Much like the core gameplay loop of rogue-like / -lites – I still cannot wrap my head around the distinction – some of us are back in the Conditional Movement Control Order life, having to stay home and save on petrol / commuter / LRT / what-have-you fares. As such, you may have a little wriggle room to spare to purchase some games.

MONSTER TRAIN

I’ve spent just over 40 hours into this game, very slowly climbing the Covenant ranks of escalating difficulty to see if I can make it to 25 with my beloved Remnant / Stygian Reform / Extinguish combo. It’s you, your train to Hell and the forces of Heaven who would see to stop you in your, er, tracks. Coming with you will be your clans of choice: a main one, and a “supplementary” one, to fill your initial deck of cards.

Your train has three floors, each with limited space in which to put units with waves of enemies slowly ascending to your precious Pyre (HP) located at the top. Covenants gradually add modifiers as you climb higher, and the RNG can royally screw you over and ruin your win streak. Still though, it’s easy enough to reset once you feel your run has truly been scuffed, just for one more ride to Hell.

HADES

Speaking of Hell, here’s one where you escape from it instead of going home to. Hades hardly needs any introduction at this point, roaring into full release. I’m personally on the Nintendo Switch, lounging around as I get Zagreus horrendously murderized by accident at some point. What does Asterius see in Theseus, that insufferable prick?

Anyway, by this point, I’ve unlocked all the weapons and have made it to the final area for the first time, before succumbing to rats. Do not underestimate rats. If you are not used to rogue-esque games and just really want to see hot men and women, you also have God Mode that you can toggle on and off anytime in the settings so that you can both die miserably in the Underworld and get your hot gods. What’s not to like? Thanatos please text me soon.

SLAY THE SPIRE

Besides PC, Slay the Spire is also available on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and iOS, with Android coming soon. Climb the titular Spire with your handy dandy deck of cards to take down the bosses who stand in your way. Go from room to room containing both nice and nasty surprises as you try to connect the dots among the mysterious goings-on within these floors. I still need to find a good Silent built to clear the damn thing…

The modding scene is healthy for this game, with plenty of fan made additions and characters with whom you can play to take with you. From memes to heroes of other games, shuffle your deck and let’s get climbing.

RISK OF RAIN 2

Another Early Access release on Steam, this is the 3D sequel to the original 2D game. When I want to have fun, all I need to do is turn on Command and start stacking the good shit on Drizzle (the easiest difficulty) and watch the sparks fly, often quite literally. I spent hours upon hours in the original game, and it’s no different here. Future paid Expansions are expected to come at some point, with bigger updates to the game than the first game has gotten.

The 3D space gives a lot more room to play around as you probably will hop around like a mad man to avoid maybe a quarter of the wild effects flying all around you. There are achievements for the various playable characters with access to different loadouts or even just to simply unlock them. Bring an umbrella; it’s looking cloudy out there.

CHILDREN OF MORTA

To simply describe this game, it would be this: the family that slays together, stays together. This was one I backed roughly 6 years ago, before it finally came out for PC, PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch September last year. If you preferred something more narrative driven and closer to Hades, then Children of Morta is something you absolutely must consider. You play as the Bergsons, a large extended family who are guardians of the mountain on which they reside.

As you progress through the game, you’ll gradually learn more about the family, as well as unlocking more of the badasses you can bring with you to conquer the Corruption. While their powers can be extraordinary, they are after all, human, and must rest lest overexposure to the Corruption breaks down their defenses. You are highly encouraged to always swap around characters, and it might surprise you to whom you take a shine to.

DUNGEON OF THE ENDLESS

Crash landing on an alien planet much like Risk of Rain, here, you’re trying to climb out of the hell – not a literal hell but it could be – hole you’ve found yourself in. You have multiple ships that will confer bonuses, or even demerits, before starting the game, which also decides how many people you start the game with. Along the way, you can come across fellow survivors whom you can recruit. Some have interactions with each other, which may or may not be a good thing…

As you travel through the rooms, there will be various alien creatures. You can stop them from spawning if you have enough energy to light the rooms, but it’s finite and also gets more scarce as you progress. You’d also want a variety of resources to unlock new modules, research and heal up your characters with. Once you find the exit, someone will have to carry the crystal, which slows down the person carrying it, shuts down all power, and unleashes the swarm. Good luck.

I do not own Dead Cells, and I haven’t played much of the other rogue-esque titles in my library. It’s a pretty popular genre, and it can be hard for them to stand out. Still though, the random nature of this genre means there’s lots of replayability as you get used to the systems to do better, or hit on the god roll to make your run an absolute breeze.

It’s that deja vu sensation. You’ve been here before. Just one more run. Hit the ground running. Let’s go.