Best Rogue-likes on the Switch?

Game Rec

Just started Hades 1 on my PC. I've never played a true Rogue-like until now, and I love the formula. Super easy to get addicted to the progression style. It feels like every next run will get you a little closer to that next stage. That being said I am going to be travelling for the next month and I can't take my PC with me. I also don't believe that hades allows for transfer states so I don't really want to pay for the same game twice or have to restart my progress. But I can bring my switch, so I'm looking to find another rogue-like to fill my hours of travel.

I wanted to see what everybody else's opinions are on various other Rogue-likes that are available on the switch. Thinking about overall game play, how well it translates on the switch, the story, art style, rate of progression, anything else you think matters.

Thanks in advance!

in NintendoSwitchby rawrrr48

189

87%

FriedeOfAriandel

196

Slay the Spire is consuming my life at the moment

solarxbear

It’s been consuming my life for 3 years

Reasonable_Bake1327

So easy to pass an hour and half of the day on one run lol

Whogivesmate

690 hours and counting

BullshitUsername

Nice0

PoopyAlpaca

It’s amazing and I’m also looking forward to part 2!

Ouch_nip

part.... 2!?

asdfcrow

yeah it was announced like 2 months ago or something!!!!

TadpoleStark

Bought it rn

TheHermeneut

I’ve been waiting for this go on sale in the European e-shop all year. I’ve been tracking it on DekuDeals and it hasn’t been on sale since I first wish-listed it!

jgreever3

This is one of the GOAT games

Yoel__Romero

Wait until some of these guys find out there’s a mobile version…. That’s what got me. I got Apple Arcade with my phone plan so it’s free otherwise it’s like 9.99.

Also it’s on gamepass

zacklopeezy

Balatro, so much damn fun

3kestrels3suns

I just started this game last night, and I woke up at 4a this morning and played for three more hours 💀💀 so much fun!!

zacklopeezy

I've been telling myself, ok just 2 more runs 😂😂😂

TriggerHippie77

Batatro is the only game I've ever given up on because I was playing it way too much.

scrubbles44

Totally agree. I had to stop playing altogether I was getting consumed by this game. All I was doing was playing by at any free moment.

zacklopeezy

Oh man this is gonna be me soon isn't it 😭😂

a_consciousness

What’s the game like? Is it poker?

zacklopeezy

From the website: Balatro is a poker-themed roguelike deck-building video game, with the aim being to win a run of all 8 "antes" — a group of three rounds of poker — by scoring enough chips (points) earned though playing high-scoring hands. The player can improve their deck with various items which change the rules of the game.

There's a few different ways to change the scoring through Jokers, Tarots, Planet and Spectral cards and quite a few different decks that each have a different gimmick. I'm probably not doing a good job of describing it hahaha but it's great

lawlacaustt

It’s more just the theme. Really you have a ton of ways to score massive points to beat a boss score limit. It’s a numbers game and definitely has that “just one more run” itch you have to scratch. The whole style is amazing. I can’t stop playing it. My wife has to tell me to turn it off and go to bed.

Weekly_Lab8128

It's poker themed in that your base deck is the standard 52 card deck and your points are scored in relation to the standard hands of poker

You're not playing against anyone though, and there's no bluffing, you're always just trying to score points. You get access to a shop after every round you play, and the game is basically all about making the right micro decisions in the rounds (what to discard, what to play) so you can make the right macro decisions in the shops (what joker/consumable/packs/vouchers should I buy)

RaYk717

191

Dead Cells!

rawrrr48

So this was the one I was most interested in. I know it's a couple years old now, but the metroidvania style sort of piqued my interest, since I've never really played one before, so combining the 2 was interesting to me.

stumpycrawdad

It's solid af, just remember the first clear is only the tutorial

TarzanOnATireSwing

Best rogue like imo. It’s so good!

