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Roguelike

A style of role-playing game traditionally defined by four traits: a dungeon crawl through procedurally generated levels, turn-based play, grid-based movement, and permanent death of the player character. The name comes from Rogue, a dungeon crawler by Michael Toy and Glenn Wichman, with later contributions by Ken Arnold, developed around 1980 for Unix-based minicomputer systems. Rogue became popular with college students and programmers in the 1980s and 1990s and led to hundreds of variants; better-known ones include Hack, NetHack, Angband, Ancient Domains of Mystery and Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup. Because the label kept stretching, players and developers at the International Roguelike Development Conference 2008 in Berlin drafted the 'Berlin Interpretation', a list of high- and low-value factors based on five canon games: ADOM, Angband, Linley's Dungeon Crawl, NetHack and Rogue. Many newer games keep the procedural runs and permadeath but drop turn-based, grid-based play; Spelunky, FTL: Faster Than Light, The Binding of Isaac, Slay the Spire and Hades are common examples. These are sometimes called roguelites or roguelike-likes to separate them from the traditional style, although they are still often described as roguelikes and use the roguelike tag on stores such as Steam. Since no two runs share a layout, the genre rewards learning systems and item synergies rather than memorising a fixed route.

Genre

Roguelite

A genre that borrows the core pillars of roguelikes (procedurally generated levels and permadeath) but layers in persistent meta-progression that carries over between runs, softening the harshness of starting from scratch. When you die in a roguelite, you retain currency, unlocks, or passive upgrades that make future attempts slightly more powerful or give you more starting options. This persistent layer fundamentally changes the player psychology: every failed run contributes something, turning frustration into motivation. Hades, Dead Cells, Risk of Rain 2, Slay the Spire, and Vampire Survivors are defining roguelites. The term emerged in the early 2010s as game designers adapted the roguelike formula for wider audiences who found pure permadeath discouraging. The distinction matters because roguelites can be 'beaten' by accumulating enough meta-progress, while pure roguelikes demand raw skill from run one. Roguelites often also use real-time action combat rather than the turn-based movement found in traditional roguelikes, making them feel faster and more action-oriented. The genre is now one of the most popular in indie gaming, with new roguelites releasing every month across all platforms.

Genre

Metroidvania

A genre of 2D action-adventure games built around interconnected maps where progression is gated by abilities your character has not yet acquired. You explore freely until you hit a barrier (a high ledge, a locked door, a water section) that requires a specific power-up or ability to pass. Once gained, that ability unlocks not just the new area but also rewards hidden earlier in the game, encouraging backtracking across a richly layered world. The name is a portmanteau of Metroid (Nintendo, 1986) and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (Konami, 1997), the two series that codified the formula. The genre's structure creates a satisfying sense of mounting mastery: the same world that was intimidating at the start feels familiar and navigable once you're fully powered up. Modern genre-defining examples include Hollow Knight, Ori and the Blind Forest, Blasphemous, Axiom Verge, and Dread Templar. Many Metroidvanias are indie titles because the interconnected map design suits smaller development teams. A common misconception is that any 2D game with exploration qualifies. True Metroidvanias require hard ability gating and intentional backtracking design, not just open levels.

Genre

Soulslike

A subgenre of action RPGs defined by FromSoftware's Dark Souls trilogy and its design philosophy: challenging, methodical melee combat built on stamina management and pattern recognition; death as a teaching tool rather than a punishment (you lose carried currency but respawn at a checkpoint); minimal hand-holding with lore delivered through item descriptions and environmental detail rather than exposition; and interconnected world design that reveals surprising shortcuts as you explore. FromSoftware director Hidetaka Miyazaki established the template with Demon's Souls (2009) and refined it through Dark Souls (2011), Bloodborne (2015), and Elden Ring (2022). The genre's appeal lies in the satisfaction of conquering bosses that seemed impossible after dozens of attempts; every death contains information. Soulslikes beyond FromSoftware include Lies of P, Nioh 2, The Surge 2, and Lords of the Fallen (2023). A key distinction: soulslikes are hard but fair. Deaths result from the player failing to read patterns, not from random unfairness. Elden Ring broadened the template by adding open-world exploration, allowing players to tackle the game's challenges in flexible order and making it the most accessible entry point for newcomers to the genre.

Genre

Battle Royale

A multiplayer game genre in which a large number of players, typically 60 to 150, are dropped onto a large map with no equipment, scavenge for weapons and armour, and fight to be the last player or squad standing. A defining mechanical feature is the shrinking play zone: an ever-tightening safe area (often represented as a circle or storm) forces players who would otherwise hide to continuously move toward each other, guaranteeing escalating confrontation as the match progresses. The genre takes its name from the 2000 Japanese film Battle Royale (and indirectly the 1999 novel by Koushun Takami). PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG, 2017) established the modern template and sold 75 million copies; Fortnite (Epic Games, 2017) made the genre a global cultural phenomenon by adding building mechanics and free-to-play. Today's major battle royales include Apex Legends (hero-based abilities), Warzone (military realism), and the mobile-dominant BGMI and Free Fire. The genre demands a combination of looting efficiency, combat aim, and positioning strategy; players who understand the final safe zones and manage their rotations consistently outperform purely aim-focused players. Squad-based modes (duos, trios, quads) have become dominant because they reduce the pressure of solo play.

Genre

Action RPG

A video game genre that combines core elements of action games and role-playing games. Action RPGs emphasise real-time combat that tests the player's coordination or reaction time, as opposed to turn-based or menu-based combat, while keeping RPG progression such as levels, stats, skills and better equipment. MMORPGs with real-time combat also count as action RPGs. Blizzard North's Diablo (1997), a click-to-move, real-time dungeon crawl, set the template for the loot-focused isometric branch, which continued with Titan Quest (2006), Torchlight (2009) and Path of Exile (2013). Another branch puts the camera behind the character in larger worlds: The Witcher series, which began in 2007 and concluded with 2015's The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, and FromSoftware's games from Demon's Souls (2009), built around hard enemies and limited checkpoints, to Elden Ring (2022), which mixed open-world exploration with Soulslike combat. Because your character build and your own execution both matter, the same encounter can play out very differently for two players.

Genre