Editing Roguelike (section)

==Gameplay and design==
Drawing from the concepts of [[tabletop role-playing game]]s such as ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'', nearly all roguelikes give the player control of a character, which they may customize by selecting a [[Character class|class]], [[Race (fantasy)|race]], and gender, and adjusting [[Attribute (role-playing games)|attributes]] points and [[Skill (role-playing games)|skills]]. At the start of the game, the character is placed at the top-most [[Level (computer and video games)|level]] of a dungeon, with basic equipment such as a simple weapon, armor, torches, and food. Following along the role-playing concept of a [[dungeon crawl]], the player moves the character through the dungeon, collecting treasure which can include new weapons, armours, magical devices, potions, scrolls, food, and money, while having to fight [[mob (video gaming)|monsters]] that roam the dungeon.<ref name="newyorker">{{cite magazine |last=Rothman |first=Joshua |date=April 22, 2014 |title=Video Games That Embrace Irony and Death |url=http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/video-games-that-embrace-irony-and-death |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117034802/http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/video-games-that-embrace-irony-and-death |archive-date=November 17, 2015 |access-date=November 14, 2015 |magazine=[[The New Yorker|New Yorker]]}}</ref> Most combat is performed simply by attempting to move the character into the same space as the monster. The game then calculates the damage that the character and monster deal.<ref name="craddock chp2"/> Other types of attacks, such as firing an arrow or performing an offensive magic spell, can often be performed as well.<ref name=":8">{{Cite book|title=Solving the Narrative Paradox in VEs — Lessons from RPGs. Intelligent Virtual Agents: 4th International Workshop.|date=2003|publisher=Springer|author1=Rouchart, Sandy|author2=Aylett, Ruth|isbn=978-3-540-39396-2|location=Berlin|pages=245–246|oclc=166468859}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Gygax, Gary|title=Dungeon Masters Guide|publisher=TSR|year=1979|isbn=0-935696-02-4|location=Lake Geneva, WI|pages=114|oclc=13642005}}</ref>

Defeating monsters earns the character [[experience point]]s, and after earning enough points, the character will gain an experience level, improving their [[Health (gaming)|hit points]], [[Magic (gaming)|magic capability]], and other attributes. Monsters may drop treasure to be looted. The character dies if they lose all their hit points. As most roguelikes feature the concept of [[permadeath]], this represents the end of the game, and the player will need to restart the game with a newly made character.<ref name="craddock intro"/> Roguelikes are nearly always [[Turn-based strategy|turn-based]], with the game only reacting when the player makes an action with the character.<ref name="craddock intro"/> This allows players to evaluate a difficult situation, such as being cornered by several monsters, at their own pace and determine the best strategy.<ref name="newyorker"/>

The player generally has to explore the dungeon to reveal its contents, similar to a [[fog of war#In video games|fog of war]]. Many roguelikes include visibility elements, such as a torch to provide illumination to see monsters in nearby squares, or [[Line of sight (gaming)|line of sight]] to limit which monsters are visible from the player's position. Dungeons tend to be connected by stairs; lower dungeon levels generally are more difficult than higher ones, so that an underdeveloped character will have difficulty progressing too fast. Dungeon levels and the population of monsters and treasure within them are generated randomly using [[procedural generation]], so no game is the same on subsequent playthroughs. Most roguelikes have an ultimate goal of either claiming an item located at the deepest level of the dungeon, or defeating a specific monster that lives on that level.<ref name="craddock intro"/> Typical roguelikes assess the player's performance at the end of the game through a score based on the amount of treasure, money, experience earned, and how fast the player finished the game, if they managed to do so. The score is displayed in a ranked scoreboard to compare the player's performance on successive runs.<ref name="play 80"/>

