Roguelike
Overview
A roguelike is a sub-genre of role-playing video games, characterized by a dungeon crawl through procedurally generated levels, turn-based gameplay, tile-based graphics, and permanent death of the player character. The term was coined around 1993 and is named after Rogue, a dungeon crawling video game by Michael Toy and Glenn Wichman.
History
The roguelike genre is named after the game Rogue, which was developed by Michael Toy and Glenn Wichman around 1980. Rogue was a simple game that utilized ASCII graphics to represent its dungeon environments, which were procedurally generated for each playthrough. The game was popular among college students and programmers, leading to a number of clones and derivatives, collectively known as "roguelikes".
Gameplay
Roguelike games are characterized by their challenging gameplay and emphasis on strategy. The player must navigate through a dungeon, battling monsters and collecting items, in order to reach the end of the dungeon and complete the game. The dungeons are procedurally generated, meaning that they are different for each playthrough, providing a unique experience each time.
Procedural Generation
One of the defining features of roguelike games is their use of procedural generation to create the game's dungeons. This means that the layout of the dungeon, the placement of monsters and items, and other aspects of the game are randomly determined each time the game is played. This leads to a high degree of replayability, as each playthrough offers a unique experience.
Permadeath
Another defining feature of roguelike games is permadeath, or permanent death. When the player character dies, the game is over, and the player must start a new game from the beginning. This adds a high level of challenge and tension to the game, as the player must carefully consider their actions and decisions to avoid death.
Influence and Legacy
The roguelike genre has had a significant influence on the wider video game industry. Many modern games incorporate elements of roguelike gameplay, such as procedural generation and permadeath, into their own design. This has led to the creation of the "roguelite" sub-genre, which features roguelike elements but does not adhere strictly to the traditional roguelike formula.