@ x 700
July 27, 2015 11:49 AM Subscribe
Do you like Roguelikes? (Yes, you do.) Then you are going to enjoy this collection of over 700 free or open source Roguelikes available by torrent, the full set of which is listed here. Since its a torrent, I should mention that while everything seems legitimate here (Rock Paper Shotgun likes it, and the poster is a moderator on r/games and runs a highly regarded Steam group) from both a rights and a malware perspective, nothing is guaranteed. Suggestions among the 7 GB within...
Personally, I love ADOM and Nethack. The person who put it together recommended the following Top 10:
Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup
ADOM
ToME v4
Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead
Brogue
NetHack
DoomRL
Angband
IVAN
UnReal World
And out of the 200+ Angband variants:
Sil
Tome 2
Quickband
FAngband
Poschengband
PWMAngband
Zangband
Personally, I love ADOM and Nethack. The person who put it together recommended the following Top 10:
Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup
ADOM
ToME v4
Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead
Brogue
NetHack
DoomRL
Angband
IVAN
UnReal World
And out of the 200+ Angband variants:
Sil
Tome 2
Quickband
FAngband
Poschengband
PWMAngband
Zangband
@
posted by percor at 12:05 PM on July 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by percor at 12:05 PM on July 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
Oh, also, everyone (included you Lord_Pall!) must play Brogue, it is super approachable and pretty and good.
posted by percor at 12:06 PM on July 27, 2015 [7 favorites]
posted by percor at 12:06 PM on July 27, 2015 [7 favorites]
Nethack: More satanic than I remembered.
posted by sparkletone at 12:12 PM on July 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by sparkletone at 12:12 PM on July 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
I wonder if any of the mods will mention this thread on the next podcast.
posted by bondcliff at 12:14 PM on July 27, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by bondcliff at 12:14 PM on July 27, 2015 [3 favorites]
Lord_Pall: I consider Don't Starve a roguelike, and it's graphical, polished, and available for most systems. Give it a shot.
posted by tapesonthefloor at 12:21 PM on July 27, 2015
posted by tapesonthefloor at 12:21 PM on July 27, 2015
I do like roguelikes, but I'm not sure why one would want to download 700 roguelikes at once. The whole point of a roguelike is the depth of gameplay that you explore through an iterative process of dying and learning. Playing a roguelike for an hour is just scratching the surface, but doing that with each of these would still take months.
I guess what I'm asking is is anyone really expected to play 38 different versions of tome long enough to notice the differences between them? If not, why are people expected to download all of them?
posted by aubilenon at 12:26 PM on July 27, 2015 [5 favorites]
I guess what I'm asking is is anyone really expected to play 38 different versions of tome long enough to notice the differences between them? If not, why are people expected to download all of them?
posted by aubilenon at 12:26 PM on July 27, 2015 [5 favorites]
Sunless Sea is another good, graphical roguelike. It's nautical and set in a lovecraftian universe with excellent writing.
posted by nathan_teske at 12:30 PM on July 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by nathan_teske at 12:30 PM on July 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
I had no idea that "rare Angband variants" were something that anyone was bothering to collect and archive. That's a dustily obscure corner of digital culture even as these things go. But then I only ever spent hundreds of hours on "vanilla" Angband, so what do I know, I guess.
posted by RogerB at 12:36 PM on July 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by RogerB at 12:36 PM on July 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
I consider Don't Starve a roguelike, and it's graphical, polished, and available for most systems. Give it a shot.
Oh boy, I love the heck out of Don't Starve! A tip for people used to other roguelikes: there's no experience points, so avoiding combat is almost always better than engaging in it, and getting monsters to fight each other is pretty much the best.
posted by aubilenon at 12:37 PM on July 27, 2015
Oh boy, I love the heck out of Don't Starve! A tip for people used to other roguelikes: there's no experience points, so avoiding combat is almost always better than engaging in it, and getting monsters to fight each other is pretty much the best.
posted by aubilenon at 12:37 PM on July 27, 2015
Anyone looking for a fun deep dive should check out this classic previously from felix.
