Some of the best & latest Pc Turn-Based Roguelikes 2020

Written by Marcello TBL

Lists
Best Turn-Based Roguelike RPGs

In the past, I have often spoken of roguelikes, up to the origin of the term itself. As for the term itself, I suggest you read this very detailed article about the meaning of Roguelike. But today I do a little refresh and show you some of the most promising and latest turn-based Roguelike or Roguelite as some call themselves, available on the market. Some in Early Access and only 2 of them still in development.

Before we start, I’m going to explain what kind of game you will find here. Basically, these are those games where you take a step, and the rest of the world (monsters, NPC, and various) take their step, you attack and the enemy attacks, mmmm, hope you understand it, while below some of the characteristics the games have in common.

  • Turn-Based obviously
  • Grid-based
  • non-modal (explorations and battles on the same screen)
  • Some permadeath here and there

Explained what kind of games you’ll find, let’s say that the games presented here do not follow any kind of order, I wrote them as they jumped into my mind, so, most likely I also missed some titles for sure, and maybe you can report them in the comments and let me update the article.

Let’s start then with some of the best and latests turn-based Roguelike / Roguelite RPGs.

Terra Randoma

Developed by Deniz K.

Terra Randoma

Why was it the first to jump to my mind? Because the developers are some of the most active in our Twitter Gaming Community and are above all true RPG and boardgames lovers, we often talk about videogames and therefore I am particularly linked to them. But let’s talk about their game. Terra Randoma. A roguelike with a unique style, an open world full of possibilities, and character growth open to any type of build. Currently, the game is in development, but I am among the lucky ones who have had the opportunity to play it already. Watch my Gameplay here and the first impressions by Andrea. Terra Randoma must be released in 2020, with no precise date yet.

Colmen’s Quest

Developed by ColdiGames

Colmen's Quest RPG

Andrea has already talked about it with an article from a few months ago that you can find here. Colmen’s Quest is a dungeon crawler where we lead the role of Colmen precisely. A hero who will have to descend into the depths of a dungeon and face monsters of all kinds. Faithful to the mechanics of the genre, the game presents a less punitive formula, as to the death of the character, it will not be Game-Over but we will start from the village of course, however, finding the dungeon completely regenerated. Totally free character growth, it will be up to us to decide who we want to be. Colmen’s Quest can be found on itch.io, constantly updated by the talented developer. My Gameplay here.

Stoneshard

Developed by Ink Stains Games

StoneShard

Most everyone knows Stoneshard by now and definitely one of my favorites on this list. Punishing, mean, and even a bit dishonest, Stoneshard features fabulous pixel-art graphics and complex character skills growth. The game is currently in Early Access, with a long roadmap but with regular updates that add many elements every time. I have spent many nights in this game, between satisfactions and swearings, most of the time swearings, but I can’t stay away from it. Here you’ll find a playlist dedicated to it. and also our interview with the developers.

Caves of Qud

Developed by Freehold Games

Caves of Qud

Maybe after I say this I will be banned from the world of indiegames, but this is the only one on the list that I know little, never played yet, but super recommended by everyone, in particular by Doubt, and so I decided to add it, also because I will soon bring it on the youtube channel and maybe even with a stream on Twitch. Caves of Qud, graphically it is like the first roguelikes with “ASCII things” (Rogue, Adom, Hack, etc.) and therefore it can be a bit scary, but what it offers is a huge, original, and complex world. Your character can deal with a lot of things in many ways and can even undergo mutations. In early access for a long time but always super usable. Coming soon on TBL screens.

Dawn of Mexica

Developed by Pablo Barrón

Dawn of Mexica

You must know that over the years, I have surrounded myself with people with an incredible knowledge of videogames, nothing to do with my poor and basic knowledge and this has opened the doors to new worlds for me and every day is a new discovery. In this case, I refer again to Doubt (whom I consider one of the greatest connoisseurs of videogames and RPGs, and here you can find all his reviews written for the blog) who pointed out Dawn of Mexica, a roguelike whose release is scheduled for November 26 based on the myths from the indigenous people of the Valley of Mexico which is somewhat reminiscent of Caves of Qud but with a slightly more user-friendly interface with many interesting features, such as different styles of weapons, the possibility of dying of cold, lots of classes and a combat system that promises to be super realistic. You will surely find articles and videos in the coming days.

CrownTrick

Developed by NEXT Studios

Crown Trick Review

I followed the development of this title, right from the first builds that the developer sent me and Andrea also dedicated a preview to the game. The game was very well received by the Steam community with very positive reviews and also our review confirmed the goodness of this roguelike RPG, where we guide a boy who travels in a dream world to face colorful monsters of all kinds, with an arsenal of incredible weapons. A key role in Crown Trick is to learn to control the elements to unleash incredible destructive effects-.

Dungeon Drafters

Developed by Manalith Studios

Dungeon Drafters

I played one of the first builds a while ago, now the game is far ahead and I will have to play it again as soon as possible. Dungeon Drafters is an RPG that mixes elements of the Roguelike classics with those of a Deckbuilding with fabulous pixel art graphics. After a successful Kickstarter campaign, the game can be purchased on Itch.io.

Jupiter Hell

Developed by ChaosForge

Jupiter Hell Game

With this hand-on, Andrea has enhanced the characteristics of Jupiter Hell. From the author of DoomRL comes the spiritual successor. A roguelike that almost resembles an action game due to its fast and brutal mechanics. Take on hordes of monsters with everything in your path and without mercy. The title was released in August 2019 and is currently in Early Access with continuous updates.

Let me know what you think about these recent turn-based roguelike RPG of this list and if I missed some of them. I remind you to get in touch with me on Twitter, and on our Discord server, and I also remind you to visit and maybe follow the Youtube and Twitch channels that were born recently. Thanks for coming to the end of the article, you are a hero. 🙂

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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Marcello TBL

Italian Dad in love with Turn-Based RPGs and Indie Games. In 2018 he started Turn Based Lovers and now he can't live without it.

5 thoughts on “Some of the best & latest Pc Turn-Based Roguelikes 2020”

  1. Make sure to check out Atlas Rogues, which takes the amazing turn-basrd gameplay of Atlas Reactor (RIP) and converts it into a PvE rogue-lite!

    Reply
      • Here is where we get into trouble with the definitions of roguelike vs roguelite and so forth. The description that Steam gives for Star Renegade is “Roguelite”. At the same time it is called a JRPG, which usually means combat is modal. Breaking one of the key roguelike definitions.

        Whether or not that disqualifies the game for this list, it does show why some people can be confused by the “rogue-like” genre. If in fact it can be called a genre.

        Reply

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