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11 best roguelike dungeon crawlers for Android
Roguelike (or rogue-like) dungeon crawlers are some fairly intense games. Players go diving into caves and dungeons in search of adventure and loot. However, in my roguelikes, the dungeons are randomly generated and player deaths are permanent. Thus, there is a twinge of anxiety that gives the game a more intense feeling than most RPGs. It’s a niche genre for sure. However, the fan base is loyal. Roguelikes are unlike most other games we play. Here are the best roguelike dungeon crawlers for Android.
The best roguelike dungeon crawlers for Android
- Caves
- Dead Cells
- Endurance (and Ailment)
- Hoplite
- OneBit Adventure
Caves
Price: Free / Up to $4.99
Caves is one of the most popular roguelike dungeon crawlers on mobile. It adheres to the definition fairly well. Players crawl through randomly generated dungeons, collect various loot and gear, defeat hordes of bad guys, and more. Like most, the graphics are retro in style but the controls are good and the game is relatively fun and difficult. Players also get a main base with a cloning station. This one isn’t easy and it’s relatively inexpensive.
Dead Cells
Price: $8.99
Dead Cells is a newer roguevania style game and it’s quite good. It features a large interconnected world (hence the vania part), 2D platformer and action mechanics, nonlinear progression, and more. Plus, you get hardware controller support, multiple software controller options, and an auto-hit mode if you want to focus more on exploration. The game is quite big and the playable character is cool. Unfortunately, this version is a little bit behind the PC iteration so some needed balancing isn’t done for this version of the game. Enjoy the difficulty because it’s a hard game. It also runs for $8.99 with no in-app purchases or ads. It’s also free through Google Play Pass if you have it.
Endurance (and Ailment)
Price: Free / $2.49-$7.99
Endurance is a rogue-like dungeon crawler from the same developer as Ailment (Google Play link). It’s a top-down-style shooter with tons of bad guys, plenty of stuff to collect, and a real storyline to play through. You explore the Endurance to figure out why everyone is going insane. It’s the prequel to Ailment and Ailment is another great game in this genre. You can really go with either one, but for maximum effect story-wise, you should try Ailment first. Both games are free to play with a permanent premium version available as in-app purchases.
Hoplite
Price: Free / $2.99
Hoplite is another older and more popular dungeon crawler. It uses turn-based movement and attacking for a slightly more strategic gameplay experience. Otherwise, it’s a classic roguelike title. There are randomly generated dungeons, leaderboards, Google Play Games achievements, simple controls, and plenty of challenge. The base game has a little over two dozen levels but there are a ton of special missions and other such things to keep you busy. It’s also relatively inexpensive if you spring for the premium version. This one is also available for free to Google Play Pass members.
OneBit Adventure
Price: Free to play
OneBit Adventure is a casual roguelike so it may not appeal too much to the more hardcore players out there. The game lets you choose between warrior, wizard, necromancer, archer, thief, and other classes. Additionally, it uses turn-based combat with simple enough controls that you can easily play one-handed. There is gear to find to give you a better shot at winning along with active and passive skills to unlock as you level up. The game also boasts infinite level generation, leaderboards, boss battles, and more. It has its ups and downs, but there are more ups than downs.
Pathos
Price: Free
Pathos is another older game in the genre. Its graphics are below average even compared to other roguelikes and its controls are a little more complex than normal. The rest of the game is actually quite good, though. It uses a similar set of gameplay mechanics to Nethack, the classic ASCII roguelike game from the early 1980s. Players descend into the dungeons and to defeat the big bad guy and then escape before you die. We like this one because it’s entirely free with no advertising. It’s a little difficult to complain too much about its flaws since you’re not paying to play it.
ReversEstory
Price: Free to play
ReversEstory is a rogue-like shooter with action and bullet hell elements. The 2D platformer mechanics are surprisingly fun as you shoot your way through the various parts of the game. The boss fights are challenging but fun and the game is cutesy and entertaining. There is also plenty of gear to obtain and you can fly around at a whim as well. The inclusion of the bullet-hell elements makes the game even more intense than the usual rogue-like. It’s a good game overall. Plus, it’s free to play with Google Play Pass if you have it, but the other in-app purchases are still there.
Soda Dungeon 2
Price: Free to play
Soda Dungeon 2 is a bit more of a dungeon crawler than a roguelike. Players jump into Soda Dungeon and try to make it to the end. It includes turn-based combat mechanics, plenty of loot to collect, boss fights, and more. It seems like a fairly standard dungeon-crawling RPG on the surface, but it adds some other stuff to make it more fun. You can earn stuff in the background when not playing like in an idle game. Additionally, you can use the Soda Script function to precisely tell your AI teammates what to do and when. It’s not a roguelike, but as a dungeon crawler, it’s quite good.
Space Grunts 2
Price: $3.99
Space Grunts 2 is another unique spin on the roguelike genre. This one introduces card collection mechanics. However, in reality, the cards simply take the place of your usual tools and loot. You find cards and then play them in opportune situations to get out of trouble. There are a ton of cards to collect and the gameplay is otherwise similar to most roguelikes. This one isn’t overly popular, but we had fun playing it. The game costs $3.99 but has no additional ads or in-app purchases.
Void Tyrant
Price: Free / Up to $4.99
Void Tyrant is one of the newer roguelike dungeon crawlers on the list. However, it’s already one of the most popular. It merges the idea of card collecting with the standard roguelike experience. Players collect cards, build decks, and play cards to get out of trouble. There are three classes in the free version and four in the premium version. You pick your character, build your deck, and go on adventures. It’s a bit more card collection than roguelike but it’s still a decent overall game. Another very similar game is Rogue Adventure.
Yet Another Pixel Dungeon
Price: Free / $0.99
Yet Another Pixel Dungeon is about as classic of a roguelike as you can get on mobile. It’s based on the original Pixel Dungeon and is one of many spin-offs in the Play Store. We like this one because it’s in active development, added a bunch of extra stuff to do, and more options for the player. You get four classes to choose from, four difficulty levels, tons of loot and gear to collect, and even the environment can help or hinder you. We believe this is the best iteration of all the Pixel Dungeon games and the one we recommend first. However, you can try the others by searching for Pixel Dungeon in the Play Store. There are quite a few versions of it.
If we missed any great roguelike dungeon crawlers for Android, tell us about them in the comments. You can also click here to check out our latest Android app and game lists.
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