Modern games along these lines I've enjoyed: FTL, Dungeon of the Endless, Shoot First, Binding of Isaac, etc. Roguelike-inspired, I'd call them - far from the original style, but with lots of features lifted or homaged.
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 12:39 PM on July 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
Modern games along these lines I've enjoyed: FTL, Dungeon of the Endless, Shoot First, Binding of Isaac, etc. Roguelike-inspired, I'd call them - far from the original style, but with lots of features lifted or homaged.
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 12:39 PM on July 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
I wonder if any of the mods will mention this thread on the next podcast.
Look, there's pandering and then there's just outright shamelessness.
posted by cortex at 12:39 PM on July 27, 2015 [7 favorites]
Look, there's pandering and then there's just outright shamelessness.
posted by cortex at 12:39 PM on July 27, 2015 [7 favorites]
FTL. FTL FTL FTL FTL.
posted by scrump at 12:40 PM on July 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by scrump at 12:40 PM on July 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
I'm not sure why one would want to download 700 roguelikes at once
It's a work of preservation, an archival collection. And a remarkably comprehensive one! It reminds me a bit of Sedryn Tyros' "Ultima Classics Collection", which I can no longer find online (11 year old self-link). It takes a lot of work to pull these games together, triply so if most of them are in playable condition.
posted by Nelson at 12:43 PM on July 27, 2015 [4 favorites]
It's a work of preservation, an archival collection. And a remarkably comprehensive one! It reminds me a bit of Sedryn Tyros' "Ultima Classics Collection", which I can no longer find online (11 year old self-link). It takes a lot of work to pull these games together, triply so if most of them are in playable condition.
posted by Nelson at 12:43 PM on July 27, 2015 [4 favorites]
Rogue Legacy is a wonderfully polished 2D twitch platformer roguelike that gave me the best of nostalgia of games in my childhood combined with the convenience of modern game conventions, and works really well with a game controller hooked up to a computer if you don't have it on a console.
posted by foxfirefey at 12:47 PM on July 27, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by foxfirefey at 12:47 PM on July 27, 2015 [3 favorites]
I don't always play Roguelikes, but when I do it's Crusader Kings II in Ironman mode.
posted by selfnoise at 12:57 PM on July 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by selfnoise at 12:57 PM on July 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
Great and useful post! I'm back on the RL kick at the moment, having started catching up with a couple of years worth of missed Roguelike Radio podcasts and been sucked back in.
Currently loving Brogue, which never clicked with me before but the (I believe) reduced number of monkeys makes all the difference. Plus the fact it's excellent, of course. DCSS (tiles) is my "home" roguelike, but not tried out the current version yet. Still dabbling with random (ha!) 7DRLs at the moment. Lost Valkyrie is the only one that's stuck, very satisfying poking everything with your spear from two squares away or lobbing it and hoping it does the job. Consider that a recommendation.
Enough chat for now. Next step: install a half decent torrent client for the first time in years.
posted by comealongpole at 12:59 PM on July 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
Currently loving Brogue, which never clicked with me before but the (I believe) reduced number of monkeys makes all the difference. Plus the fact it's excellent, of course. DCSS (tiles) is my "home" roguelike, but not tried out the current version yet. Still dabbling with random (ha!) 7DRLs at the moment. Lost Valkyrie is the only one that's stuck, very satisfying poking everything with your spear from two squares away or lobbing it and hoping it does the job. Consider that a recommendation.
Enough chat for now. Next step: install a half decent torrent client for the first time in years.
posted by comealongpole at 12:59 PM on July 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
Surprisingly enough, here is yesterday's ascension on NAO...
posted by jim in austin at 1:10 PM on July 27, 2015
posted by jim in austin at 1:10 PM on July 27, 2015
I am both relieved and disappointed that my own Roguelike, Quest for Pants is not here.
