Summary
One of the biggest genres to have taken off in the past few years has beenRoguelikes. Most of these games are made by one person or a small team. When a game likeHadesbecomes a hit, it can be hard to resist making a direct sequel, as that is usually guaranteed money.
Hades 2hit Early Accessin 2024, and there are plenty of other Roguelike sequel examples too, includingRogue Legacy 2andDarkest Dungeon 2. There are also upcoming sequels likeSlay the Spire 2andWizard of Legend 2. Yet these next Roguelikes never got that chance, and are trapped with only one game to their name.
Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer Featuring The Legend of Zeldawas developed by Brace Yourself Games. As small as the indie company is, Nintendo tasked them with creating this spinoffto theirZeldaseries. It used the same dance game Roguelike hybrid mechanics fromCrypt of the NecroDancerbut with Link and Zelda joining the fray.
This could technically be seen as a sequel toCrypt of the NecroDancersince the main character, Cadence, is in the game. However, given that it is a Zelda game through and through, it’s easy to categorize it as its own thing. Right now, Brave Yourself Games is making a direct sequel toCrypt of the NecroDancerviaRift of the NecroDancer. Will they revisit 2019’sCadence of Hyrulefor Nintendo after that release?
Children of Mortawas also released in 2019, but by a different indie developer, Dead Mage. They had made some games before this, butChildren of Mortawas their big hit. It focused on one family, The Bergsons, who were raised to fight a dark calamity if it ever returned. It does, of course. Most family members wereplayable inChildren of Morta, and they all had unique traits like a class system in an RPG. Two-player co-op was also incorporated, which was a welcome addition.
DespiteChildren of Mortabeing a big success, currently Dead Mage are developing a game calledTale of Roninwhich has no release date as of this writing. They’re also developingWizard of Legend 2in place of Contingent99, who were the first game’s developers, but it appears they may have moved on from making this a series.
Dead Cellsis one of the most popular Roguelikes of all time. It was developed by Motion Twin, who have kept the game alive since 2017, when it went into Early Access. They have released big updates, DLC packs, and evencrossover events with theCastlevaniafranchise.
In the middle of their DLC run, they split their workforce in two. Now, Motion Twin is working on a new game calledWindblownwhich is supposed to hit Early Access in 2024. Evil Empire, one of their spinoff companies, is developingThe Rogue Prince of Persiafor Ubisoft which is currently in Early Access. So, between the two teams, they have a big workload, but none of it involves aDead Cells 2.
3Flinthook
Grappling Into Space
Flinthookis another 2017 game, but it was not an Early Access title. It was developed by Tribute Games, who have released a wide swathe of games across multiple genres. Some of their bigger hits includeScott Pilgrim vs The World: The GameandMercenary Kings. Their last game wasTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revengein 2022, which also got DLC later.
Past that, they have been quiet on the new game front, and there’s been no mention of a continuation ofFlinthook,or any of their other franchise properties.Flinthookwas a unique take on the Roguelike genre, as itfocused on using grappling hooks. Players would go after space pirates, destroying their ships one by one, and building a collection of cards that boosted stats and granted abilities. It’s a hidden gem in the genre.
Moonlighterwas released in 2018 by Digital Sun. Since then they have been one of the many indie developers that expanded theLeague of Legendsuniverse viaThe Mageseeker: A League of LegendsStory. That was in 2023 andCataclismo, an original game, is set to releaseon Steam Early Accesssoon.
That’s Digital Sun’s current lineup, and it’s a shame becauseMoonlighterwas such a breakout hit. It combined shop management with a dungeon crawler. The mashup worked well, and the visuals were stunning too, so fans have been itching for more, but there’s been no news as of yet.
The Swords of Dittowas developed by Onebitbeyond, and it was released in 2018. Onebitbeyond is now working onThe Plucky Squirefor Devolver Digital, which looks like a mind-bending twist ontheZeldagenre; It was an interpretation of aZeldagame, but as a Roguelike,The Swords of Dittohad an overworld that changed along with its dungeons. Players could to experience the world through an ever-evolving cast of avatars as they died and were reborn again. It was a challenging Roguelike but the two-player co-op made it less stressful.
There is no release date for it yet, butThe Plucky Squirelooks like it is a more traditionalZeldaAction-Adventure game, aside from the storybook esthetics and the ability to pop in and out of reality. It’s got an isometric perspective, dungeons, spells, and shops, but it also gives the main character the ability to jump out of his own storybook. It may not beThe Swords of Ditto 2,but it sure looks cool.
