Summary
Ever sinceThe Binding Of Isaacinjected the genre into the mainstream and an abundance of games released that players know and love today (Slay The Spire, Enter The Gungeon, Nuclear Throne,to name a few), roguelites have been one of indie gaming’s most popular formats.
However, these games are becoming increasingly complex and over-stuffed, possibly in an attempt to squeeze a sense of progression out of a genre built on repetition, or perhaps to stand out in a saturated market. Regardless, it can be hard to find back-to-basics games with easy-to-learn systems and simple, easy-to-read graphical styles; these examples are some of the most popular games that fit the bill.
This roguelite dungeon crawler has players move about a dungeon packed with gold, enemies, traps, and items. However,Card Hog’sdungeon is represented by a grid of cards; moving onto a card triggers its effect, for better or worse.
Card Hogalso featureselements of deck-building, allowing players to add and upgrade cards that help to make up the dungeon. Because players can see where everything in the dungeon is at all times, and can hover over cards to read how they work, much of the strategy inCard Hogrevolves around careful planning. This focus on planning, well-telegraphed information, and simple controls makesCard Hogan accessible, minimalist experience.
Thiscasual, relaxing farming gameplays similarly to games such asLuck Be A Landlord, tasking players with drafting tiles to make enough money to pay their rent. InFarm Keeper, players pay an increasingly steep price for an island farm, using a stamina system to advance their crops every day.
Farm Keeperis a simplistic game, with minimalist mechanics and pixel art that make it a relaxing experience overall. However,Farm Keeperis not devoid of interesting decisions and strategies, and it features a variety of tiles that include everything from regular crops and farmyard animals, all the way to windmills and mushroom logs.
AlthoughTemp Zeroplays to the beat ofits excellent soundtrack, the game doesn’t require the player to maintain a perfect rhythm; this is because the only things that move to the beat are enemies and hazards. This allowsTemp Zeroto feel stylish and unique while remaining accessible to those who struggle with rhythm.
The game’s minimalist aesthetic allows it to feel stylish, and its soundtrack and clean UI help it to feel polished despite the simplistic visuals.Temp Zeromay be a minimalist game, but its design and fast-paced gameplay lead to an often intense and action-packed experience.
This charminglysimplistic real-time strategy gamemanages to distill the often-complex gameplay of the RTS genre into an accessible, minimalist experience. However,Bad North’sroguelite structure and slowly increasing difficulty curve eventually lead to some brutal, intense combat encounters.
Visually,Bad Northis aheavily stylized gamewith a flat-color aesthetic and edge-detected outlines that are consistently easy on the eyes. The variety of islands that players are tasked with defending feature geometry with soft edges and pleasant foliage, making just looking at the game a relaxing experience. However, once the Vikings come to raid, blood soon stains the idealistic islands ofBad North.
Despite its minimalist neon visuals,Nova Driftcontains a heap of complexity and strategic depth under its hood. However, the game’s design and structure are as minimalist as its visuals, simply tasking players with zipping around a small arena, avoiding enemy attacks while returning fire with a salvo of colorful bullets.
AlthoughNova Drift’sminimalist gameplay loop is easy to learn, players will soon find themselves deliberating over which ship upgrade to take next, a thought process that gets increasingly interesting as the game opens up. This plethora of customization options and build variety makesNova Drifta minimalist project withphenomenal replay value.
This simplistic strategy RPG features a crunchy minimalist pixel-art aesthetic with a limited color palette and distinctive character designs.Tinyfolksis, in essence, a distilled-down version ofDarkest Dungeonthat takes a beginner-friendly and light-hearted approach to its design.
Tinyfolksisa short and simple gamethat’s easy to learn and not too difficult to master, especially for fans of turn-based strategy, but its low price point and charming style make it a worthwhile way to spend an afternoon. Furthermore, the game’s chip-tune soundtrack is perfectly nostalgic and does a great job of keeping up the pace.
Brotatois a massively popular take on the top-down arena survival genre thatVampire Survivorspopularized with its automated attacks and strong power fantasy. The game makes itself unique by putting players in a small arena and allowing them to wield an abundance of weaponry at once.
Brotato’sminimalism comes down to its simple aesthetic and potato-themed character designs, as well as the well-designed simplicity of its mechanics. However, within its minimalist space, there is a wonderful amount of build variety, as well asplayable charactersthat each add unique spins to the game’sVampire Survivors-inspired gameplay, thoughBrotatois more comparable to titles such as20 Minutes Till Dawn.
This minimalist combination of real-time strategy and tower defense tasks players with building and defending a minimalist kingdom.Thronefallfeatures a minimalist aesthetic with simple character designs and limited colors that complement the game’s simple yet well-crafted design.
InThronefall, players build defenses, barracks, and economic buildings by day, and move and fight on horseback by night. The title also features an intuitive and accessible system for moving and managing their units in real-time, all while keeping the gameplay free from the complex micromanagement usually associated with the RTS genre. Although it didn’t release as a roguelite,Thronefallhas since received a roguelite mode that helps boost its replay value and takes full advantage of the game’s systems.
SNKRXfeatures visuals that are almost as minimal asSnakeitself, though the pixelated style and abundance of color help to discern it from the hyper-simplistic visuals of the classic game. Despite the obvious comparisons toSnake,SNKRXfeatures much more freedom of movement, as well as an auto-battler gameplay loop that allows for a larger strategic space than wondering which apple to eat next.
Like other auto-battlers,SNKRXfeatures several synergies that players can access through collecting “sets” of units of the same class, offering a variety of unique builds and ways to play. Similarly to many roguelites,SNKRXalso features a passive upgrade system that can also affect how a run plays out, allowing for high replay value despite the game’s minimalist approach.
Although this mash-up of one-screen bullet-hell action, RPG, and dungeon crawler might contain some complex systems that require learning,Tiny Roguesremains a minimalist experience in both its pixel-art visuals and elegant gameplay loop. In the game, players will dodge bullets, shoot enemies, and strategically choose from a variety of upgrades and weapons. However, learning the attack patterns of the various enemies, and acquiring knowledge of the game’s massive variety of items, is integral to success.
Tiny Rogueshas a charming, minimal visual style that makes the game’s frantic bullet-hell gameplay easy to read at a glance, and the game’s simple square rooms and black background contrast with the enemy design perfectly, making every foe easy to pick out. Furthermore, despite being in Early Access at the time of writing,Tiny Roguesis frequently receiving large and impactful updates that improve the game dramatically.