===Key features===
{{anchor|Berlin Interpretation}}
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Rogue Unix Screenshot CAR.PNG|thumb|right|The interface of the original ''[[Rogue (computer game)|Rogue]]'' as it looked on an ASCII [[computer terminal]]]] -->
[[File:Vultures-2.1.0 screenshot.jpg|thumb|[[Isometric graphics in video games and pixel art|Isometric]] "Vulture" sprite-based interface for the roguelike game ''[[NetHack]]'']]

What gameplay elements explicitly define a "roguelike" game remains a point of debate within the video game community.<ref name="arstech 2020">{{cite web | url = https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/03/ascii-art-permadeath-the-history-of-roguelike-games/ | title = ASCII art + permadeath: The history of roguelike games | first = Richard C. | last = Moss | date = March 19, 2020 | access-date = March 19, 2020 | work = [[Ars Technica]] | archive-date = March 19, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200319161905/https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/03/ascii-art-permadeath-the-history-of-roguelike-games/ | url-status = live }}</ref> There is broad agreement that roguelike games incorporate gameplay elements popularized by the [[text-based game]] ''[[Rogue (computer game)|Rogue]]'' (1980), which bore out many variations due to its success;<ref name="newyorker"/><ref name="pcgamer 50"/> As of 2015, several hundred games claiming to be roguelikes were available through the [[Steam (service)|Steam]] game catalog,<ref name="craddock intro">Craddock 2015, Introduction: "Rodney and Friends".</ref> and the user-run [[wiki]] RogueBasin tracks hundreds of roguelikes and their development.<ref name="makeuseof spin"/>

Some players and developers sought a more narrow definition for "roguelike" as variations on ''Rogue'' introduced new concepts or eschewed other principles that they felt moved the games away from the flavor of what ''Rogue'' was.<ref name="arstech 2020"/> At the International Roguelike Development Conference 2008 held in Berlin, Germany, players and developers established a definition for roguelikes known as the "'''Berlin Interpretation'''".<ref name="bi text">{{cite web | url = http://www.roguebasin.com/index.php?title=Berlin_Interpretation | title = Berlin Interpretation (definition of a "Roguelike") | work = RogueBasin | access-date = November 17, 2015 | archive-date = November 6, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151106174603/http://www.roguebasin.com/index.php?title=Berlin_Interpretation | url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="gamespy roguelikes">{{cite web | url = http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/ftl-faster-than-light/1227287p1.html | title = Rise Of The Roguelikes: A Genre Evolves | first = Tom | last = Hatfield | date = January 29, 2013 | access-date = April 24, 2013 | work = [[GameSpy]] | archive-date = October 13, 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181013192444/http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/ftl-faster-than-light/1227287p1.html | url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="gsw berlin">{{cite web | url = http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2009/12/column_play_the_berlin_interpr.php | title = COLUMN: @Play: The Berlin Interpretation | work = [[Game Set Watch]] | date = December 18, 2009 | first = John | last = Harris | access-date = November 17, 2015 | archive-date = September 20, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150920054535/http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2009/12/column_play_the_berlin_interpr.php | url-status = dead }}</ref> The Berlin Interpretation set out a set of high-value and low-value factors, basing these lists on five canon roguelike games: ''ADOM'', ''Angband'', ''Linley's Dungeon Crawl'', ''NetHack'', and ''Rogue''. The Interpretation was designed to determine "how roguelike a game is", noting that missing a factor does not eliminate a game from being a roguelike, nor does possessing the features make a game roguelike.<ref name="bi text"/><ref name="gsw berlin"/> John Harris of ''[[Game Set Watch]]'' exemplified this by using these criteria to numerically score some seemingly roguelike games; ''Linley's Dungeon Crawl'' and ''NetHack'' scored highest, earning 57.5 points of 60 available based on the Interpretation, while ''Toe Jam & Earl'' and ''Diablo'', games commonly compared to roguelikes, earned only about half of the points.<ref name="gsw berlin"/>

