Rock, Paper, Shotgun

Wouldn’t it be great if someone took part roguelike and part platformer and stuck them in a programming pot, producing some tasty gaming gumbo? Yes, I know about Spelunky. I was spelunkying before all the hip kids jumped on board. I’m talking about something else here. Red Rogue is a work in progress, an entry into the IGF 2012, which isn’t really a roguelike platformer at all, it’s more like a sidescrolling roguelike. The graphics are minimalist and, to my eye, pleasingly effective, there’s already a great deal of variety in items and enemies, and if it wasn’t the beginning of a busy day, I’d probably end up playing this for hours. Current build here.

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While knickers are being busily twisted about whether claiming The Binding of Isaac as in any way qualifies as a roguelike is right up there with the purest, most horrifying, most unforgivable evil of calling a real-time tactics game a real-time strategy game, let’s also look at something that does fit that genre without outrage. This one’s turn-based and everything!

Cardinal Quest, which impressed our Mr Smith just over a month ago, is spending 24 hours in the happy land of no-pennies. To qualify for this most absolute of discounts, you’ll need to read this tweet from CQ’s creator, Ido Yehieli and apply the code wherein when you go as if to purchase the game. That’s it! Trailer below if you’re having a dither.
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Hacking, slashing and indeed crawling through dungeons should get boring, shouldn’t it? Even when they’re randomly generated, aren’t they all the same? Dank, grimy, dim and claustrophobic. Rubbish places. If I came across one at the bottom of my street I’d complain to the council. But when Cardinal Quest invites me to go slay an evil minotaur I’m more than ready to trudge down, level by level, seeing what I can discover. Spruced up, streamlined Roguelikes are becoming more popular and this is a fine example.
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Andrew Doull writes to tell me that the the 7-day rogue-like challenge has come to a close. In this clearly gloriously masochistic event, developers try and make a workable rogue-like game in – waitforit – seven days. Twenty-three people gave it a shot, of which nine managed to pull it off. They’re now available to download , and over the next seven days the Temple of the Roguelike will be playing and reviewing them. I haven’t had a chance to play all of them yet, but I did have a quick crack at what appeared to be the most initially intriguing one, Fatherhood.
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