Rogue Legacy

A wildly inventive 2D Roguelike with a 30-second gameplay loop that lasts for 20 odd hours.

Great exploration and combat make Rogue Legacy a game you will want to play (and die in) over and over again. [OpenCritic note: Britton Peele seperately reviewed the PlayStation (8) and PC (8.5) versions. Their scores have been averaged.]

The roguelike gets an inventive jolt of genetics in this gloriously witty dungeon crawler.

Rogue Legacy rewards patience with non-stop surprises.

This isn't the best challenging platformer in recent years, nor is it a replacement for Symphony of the Night and its ilk, but it's an interesting experiment with a compelling reward loop

The visual glitches and lack of enemy variety do little to take away from what is a lovingly crafted game unlike any other I've played before. This is a game that won't just eat up your time, but devour it. If you somehow manage to stop playing after one or two runs, then you are a stronger-willed person than myself. I still feel as if I have a lot to master and can't wait to do so for months and months to come.

Rogue Legacy's greatest strength is that you'll always want just one more try. Whether it's the fast paced platforming action, well realised RPG mechanics, or simply the desire to see what crazy things you can uncover in the castle, there's plenty of reason to keep your armour polished and ready to go. Frustrating gameplay niggles aside, this is an indie release that executes a tried and tested formula well, while also building upon it with some enjoyable, fresh systems.

Rogue Legacy is a simple take on the tried-and-true roguelike formula, but it executes what it sets out to do exceptionally well, making for an endlessly replayable and enjoyable action adventure that no fan of the genre will want to miss out on. A high difficulty level, funny writing, tight controls and rewarding RPG mechanics make this one an effortless recommendation; the design of the game makes it easy to play in short bursts or long sessions, which means it's a great fit for the Switch. If you enjoyed Dead Cells, Castlevania, or any 2D sidescroller in that style, you're almost certain to have a blast with this one.

Rogue Legacy does procedural generation right, offering countless hours of action, platforming, and exploration to anyone that's attracted to it. The amount of grinding that's present throughout the adventure does occasionally lead to stretches of monotony, but when every other facet of the game shines the way it does, it's not enough to massively damage its reputation.

Amazing old-school mechanics meet modern conventions.