roguelikes

Roguelikes are a subgenre of role-playing games defined by procedural level generation, permadeath, and dungeon-crawl exploration on grid-based maps. Traditional roguelikes tend to be turn-based, with each action advancing a single step or combat turn, and rely on ASCII or simple tile graphics. The genre takes its name from Rogue, a 1980 title that popularized these conventions and inspired a family of successors built around the same core ideas.

Core gameplay centers on exploring randomly generated dungeons, collecting items and equipment, managing limited resources, and facing difficult enemies. When the player character dies, progress is typically erased, and a new run begins. This permadeath mechanic creates high stakes and encourages strategic decision-making about risk versus reward, resource use, and long-term planning within a single run.

Originally, roguelikes emphasized deep systems and emergent gameplay, as seen in classic titles such as NetHack, Moria, and Angband, which used ASCII graphics and rigorous item interactions. Over time, many subtypes and modern interpretations emerged, some preserving strict roguelike rules while others loosen constraints to emphasize accessibility, speed, or narrative elements.

In contemporary gaming discourse, the term roguelite is used for games that borrow roguelike mechanics—procedural generation and permadeath, often with some form of persistent progression or more accessible play—while diverging from some traditional constraints. Examples of roguelites include The Binding of Isaac, Spelunky, Dead Cells, FTL: Faster Than Light, and Hades (noting that classification varies by author).