Also, I have the sources for L.O.R.D. on Github, if anyone wants them.
posted by suetanvil at 1:11 PM on July 27, 2015
Also, I have the sources for L.O.R.D. on Github, if anyone wants them.
posted by suetanvil at 1:11 PM on July 27, 2015
aubilenon: “I do like roguelikes, but I'm not sure why one would want to download 700 roguelikes at once. The whole point of a roguelike is the depth of gameplay that you explore through an iterative process of dying and learning. Playing a roguelike for an hour is just scratching the surface, but doing that with each of these would still take months. I guess what I'm asking is is anyone really expected to play 38 different versions of tome long enough to notice the differences between them? If not, why are people expected to download all of them?”
One of the nice things about most modern torrent clients – like uTorrent and Deluge, for example – is that they afford the user the ability to download specific selected files of a torrent. So, in this case, you could download just three out of the 700 different games if you wanted to. (Still, it may be more neighborly to download and seed the whole block if you have the space.)
posted by koeselitz at 1:11 PM on July 27, 2015
One of the nice things about most modern torrent clients – like uTorrent and Deluge, for example – is that they afford the user the ability to download specific selected files of a torrent. So, in this case, you could download just three out of the 700 different games if you wanted to. (Still, it may be more neighborly to download and seed the whole block if you have the space.)
posted by koeselitz at 1:11 PM on July 27, 2015
I'd urge anyone who tries and likes Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup to play online! That way, you can ruin your life in the company of nice people, and have the ruination quantified by stats and tracking.
posted by sleevener at 1:21 PM on July 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by sleevener at 1:21 PM on July 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
While your torrent application is running, you could add The Pirate Bay Bundle, a curated collection of 101 free games. Some of them might even be roguelikes.
posted by KMB at 1:21 PM on July 27, 2015
posted by KMB at 1:21 PM on July 27, 2015
On the modern non-free roguelike-like side:
I agree that FTL is the one must-buy, one of the most addictive games I have ever played. The Captain's Edition is a must for experienced players.
For action Roguelikes: Binding of Isaac and Spelunky. I have also heard good things about Eldrich.
For strategy Roguelikes: Out There, Xcom (sorta), Dwarf Fortress (sorta), I have heard good things about Crowntakers
For writing powered Roguelikes: Sunless Sea, as mentioned, is only okay as a game, but amazingly written
posted by blahblahblah at 1:24 PM on July 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
I agree that FTL is the one must-buy, one of the most addictive games I have ever played. The Captain's Edition is a must for experienced players.
For action Roguelikes: Binding of Isaac and Spelunky. I have also heard good things about Eldrich.
For strategy Roguelikes: Out There, Xcom (sorta), Dwarf Fortress (sorta), I have heard good things about Crowntakers
For writing powered Roguelikes: Sunless Sea, as mentioned, is only okay as a game, but amazingly written
posted by blahblahblah at 1:24 PM on July 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
Ooooh, thanks for this. Also, Brogue is pretty friggin great.
posted by brundlefly at 1:28 PM on July 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by brundlefly at 1:28 PM on July 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
Lord_Pall: I consider Don't Starve a roguelike, and it's graphical, polished, and available for most systems. Give it a shot.
Woah. I didn't mean to hand in my gaming card.
I've played many a roguelike. Definitely played a lot of Don't Starve. Hell, I really like Dwarf Fortress.
This was more being overwhelmed with the giant torrent.
What are the best in that package?
posted by Lord_Pall at 1:32 PM on July 27, 2015
Woah. I didn't mean to hand in my gaming card.
I've played many a roguelike. Definitely played a lot of Don't Starve. Hell, I really like Dwarf Fortress.
This was more being overwhelmed with the giant torrent.
What are the best in that package?
posted by Lord_Pall at 1:32 PM on July 27, 2015
Managed a single win with ADOM, the halfling's ability to chuck stones somehow really worked out well. I managed to take advantage of the LIFE based farming in ADOM a number of times, which was a big boost to the character progression.