PowerHaus52

I’ve played Hades and Dead Cells. While I loved Hades, Dead Cells actually hooked me even more! It’s currently my favorite rogue like and I couldn’t recommend it enough. I think it is definitely harder than Hades. At some moments especially early on it may feel like you’ll never be able to clear a full run. But then you just get better and stronger upgrades until you clear a run easily and think “wow I actually got gud!” Then after all that you realize you have so much more to do and many more challenges after one clear, just like Hades. I couldn’t recommend Dead Cells enough

hauser255

The castlevania dlc is great for anyone that loves that series as well. I don't have nearly as many hours in Dead Cells as I do in Hades or Binding of Isaac, but it's still worth it for sure.

Africa-Reey

Oh man, i forgot about Binding of Isaac.. that game is also really good!

FLHCv2

Yo I'm gonna be the odd man out on this one but if you're someone who's a "perfectionist", you will get so frustrated with this game. The game rewards you if you kill 60 enemies without getting hit once, so naturally my dopamine-driven brain is like "absofuckinlutely", then some stupid ass trap you didn't see drops a log in your face when you're at 55/60 kills and now that dopamine hit you were excited about is a fleeting memory.

Was very very fun at first but the very long run times and the somewhat punishing-of-small-mistakes nature of the game can be very frustrating if you have a brain like mine. Honestly had to put it down after a while bc it was just getting maddening.

rawrrr48

I totally get that, maybe not to the same level but I do get frustrated when a game is overly punishing. The one thing I've enjoyed with Hades is that (to my knowledge) there is no perfectionist mode, so you can take damage and even revive some times.

DungusIII

In regard to Hades, just wait until you turn up the heat. It can get hot down there

tmntmonk

The G.O.A.T.

User deleted comment

tmntmonk

I enjoy both. Story and presentation, sure, Hades wins hands down. I prefer the gameplay of Dead Cells, personally. Cheers!

Hydroponic_Donut

They're so different that they're hard to compare. I like the gameplay of both and the progression of both. Story, I'd have to give it to Hades too, but they're both so great, they both deserve to be played by anyone who wants something different with a fun gameplay loop

ChrisRich81

Goat fight! 🐐🐐

Drzewo_Silentswift

I have a hard time getting over the art style. Also my game came with a million addons so I get horribly lost as there is like 3+ ways to go each level

xandraPac

I just picked up a physical copy with Return to Castlevania and all other DLCs. I had played it for a few hours on Xbox Game Pass once. It's a ton of fun. I am saving the rest of it for an upcoming train & plane trip.

Dev1nTheDude

I second this! One of my favorite games ever.

viverr323

I really didn't like the game despite playing it for weeks.

Most of the maps are quite similar. The boss fights are easy boring as heck. Despite playing for weeks, I felt that every run was identical to the last.

HeinousAnus_22

157

I personally think The Binding of Isaac is the best in the genre. None have scratched that itch quite like it. I have yet to find one that does synergy between different items so well.

d11dd11d

Greatest of all time!

rawrrr48

my top three considerations are dead cells, enter the gungeon, and binding of isaac.

TheFaceGL

I’ve played them all and it just kinda depends on what you’re looking for. Dead cells has the my favorite gameplay and enter the gungeon has my favorite aesthetic but Isaac is my favorite. I can’t put it into words well but it’s the one I Always find myself wanting to do another run in and has the best interplay between pickups etc. so if you’re on a good run it’s the most fun.

I’ve also really liked Slay the Spire, Into the Breach, and Hades.

Dicey dungeons is pretty fun but not as deep. There’s a ton of options.

rawrrr48

I think I'll take a look at game play, aesthetic, and then cost to see! Then I'll chat with my other friend who's traveling with me to see if there's one he's particularly interested in

TheFaceGL

Dead cells is running around rolling and cutting up enemies, enter the gungeon is diving around and shooting enemies, and BOI is almost like a bullet hell type game.

I’m happy to answer anything about any of them if I can!

chugalaefoo

Into the breach is a rogue like too?

TheFaceGL

I’d say so. You pick from a few squads of mechs to fight off bug invaders in grid based combat and if you fail you get time warmed back to when you began. You can unlock other squads etc by completing runs and the maps/modifiers change each time.

It’s made by the same people as FTL which I also love but sadly isn’t available on switch.

breadinabox

Isaacs tear and item system brings a diversity to the gameplay not seen as much in an the other rogue likes.

