Chronology of roguelike video games
Encyclopedia
This is a selected list of roguelike
video games, and action RPGs directly inspired by them.
Roguelike
The roguelike is a sub-genre of role-playing video games, characterized by randomization for replayability, permanent death, and turn-based movement. Most roguelikes feature ASCII graphics, with newer ones increasingly offering tile-based graphics. Games are typically dungeon crawls, with many...
video games, and action RPGs directly inspired by them.
Legend
Roguelikes
| First | Last | Title | Developer | Setting | Platform | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Beneath Apple Manor Beneath Apple Manor Beneath Apple Manor is an early roguelike game released by Don Worth for microcomputers, which had a Lo-Res Apple release in 1978 and high-res multi-platform releases in 1982 and 1983 . The goal is to obtain a Golden Apple on the bottom floor of the dungeon... |
Don Worth | Fantasy | APPII | One of the earliest commercial Apple II games. It predates Rogue, and was much simpler, but supported a low resolution graphical display in addition to the text version. Was ported to the IBM PC in 1983. | |
| 1978 | DUNGEON | Brian Sawyer | Fantasy | PET | Published in Cursor Cursor (magazine) CURSOR - Programs for PET Computers was the name of an early computer-based "magazine" that was distributed on cassette from 1978 and into the early 1980s. Each issue, consisting of the cassette itself and a short newsletter including a table of contents, contained programs, utilities, and games... issue 15 |
|
| 1980 | Rogue Rogue (computer game) Rogue is a dungeon crawling video game first developed by Michael Toy and Glenn Wichman around 1980. It was a favorite on college Unix systems in the early to mid-1980s, in part due to the procedural generation of game content. Rogue popularized dungeon crawling as a video game trope, leading... |
Michael Toy Michael Toy Michael Toy is an American computer programmer. He was one of the developers of the 1980s dungeon-crawling computer game Rogue. He later became an employee of SGI and followed its founder Jim Clark when he left to form Netscape... , others |
Fantasy | CROSS | Inspired the genre as a whole. | |
| 1982 | Telengard Telengard Telengard is a computer-based video game that provides an early example of the dungeon crawl genre. The game, written in 1978 by Daniel Lawrence , was purchased by Avalon Hill in 1982 and made available on multiple computer platforms... |
Daniel Lawrence | Fantasy | APPII, ATR, C64, TRS80 | ||
| 1982 | Sword of Fargoal Sword of Fargoal Sword of Fargoal was a computer game written in 1982 by Jeff McCord. The November 1996 anniversary issue of Computer Gaming World listed Sword of Fargoal as #147 on the "Top 150 Best Video Games of All Time."-History:... |
Jeff McCord | Fantasy | C64, PET, VIC20 | Based on Gammaquest II by the same author. | |
| 1982 | Hack | Jay Fenlason, Andries Brouwer Andries Brouwer Andries Evert Brouwer is a Dutch mathematician and computer programmer, a professor at Eindhoven University of Technology . His varied research interests include several branches of discrete mathematics, particularly graph theory and coding theory... , others |
Futuristic | CROSS | Later became the basis for NetHack NetHack NetHack is a single-player roguelike video game originally released in 1987. It is a descendant of an earlier game called Hack , which is a descendant of Rogue... . |
|
| 1982 | Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Cloudy Mountain Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Cloudy Mountain Advanced Dungeons & Dragons was an Intellivision game, one of the first Advanced Dungeons & Dragons games to be officially licensed by TSR, Inc.. It was later retitled to Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Cloudy Mountain to distinguish it from the sequel, Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Treasure of Tarmin... |
Mattel Electronics | Fantasy | INT | ||
