, and adaptability. Notable early examples include NetHack, Angband, Moria, and Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup, each known for deep systems, emergent gameplay, and significant player learning curves.

The term roguelike has since broadened to encompass games that share core mechanics but vary in presentation or scope. Some games retain the traditional roguelike features but replace ASCII graphics with graphical interfaces, while others adapt permadeath and procedural generation with real-time action or lighter narrative. This broader use has given rise to the roguelite subgenre, with titles such as The Binding of Isaac, Spelunky, Enter the Gungeon, Dead Cells, and Hades. Roguelikes have influenced indie development and the wider adoption of procedural generation and high replay value in contemporary games.