When Did Roguelikes Become Popular? Exploring the Genre’s Rise
The popularity of roguelikes, a genre characterized by its challenging gameplay, procedurally generated levels, and permadeath, has seen a fascinating evolution. While the roots of the genre trace back to the late 1970s, its journey to widespread popularity has been gradual, marked by periods of niche appeal and significant resurgence. The short answer is, roguelikes have seen multiple waves of popularity. While they initially gained traction in the 1980s and 90s among programmers and college students, a much larger surge in the mainstream came in the last 15 years as indie games began to thrive.
The Early Days: 1980s and 1990s
The genesis of roguelikes is often attributed to Rogue, a game developed around 1980 for Unix-based systems. This dungeon crawler, with its randomly generated maps, text-based graphics, and unforgiving permadeath mechanic, quickly became a hit among a specific audience: computer programmers and college students. This initial popularity was largely confined to those with access to the tech and an interest in the specific gameplay style that Rogue pioneered.
Games like Hack, NetHack, Moria, and Angband followed in Rogue’s wake, each further developing the core mechanics of the genre and garnering their own dedicated followings. These titles were typically very challenging, demanding careful planning and a willingness to learn from frequent failures. They were, however, far from the mainstream, instead existing as beloved but very niche titles among hardcore players. During this era, roguelikes were essentially a subculture, a hidden gem in the vast expanse of video game titles. They were not popular in the sense of reaching the average gamer, but they were influential.
Indie Renaissance and Modern Popularity: 2010s and Beyond
The real turning point for roguelikes came with the rise of the indie game scene in the 2010s. This period witnessed a huge leap in the accessibility of game development tools and a corresponding boom in creativity among independent developers. As a result, many indie games were born, and a number of these games embraced the roguelike format.
Roguelikes like The Binding of Isaac, FTL: Faster Than Light, and Spelunky brought the core tenets of roguelike gameplay – procedurally generated levels, permadeath, and high difficulty – to a broader audience. These games modernized the formula, often introducing new mechanics and aesthetics that made the genre more appealing to new players. They also demonstrated how flexible the roguelike genre could be when merged with other game types, leading to a large boom in popularity.
The success of these titles sparked a significant increase in the genre’s popularity. This led to a greater public awareness of roguelikes and paved the way for an influx of new titles. In this period, the term roguelite was also introduced, which refers to games with roguelike elements but with less strict adherence to the core tenets, often introducing meta-progression, thus making the games a little more accessible.
Today, roguelikes and roguelites are among the most popular genres in the indie scene and beyond. Games like Hades, Slay the Spire, and Dead Cells demonstrate the diversity of the genre. Roguelikes now can span from action titles to deck-building card games. The core appeal of challenging, replayable gameplay has resonated with many players and helped bring the genre to where it is today.
The Persistent Appeal
The rise in roguelike popularity can be attributed to several factors, most significantly the unique challenge and replayability offered by the genre. The element of randomness created by procedural generation ensures that no two play sessions are identical, encouraging players to adapt and experiment. The difficulty, often seen as a negative by many gamers, provides a feeling of accomplishment upon overcoming, while permadeath makes every choice important.
The indie scene embraced roguelikes because they often require fewer assets to develop, making them a financially appealing choice. Developers of smaller studios have found a niche for unique gameplay that often appeals to gamers seeking a different experience than big budget titles. The end result is that roguelikes have evolved from a niche genre enjoyed by programmers to one of the most popular genres in indie games.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What exactly defines a roguelike game?
A traditional roguelike is characterized by permadeath, procedurally generated maps, and turn-based combat. These core elements ensure a high level of challenge and replayability, as every attempt is unique and failure means starting over from the beginning.
What is the difference between a roguelike and a roguelite?
The primary distinction lies in the level of adherence to the core roguelike tenets. Roguelites often retain some of these elements, such as permadeath and procedurally generated levels, but typically also introduce some form of meta-progression or permanent upgrades that carry over between runs, making them more accessible than traditional roguelikes.
When was the first roguelike game created?
While Rogue (1980) is the namesake for the genre, Beneath Apple Manor (1978), is considered the first known game to incorporate all core roguelike elements, making it arguably the first roguelike game.
What made roguelikes initially popular?
Their initial popularity was among college students and computer programmers who appreciated the complex, challenging, and strategically demanding gameplay, along with the novelty of randomly generated levels on what were then more technologically limited devices.
Why are roguelikes so difficult?
The inherent difficulty stems from the permadeath mechanic and randomized gameplay. Players must learn from each death and use acquired knowledge to progress in subsequent runs.
Is Hades a roguelike or roguelite?
Hades is generally considered a roguelite, since it has persistent elements and character progression that carry over between runs. These elements make it more accessible than many traditional roguelikes.
What makes roguelikes so replayable?
The procedural generation ensures that every attempt is different. This keeps the games fresh, compelling players to continually adjust their tactics and explore new gameplay avenues.
Why are there so many indie roguelikes?
Indie developers have embraced roguelikes because they can be developed with smaller budgets, making them a more financially viable option. Also, the focus on mechanics over art assets allows developers to focus more heavily on gameplay.
Are roguelikes still popular?
Yes, roguelikes and roguelites are more popular than ever. The genre has expanded and diversified greatly, thanks to indie developers pushing the boundaries of the format, making it a staple in modern gaming.
Are roguelikes always turn-based?
While classic roguelikes are turn-based, many modern roguelites incorporate real-time action combat, offering a different style of gameplay and further expanding the genre.
Can roguelikes be 3D?
Yes, numerous 3D roguelikes exist, offering the core gameplay loop in a fully three-dimensional environment. This showcases the versatility of the genre’s core elements.
What coding is used for roguelikes?
Python is a popular choice for beginners due to its readability and ease of use. However, various other programming languages can be used depending on specific requirements and developer preference.
How long are typical roguelike runs?
Traditional roguelike runs could last 15-25 hours, and the gameplay is save-on-exit with deletion of the save on death. Roguelite runs are much shorter, often ranging from 20 minutes to a few hours.
Is Zelda a roguelike?
There are fan-made games such as ZeldaRL that turn the Zelda games into roguelikes. However, the official Zelda games are not considered roguelikes or roguelites.
Is Sifu a roguelike?
Sifu is often described as a roguelike, but it is better categorized as a roguelite due to its character progression and shorter runs compared to a traditional roguelike.
In conclusion, the popularity of roguelikes has been a journey. It started within a small and specific community, then grew substantially as indie game developers began to embrace and evolve the genre. Today, roguelikes and roguelites are a fixture in the gaming landscape, beloved for their unique blend of challenge, replayability, and creativity.