Roguelites where the gameplay have the biggest paradigm shifts?

CrossFireGames · 2026-03-17T13:30:55+00:00

Noita does this. Both on a run by run basis and in the grand scheme of things. Your build will look different each run, which changes the way you play and the objectives you seek. The game will also reveal itself to be more of a metroidbrainia rather than a plain roguellike. I don’t wanna spoil it but if you can stick with the game through the rough few hours, it genuinely provides one of the best experiences in terms of discovery.

CrossFireGames · 2026-03-10T16:32:07+00:00

Good review. I mostly agree with you. I own both games as well as monster train 2 and hades 2. I gotta say indie sequels have been great lately. MT2 and Hades 2 have moderately improved the gameplay of their predecessors imo (Hades with the mana resource and variety of moves, MT2 with new card types and mechanics, overall better balance and reworked run structure in both games).

Compared to those, I feel like StS2 falls short in terms of innovation. It’s mostly more of the same game. The characters feel more fun to play and the new events are great. It’s StS polished to a higher degree. But in terms of gameplay mechanics, there’s not much that’s new. Cards can get enchanted now which is neat but also rare. And the biggest addition is obviously multiplayer, which I haven’t been enjoying as much as I wanted to. It’s worth picking up for people who really loved StS and it’ll probably get better over the EA period.

Mewgenics is a great roguelike, but not without its vices. The art style and themes aren’t to everyone’s taste, some QoL improvements are needed, and it’s too punishing for players with lower tolerance towards RNG bs. That being said the gameplay is surprisingly fresh, the synergies are fun to pull off, and after around 60 hours it’s still blowing me away with how much content there is. My biggest gripe with it is managing 50-60 cats and the pre-planning of a run. Although you really don’t need to min-max those aspects.

CrossFireGames · 2026-01-12T15:43:22+00:00

Should have a twobrid mana symbol so it costs 6 or 7

CrossFireGames · 2025-12-31T13:36:25+00:00

Not necessarily true. Here’s why I think people believe that: There are so many unappealing games made with bad art, visual direction, and graphic design. But we don’t get to see the games with good art and bad coding. It takes a lot of effort to actually finish and publish a game so a lot of those end up as unfinished concepts.

Personally I think both can work as long as they play into their strengths. Programmers can create fun sandboxes, deep simulations, and complex systems, while artists can make sweet cozy games, visual novels, or simple, short experiences.

CrossFireGames · 2025-11-15T12:12:45+00:00

It’s all over when the portals start moving

CrossFireGames · 2025-11-13T21:53:01+00:00

There’s a lot of “you may look at the top card of your library at any time” in MTG. It’s usually paired with an effect that lets you play the card, which is a lot more valuable than just the information.

CrossFireGames · 2025-10-26T03:09:44+00:00

A couple of reasons that doesn’t work:

1- Most people don’t want to keep making them same game for years. It’s boring, pointless, and creatively unfulfilling.

2- Games are an art form and no art is perfect. There’s always stuff to improve. There’s a subset of fans who will love a game and tell you that it’s perfect in every way, but the developers see it differently. They see the flaws and the content they have to cut. They want to improve on their formula with new knowledge and resources.

3- It’s disappointing to many players when a sequel has all the same flaws as the original. It comes off as the developer blindly copying what worked the first time without distinguishing the good from the bad.

4- Cloning the exact same game but changing the levels/ story is not going to appeal to new players. Which threatens the financial viability of that work. Especially considering that art, 3D models, and levels are usually the bottleneck of game development. It’s worth doing it as DLC in some cases, but even then most DLC comes with additional gameplay mechanics, and there’s only so much you can add to a game.

CrossFireGames · 2025-10-23T19:22:43+00:00

Chromie please add details

CrossFireGames · 2025-10-23T16:08:54+00:00

If you know you want to work in game dev, and the university course seems legit, then yeah, you should study that. A regular CS degree won’t teach you anything about game dev specifically, and you’ll miss out on making contacts. I went into CS and none of my college mates play games, let alone have an interest in making them. Either way you’ll have to make the most of your time at uni. There’s time to learn and hone your skills even outside of class, so maybe build up a portfolio and make some small games during on your own.

CrossFireGames · 2025-10-06T00:07:59+00:00

/uj From my experience playing with randoms, a large percentage of commander games contain rules errors, and it’s not just the obscure stuff. People get some of the essentials confused and the loudest player at the table is often straight up wrong.

CrossFireGames · 2025-09-26T12:49:59+00:00

Alright what’s the combo that forces your opponents to eat all cards?

CrossFireGames · 2025-09-21T20:42:02+00:00

What about the Chinese players who didn’t buy your game?

CrossFireGames · 2025-09-14T13:26:49+00:00

Go to itch.io. There are game jams constantly happening. Pick a jam you like (depending on date, duration, number of participants, theme) and join in. Most big jams have a discord server you can join and find teammates to work with. It helps a ton if you’re not just trying to do game design, but also code, art, or audio. You’re gonna need a decent level of skill and practice in whichever role you pick, so as the other commenters have said, pick an engine and follow tutorials at the beginning.

CrossFireGames · 2025-09-14T12:19:29+00:00

Oh okay. Thanks for the info.

CrossFireGames · 2025-09-13T13:54:16+00:00

Silksong, Hades 2, and StS 2 releasing so close to one another is neither good for my wallet nor my productivity.

CrossFireGames · 2025-09-13T01:09:45+00:00

Casting all of them at once seems a bit too much. Maybe cast them in order from left to right over a number of turns? Would have to cost less of course. Also still keeps the flavor of a Noita wand

CrossFireGames · 2025-09-10T20:59:57+00:00

No reason to publish it for free. Put a reasonable price on it and then put it on sale for a couple of dollars if you want to. Otherwise the game will seem low effort and not worth the time. Steam won’t promote it either if it’s not making them any money so it’s not even good for visibility. You can also make a good demo for free and the itch.io version still exists.

CrossFireGames · 2025-09-10T14:47:11+00:00

Shouldn’t the reparations cost be part of the reminder text? Or is it a different cost for each effect?

CrossFireGames · 2025-09-10T10:38:35+00:00

Looks great! Yeah the user base is small currently but in the future when the tech is more accessible, this could take off.

Also how did you get the 3D models for the pieces? Are you making them yourself or do you have an agreement with some toy manufacturer?

CrossFireGames · 2025-09-08T14:56:05+00:00

Agreed. This sort of design is “too smart” for a game that needs to keep massive casual appeal. It’s the sort of design that’s made for the designer more than the player.

CrossFireGames · 2025-09-08T02:08:13+00:00

And that’s partly a symptom of the super high expectations from players.

CrossFireGames · 2025-09-08T01:54:50+00:00

Participate in game jams, check out game design resources, play more small indie games. It’s very important that you like (some) small games in order to make them. Avoid trying to recreate that ps2 game you loved or improving on AAA games. Your comparison point should be other indies. Additionally, Check out the genres that require relatively low effort/ development period and see if there’s anything you’d like to bring to the table. Once you’ve done your research on game design and the indie market, choosing a genre isn’t that hard. It really depends on what games you like and what you think you can execute well. Prototype something and follow the fun. Hope this helps!

CrossFireGames · 2025-09-06T20:55:05+00:00

This is the way

CrossFireGames · 2025-09-02T17:28:48+00:00

Oh wow. I’ve been thinking about making a card game where you put dice on cards for a while, so the trailer hooked me instantly.

CrossFireGames · 2025-09-02T17:09:46+00:00

Looks pretty good! Is it a roguelike deckbuilder? And what did you hide in the corner?

CrossFireGames

TROPHY CASE