It's SUPER modular, your play style has to adapt a lot. Especially with the last release where they really patched a lot of the more consistent exploits. All of the big name ones are similar but I feel like Isaac takes it to another level

detailerrors

I've played all three. About 100 hours each in EtG and DC. Coming up on 750 on Isaac and I still got a ton of completion marks/unlocks to get. They're all great but if you fall in love with Isaac you'll be playing it on and off for literal years to come

aswimtobirds

Dead cells and binding of isaac are two of my most played games of all time.

GlancingArc

Tbh, enter the dungeon is cool and all but unless you are a glutton for punishment, I'd stay away. It's not as bad as it was at launch but it's still a game which far too heavily punishes mistakes just to make it harder than it needs to be. I gave that game a good 20 hours without beating it so maybe I just need to "git gud" but I think it's pretty unfair by design.

If that's what you want, it's pretty cool. If not, the other two are fantastic.

Adhlc

Right there with you. Binding of Isaac always feels fresh, and I have some 1,500 hours in it at this point. Repentance just about doubled the games content and replayability too.

FordBeWithYou

Agreed

Versucher42

Rogue Legacy 2 sometimes gets passed over in these discussions. It shouldn't! It's on par with Hades and Dead Cells

a_woman_provides

Is it easier than Rogue Legacy 1? I'm not the best gamer and I found it challenging to survive long enough to make any real progress. (I found others like Hades and Binding of Isaac fine, but Rogue Legacy I struggled hard)

Versucher42

Easier to make progress for sure. Maybe not easier to get your first win. But it's way more enjoyable to grind out that first win because the gameplay is much smoother and more varied

a_woman_provides

Thanks for the tip! Think I'll check it out then

SlugsMcGillicutty

Yes I didn’t like Rogue Legacy 1 and I do love roguelites but it was just so punishing. But I LOVE Rogue Legacy 2 and I love the updated art style and just everything about it. Expanding your castle (permanent power-ups), getting better armor and enchantments to make each run easier, the random modifiers for each run make it funny and fun. Just a great game.

AgentG91

I turned on the house rules pretty quickly and the game became very fun. I still lost and needed to improve my castle to push through the next boss, but getting more gold and doing more / taking less damage made it so progress was fast rather than painfully slow.

ReturnOfTheJurdski

There are a bunch of settings where you can make yourself pretty much invincible or anywhere in between.

Neat-Tough

Yes but it also gets kinda boring

PokemonTrainerSilver

Don’t get me wrong I am really enjoying RL2 but I would say it is a full step down from Hades and a half step down from Dead Cells. Hades especially is in the “best games of all time” category and I don’t think there are any roguelikes that can be place on the same level

Drunkndryverr

I actually think dead cells is better than hades fwiw

Versucher42

I love Hades but still don't rate it quite that highly. Dead Cells is my favorite of all of them. But I think Rogue Legacy 2 is in that same tier

NotYourFriend-YT

Yesssss, came here to praise Rogue Legacy 2 👏👏👏

There's something so satisfying about unlocking new parts of the castle talent tree thing that keeps me diving back into it for more 😂

MartinDread18

The meta-progression is so so so solid! The accessibility options are unmatched.

scoby_cat

Enter the Gungeon

Spelunky

Taller_Ghost_Joop

Spelunky 1 and 2.

My two favorite games.

shakespeareanff

Will ALWAYS upvote Enter the Gungeon

SoRacked

These are top tier options

falcondjd

If you get Hades on the Switch, you connect it to your Steam account, so you can easily switch saves over. It simply connects to your Steam cloud when starting and quitting and updates the save. It makes it very easy to switch between the Switch and PC if you want to. I have it on both, and I Switch back and forth between both fairly often. (I think I have played more on the Switch than the PC.)

You still have to purchase it again, which you said you don't want, but the save transfer is pretty seamless, which you mentioned as a concern.

And if you enjoy rhythm games, I would highly recommend Crypt of the Necrodancer; it is a rogue-like rhythm game. It has a true rogue-like mode where your only progression (besides unlocking characters) is your skill getting better, and then there is a more rogue-lite mode where you have meta-progression that transfers between runs like Hades.