The Berlin Interpretation defined nine high-value factors:<ref name="gsw berlin"/>
* The game uses [[random dungeon]] generation to increase replayability.<ref name="1up essential">{{cite web | url = http://www.1up.com/features/essential-50-rogue | title = Essential 50: Part 12. Rogue | work = [[1UP.com]] | access-date = March 29, 2010 | first = Jeremy | last = Parish | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130228092550/http://www.1up.com/features/essential-50-rogue | archive-date = February 28, 2013 | df = mdy-all }}</ref> Games may include pre-determined levels such as a town level common to the ''[[Moria (1983 video game)|Moria]]'' family where the player can buy and sell equipment, but these are considered to reduce the randomness set by the Berlin Interpretation.<ref name="gsw berlin"/> This "random generation" is nearly always based on some [[procedural generation]] approach rather than true randomness. Procedural generation uses a set of rules defined by the game developers to seed the generation of the dungeon generally to assure that each level of the dungeon can be completed by the player without special equipment, and also can generate more aesthetically pleasing levels.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/procedural-vs-randomly-generated-content-in-game-design | title = Procedural vs. Randomly Generated Content in Game Design | first = Josh | last = Bycer | date = August 7, 2015 | access-date = March 19, 2020 | work = [[Game Developer (website)|Game Developer]] | archive-date = March 20, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200320045659/https://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/JoshBycer/20150807/250760/Procedural_vs_Randomly_Generated_Content_in_Game_Design.php | url-status = live }}</ref> In addition, the appearances of [[Magic (gaming)|magical]] items may vary from run to run. For example, a "bubbly" potion might heal wounds one game, then poison the player character in the next.
* The game uses [[permadeath]]. Once a character dies, the player must begin a new game, known as a "run", which will regenerate the game's levels anew due to procedural generation. A "save game" feature will only provide suspension of gameplay and not a limitlessly recoverable state; the [[Saved game|stored session]] is deleted upon resumption or character death. Players can circumvent this by backing up stored game data ("save scumming"), an act that is usually considered [[Cheating (video games)|cheating]]; the developers of ''Rogue'' introduced the permadeath feature after introducing a save function, finding that players were repeatedly loading saved games to achieve the best results.<ref name="craddock chp2"/> According to ''Rogue''{{'}}s Michael Toy, they saw their approach to permadeath not as a means to make the game painful or difficult but to put weight on every decision the player made as to create a more immersive experience.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/-i-rogue-i-co-creator-permadeath-was-never-supposed-to-be-about-pain- | title = Rogue co-creator: permadeath was never supposed to be 'about pain' | first = Bryant | last = Francis | date = September 19, 2016 | access-date = September 28, 2016 | work=[[Game Developer (website)|Game Developer]] | archive-date = September 24, 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160924024511/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/281688/Rogue_cocreator_permadeath_was_never_supposed_to_be_about_pain.php | url-status = live }}</ref>
* The game is [[Turn-based strategy|turn-based]], giving the player as much time as needed to make a decision. Gameplay is usually step-based, where player actions are performed serially and take a variable measure of in-game time to complete. Game processes (e.g., monster movement and interaction, progressive effects such as poisoning or starvation) advance based on the passage of time dictated by these actions.<ref name="gsw berlin"/>
* The game is [[Tile-based video game|grid-based]]. Gameplay takes place on a uniform grid of tiles. This is usually presented in an [[ASCII]] representation of the dungeon.
* The game is [[Mode (user interface)|non-modal]], in that every action should be available to the player regardless of where they are in the game. The Interpretation notes that shops like in ''Angband'' do break this non-modality.
* The game has a degree of complexity due to the number of different game systems in place that allow the player to complete certain goals in multiple ways, creating [[emergent gameplay]].<ref name="gsw berlin"/><ref name="gd heart"/> For example, to get through a locked door, the player may attempt to pick the lock, kick it down, burn down the door, or even tunnel around it, depending on their current situation and inventory. A common phrase associated with ''NetHack'' is "The Dev Team Thinks of Everything" in that the developers seem to have anticipated every possible combination of actions that a player may attempt to try in their gameplay strategy, such as using gloves to protect one's character while wielding the corpse of a [[cockatrice]] as a weapon to petrify enemies by its touch.<ref name="craddock chp6"/>
* The player must use resource management to survive.<ref name="gsw berlin"/> Items that help sustain the player, such as food and healing items, are in limited supply, and the player must figure out how to use these most advantageously to survive in the dungeon. ''[[USGamer]]'' further considers "stamina decay" as another feature related to resource management. The player's character constantly needs to find food to avoid starvation, which prevents the player from exploiting health regeneration by simply either passing turns for a long period of time or fighting very weak monsters at low level dungeons.<ref name="usgamer guide">{{cite web|url=http://www.usgamer.net/articles/the-gateway-guide-to-roguelikes|title=The Gateway Guide to Roguelikes|date=April 6, 2015|work=[[USGamer]]|author=Jeremy Parish|access-date=May 4, 2015|archive-date=May 9, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150509104607/http://www.usgamer.net/articles/the-gateway-guide-to-roguelikes|url-status=live}}</ref> Rich Carlson, one of the creators of an early roguelike-like ''[[Strange Adventures in Infinite Space]]'', called this aspect a sort of "clock", imposing some type of deadline or limitation on how much the player can explore and creating tension in the game.<ref name="digitaleel interview">{{cite web | url = https://www.gamedeveloper.com/audio/-play-85-a-talk-with-digital-eel-makers-of-the-infinite-space-games | title = @Play 85: A Talk with Digital Eel, Makers of the Infinite Space Games | first = John | last = Harris | work=[[Game Developer (website)|Game Developer]] | date = March 22, 2016 | access-date = March 22, 2016 | archive-date = March 23, 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160323032114/http://gamasutra.com/blogs/JohnHarris/20160321/268520/Play_85_A_Talk_with_Digital_Eel_Makers_of_the_Infinite_Space_Games.php | url-status = live }}</ref>
* The game is focused on [[hack and slash]]-based gameplay, where the goal is to kill many monsters, and where other peaceful options do not exist.<ref name="gsw berlin"/>
* The game requires the player to explore the world, and discover the purpose of unidentified items. In games featuring random generation, this must be done again every playthrough, as both the map and the appearances of items change.<ref name="gsw berlin"/>

