5 Roguelite Hidden Gems You (Probably) Missed

The roguelite genre has been one of the most successful genres in the past decade, producing masterpieces like The Binding of Isaac in 2011, Slay the Spire in 2017, and most recently, Sifu almost a month ago.

Since then, both AAA and indie companies alike created their own roguelite games in hopes of producing the next big thing, and while some of them were met with critical acclaim like Dead Cells, Monster Train, and Vampire Survivors, today, we’re featuring 5 roguelite games that are just as good, but for some reason, are not as popular.

Before we begin, please note that the list will NOT be in any particular order. I’m just putting that out there before you bring out your pitchforks and torches.

What are the criteria for a game to be a “Hidden Gem”?

For a game to be considered a “hidden gem”, we are using the following criteria:

• Since we’re not able to see how many copies the game has sold on Steam, we’re going for the next best thing, which is the number of reviews. The game has to have 1,000 reviews or less.
• Since some newer games may have less than 1,000 reviews but would likely break that barrier, we are only including games that are at least 6 months old, so games released after September 8th, 2021 will not be included in this list.

Starward Rogue

Starward Rogue is a bullet hell, top-down, twin-stick shooter similar to Enter the Gungeon. While there are no dodges in this game, Starward Rogue makes up for it with slower bullets. While that may sound boring on paper, having slower bullets doesn’t really make the game any easier as you’ll be surrounded by a ton of them, and you have to carefully position yourself in order to not to be overwhelmed by the sheer number of bullets on the screen, but also deal damage. Certain weapons also have the ability to nullify bullets.

Speaking of weapons, You have 3 weapon classifications at your disposal: the primary weapon, secondary weapon, and the missile. Your primary weapon is infinite while the secondary weapon and missile have limited ammo, which can be found through enemies and chests.

Aside from the combat, the Starward Rogue’s soundtrack is also amazing. It helps set the mood for the slaughter that will soon commence.

The best part is is it currently on a massive sale on Steam, so now is the right time to try out this hidden gem!

Time Break Chronicles

If you enjoy roguelite games as well as classic turn-based JRPGs of yesteryear (think the Final Fantasy games of the 90s), then you’ll definitely love Time Break Chronicles! In this game, you’ll be able to use up to 6 characters in a party and your main objective is to survive to the end of the act where the act’s boss awaits you.

Your party is divided into two rows: the front row, which usually is where the tanks and melee characters are situated, and the back row, where you’ll find mages, healers, snipers, etc. It’s important to properly position your part because unless your enemy has ranged weapons, they wouldn’t be able to get to your back row character unless the character in front of him/her/it (yes, I said “it”, more to that later) gets knocked out. Be careful though, your enemies also have front and back rows!

The biggest appeal of this game is that you have a lot of characters to choose from, and when I say a lot, I mean a LOT, like 100 characters, which is what Warrior General Games, the developers of the game, is targeting once the game leaves Early Access.

There’s so much variety to the characters as well. You have the cookie-cutter classes like the knight, priest, and archer, but you also have other unusual classes like the sheriff, general, and biker. Hell, there’s even an actual Heal Bot in this game, and better yet, a Wrestler (who is one of my favorite characters in the game, for the record)! These classes have different abilities which help a lot in terms of character diversity.

If you want to scratch that roguelite and turn-based JRPG itch, then this is the perfect game for you!

Vault of the Void

Though not the first deckbuilder roguelite, Slay the Spire’s overwhelming success started a boom with deckbuilder roguelites. Vault of the Void looks to follow in its footsteps and while it may have similarities at first glance, some mechanics make Vault of the Void stand out.

For one, you don’t take damage from enemies right away. Instead, they deal passive damage that you need to deal with on your next turn, or you’ll lose life equal to said damage. Personally, I think this is a great mechanic that helps you plan your turns further. Vault also gives you the option (more like a recommendation, really) to “purge” your cards in order to gain energy for your next turn. The game also features a “combo” mechanic, giving your attacks more oomph but beware, your enemies also have this mechanic.

Similar to Slay the Spire, you traverse certain maps through different paths where you have a choice between encountering enemies, gaining items, or participating in events. What sets Vault apart is the path, which is represented by hexagonal platforms. You can move to adjacent paths, and I mean that because Vault of the Void also enables you to move sideways!

Vault of the Void caters to both deckbuilder roguelite beginners and experts alike, and we believe that it is worth checking out.

Card Hog

At first glance, you’d think this looks like a cute kids’ game, but Card Hog contains a lot of complexity under that cute exterior.

Classified as a roguelite dungeon crawler, the main objective in Card Hog is to go as deep of an adventure as you can. You choose between a variety of hogs, each with different card sets and perks, then you go on an adventure by moving from one adjacent card to another, either horizontally or vertically. These cards either take you to the next level, give you items or weapons, heal you, or kill you. Whether you survive another level or have your run face an abrupt end will depend on where you travel.

Unlike the other entries to this list, Card Hog is actually available on another platform other than Steam. It is also available on AndroidOS, meaning you can play this on your mobile phone, but if you prefer playing this unique hidden gem on PC (or Steam Deck since that’s a thing now), you can go Card Hog’s steam page here.

Cryptark

It’s fun just flying around in Cryptark, a twin-stick shooter set in outer space where your role is to hop aboard and destroy alien spaceships. Sounds simple enough, but the way to do that is not that straightforward.

You start by picking a selection of “Pioneer Suits” which have different weapon and equipment loadouts. As with other shooter roguelites, there are various weapons you’d be able to use for your run like sticky grenades, shotguns, and even nuke grenades.

While the controls are a bit wonky at times, the combat is very smooth, and you won’t feel like the game is unfair because you’ll see which bullets, or enemies, will hit you. That being said, I have to admit to getting hit a lot more than I wanted because I’m too distracted by the game’s gorgeous visuals.

If you like twin-stick shooters in an outer space setting with good-looking visuals, this game is for you!