They also have a spinoff called Cadence of Hyrule, which takes the Crypt of the Necrodancer gameplay and combines it with the Legend of Zelda. It isn't a roguelike, but if you try and enjoy Crypt of the Necrodancer, then it may be another game to try out.

rawrrr48

Oh that is good to know. I'm not completely deterred on buying it again since I really have enjoyed it. how do you feel the gameplay translates from keyboard & mouse to joy sticks?

falcondjd

I have never used keyboard and mouse to play Hades; I have only used controller, so I can't really tell you how it compares, but the game is really good with a controller. . A lot of people (most people?) just play using the controller, and I think the developers even recommend playing with a controller instead of mouse and keyboard.

You do want to rebind the reload button to a more accessable button. (I use a shoulder button.) It makes playing with the rail much better; you can stick your companions onto the right thumb stick press because you are only able to use that a few times a run, so it being in a little bit of an awkward spot is fine. (You may have not even unlocked that mechanic depending on how far you are.)

I would also recommend rebinding your cast button to a shoulder button as well because it makes two of the cast aspects better to play. (It allows you to charge your attack and use your casts at the same time.) I switched my cast button and my call button locations.

Trizzae

You're using keyboard and mouse for hades?!?!? I've only used controller on pc and switch. You've been playing on hardmode, friend!

TalkingFlashlight

I really enjoy Cult of the Lamb. It has rogue like and sim elements. It’s probably my favorite indie of all time.

space-casey

Came here to suggest Cult of the Lamb. It was the first rogue-like to click with me.

DelicateArch

Man, I had to scroll halfway down the freakin page for a Cult of the Lamb shout. An A+ game if I’ve ever played one.

TalkingFlashlight

It’s so good!

W1cH099

I loved it but it has some serious performance issues on switch, specially when the game gets more difficult

Serebii123

Inscryption! Great puzzle/deckbuilder game with immaculate art styles, writing, and secrets.

UsagiButt

I love inscryption but my only issue is that it’s sort of a once and done kind of game as opposed to other roguelites like Slay the Spire and ~~Protect the Pyre~~ Monster Train that have a lot more replayability.

Serebii123

That’s true! I found that Kaycee’s Mod helped scratched that replayability itch, I think it helped me put an extra 40 hours into the game after the main story because it was so hard

Def-X

Ember Knights

a_consciousness

Surprised this game isn’t getting for recognition here. This game is probably top 3 for me.

MachoCyberBullyUSA

So much fun in co-op

Known_Ad871

Hades

Dead cells

Into the breach

Slay the spire

These are the goats to me. I would throw binding of Isaac on the list even though I never got as into it. It’s a cool game and people who like it love it

catch22-

Vampire survivors! It’s like $3 and I put over 50 hours into it. Super addictive

Raven3464

I came here to say the same thing. You can't beat that value.

sergiocamposnt

Crypt of the Necrodancer and Balatro are the top 2 best roguelikes I've evers played.

Dm9982

Had to scroll way too far down for Balatro….

Seriously the rest of the games mentioned are great, but Balatro is insanely addictive! Hadn’t had that much of a game addiction since Vampire Survivors released, sheesh

blargher

Heyyyy! Found a Balatro guy.

BloomingElsewhere

Crypt of the Necrodancer, what a game.

Iamtheslushpuppy

Helll yeaa, crypt of the necrodancer B)

a_consciousness

Risk of rain 2 is one of my all time favorite rougelike game of all time. The switch can handle it for the most part but some lagging happens when things get crazy.

DiarrheaPussycat

If it’s not lagging you’re not doing it right

ghost-church

The secret ending, crashing the game

d_locke

Not exactly the same, but you could try Moonlighter. Basically, you run into the mines to kill enemies and find loot at night then sell said loot in a storefront during the day to purchase upgrades so that you can make deeper runs into the mines and find better loot. It's pretty fun. Nice mix of roguelite/dungeon crawler and business simulator.

rawrrr48

that is interesting, I've always liked business simulator. Playing the original Tycoon series where you had to manage finances. I'm not sure if it's that sort of business sim but I'll check it out!