Low-value factors from the Berlin Interpretation are:<ref name="gsw berlin"/>
* The game is based on controlling only a single character throughout one playthrough.
* Monsters have behavior that is similar to the player-character, such as the ability to pick up items and use them, or cast spells.
* The game aimed to provide a tactical challenge that may require players to play through several times to learn the appropriate tactics for survival.<ref name="gsw berlin"/>
* The game involves exploring dungeons which are made up of rooms and interconnecting corridors. Some games may have open areas or natural features, such as rivers, though these are considered against the Berlin Interpretation.<ref name="gsw berlin"/>
* The game presents the status of the player and the game through numbers on the game's screen/interface.

Though this is not addressed by the Berlin Interpretation, roguelikes are generally single-player games. On [[multi-user]] systems, [[High score|leaderboards]] are often shared between players. Some roguelikes allow traces of former player characters to appear in later game sessions in the form of [[ghost]]s or [[Headstone|grave markings]]. Some games such as NetHack even have the player's former characters reappear as enemies within the dungeon. Multi-player turn-based derivatives such as ''TomeNET'', ''MAngband'', and ''[[Crossfire (computer game)|Crossfire]]'' do exist and are playable [[On-line and off-line|online]].<ref name="craddock bonus 7day">Craddock 2015, Bonus Round: "Excerpt from One Week Dungeons: Diaries of a Seven-Day Roguelike Challenge"</ref>

