The roguelike is one of the most popular game genres, especially in the world of indie games, arguably thanks to the enormous success ofThe Binding Of Isaacthat popularized the mechanicsfrom the classic roguelikesof the 80s and 90s. Due to the number of times roguelikes are replayed, having a good selection of playable characters is arguably integral to a good roguelike; there are of course edge cases, such asHades, which uses a selection of extremely unique weapons instead.
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Games such asRogueand other classic roguelikes often feature plenty of classes and races that players can create characters with, but this list will focus more on modern roguelikes with more concrete character and class selections.
820 Minutes Till Dawn
This game ishighly similar toVampire Survivorsbut has players manually firing their weapons rather than automatically.20 Minutes Till Dawndoes feature boss enemies, multiple maps, and plenty of possible builds, but things would get repetitive quickly if not for its variety of playable characters.
20 Minutes Till Dawnfeatures twelve playable characterswhich can be combined with one of several unique weapons fora variety of builds. Every playable character has their own unique health stat, as well as a passive ability and unique art that helps players to identify them more easily.
7Tiny Rogues
This charming pixel-art roguelike has players battling through rooms one after the other against several bullet-hell enemies and bosses. The game sets itself apart with its minimalistic style and RPG elements, with each character having stats that affect the damage of the game’s various weapons.
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Tiny Rogueshas a total of 12 character classes with their own starting gear, stats, and passive abilities, making each of them truly unique to play and encouraging different play styles. These classes include everything from ranged specialists like the “Ranger” to magic users like the “Sorcerer”, many of which need to be unlocked through playing the game.
6Nuclear Throne
As one of the most iconic roguelikes of the indie roguelike boom, this pixel arttop-down shooterwas developed by Vlambeer and features plenty of unique playable characters to unlock over the course of the game.
Each character is unique with their own ability and play style, as well as brilliant art to represent them. Every character feels different inNuclear Throne, and each of them works better with different mutations, giving the player plenty of options to experiment with and keeping the game fresh for a good while.
5Risk Of Rain 2
This sequel to the hit indie game turned the original on its head with an extra dimension, bringing the game to 3D with fourteen playable characters, two of which are available through DLC.
Risk Of Rain 2’scharactersare unique in their play styles, having different stats and skills that work similarly to abilities from MOBA games likeLeague Of Legends, with powerful effects controlled by cooldowns. Because each character has their own set of skills, each feels very different to play, adding a tremendous amount of replay value to an already great roguelike.
4Rogue Legacy 2
AlthoughRogue Legacy 2doesn’t necessarily have set playable characters, it does feature a wide array of classes that are used to randomly generate named characters for the player. There are a total of fifteen classes inRogue Legacy 2, providing a good amount of variety.
Each character class offers a distinct style, switching up the gameplay and keeping players on their toes. The game’s notorious succession system, in which after players die they choose their next heir (character), and a smattering of random traits also add extra variety to the game’s playable characters.
3The Binding Of Isaac
Although it was released originally with just six playable characters,The Binding Of Isaacnow features seventeen playable characters in its current state; after the launch ofRebirthand the DLCs that followed,Afterbirth+, and the more recentRepentance.
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Characters inThe Binding Of Isaaccan vary in their uniqueness, but they often feature different stats and active items, with only a few characters (such as Azazel and Lilith) being truly different from the rest. Furthermore, each of the game’s characters has an alternate version that changes up their play-style in unique ways.
2Streets Of Rogue
This top-down GTA-style rogue-like takes elements from the immersive-sim genre, with each floor effectively acting as a playground for the player as they are tasked with completing various objectives through the creative use of their equipment and their character’s unique traits and/or special ability.
Streets Of Roguefeatures over twenty playable characters, with six new ones being added through the game’s character pack DLC. Each character has their own unique play style that encourages different styles of play, from a violent soldier to a smooth-talking bartender.
1Vampire Survivors
This break-out indie hit features simplistic but addictive gameplay in which players are tasked with defeating hordes of enemies using automatic attacks, gathering XP dropped from enemies to level up and upgrade their character.
Vampire Survivorsfeatures a whopping fifty-seven playable characters which can be unlocked in various ways;some of these characters are only available through DLC, while others are secret, but many of them can be unlocked by purchasing them with gold, the game’s meta-currency. Hunting for secret characters and trying out different builds with the game’s plethora of characters makes for a great incentive to keep playing, and only adds to the game’s addictive nature.