| 1983 | 1999 | Moria Moria (computer game) Moria is a roguelike computer game based heavily on J. R. R. Tolkien's novel The Lord of the Rings. The game's objective is to kill a Balrog, presumably Durin's Bane, deep within the Mines of Moria. A later port of Moria called Umoria inspired the Angband roguelike game... |
Robert Alan Koeneke & Jimmey Wayne Todd | Fantasy | CROSS | Based heavily on The Lord of the Rings The Lord of the Rings The Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in... . Later port (Umoria) became the basis of Angband. Influenced the preliminary design of Blizzard Blizzard Entertainment Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. is an American video game developer and publisher founded on February 8, 1991 under the name Silicon & Synapse by three graduates of UCLA, Michael Morhaime, Allen Adham and Frank Pearce and currently owned by French company Activision Blizzard... 's Diablo Diablo (video game) Diablo is a dark fantasy-themed action role-playing game developed by Blizzard North and released by Blizzard Entertainment on December 31, 1996.... . |
| 1985 | 1987 | Dungeon of Doom, The The Dungeon Revealed The Dungeon Revealed is a popular dungeon crawl computer game created by John Raymonds and published by Woodrose Editions in 1987. A demo and shareware version of the game entitled The Dungeon of Doom were released in 1986 and 1987 respectively to promote the commercial release of "The Dungeon... |
John Raymonds | Fantasy | MAC | Released commercially in 1987 as The Dungeon Revealed The Dungeon Revealed The Dungeon Revealed is a popular dungeon crawl computer game created by John Raymonds and published by Woodrose Editions in 1987. A demo and shareware version of the game entitled The Dungeon of Doom were released in 1986 and 1987 respectively to promote the commercial release of "The Dungeon... . |
| 1985 | Island of Kesmai | John Taylor, Kelton Flinn Kelton Flinn Kelton Flinn is an American computer game designer who is a major pioneer in online games. He is a co-founder of the seminal online game company Kesmai, which they began in 1982... |
Fantastical | CROSS | Early CompuServe CompuServe CompuServe was the first major commercial online service in the United States. It dominated the field during the 1980s and remained a major player through the mid-1990s, when it was sidelined by the rise of services such as AOL with monthly subscriptions rather than hourly rates... commercial multiplayer game |
|
| 1986 | 1987 | Larn | Noah Morgan, Phil Cordier | Fantasy | CROSS | Original version of Larn remains part of the NetBSD NetBSD NetBSD is a freely available open source version of the Berkeley Software Distribution Unix operating system. It was the second open source BSD descendant to be formally released, after 386BSD, and continues to be actively developed. The NetBSD project is primarily focused on high quality design,... games collection. |
| 1987 | 2003 | NetHack NetHack NetHack is a single-player roguelike video game originally released in 1987. It is a descendant of an earlier game called Hack , which is a descendant of Rogue... |
The NetHack DevTeam | Fantasy | CROSS | Descendant of Hack. |
| 1987 | 1992 | Scarab of Ra Scarab of Ra Scarab of Ra is a Mac OS shareware computer game written in 1987 by Rick Holzgrafe and released by Semicolon Software. It is an adventure set within an Egyptian pyramid.-Story:... |
Rick Holzgrafe | Modern, Fantasy | MAC | Turn-based Roguelike played in first-person 3D. |
| 1988 | Moraff's Revenge Moraff's Revenge Moraff's Revenge is a role-playing game which provides a 3D first-person perspective for its players.The objective of the game is to create a character to explore a series of dungeons in order to destroy monsters, gain experience, find treasures, and reach the Fountain of Youth... |
Steve Moraff Steve Moraff Steve Moraff is a video game designer best known for a series of DOS games launched in the late 1980s and early 1990s.-Childhood and career:... |
Fantasy | DOS | One of the earliest 3D 3D computer graphics 3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images... , first-person perspective RPGs. |
|
