10 Roguelites With Progression Systems That Actually Respect Your Free Time

The roguelike and roguelite genres have blossomed over the past decade and are no longer obscure niche topics in gaming. They are some of the most prevalent games out there, from indie titles to big AAA experiences, including the upcoming epic from PlayStation, Saros. Some of the best roguelikes out there, specifically, require a bit of a grind.
Others respect players more and are easier to get sucked into because there is always something waiting for them after death. These rewards may be small, but they amount to a lot in the long run. So, let’s go over some respectful progression systems that other roguelites should take note of.
Hades 2 has a similar progression system to the first game, with a few updates to make it better for players. Players gain numerous power-ups on runs, but will disappear after death. However, there are also various currencies to collect that will help build up the heroine, Melinoë, at home.
Players can concoct incantations to improve the hub around her or gain access to new weapon aspects. They can unlock Tarot cards that can grant her various skills or stat boosts. New weapons and upgrades can be unlocked as well, plus there are bonds to forge with charismatic characters after each death, and even animal companions to unlock. There is always something new to look forward to, more so than in Hades.
Rogue Legacy 2 and its predecessor helped popularize the roguelite genre by offering more than just run-based rewards, and the sequel is one of the best 2D action roguelites around. Players will collect money during their runs, and after returning home upon death, they can use that money to rebuild the family castle.
Those upgrades boost stats like HP, unlock new vendors and classes, introduce possible new encounters on runs, and more. Players will always feel stronger on the next run as they progress, and they will also feel a strong sense of accomplishment as they rebuild their castle.
Vampire Survivors is a low-stakes game that doesn’t offer a big story or any meaningful dungeon designs. Instead, it puts gameplay front and center and offers players mindless combat where they destroy waves of enemies, which is so soothing that it helped create a spinoff of the genre.
After each run, players can use their earnings to unlock new characters or boost their stats. The best part is that each run will only last for a few minutes, meaning that the time investment is low for how satisfying each round is. There are new areas to unlock as well, each full of new enemies and items to find, but the real joy is putting a build together and then watching it tear through massive crowds of enemies.
Moonlighter is two games in one. Players will progress through randomized dungeons at night while fighting enemies in action combat. Then, during the day, they can use what they acquired to build new gear, like weapons and armor, to get stronger. They can also sell any loot they've collected at their shop, and managing it is as satisfying as diving into the dungeon.
It’s almost impossible not to feel a sense of reward after a dungeon run in Moonlighter, as one hand consistently feeds the other. Players may take several or even twenty tries to finish a dungeon before they can move on, but those defeats never feel wasteful thanks to the shopkeeper gameplay that makes each run feel worthwhile.
Ball X Pit is one of the newest roguelite crazes right now, and it’s unlike most other games out there. It’s also two games in one, with the main focus being on a brick-breaker mechanic where players fight monsters across an on-rails track, bouncing balls off them and walls to gradually clear the dungeon. Any money they earn will be kept, along with blueprints for new structures, and after dying, characters will level up permanently.
At home base, players can use money to build new structures and expand their settlement, or they can harvest crops to get new materials. Those structures then unlock new characters or improve existing ones. There are a lot of ways to build up momentum in Ball X Pit, and like Vampire Survivors, it doesn’t feel that much like a roguelite, as it is very casual with a good progression rate.
Cult of the Lamb is another roguelite that is divided into segments, making it part dungeon crawler and part demonic cult-themed Animal Crossing clone. In dungeons, players will gather materials or find cute animal NPCs who are willing to come back to their homestead.
After death, a cut of the materials is lost, but there’s still plenty to go around when managing their cult village, which feels like the biggest part of the gameplay. Players can assign followers to tend to gardens or build structures, which will benefit the community, or they can perform rituals that improve their stats during their next run or make harvests more bountiful. The better players are as a leader, the stronger they will be in dungeons.
Sundered is a wild, hand-drawn Metroidvania that also has roguelite elements, such as randomized zones. Upon death, players will be whisked back to their skill tree, where they can unlock boosts and skills to help them during their next exploration adventure, which generally does feel useful.
The only bad thing about death is restarting at the beginning, because thankfully, not much else is lost besides progress. Also, if players are having trouble progressing, they can always explore the map with friends in co-op.
Children of Morta is great for several reasons. For one, it significantly deepens the family dynamic upon each run. Every playable character is either a member of the family, the Bergsons, or is related on some level, and they are in charge of stopping an ancient evil from awakening beneath their home.
New characters will unlock through story progression, and everyone will level up permanently in dungeons, giving players skill points to dump into characters and character-specific skill trees. Also, at home, there are a few ways to upgrade the family as a whole, from boosting stats to unlocking the ability to earn more money in dungeons.
Ember Knights is not a roguelite that many have played, which is a shame for several reasons. From the progression system to the artwork to the four-player co-op option and, most of all, the combat, this game gets a lot of things right. Players can pick the colored flame of their warrior before progressing through randomized zones, gaining power-ups along the way. At home base, players can use their earned currency to get new weapons or gain stat boosts.
Ember Knights doesn’t revolutionize the roguelite genre, as it borrows a lot from other, more well-known entries. However, it’s still well-made and a great game to recommend for roguelite beginners who get disheartened easily by defeat.
Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer Featuring The Legend of Zelda may have a weird title and a strange rhythmic gameplay mechanic, but it is still a top-down Zelda game at its core, just with a higher degree of challenge on offer. Playing as either Link or Zelda (at first), players will explore a randomized version of Hyrule, looking for dungeons and treasure.
Specific items, like the Lute, which can initiate fast travel, will always be saved upon death, along with upgrades like pieces of heart and save points. Randomized pickups like swords and shovels will be discarded upon death, so the game will take longer than average to finish compared to other Zelda games. Still, that key item retention keeps progression moving forward, so even if players fall just short of a great run, they always have something to look forward to the next time around.