Nelson, sorry U9 broke your heart... it was a swing and a miss for sure.
posted by Wetterschneider at 1:32 PM on July 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
Nelson, sorry U9 broke your heart... it was a swing and a miss for sure.
posted by Wetterschneider at 1:32 PM on July 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
sleevener didn't mention that crawl.berotato.org is the official Mefightclub DCSS server. But yes, it's by far the best way to play IMO.
(and if you want to be a super DCSS nerd, come join us in #octolog on irc.lunarnet.org. We have a bot!)
posted by neckro23 at 1:43 PM on July 27, 2015 [6 favorites]
(and if you want to be a super DCSS nerd, come join us in #octolog on irc.lunarnet.org. We have a bot!)
posted by neckro23 at 1:43 PM on July 27, 2015 [6 favorites]
What kind of demon are you?
posted by Going To Maine at 2:14 PM on July 27, 2015
posted by Going To Maine at 2:14 PM on July 27, 2015
Yay!
I happen to be a big fan of TOME, but I love them all.
posted by lumpenprole at 5:48 PM on July 27, 2015
I happen to be a big fan of TOME, but I love them all.
posted by lumpenprole at 5:48 PM on July 27, 2015
Oh, no! I still haven't ascended in vanilla NetHack, and I've been playing that off and on for close to 20 years.
Thanks for the post, though. It deeply appeals to my inner roguelike enthusiast & amateur archivist.
posted by talking leaf at 6:12 PM on July 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
Thanks for the post, though. It deeply appeals to my inner roguelike enthusiast & amateur archivist.
posted by talking leaf at 6:12 PM on July 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
Sil is a gem of a game, it's much more than a simple Angband variant. A magnificent crafting system, genuinely useful stealth, rich thematic links to Tolkien, a much shorter dungeon, it's well worth a look to any fan of traditional roguelikes who hasn't played it, even if they usually hate the Angband family.
posted by Proofs and Refutations at 7:44 PM on July 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Proofs and Refutations at 7:44 PM on July 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
One of the nice things about most modern torrent clients – like uTorrent and Deluge, for example – is that they afford the user the ability to download specific selected files of a torrent. So, in this case, you could download just three out of the 700 different games if you wanted to.
Well, you could do that if the person who put the torrent together hadn't compressed the whole thing into a single RAR.
(I know the adage about gift horses, and looking into the mouths thereof, but still.)
posted by Shmuel510 at 8:40 PM on July 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
Well, you could do that if the person who put the torrent together hadn't compressed the whole thing into a single RAR.
(I know the adage about gift horses, and looking into the mouths thereof, but still.)
posted by Shmuel510 at 8:40 PM on July 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
I had no idea that "rare Angband variants" were something that anyone was bothering to collect and archive.
It is the age of this sort of thing. Someone collected 1,272 rare Pepe images; eBay bids on the collection reached over $99,000.
posted by save alive nothing that breatheth at 10:51 PM on July 27, 2015
It is the age of this sort of thing. Someone collected 1,272 rare Pepe images; eBay bids on the collection reached over $99,000.
posted by save alive nothing that breatheth at 10:51 PM on July 27, 2015
As someone who spent many years (badly) playing Nethack, I'm finding Binding of Isaac: Rebirth a good way to scratch that itch currently.
(Though I'm maybe a little late to that party.)
posted by mitabrev at 4:02 AM on July 28, 2015
(Though I'm maybe a little late to that party.)
posted by mitabrev at 4:02 AM on July 28, 2015
For those of you with android devices, I'll recommend Shattered Planet. Free to install, some non-intrusive in-app purchases.
posted by wenat at 7:05 PM on August 1, 2015
posted by wenat at 7:05 PM on August 1, 2015
Shattered Planet is on iOS as well.
posted by brundlefly at 10:19 AM on August 3, 2015
posted by brundlefly at 10:19 AM on August 3, 2015
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This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
Part of me wonders if I hate the ascii roguelikes.
Is there a set of must-play for people with graphics? I know unreal world is a bit more modern, but I'm not sure about the rest.
posted by Lord_Pall at 12:05 PM on July 27, 2015