OrsikClanless

Yes second Moonlighter. Loved it but it wasn’t long enough for me to

eldamien

Great little rogue-lite that isnt mentioned enough

Daloy

Imo if it has a deeper system in either selling or dungeon diving it woupd be great, I've played through it only once and yeah there's not much there to keep me interested.

I admit I haven't tried the DLC but it really feels like doing the same thing with a different coat of paint for each dungeons. There's not much difference in changing prices once you get the optimal price and while the weapon variety exists, there's not enough skill expression or incentive to change weapons. I do love the artstyle tho

eldamien

That's definitely a fair critique. For me I have it on my phone via Netflix, so it's one of those games I pick up and play when I'm on the train or waiting for the bus or something, so I've been "playing" it off and on for like a year now. Perhaps that's why the repetitive nature never really occurred to me until you mentioned it, but I certainly see how if its the type of game you're going to sit down and dedicate some hours to exclusively, it could get old fast.

somethingkindaweird

I never beat moonlighter, I really should though, it’s super fun

johncitizen69420

Loop hero

Endor_Prime

I couldn’t put Loop Hero down for months. Amazing game with literally an addictive loop.

johncitizen69420

Yeah its fantastic. Like a reverse tower defense. So much fun

RasLagos

Can't believe nobody has said Shiren the Wanderer. Game is a great example of a traditional roguelike. Well Shiren 5 has some rogue-lite elements for it's main story, but once you beat the main story you unlock an obscene number of other dungeons besides the main tower and many of them are true roguelikes where the only permanent progression is your own understanding of the game mechanics. It's not for everyone though, but Shiren 5 goes on sale every couple of months for like $7, so it's worth checking out. ( that's, Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate)

and for the more modern type of roguelike, often called rogue-lites, there are a couple i haven't seen talked about much in here that i enjoyed. Skul the hero slayer is a pretty fun sidescroller action roguelite. and if you're a fan of Super Metroid i really can't recommend "A Robot named Fight" enough, it's amazing how well they did making the gameplay feel like Super Metroid and it blends surprisingly well into a roguelike design.

Del_Duio2

Shiren is so far the only actual roguelike that's been mentioned here at all that I've read.

Iamtheslushpuppy

Absolutely loooooove shiren! Also some more good mystery dungeons: Tangledeep, Z.H.P. Unlosing Ranger VS Darkdeath Evilman is a goofy fun take on the genre! Comes in the Prinny present NIS Classics Volume 2 B)

Sea_Bookkeeper88

Been playing Shiren 5 for months but I don't see many people enjoy it - what a waste. I'm waiting for discount of Shiren 6, ha ha

MichaelCeraLaPuerta

Streets of Rouge! It's on sale for 4.99 right now; the sequel is coming out on Steam (early access) on August 14.

Verb_Rogue

Was debating if I wanted to try this game on switch vs PC. Portable vs m+kb controls.

MichaelCeraLaPuerta

To me, Streets is the best portable rogue like out there, since the stages only take a couple of minutes to complete. For what it's worth, steam also has it on sale for 4.99. IIRC, most PC handhelds have some form of access to steam, so I'd get it there on steam and try on handheld and PC.

rawrrr48

This was something I wanted to consider too. Because some games translate into hand-held a lot better than other IMO. Although I enjoy Hades on the PC alot, it gets sort of chaotic at times but it's super manageable on the PC. I dont know how well that translates into joystick from keyboard and mouse,

Decent-Cold-9471

My favorites

Dead Cells
Hades
Children of Morta
Risk of Rain Returns
Moonlighter

Really can’t go wrong with any of these.

Lord_Stolas666

Have a nice death

spacepup84

Undermine is great fun, became my next obsession after Hades. I also really enjoyed Sundered: Eldritch Edition, which is a combination roguelite + Metroidvania.

biderman77

Undermine is so underrated. The second one is going to have multiplayer from what I can see.

daweebthatwrites

I really like have a nice death

HunchoLou

Enter the Gungeon is my personal fav

chef_simpson

Enter The Gungeon and Slay The Spire

billabong1985

Personally I'm not usually a fan of rogue lites, I usually don't have the patience for the difficulty curve, but I've still found a handful that kept me hooked in spite of my usual distaste for the formula

Hades (I know you've already played it but figured it was noteworthy anyway that I also enjoyed it)

