Must-play Roguelikes

[Lycus]

I was just wondering what you guys think are the roguelikes that all fans must try to get a proper feel for the genre and the mechanics found in roguelike games.

Being a relative newbie to roguelikes, the only ones I'll put out there are Dungeon Crawl, Nethack, Adom & Dwarf Fortress.

[NON]

The original Rogue of course.

Other than that I find Angband very enjoyable. I always listen to some Tolkien-inspired metal like Summoning or Burzum while playing it. Just chilling out and grinding away

Summoning - Angbands Schmieden

[jocke the beast]

I've tried alot of roguelikes but a very few of them are games I conisder playing again and again. DCSS is one example of a game that I think I'll never stop playing.

But besides the ones you've already tried out I think you should take a look at ToME, IVAN and perhaps some of the "smaller" ones: Brogue, Legerdemain, DoomRL, Elona, Powder and Infra Arcana (the above poster NON's masterpiece).

[AgingMinotaur]

Also, a lot of people (myself included) will say ADOM. Nethack is another usual suspect (although I never really fell for that myself).

As always,
Minotauros

[XLambda]

Isn't ADOM a bit too terrifying for newbies, though? 

[Darren Grey]

That wasn't the question.  There's a huge gulf between what's good for newbies and what's representative of the genre.

[XLambda]

That wasn't the question.  There's a huge gulf between what's good for newbies and what's representative of the genre.

Yeah, now that I think of it... 

[corremn]

Obviously Adom, Nethack, Crawl, DoomRL, and of course anything by me LOL.  Then you can start playing the more obscure ones, like Rogue for instance

[Z]

When recruiting new roguelike followers from other gaming genres, I would recommend them to first play an appropriate semi-roguelike. If you like platformers, play Spelunky (which also currently has the highest average rating on IRLDb and I think everyone who does not hate platformers should play). If you like adventure games, play Legerdemain. If you like action RPGs, play Diablo. If you like puzzles games, play Desktop Dungeons or Deadly Rooms of Death (only marginally roguelike, but a very good game).

This works not only for semi-roguelikes. I think ADOM might be good for newbies coming from the RPG world and who don't mind ASCII or reading big manuals. If you like Chess and similar games, play ChessRogue. Recently (non-traditional) board games seem to have gained a big popularity, I am not sure what to recommend to their fans, any ideas?

[guest509]

  The ones you mention are the ones I play. Nethack is WACKY thematically and you cannot beat it without spoilers...at least not for many years of trying. But it is the quintessential roguelike historically. I prefer some of the older Hack builds myself, before it became Nethack.
  Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup with graphical tiles is the one I play the most.
  I also highly recommend Brogue especially for new guys. DoomRL is great too but for some reason I like AliensRL better. By the same author and a similar game, but with the Aliens theme (and sounds!).
 
  Have you actually tried to play Dwarf Fortess yet? My god is it difficult to get into.

[flags]

Seconding IVAN. It is by-far one of the best roguelikes I've played. It seems so simple at first, but then your scroll of teleport rips in half, moving you across the map next to a hedgehog that just happened to step on a landmine, which destroys both your legs and sets your scroll of door creation on fire, successfully surrounding you with doors while you bleed out. Absolutely brutal, but so much fun.

[XLambda]

 
  Have you actually tried to play Dwarf Fortess yet? My god is it difficult to get into.

I actually didn't find it that hard to figure out. Watch some LPs on youtube and always have the magmawiki open during playing and you'll have it figured out pretty fast. That does not mean that I don't think it's hard, but it's not quite as hard as people say it is. (Maybe I'm just a nerd. )

[guest509]

 
  Have you actually tried to play Dwarf Fortess yet? My god is it difficult to get into.

I actually didn't find it that hard to figure out. Watch some LPs on youtube and always have the magmawiki open during playing and you'll have it figured out pretty fast. That does not mean that I don't think it's hard, but it's not quite as hard as people say it is. (Maybe I'm just a nerd. )

  I think if you found DF easy to get into then you are most definitely a nerd. :-)

[Cap n Crunch]

Sorry Xlambda, you are most deffo a nerd.
But i use that word as a term of pride, rather than of denigration.
You need to get yourself a tshirt that says...

"DF isn't unfathomable to me"

...on it and wear it in all it's glory. And yours
That game is like the @~&%ing matrix to me, even with swanky tiles.

Back to topic, Lycus, i enjoy the odd game of ToME as well as the obvious ones that you have mentioned and if you want a RL to punish you and let you know how easy Angband is, play Aliens RL.
That'll get ya

Crunch

[Skeletor]

I was just wondering what you guys think are the roguelikes that all fans must try to get a proper feel for the genre and the mechanics found in roguelike games.

- Adom
- Dungeon Crawl: Stone Soup
- Doom the roguelike
Those three are must-play.

After them, I'd suggest other great games such as IVAN, A quest too far, Infra Arcana, Triangle Wizard, Nethack, Lost Labyrinth, UnAngband, Spelunky, Madness, Frozen depths, TOME, Unreal World..

Summoning - Angbands Schmieden

Good stuff!

Isn't ADOM a bit too terrifying for newbies, though? 

No.. it was my first experience ever with a roguelike and every friend I told about it has been enthusiastic.

Have you actually tried to play Dwarf Fortess yet? My god is it difficult to get into.

if you want a RL to punish you and let you know how easy Angband is, play Aliens RL. That'll get ya

I agree!