Hades-Inspired Roguelike Emerges

Rogue Loops: A Hades-Inspired Roguelike with a Twist

The upcoming indie roguelike, Rogue Loops, is heavily inspired by Hades, boasting a similar art style and core gameplay loop. However, Rogue Loops introduces a unique twist on the established roguelike formula. While a firm release date remains unannounced, a free Steam demo allows players to experience the game's initial stages. A PC release is anticipated in early 2025.

The roguelike genre's recent surge in popularity has seen numerous interpretations, from action-oriented titles like Returnal to classic dungeon crawlers in the vein of Hades and its early-access sequel. Rogue Loops falls squarely into the latter category, offering a repeating dungeon with randomly generated loot and ability upgrades within a top-down perspective.

Though comparisons to Hades are inevitable given its Steam trailer and demo, Rogue Loops distinguishes itself with a key mechanic: ability upgrades come with significant downsides that dramatically impact gameplay.

This mechanic shares similarities with Hades' Chaos Gates, which provide powerful upgrades at the cost of detrimental effects. However, in Rogue Loops, these "curses" appear more impactful and varied, potentially persisting throughout an entire playthrough.

The narrative centers on a family trapped in a deadly time loop. Players navigate five distinct dungeon floors, each populated with unique enemies and bosses. As with most roguelikes, each run unlocks procedurally generated upgrades, enabling players to craft customized builds using both beneficial and detrimental effects.

While a precise release date remains elusive, the Steam store page indicates a Q1 2025 launch. Until then, a free demo offering access to the first floor is available on Steam, alongside numerous other roguelikes such as Dead Cells and Hades 2.

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