===Early roguelikes===
[[File:NetHack 3.4.3 ASCII capture ecran.png|thumb|right|A level in ''NetHack'' in ASCII mode]]
Early roguelikes were developed to be played on [[text-based user interface]]s, commonly UNIX-based computer mainframes and terminals used at colleges and universities before transitioning to personal computers. Games used a mix of [[ASCII]] or [[ANSI escape codes|ANSI]] characters to visually represent elements of the dungeon levels, creatures, and items on the level as in [[ASCII art]]. These games typically included one or two text lines presenting the player's current status at the bottom of the screen, and text-based menu screens to manage inventory, statistics, and other details.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/7-roguelikes-that-every-developer-should-study |title=7 roguelikes that every developer should study |date=June 12, 2017 |access-date=August 10, 2021 |archive-date=August 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210810053220/https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/299316/7_roguelikes_that_every_developer_should_study.php |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2019/08/remembering-the-best-shareware-era-dos-games-that-time-forgot/ |title=Remembering the best shareware-era DOS games that time forgot |work=Ars Technica |date=August 21, 2019 |access-date=August 10, 2021 |archive-date=August 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210810053219/https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2019/08/remembering-the-best-shareware-era-dos-games-that-time-forgot/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The player's character was nearly always represented by the <code>@</code> character across text-based roguelikes, which had been chosen by the developers of ''Rogue'' to stand for "where you're at".<ref name="craddock chp2"/> Other common examples would include <code>$</code> for monetary treasure and <code>D</code> for a dragon. Later games would take advantage of colour-based text graphics to increase the variation of creature types, such as a red <code>D</code> for a red dragon that would shoot fire, while a green <code>D</code> could indicate a green dragon that would shoot acid. Players would use the [[computer keyboard|keyboard]], using one keypress to enter a [[command (computing)|command]]. Sociologist Mark R. Johnson described these commonality of symbols and glyphs as [[Code (semiotics)|semiotic codes]] that gave an "aesthetic construction of nostalgia" by "depicting textual symbols as aesthetic forms in their own right" and consistency across multiple roguelikes.<ref>{{cite journal | journal = [[Games and Culture]] | first = Mark R. | last = Johnson | volume = 12 | issue = 2 | doi = 10.1177/1555412015585884 | pages = 115–135 | title = The Use of ASCII Graphics in Roguelikes: Aesthetic Nostalgia and Semiotic Difference | date = 2017 | s2cid = 64436113 }}</ref>

With modern computer systems, users developed alternate means of displaying the game, such as graphical tilesets and [[Isometric projection|Isometric]]-based graphical front ends, as well as interfaces that took advantage of keyboard and mouse UI controls, but otherwise still kept to the core tile-based gameplay.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2014/06/26/control-dwarf-fortress-with-isometric-graphics-and-mouse/ | title = Control Dwarf Fortress With Isometric Graphics And Mouse | date = June 26, 2014 | access-date = May 4, 2015 | first = Graham | last = Smith | work = [[Rock Paper Shotgun]] | archive-date = May 5, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150505003558/http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2014/06/26/control-dwarf-fortress-with-isometric-graphics-and-mouse/ | url-status = live }}</ref>

As computers offered more advanced user interfaces, such as [[windows (computing)|windows]] and point-and-click [[Menu (computing)|menus]], many traditional roguelikes were modified to include support for having multiple windows. This was useful to not only show the character-based dungeon, but details on the character's inventory, the monster they were in battle with, and other status messages, in separate windows. Having access to multiple windows also allowed having menus to complete more complex commands. More recent examples of roguelikes that have stayed with ASCII art-based displays include ''[[Cogmind]]'' (2017) and ''[[Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead]]'' (2013).<ref name="ks ascii art">{{cite web | url = https://killscreen.com/previously/articles/cogmind-proves-roguelike-isnt-done-ascii-art-yet/ | title = Roguelikes Aren't Done With ASCII Art Yet | first = Christian | last = Valentin | date = October 17, 2016 | access-date = January 4, 2020 | work = [[Kill Screen]] | archive-date = January 4, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200104075312/https://killscreen.com/previously/articles/cogmind-proves-roguelike-isnt-done-ascii-art-yet/ | url-status = live }}</ref>

