The list of tough and more lenient iOS roguelikes and roguelites for iPhone and iPad
If you love playing hard games, where your actions and sometimes random encounters can have dire consequences, this list of best roguelike games for iOS is a blessing for you.
You’ve doubtless seen the descriptions ‘roguelike’ and ‘roguelite’ bandied around a lot in recent years. But you might not know what that means, exactly.
No, it doesn’t mean being a bit of a scoundrel – or indeed, not much of one. Rather, it’s a reference to the classic 1980 video game Rogue, which added permadeath (one strike and you’re out) and randomly generated levels to its turn-based dungeon-crawling gameplay.
When a modern game follows all of these elements, it’s described as roguelike, because it’s like Rogue. When a game copies some of those elements (typically permadeath and random levels) it’s sometimes described as roguelite because… well, you get the picture.
There have been plenty of games that fit this description over the past four decades, but the roguelike and roguelite genre has really experienced a massive resurgence in recent years. These distinctive elements, which create both challenge and replayability, are everywhere you look, from big-budget console games to humble indie efforts.
Needless to say, there are loads of roguelikes and roguelites on iOS. We’ve rounded up 25 of our favourites in the following feature. Oh, and you should also check the splendid list of best RPGs for iOS!
Don’t see your own personal favourite iOS roguelike or roguelite listed here? Let us know in the comments below.
Original list by Jon Mundy, updated by Ivan Spasojevic.