| 1989 | N/A | Castle of the Winds Castle of the Winds Castle of the Winds is a tile-based roguelike computer game for Windows 3.x. It was developed by SaadaSoft and published by Epic MegaGames in 1989.-Release history:... |
SaadaSoft | Fantasy | WIN3X | |
| 1990 | N/A | Dragon Crystal Dragon Crystal Dragon Crystal is a video game released for the Sega Master System and Sega Game Gear... |
Sega Sega , usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world... |
Fantasy | GG, SMS | |
| 1990 | 2009 | Angband | Alex Cutler, Andy Astrand | Fantasy | CROSS | Based heavily on The Lord of the Rings The Lord of the Rings The Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in... . |
| 1991 | N/A | Fatal Labyrinth Fatal Labyrinth Fatal Labyrinth is a role-playing video game produced by Sega. Originally available exclusively on the Sega Meganet multiplayer gaming service in 1990, it was later remade for the Sega Mega Drive in . The game appears in Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3... |
Sega Sega , usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world... |
Fantasy | GEN | |
| 1991 | Moraff's World Moraff's World Moraff's World is the second of three in a series of roguelike shareware computer games produced by Steve Moraff in the late 1980s and early 1990s... |
Steve Moraff Steve Moraff Steve Moraff is a video game designer best known for a series of DOS games launched in the late 1980s and early 1990s.-Childhood and career:... |
Fantasy | DOS | Sequel to Moraff's Revenge Moraff's Revenge Moraff's Revenge is a role-playing game which provides a 3D first-person perspective for its players.The objective of the game is to create a character to explore a series of dungeons in order to destroy monsters, gain experience, find treasures, and reach the Fountain of Youth... . |
|
| 1992 | Mission Thunderbolt Mission Thunderbolt Mission: Thunderbolt is a roguelike computer game with a futuristic storyline. It was originally developed and released on DEC mainframes as Doomsday 2000, a four-part game, and later ported to both Mac OS and Windows. Mission: Thunderbolt is part 1 of the Jaunt Trooper series and was released on... |
Dave Scheifler, John Calhoun John Calhoun (software developer) John Calhoun is an Apple Macintosh software developer. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he developed a series of shareware games for the Macintosh and Windows, under the name Soft Dorothy Software... |
Futuristic | DEC, MAC, WIN | ||
| 1992 | 1995 | Ragnarok | Norsehelm | Fantasy | DOS | |
| 1993 | Torneko no Daiboken: Fushigi no Dungeon Torneko no Daiboken: Fushigi no Dungeon is the first game in the Mysterious Dungeon series. This installment features Torneko , the merchant from Dragon Warrior IV... |
Chunsoft Chunsoft is a Japanese video game developer specializing in console RPGs and visual novels. It was founded by Koichi Nakamura, a video game designer from Enix... |
Fantasy | SNES | ||
| 1993 | N/A | Dungeon Hack Dungeon Hack Dungeon Hack is a computer role-playing game developed by DreamForge Intertainment and produced by Strategic Simulations, Inc. . It was first released for the DOS platform in 1993... |
DreamForge | Fantasy | DOS | |
| 1994 | 2002 | Ancient Domains of Mystery Ancient Domains of Mystery Ancient Domains of Mystery, or ADOM, is a roguelike game by Thomas Biskup first released in . The player's aim is to stop the forces of Chaos that invade the world of Ancardia.... |
Thomas Biskup Thomas Biskup Thomas Biskup is a German software engineer and computer scientist. He is the creator and developer of Ancient Domains of Mystery, a popular computer roleplaying game.... |
Fantasy | AMI, BeOS, DOS, LIN, OS2, OSX, WIN | |
| 1995, 2008 | Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer is a graphical roguelike by Chunsoft. It is the second videogame in the Mystery Dungeon series, and the first game in the series to feature all original characters... |
Chunsoft Chunsoft is a Japanese video game developer specializing in console RPGs and visual novels. It was founded by Koichi Nakamura, a video game designer from Enix... |