===Rogue-lites and procedural death labyrinths===
<span class="anchor" id="Rogue-lites and procedural death labyrinths"></span>
[[File:Abyss Odyssey - Screenshot 06.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|''[[Abyss Odyssey]]'' combines roguelike elements with [[beat 'em up]] gameplay.]]
With computers and video game consoles capable of more advanced graphics and gameplay, numerous games have emerged that are loosely based on the classic roguelike design but diverge in one or more features. Many of these games use the concepts of procedurally generated maps and permadeath, while moving away from tile-based movement and turn-based gameplay, often using another gameplay genre such as [[action game]]s or [[platform game|platformers]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.destructoid.com/review-risk-of-rain-265467.phtml | title = Cloudy with a chance of being eviscerated | first = Darren | last = Nakamura | date = November 14, 2013 | access-date = November 18, 2013 | work = [[Destructoid]] | archive-date = November 17, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131117063435/http://www.destructoid.com/review-risk-of-rain-265467.phtml | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://za.ign.com/the-binding-of-isaac-rebirth/97192/feature/the-evolution-of-the-roguelike | title = The Evolution of the Roguelike | first = Jack | last = Forde | date = January 21, 2016 | access-date = January 22, 2016 | work = [[IGN]] | archive-date = January 22, 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160122163619/http://za.ign.com/the-binding-of-isaac-rebirth/97192/feature/the-evolution-of-the-roguelike | url-status = live }}</ref> Other titles deriving from roguelike games are based on the observation that the traditional roguelikes are difficult with a steep [[learning curve]], and a player may never complete these games over numerous play sessions, making these titles difficult to sell to a broader audience. These new games would include elements to reduce the difficulty as to draw in a larger audience.<ref name="ieee insight">{{cite web | url = http://insight.ieeeusa.org/insight/content/views/371703 | title = Going Rogue: A Brief History of the Computerized Dungeon Crawl | first = Nathan | last = Brewer | date = July 7, 2016 | access-date = September 15, 2016 | work = Insights | publisher = [[IEEE]] USA | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160919020229/http://insight.ieeeusa.org/insight/content/views/371703 | archive-date = September 19, 2016 | df = mdy-all }}</ref>

Many games with some of the Berlin Interpretation elements call themselves "roguelike", but bear little resemblance to the original ''Rogue'', causing confusion and dilution of the term.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/09/14/what-is-a-roguelike/ | title = Roguelike, Roguelikelike, Roguelikelikelike, Or Rogue? | first = Alice | last = O'Conner | date = September 14, 2016 | access-date = September 14, 2016 | work = [[Rock Paper Shotgun]] | archive-date = September 15, 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160915174253/https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/09/14/what-is-a-roguelike/ | url-status = live }}</ref> Some players of the Berlin Interpretation roguelikes disliked the dilution of the term, believing that in the 1990s and 2000s, the term "roguelikes" served well to distinguish games that forwent aesthetics to focus on depth of gameplay from games more comparable to interactive movies, particularly games that incorporated real-time gameplay elements which tended to reduce the game's complexity.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.pcgamer.com/people-who-argue-about-the-definition-of-roguelikes-are-annoying-but-what-if-theyre-right/ | title = People who argue about the definition of roguelikes are annoying, but what if they're right? | first = Luke | last = Winkie | date = June 6, 2021 | access-date = June 6, 2021 | work = [[PC Gamer]] | archive-date = June 7, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210607021359/https://www.pcgamer.com/people-who-argue-about-the-definition-of-roguelikes-are-annoying-but-what-if-theyre-right/ | url-status = live }}</ref> As such, the term "'''rogue-lite'''" or "'''roguelike-like'''" has been used by some to distinguish these games that possess some, but not all, of the Berlin Interpretation features from those that exactly meet the Berlin roguelike definition.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://penny-arcade.com/report/article/what-the-hell-is-a-roguelike-we-try-to-hash-out-a-definition | title = What the hell is a roguelike? We try to hash out a definition | first1 = Ben | last1 = Kuchera | first2 = Andrew | last2 = Groen| date = May 13, 2013 | access-date = July 1, 2013 | work = [[Penny Arcade Report]] |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130607061437/http://penny-arcade.com/report/article/what-the-hell-is-a-roguelike-we-try-to-hash-out-a-definition |archive-date = June 7, 2013}}</ref> The phrase "procedural death labyrinth" has also been applied to such games, as they retain the notion of permadeath and random level generation but lack the other high-value factors normally associated with roguelike games.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/on-procedural-death-labyrinths | title = On Procedural Death Labyrinths | first = Lars | last = Doucet | date = December 3, 2013 | access-date = March 5, 2014 | work =[[Game Developer (website)|Game Developer]] | archive-date = January 22, 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140122123259/http://gamasutra.com/blogs/LarsDoucet/20131203/206159/On_Procedural_Death_Labyrinths.php | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.destructoid.com/procedural-death-jam-cites-spelunky-and-ftl-as-influences-271396.phtml | title = Procedural Death Jam cites Spelunky and FTL as influences | work = [[Destructoid]] | date = March 3, 2014 | access-date = March 5, 2014 | first = Darren | last = Nakamura | archive-date = March 5, 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140305205436/http://www.destructoid.com/procedural-death-jam-cites-spelunky-and-ftl-as-influences-271396.phtml | url-status = live }}</ref>