Children of Morta - kinda similar to Hades in that it's also an isometric action RPG and the story unfolds between runs. Not as good as hades in this regard and slower paved in its combat, but a solid game nonetheless, and after you complete a biome you can skip it in future runs so there's a bit more permanent progression than usual for the genre

Wizard of Legend - I've never actually completed a run of this, but I still find the core gameplay loop fun, not least because of how much build variety there is and how much you can unlock relatively easily with a few farming runs

Into the Breach - Absolutely brilliant little tactics game, probably my favourite game on this list, story is pretty non existant, it's all about the clever bite sized tactical battles and the squads you unlock from earning currency by completing achievements, which mix tactics up in meaningful ways. I actually play on easy mode mostly which makes it a pretty chill experience (though you still have to play smart, you just don't get instantly crucified for making a mistake)

Star Renegades - One of the best JRPG style turn based battle systems I've ever played, really smart and engaging, none of the 'spam your best attack' tactics some games evolve into, you have to really plan your turns carefully to delay and/or cancel enemy turns so you get the most damage out and the least damage recieved

The Last Spell - the most recent one I've played, interesting mix of base defence and tactical battles against enemy hordes, I don't rate it as highly as the others on this list but I still enjoyed my time with it. Customisable difficulty too, the game allows you to enable modifiers for each run, normally only a couple, but you can just turn off the limit and enable a ton to make things easier, or go the other way and turn on one's that make the game harder

Stregen

Into the Breach isn’t a traditional action roguelike, but more of a strategic puzzle one.

Slay the Spire is a fantastic deckbuilding roguelite.

The Binding of Isaac is a great twin-stick shooter.

Vampire Survivors is also really fun.

spaceman-spiff616

I loved enter the gungeon. I don’t see it talked about a lot, but it’s a twin stick top down shooter with a lot of Easter eggs.

DanielArthurVerner

Brotato

Endor_Prime

I was hoping someone would mention Brotato! Don’t let the name fool you, it’s really addictive and has that “just one more run” factor. It’s on game pass right now but also very cheap to purchase.

MsKongeyDonk

Balatro is so addicting, if you're into poker at all. Even if you're not, honestly.

Sea_Bookkeeper88

My poison is Darkest Dungeon. Old but gold. Dungeon crawling with team management and so much stress + fear you'll forget the stress in real life.

Sans-Mot

I'm surprised nobody said Vampire Survivors yet.

theScrewhead

Dead Cells is great! I'm also a big fan of a game that doesn't get mentioned often; Swords of Ditto. It's essentially a Roguelike Link to the Past, and you can play 2-player local couch co-op if you've got anyone else around!

xxwetdogxx

Binding of Isaac is the GOAT of the genre and everyone else is wrong I will die on this hill

But also dead cells, Spelunky, enter the gungeon, etc are great

fuzzynavel34

Binding of Isaac is the 🐐

eatdogs49

Dead Cells. No question

AmCracken_

Wildfrost!

eldamien

I'd recommend Curse of the Dead Gods. Great game, I have it on my Steam Deck, and it's one of those "just one more run" type games that has a good balance of risk vs reward and some great boss fights.

TheGardenBlinked

I have sunk weeks into Crypt of The Necrodancer after buying it for 79p in the sale. Best value purchase ever

Moose_Wrangler-

Slay the spire is great on switch. I've been playing it there almost exclusively as I was looking for something I can play but put down at an instant. It's great!

ThurwalshMormonstoff

Inscryption for me has some of the most unique deck-building mechanics I’ve ever seen, I have 250+ hours on it at this point and have never grown tired of it. Second favorite game of all time!

larazord

Hades does allow cross-progression, it’s very easy to get your pc save to switch, you could try that.

answering the main question, I would say Dead Cells it’s a pretty strong contender for best rogue. Inscryption and Balatro are pretty fun as well.

DangHeSpooky

Dicefolk just came out and I'm loving it

Acruelaccounting

I enjoyed Void Bastards as the Rogue-like games were novel to me and I found the dry office humor to be quite, humorous

mstymay

Dicey dungeon keeps me entertained on road trips

MrZacros

Wildfrost- I just keep doing one more turn.

