Microgue

Roguelikes are fairly simple when it comes to gameplay mechanics, but it still takes a lot of skill to survive countless encounters with terrible monsters, not to mention the fact that permadeath is usually a must-have of the genre. Hence, you have to start over if you happen to die, although that can also be a good thing, because it forces you to be more careful and really consider your options.

Microgue is a simple roguelike in which the goal is to stay alive and make your way out of every room by killing every monster to unlock the exit. The formula is simple, but the action itself is pretty fast-paced and challenging, especially if you are not a roguelike veteran. A few other additions make the experience even tougher, although at least the controls are simple and responsive.

To begin with, you play the role of a man who dies and goes to the afterlife, only to decide that he is not quite ready to leave yet. Thus, he begins a journey back to Earth, but the way there is long and full of nasty monsters. Obviously, the goal is to defeat these monsters and help the man make his way home, and you have a limited time window to do so.

Each level features almost the same mechanics, but the difficulty level increases along the way. Thus, you have to kill all the monsters in order to open the doors and move onto the next map, and each map is more challenging than the last. Faster enemies make it difficult for you to hit them, while larger monsters come with a lot more hitpoints and damage.

Lastly, the simple graphics are actually quite nice, even if sometimes it’s difficult to see where you are going because of the weird colors. Each map has a unique layout, and you encounter a variety of enemies along the way. Don’t expect too much from the soundtrack, on the other hand, but then again you can easily turn it off and concentrate on survival instead.

In the end, Microgue is not a revolutionary roguelike, but it’s enjoyable enough to keep you busy when there’s nothing better to do. The challenge is certainly up there, depending on your experience with the genre.