Rogue-lites favor short gameplay runs with victory conditions, in contrast to some traditional roguelikes that can be played indefinitely. The shortness of a single gameplay run in rogue-lites can motivate players to continually replay the game in the hope of reaching completion, making replayability a high-value factor in these types of games.<ref name="hcg roguelite">{{cite web | url = https://hardcoregamer.com/2013/07/06/what-separates-a-roguelike-from-a-roguelite/47151/ | title = What Separates a Roguelike from a Roguelite? | first = Ethan | last = Hawkes | date = July 6, 2013 | access-date = December 21, 2020 | work = [[Hard Core Gamer]] | archive-date = November 12, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201112015103/https://hardcoregamer.com/2013/07/06/what-separates-a-roguelike-from-a-roguelite/47151/ | url-status = live }}</ref> Game journalist Joshua Bycer observed that several games considered as rogue-lites feature fixed events, even if the means to reach that may be through procedural generation, whereas a roguelike game typically lacks this level of predictability. For example, several rogue-lites require the player to travel a fixed number of biomes, each which culminates in a [[boss (video games)|boss fight]], such as ''Rogue Legacy''.<ref name="bycer book">{{cite book | title = Game Design Deep Dive - Roguelikes | first1 = Joshua | last1 =Bycer | publisher = [[CRC Press]] | year = 2021 | isbn = 9781000362046 | chapter = Chapter 9: The Roguelike Confusion }}</ref> Associated with their short length, many rogue-lites feature a [[metagaming|metagame]], whereby achieving certain goals will unlock persistent features such as the ability to select a new character at the start of the game or the addition of new items and monsters in the procedural generation of the game's levels.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2015/07/before-spelunky-and-ftl-there-was-only-ascii.html | title = Before Spelunky and FTL, There Was Only ASCII | first = Mark | last = Johnson | date = July 22, 2015 | access-date = July 31, 2015 | work = [[Paste (magazine)|Paste]] | archive-date = July 28, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150728171247/http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2015/07/before-spelunky-and-ftl-there-was-only-ascii.html | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.theguardian.com/games/2021/oct/11/modern-video-game-genres-explained-metroidvania-dungeon-crawler | title = Dungeon crawler or looter shooter? Nine video game genres explained | first = Keith | last = Stuart | date = October 11, 2021 | access-date = October 12, 2021 | work = [[The Guardian]] | archive-date = October 11, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211011155938/https://www.theguardian.com/games/2021/oct/11/modern-video-game-genres-explained-metroidvania-dungeon-crawler | url-status = live }}</ref> Alternatively, each run through rogue-lite may be to collect resources which one then advances their character within the metagame, and a player may simply forgo a complete run once they have collected sufficient materials for that advancement.<ref name="bycer book"/>