Destreon

If you're playing Hades on steam then you can absolutely transfer game saves! Hades on switch can sync with the steam cloud by some miracle so you can continue your game on the go and return to your PC when you get home!

I thought Slay the Spire was pretty awesome, I've sunk a silly amount of time into that game without realising. Each of the characters has very different and unique play-styles so you'll get many hours out of it.

Pacman1up

Astral Ascent plays really well.

Ita a bit like Deadcells, except you're a wizard of sorts. There's compelling build creation through Auras and fights with 12 Zodiacs who are bosses.

Minty9779

It’s still getting updates too. Highly underrated when it comes to rogue like discussion

Pacman1up

Yeah, the next one hits on July 29th for PC.

They're adding a new character, Yamat, 24 New Astral Auras, and a bunch of QoL features.

They also recently announced an additional aura slot (5 total) so new players should have a much easier time next patch.

edubkendo

I have put so many hours into this

brucylefleur

Astral Ascent was basically my answer to wanting 2-Player Dead Cells. Can't get enough of it!

Pacman1up

Great way to describe it actually.

To me it feels a lot faster, though you don't have the acceleration that Deadcells has, which really speeds things up.

Astral is flasher, Dead cells had a bit tighter combat.

Ultimately, I love both of them and prefer the feel/build creation of Astral Ascent.

Future-Board9653

Binding of Isaac.

eiscuseme

Dead Cells, Hades and Slay the Spire definitely run well

foxman2424

Dead cells and rouge legacy 2

Hydraven

Moonlighter for a lighter one, basically delve into the dungeon to get materials to sell in your shop and upgrade your equipment

Cult of the Lamb, run a cult on the side while trying to take on the other Eldritch gods, sometimes leading to them crippling part of your cult while you're still in the dungeon

Slay the Spire, roguelike but as a card game

fakemoon

Into the Breach Monster Train Wizard of Legend

StunningNobody2000

Dead Cells is my all-time favorite game in this genre.

The Binding of Isaac is classic and should not be overlooked

Spelunky is also a classic, though I did not enjoy the sequel

jardex22

There are going to be two rough categories here. There are ones that expect you to die. You gain some currency, upgrade your stats, then try again, stronger and wiser. Hades falls into this, as does Rogue Legacy 2 and Crypt of the Necrodancer.

EDIT: I'll add that some players don't have the patience for this type, since the story is told over a lot of deaths. If they're good enough, they'll beat the game before the story is told.

Then there are games that expect you to learn how to play and win to progress. Slay the Spire and Binding of Isaac fall into this. These games won't hold your hand, and most of the rewards are gained by beating the boss under various conditions. If you die, you start over.

EDIT: Likewise, some players like having a sense of progression. Even if they died, they want some kind of currency to carry over or something to show for their effort. Some rougelikes won't do that.

littleburn99

Darkest Dungeon... if you haven't played it on Steam yet.

witwebolte41

Hades, enter the gungeon, dead cells

thedappermii

As someone who is not great at this genre I absolutely loved Brotato and blazing beaks. Brotato you get to play as different potatoes that have different buffs/debuffs and it’s addicting as all hell. Blazing beaks is a little less to it but still fun and usually on sale for like $7 a lot. Plus you get to play as different birds and the loop is getting as much treasure per run as possible

corey49

Hades does have save transfer from PC to switch and it works well, FYI…

nicholasjfury

Slay the spire, balatro, cobalt core, into the breach.

King-of-OwO

Splatoon 3 side order

akwehhkanoo

Risk of Rain is one of my favorite series. What I like most is that runs can get ridiculous and if you want you can even create your own build by choosing your upgrades as you go. Switch has all of them, but I would recommend the remake of you prefer 2D, Risk of Rain 2 is 3D, third person. Sometime it gets crazy enough that the Switch struggles and frame rate drops but it rarely actually breaks the game in my experience and I've played it a bunch.

georged3

Balatro!

phat-pa

Slay the Spire is one of my favorite games of all time, rogue-like or otherwise. Along with Hades, Dead Cells and Enter the Gungeon round out my top 4.

Bsufan101

The new TMNT coming out in a couple weeks looks good.

