During Not-E3's Devolver Digital Presentation, one of the showcased games was Cult of the Lamb, which is scheduled to release on Aug. 11 and follows a possessed Lamb who must start a cult in the woods. Along with titles such as Nadir: A Grimdark Deckbuilder and Mortal Sin, Cult of the Lamb is just one of the many upcoming titles that combine the horror and roguelike styles.
Besides the popularity of the two genres, the influx of these new titles can also be attributed to the excellent horror-based roguelikes that already exist. Among these existing games, certain titles like Darkest Dungeon especially stand out.
Golden Light (2022)
Seemingly inspired by franchises such as Silent Hill and Deadly Premonition, Golden Light is a survival horror FPS where the player must navigate the procedurally generated meat-filled labyrinth called "the Gut" in order to save their girlfriend. Since everything is made of living meat, players have to be careful while traveling, because anything could simply be a mimic that will try to kill the player if they get too close.
With gameplay mechanics that are constantly changing and a large amount of symbolic imagery, Golden Light provides a uniquely surreal experience in both presentation and execution. Currently, the developer plans to expand upon the story of this game in the upcoming prequel titled Golden Light of Rose.
Dead Estate (2021)
Released towards the end of 2021, Dead Estate is an isometric action roguelike shooter where the player must try to survive through the many levels of a spooky mansion. Each time the player enters one of the randomized rooms, they're locked inside and must kill all the monsters within the room to be able to progress again. The goal of each level is to find the key and beat the level's boss.
But, if the player takes too long, then a terrifying creature known as "Chunk" will start endlessly chasing the player around the level until they enter the boss arena. With eight unique player characters, 70 different weapons, optional challenges, various secrets, and over 100 items, this fast-paced adventure is filled with plenty of replay value.
Don't Starve (2013)
Originally released in 2013, Don't Starve is a survival roguelike that's inspired by open-world sandbox games like Minecraft and Lost in Blue with an art style influenced by the filmmaker Tim Burton. In this steampunk Lovecraftian horror title, the game primarily follows a scientist named Wilson who's tricked by the supposed antagonist, Maxwell, into getting trapped within a parallel dimension known as the Constant.
Now, Wilson and other playable characters must try to survive in this deadly world. While dealing with various supernatural threats, players must explore the randomly generated world and manage their character's hunger, health, and sanity.
Dead End Road (2016)
One of the best driving horror games is the 2016 retro-inspired roguelike Dead End Road, which has the player drive down dark roads in order to avoid a supernatural creature. At the start of the game, the protagonist meets an old lady who knows a ritual that can supposedly grant any wish. After the ritual, however, some sort of dangerous entity is now chasing the protagonist.
To complete the ritual and survive the night, the player must now continuously drive down the dark highways, encounter random events, visit shops, and find three specific items to give to the old lady. Depending on what the player wrote in the in-game text box as their wish, a text parser will interpret the words and generate a unique ending.
No Delivery (2019)
Released in 2019, No Delivery is a roguelike CRPG and one of the best RPG Maker horror games on Itch.io. As a randomized nightshift employee at a local pizzeria, the player must navigate the procedurally generated surreal labyrinths within the building and fight deadly monsters in order to escape. If the employee dies, then the player receives a new randomized employee for the next run.
Besides the pixelated RPG Maker aesthetic, No Delivery sets itself apart from other games like Five Nights at Freddy's by focusing on heavy topics such as the struggles of minimum wage jobs and late-stage capitalism. Similar to these employees, low-wage workers are often trapped within thankless jobs until they die, and then they're easily replaced as if they meant nothing at all.
World of Horror (2020)
Released in Early Access in 2020, World of Horror is a mystery roguelike RPG whose aesthetics and themes are based on H. P. Lovecraft, Junji Ito, and '80s PC adventure games. Since the eldritch gods are reawakening, the seaside town of Shiokawa, Japan is becoming overrun by supernatural phenomena. As one of five unique characters, the player must try to prevent the upcoming apocalypse by solving these strange cases.
Despite still being in Early Access, the game already has over 10 cases filled with randomized events, various creatures, difficult turn-based battles, hard decisions, and multiple endings. Even after several playthroughs, players may still have to rely on some luck to get through this complex and terrifying world.
Eyes in the Dark (2022)
Published by Gearbox Publishing, Eyes in the Dark is a 2022 action roguelike platformer that mixes a storybook art style with a monochromatic silent film aesthetic. Set in 1920s England, the game follows a young girl named Victoria Bloom who travels to Bloom Manor to visit her grandfather Victor. When she arrives, however, the darkness has taken over the manor and kidnapped her grandfather.
Now, Victoria must use her flashlight to travel through the shifting rooms of the house and fight the creatures of darkness. During each run, the player can find new items and upgrades, and each new area in the house requires the player to choose random perks and weaknesses.
Inscryption (2021)
Created by Canadian indie developer Daniel Mullins (who also created the metafictional game Pony Island), Inscryption is a deck-building escape-the-room game released towards the end of 2021. In this found footage experience, the player controls a fictional vlogger named Luke Carder who discovers the lost video game version of Inscryption after finding coordinates on a pack of Inscryption cards.
In the game, the player is trapped within a cabin and forced to play a roguelike card game against a demonic dealer. After discovering that some of the cards can talk, the player begins solving puzzles in order to uncover the dark truths behind this haunted game. Since some players were disappointed that the roguelike elements were only a part of the experience, a DLC was later released that included an endless mode version of the deckbuilder card game.
Darkest Dungeon (2016)
With the Early Access version of Darkest Dungeon II having been released towards the end of 2021, now is the perfect time to play the original 2016 brutal roguelike RPG Darkest Dungeon. In this gothic turn-based dungeon-crawler, the player's ancestor has doomed both their family and the world by excavating an ancient portal within the depths of their mansion's dungeons that unleashes an army of demonic monsters.
Since the player has now inherited the mansion, they must assemble a group of heroes in order to navigate the ever-changing underground labyrinth to reach the portal and stop the apocalypse. Because the gameplay is extremely challenging, however, many of the heroes will likely die on the journey, which will result in perma-death.
The Binding of Isaac - Rebirth (2014)
Along with Spelunky, the original 2011 Flash game The Binding of Isaac largely contributed to the revitalization of the roguelike genre. While this first iteration was already great, however, the game truly became a historic video game classic after the 2014 remake The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth, which used a more advanced game engine that allowed additional content that Flash couldn't support.
Based on the biblical tale of the same name, the game follows the titular Isaac as he escapes to his house's basement in order to escape his mother who plans to sacrifice him. But, he then discovers that the basement is a convoluted dungeon-esque labyrinth filled with deadly creatures. Using his tears and other items along the way, Isaac must navigate the randomized rooms, fight bosses, and escape the basement.