Several rogue-lites feature daily challenges, in which a preset [[random seed]] is used to generate the game's levels in a deterministic fashion so that each player will have the same encounters; players attempt to complete the game through those levels or otherwise get the highest score through online leaderboards.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://kotaku.com/more-games-need-daily-challenge-modes-1740109783 | title = More Games Need Daily Challenge Modes | first = Patrick | last = Klepeck | date = November 2, 2015 | access-date = November 4, 2015 | work = [[Kotaku]] | archive-date = November 3, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151103150528/http://kotaku.com/more-games-need-daily-challenge-modes-1740109783 | url-status = live }}</ref> Rogue-lites may also allow the player to enter the random seed directly as to be able to rechallenge the same set of levels or share a difficult set of levels with other players.

''US Gamer'' further identified games they consider [[edge case]]s of being roguelikes or rogue-lites, as they are inspired by ''Rogue'', and "that stray a bit further from the genre but still manage to scratch the same itch as a great roguelike". These include games such as the ''[[Diablo (series)|Diablo]]'' series, ''[[ToeJam & Earl]]'', and ''[[Dwarf Fortress]]'', the latter of which retains the classic ASCII art-approach to gameplay as traditional roguelikes.<ref name="usgamer guide"/><ref name="ks ascii art"/> ''[[Ars Technica]]'' writer Richard C. Moss alternatively suggested that the term "roguelike" is less necessarily about any specific genre definition but instead the idea that "games can be deep, inventive, challenging, and endlessly compelling experiences through their rules and their systems alone".<ref name="arstech 2020"/>

===Subgenres within roguelikes===
In considering the popularity of roguelikes that deviate from the Berlin Interpretation, the rogue-lites, some subgenres have emerged.

{{anchor|Action roguelike}}
Action roguelikes are typically based on combining gameplay of [[action game]]s within roguelikes instead of the turn-based gameplay. ''Spelunky'' is an example of combining a [[platform game]] with the roguelike formula, while ''The Binding of Isaac'' and ''Enter the Gungeon'' are effective roguelike [[shooter game]]s.<ref name="bycer book"/> Within action roguelikes have also emerged a minimalistic shooter roguelike, with ''[[Vampire Survivors]]'' as a leading example; in such games, the player generally fights through wave after wave of enemies, their character often fully firing or using all possible attacks without player intervention, with the ability to expand their character through a random selection of power-ups as they defeat more enemies.<ref name="arstechnica">{{cite web|url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2022/10/vampire-survivors-a-cheap-minimalistic-indie-game-is-my-game-of-the-year/|title=Vampire Survivors—a cheap, minimalistic indie game—is my game of the year|first=Aaron|last=Zimmerman|website=[[Ars Technica]]|date=2022-10-20|access-date=2022-10-27}}</ref>

Another type of roguelike subgenre is the [[Roguelike deck-building game|roguelike deck-builder]], where combat is resolved by using cards or an equivalent object. These games are inspired by physical [[living card game]]s, where the player builds their deck over the course of the game, forcing them to plan strategy on the fly. While the 2014 game ''Dream Quest'' is considered the first example of such a video game, the popularity of the genre was cemented with ''[[Slay the Spire]]'' in 2017.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.theverge.com/2022/6/30/23181999/roguelike-deckbuilder-genre-slay-the-spire-inscryption | title = How One Of Gaming's Most Intimidating Genres Spawned A Legion Of Hits | first = Lewis | last = Gordon | date = June 30, 2022 | accessdate = July 2, 2022 | work = [[The Verge]] }}</ref>