The 10 HARDEST Roguelike Games

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00:00Welcome to Mojo Plays, and today we're taking a look at the most challenging roguelike games

00:09of all time.

00:16Before we begin, we publish new content all week long, so be sure to subscribe and ring

00:20the bell to get notified about our latest videos.

00:25Dead Cells

00:31Blending roguelike elements with metroidvania style, Dead Cells blew up on the indie scene

00:36in 2018.

00:37Players control the Prisoner, a creature that can possess bodies and use them to escape

00:41their confinement, which, of course, is procedurally generated.

00:45While there are features that are permanently unlockable, you lose most of your resources

00:49and weapons upon each death.

00:51While its retro inspirations are apparent, combat is particularly grueling.

00:56Dead Cells got a lot of comparisons to Dark Souls, as the majority of enemies and bosses

01:00have patterns that'll likely take a few deaths to learn.

01:03Still, its high difficulty did anything but turn players away.

01:07It grew incredibly popular, and received several expansions.

01:15FTL Faster Than Light

01:25Even if a roguelike gives you time to think and plan, that doesn't mean things will

01:29be easy.

01:30FTL Faster Than Light is a real-time strategy game set during a futuristic war, with you

01:35playing a key role for the losing side.

01:38You find information that could turn the tides in your favor.

01:41The only problem is getting it to your headquarters before you're destroyed by the opposing

01:45side, or whatever else waits for you in randomized space.

01:49These battles can grow particularly challenging depending on a variety of factors, but there's

01:53also the looming threat of lost save data.

01:56If the player loses a fight, or quits without saving, the file is lost for good.

02:01Ouch.

02:02Ongban

02:03Let's take things back a bit.

02:09Based on the location in JRR Tolkien's writings, Ongban tasks you with surviving 100 floors

02:14and defeating the villainous Morgoth.

02:17A lot of the older roguelikes have reputations for being some of the hardest games around,

02:21and Ongban is no different.

02:23Like others in the genre, everything from the enemies to the traps of each floor is

02:27randomized, and once you die, you have to start over from the beginning.

02:31But on top of that, there are more than 90 different command inputs, and a multitude

02:36of ways to die outside of the norm.

02:38Like starvation, or one of your spells backfiring.

02:41Even though it's turn-based, death can come from so many different sources, it can be

02:46maddening.

02:48Enter the Gungeon

02:55Bullet hell games are designed to be stressful, but adding the element of randomization makes

03:00one even more so.

03:02Enter the Gungeon lets you choose from a group of starting characters, who all have different

03:07But everything else is up to the gods.

03:09You won't know exactly what enemies, obstacles, or upgrades will appear in the next room,

03:14though it's a safe bet to assume your screen will soon become covered in bullets.

03:18That's true in every case, with the bosses being on another level of toughness.

03:23The game forces you to be in a constant state of motion, lest you fall and have to start

03:27the whole process over.

03:29That's going to frequently happen anyway, but it's still good practice.

03:39Ancient Domains of Mystery

03:47Another one from the old days of roguelikes, Ancient Domains of Mystery is absolutely brutal.

03:53You play as an adventurer, lured by a prophecy of glory, and every death has you begin again

03:58as a new character.

04:00While you can choose your class and alignment, there's no way to plan for what you'll face.

04:05Even if the enemies and dungeons weren't randomized, which they are, there are all

04:09manner of other things to look out for.

04:12Your alignment can affect gameplay, as well as change depending on how you tackle quests.

04:17Some enemies will have abilities you may not have a counter for, and some equipment may

04:21be cursed to instantly kill you.

04:23The only way to make it through is a lot of trial and error.

04:32Crypt of the Necrodancer

04:41When Brace Yourself Games combined the randomness of roguelikes with the necessity of quick

04:45reflexes in rhythm games, it created one beast of a game.

04:50Crypt of the Necrodancer has you delving into dungeons and battling monsters, except

04:54that everything from moving to attacking must be in time with the music.

04:59Needless to say, that takes some getting used to.

05:02While mistiming your action doesn't necessarily harm you, it will give your enemies a quick

05:06advantage, which can lead to a quick death.

05:08If you want an extra challenge, there are several unlockable characters that each come

05:12with restrictions, like Coda, who actually does die if you miss a beat, or even pick

05:17up gold.

05:24NetHack

05:25NetHack is a prime example of roguelikes of the past, which is to say that it is extremely

05:31difficult.

05:32It branched out from other roguelikes with non-traditional classes, a bit more humor,

05:36and pop culture references.

05:38But even though the tone was light, it would still gladly pummel you into the dirt.

05:43It isn't just a matter of randomized enemies and traps that'll get you as you descend

05:47into the dungeon.

05:48There are so many hidden occurrences and interactions, many of which can lead to your untimely demise,

05:54that diehard players are still discovering them all these years later.

05:58There are also cursed items, which can bring a variety of effects and are hard to get rid

06:02of, and conducts, extra hindrances you can choose from to make it even harder.

06:08Spelunky 2

06:16Like its predecessor, Spelunky 2 sees players exploring procedurally generated caves.

06:21But through several new additions, it ends up just a little bit tougher.

06:25As you might expect, you'll have no idea what enemies, layout, treasure, or traps await

06:30you whenever you enter a new area.

06:32While enemies can be problematic if you aren't careful, the traps are so well-hidden in certain

06:36sections that even the most cautious of players will walk face-first into them without a second

06:41thought.

06:42There's an absurd number of ways to die here, and it's highly likely you'll see more than

06:47a few before you make it out of the first area.

06:50Of course, unless you've reached a checkpoint in the form of a shortcut, every death forces

06:54you back to the start.

07:01Rogue

07:02We couldn't talk about the toughest roguelikes without mentioning the game that gave the

07:06genre its name.

07:07Released in 1980, Rogue gave the gaming world the roguelike genre and adhered to its strictest

07:13rules.

07:14Like others, you're an adventurer going through a procedurally generated dungeon, with the

07:18randomized monsters you encounter growing stronger the deeper you go.

07:22And should you die, it's right back to the drawing board.

07:25Naturally, it brought the pain and inspired the one-more-run mentality so prevalent in

07:30roguelikes today.

07:32While those it inspired clearly grew to be a bit more dynamic, Rogue remains a vital

07:36game release, and a damn tough one at that.

07:40Darkest Dungeon

07:48From its name to its art style, Darkest Dungeon wants to impress upon you the fact that things

07:52are pretty dire here.

07:54You control a group of four, consisting of different character classes, as you journey

07:58through the dungeons beneath your recently acquired mansion.

08:02While the turn-based combat might make you think you can handle the randomized enemies,

08:06don't get caught.

08:07Every character has a stress meter, which can increase from a number of factors, and

08:11which can affect them in a variety of ways.

08:14If it gets too high, they can even die, with no chance for you to ever bring them back.

08:19As the game continues to pile on brutal combat encounters and boss fights, players can often

08:24find themselves in trouble alarmingly quickly.

08:34Know of any other ultra-challenging roguelikes we didn't mention?

08:44Share your thoughts in the comments, and be sure to subscribe to Mojo Plays for more great

08:48gaming videos every day.

09:04And as always, thanks for watching.

09:05See you next time.

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