HisYvaine

If someone hasn’t said it already… Hades absolutely does let you transfer your save state to the Switch! It syncs with your Steam account

daun4view

Griftlands is one of my favorites. It's a deckbuilder with great art and a lot of mechanics to master. I love that you can choose to engage in combat or negotiations . I'd say it works pretty well on Switch, even if you can see how it'd be more natural on PC with a mouse.

Crypt of the Necrodancer is a ton of fun too, that was one of the first games I got on my Switch. Oddly enough I didn't like the Zelda crossover they did as much, but that's a different topic.

MelQMaid

Boyfriend Dungeon

Have a hot-you summer with friendly beach locals who can turn into weapons and accept dates if you pick the flirty dialogue options.

Geric0n

I like Synthetik

zombcakes

Hades on the Switch will sync your progress with the PC!

edubkendo

Astral Ascent is the most fun I have ever had with a rogue-like.

AlanaLlama_

Cult of the Lamb? It’s cute and has a fun story and is still a rogue like

onetrueglob

The Binding of Isaac is my favorite roguelike. If you enjoyed Hades, you should check out Dreamscaper. It has a similar structure, but totally different vibes.

Other faves include Dead Cells, Curse of the Dead Gods, Wizard of Legend, Enter the Gungeon, Downwell, ScourgeBringer, and Curse of the Lamb.

YoungSerious

This is getting a little nitty gritty, but I think "technically" Hades is a roguelite. The only reason I mention it is because it may matter when you say you are looking for similar games. The quick and dirty distinction is that roguelikes don't have meta progression, roguelites do. So Hades for example you can improve your starting strength over time by upgrading weapons, mirror bonuses, etc. True roguelikes don't have that.

rawrrr48

Ahhhhh then yes Rogue lite is more down my alley. I enjoy the process of getting stronger each round

MontjoieSeindeni

Severus Rogue like the switch

gnarkilleptic

Risk of Rain 2

huggalump

Risk of Rain 2

knellotron

Everspace is wonderful, but don't get the Switch version if you have other options.

AdvancePlays

Gungeon is my most played game on the Switch, so that lol. I have really loved and recently got back into playing a lot of Caveblazers, which is a very very slept on roguelite. It's kind of a more action oriented take on Spelunky, great combat, great items, progression is mostly in the form of unlocking new items that expand your run to make it easier to find better items, synergies, or just items that work better for you.

Also I'm about to blow your mind - Hades does have save transfers from the cloud. I would swap back and forth between the Switch and PC all the time when I was playing it. It definitely makes it more worth it if you were thinking about buying it a second time.

msgene

Have a Nice Death and Cult of the Lamb are some of my favorites!

GlobalConnection3

ToeJam & Earl: Back In The Groove

FriedSpringRolls

check out Downwell

its_called_life_dib

Trust me, Hades 1 is well worth buying twice. I considered buying it a 3rd time, even! It's my favorite game.

I do believe it allows for cross platform play! You should be able to send your save data to your switch, and vice versa.

Have a safe journey wherever you're going. :)

-Black-Honey-

Dust & neon!

bearquat3

Inscryption! For something a little different. But still great Roguelike gameplay. 10/10

Andacus

Enter the Gungeon

RavenousMoon23

Dreamscaper and cult of the lamb

pickles55

The binding of Isaac is good but it uses a lot of gross and childish imagery so it's not for everyone. Dead cells is for everyone

starlistener

Dandy Ace!

RyGuys_84775

Moon hunters. A lot of fun to play and you can name your character anything…it also has a lot of small mechanics based off of dialog choices and what you do…and where you go! Best to play with friends as it can be challenging by yourself

Tom_Bombadil_Ret

Spelunky 1 and 2 are both great games if you’re looking for a true hard rougelike experience. Though unlike Hades there is 0 in between run progression. You don’t unlock anything to make the game easier in future runs. You just get better at not dying.

Hoockus_Pocus

Dead Cells, Hades, Binding of Isaac, Wizard of Legend, I wish I could say Backpack Hero, but the Switch version seriously suffers.

dmtreee

Baltro and dead cells!

pandaSmore

Enter the Gungeon