The 10 HARDEST Roguelike Games

10 Hardest Roguelike Games

Welcome to MojoPlays, and today we’re taking a look at the most challenging roguelike games of all time!

“Dead Cells” (2018)

Blending roguelike elements with Metroidvania style, “Dead Cells” blew up on the indie scene in 2018. Players control the Prisoner, a creature that can possess bodies and use them to escape their confinement, which, of course, is procedurally generated. While there are features that are permanently unlockable, you lose most of your resources and weapons upon each death. While its retro inspirations are apparent, combat is particularly grueling. “Dead Cells” got a lot of comparisons to “Dark Souls,” as the majority of enemies and bosses have patterns that’ll likely take a few deaths to learn. Still, its high difficulty did anything but turn players away. It grew incredibly popular and received several expansions.

“FTL: Faster Than Light” (2012)

Even if a roguelike gives you time to think and plan, that doesn’t mean things will be easy. “FTL: Faster Than Light” is a real-time strategy game set during a futuristic war, with you playing a key role for the losing side. You find information that could turn the tides in your favor. The only problem is getting it to your headquarters before you’re destroyed by the opposing side, or whatever else waits for you in randomized Space. These battles can grow particularly challenging depending on a variety of factors, but there’s also the looming threat of lost save data. If the player loses a fight, or quits without saving, the file is lost for good. Ouch.

“Angband” (1990)

Let’s take things back a bit. Based on the location in J.R.R. Tolkien’s writings, “Angband” tasks you with surviving 100 floors and defeating the villainous Morgoth. A lot of the older roguelikes have reputations for being some of the hardest games around, and “Angband” is no different. Like others in the genre, everything from the enemies to the traps of each floor is randomized. And once you die, you have to start over from the beginning. But on top of that, there are more than 90 different command inputs and a multitude of ways to die outside of the norm, like starvation or one of your spells backfiring. Even though it’s turn-based, death can come from so many different sources, it can be maddening.

“Enter the Gungeon” (2016)

Bullet Hell games are designed to be stressful, but adding the element of randomization makes one even more so. “Enter the Gungeon” lets you choose from a group of starting characters, who all have different equipment, but everything else is up to the Gods. You won’t know exactly what enemies, obstacles, or upgrades will appear in the next room, though it’s a safe bet to assume your screen will soon become covered in bullets. That’s true in every case, with the bosses being on another level of toughness. The game forces you to be in a constant state of motion, lest you fall and have to start the whole process over. That’s going to frequently happen anyway, but it’s still good practice.

“Ancient Domains of Mystery” (1994)

Another one from the old days of roguelikes, “Ancient Domains of Mystery” is absolutely brutal. You play as an adventurer lured by a prophecy of glory, and every death has you begin again as a new character. While you can choose your class and alignment, there’s no way to plan for what you’ll face. Even if the enemies and dungeons weren’t randomized, which they are, there are all manner of other things to look out for. Your alignment can affect gameplay, as well as change depending on how you tackle quests. Some enemies will have abilities you may not have a counter for, and some equipment may be cursed to instantly kill you. The only way to make it through is a lot of trial and error.

“Crypt of the NecroDancer” (2015)

When Brace Yourself Games combined the randomness of roguelikes with the necessity of quick reflexes in rhythm games, it created one beast of a game. “Crypt of the NecroDancer” has you delving into dungeons and battling monsters, except that everything from moving to attacking must be in time with the music. Needless to say, that takes some getting used to. While mistiming your action doesn’t necessarily harm you, it will give your enemies a quick advantage, which can lead to a quick death. If you want an extra challenge, there are several unlockable characters that each come with restrictions, like Coda, who actually does die if you miss a beat or even pick up gold.

“NetHack” (1987)

“NetHack” is a prime example of roguelikes of the past. Which is to say that it is extremely difficult. It branched out from other roguelikes with non-traditional classes, a bit more humor, and pop culture references. But even though the tone was light, it would still gladly pummel you into the dirt. It isn’t just a matter of randomized enemies and traps that’ll get you as you descend into the dungeon. There are so many hidden occurrences and interactions, many of which can lead to your untimely demise, that diehard players are still discovering them all these years later. There are also cursed items, which can bring a variety of effects and are hard to get rid of, and conducts, extra hindrances you can choose from to make it even harder.

“Spelunky 2” (2020)

Like its predecessor, “Spelunky 2” sees players exploring procedurally generated caves. But through several new additions, it ends up just a little bit tougher. As you might expect, you’ll have no idea what enemies, layout, treasure, or traps await you whenever you enter a new area. While enemies can be problematic if you aren’t careful, the traps are so well-hidden in certain sections that even the most cautious of players will walk face-first into them without a second thought. There’s an absurd number of ways to die here, and it’s highly likely you’ll see more than a few before you make it out of the first area. Of course, unless you’ve reached a checkpoint in the form of a shortcut, every death forces you back to the start.

“Rogue” (1980)

We couldn’t talk about the toughest roguelikes without mentioning the game that gave the genre its name. Released in 1980, “Rogue” gave the gaming world the roguelike genre and adhered to its strictest rules. Like others, you’re an adventurer going through a procedurally generated dungeon, with the randomized monsters you encounter growing stronger the deeper you go. And should you die, it’s right back to the drawing board. Naturally, it brought the pain, and inspired the ‘one more run’ mentality so prevalent in roguelikes today. While those it inspired clearly grew to be a bit more dynamic, “Rogue” remains a vital game release, and a damn tough one at that.

“Darkest Dungeon” (2016)

From its name to its art style, “Darkest Dungeon” wants to impress upon you the fact that things are pretty dire here. You control a group of four, consisting of different character classes, as you journey through the dungeons beneath your recently acquired mansion. While the turn-based combat might make you think you can handle the randomized enemies, don’t get cocky. Every character has a stress meter, which can increase from a number of factors and which can affect them in a variety of ways. If it gets too high, they can even die, with no chance for you to ever bring them back. As the game continues to pile on brutal combat encounters and boss fights, players can often find themselves in trouble alarmingly quickly.

Know of any other ultra-challenging roguelikes we didn’t mention? Share your thoughts in the comments, and be sure to subscribe to MojoPlays for more great gaming videos every day!