Fantasy | DS, GB, SNES | ||
| 1997, 1999 | Chocobo no Fushigina Dungeon | Square Square Co. was a Japanese video game company founded in September 1983 by Masafumi Miyamoto. It merged with Enix in 2003 and became part of Square Enix... |
Fantasy | PS1, WS | ||
| 1997 | 2005 | Linley's Dungeon Crawl Linley's Dungeon Crawl Linley's Dungeon Crawl is a roguelike computer game originally programmed by Linley Henzell in 1995, and first released to the general public on October 1, 1997. Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup, a branch of Dungeon Crawl currently in development, is one of the most popular roguelikes being played today... |
Linley Henzell | Fantasy | CROSS | |
| 1998 | 2008 | Baroque Baroque (video game) Baroque is a console role-playing game developed by Sting Entertainment and published by Atlus in the United States, originally developed for the Sega Saturn and later ported to the PlayStation. It was later remade by Sting, where it was to be a planned exclusive for Japan... |
Sting | Futuristic, Horror | PS1, PS2, SAT, Wii | |
| 1998, 1999 | Chocobo's Dungeon 2 | Square Square Co. was a Japanese video game company founded in September 1983 by Masafumi Miyamoto. It merged with Enix in 2003 and became part of Square Enix... |
Fantasy | PS1 | Sequel to Chocobo no Fushigina Dungeon. | |
| 1998 | 2000 | Azure Dreams Azure Dreams Azure Dreams is a PlayStation video game developed by Konami and released on 30 June 1998. The game was later ported onto the Game Boy Color... |
Konami Konami is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games... |
Fantasy | PS1, GBC | |
| 1998 | Super Lotsa Added Stuff Hack - Extended Magic Slash'EM Slash'EM is a variant of the roguelike game NetHack that offers extra features, monsters, and items... |
The Slash'EM development team | Fantasy | CROSS | Variant of NetHack NetHack NetHack is a single-player roguelike video game originally released in 1987. It is a descendant of an earlier game called Hack , which is a descendant of Rogue... . |
|
| 1999, 2001 | Torneko: The Last Hope Torneko: The Last Hope Torneko: The Last Hope, known as in Japan, is a console role-playing game for the Sony PlayStation.The game was co-developed by Chunsoft and Matrix Software and published by Enix in both Japan and North America in 1999 and 2000 respectively.... |
Chunsoft Chunsoft is a Japanese video game developer specializing in console RPGs and visual novels. It was founded by Koichi Nakamura, a video game designer from Enix... |
Fantasy | GBA, PS1 | Sequel to Torneko no Daiboken: Fushigi no Dungeon Torneko no Daiboken: Fushigi no Dungeon is the first game in the Mysterious Dungeon series. This installment features Torneko , the merchant from Dragon Warrior IV... . |
|
| 2000 | 2001 | Dark Cloud Dark Cloud is a role-playing video game for the PlayStation 2 video game console. It was developed by Level-5 and published by Sony Computer Entertainment in 2000 and 2001 in Japan and American/PAL regions respectively. The gameplay of Dark Cloud combines action role-playing with elements of city-building... |
Level-5 Level-5 is an independent video game developer and publisher based in Fukuoka, Japan. The company, which currently employs about 200 individuals, was founded in October 1998 by Akihiro Hino after he departed from the now defunct Japanese developer Riverhillsoft... |
Fantasy | PS2 | Also included a city-building aspect, making it not purely a roguelike, though dungeons did include a roguelike engine. |
| 2000 | 2001 | Falcon's Eye Falcon's Eye Falcon's Eye is a version of the computer game NetHack which introduces isometric graphics and mouse control. Falcon's Eye has been praised for improving Nethacks visuals and audio to an almost commercial level and has been noted as among some of the best free games available by Linux... |
Jaakko Peltonen | Fantasy | CROSS | Graphical update to NetHack NetHack NetHack is a single-player roguelike video game originally released in 1987. It is a descendant of an earlier game called Hack , which is a descendant of Rogue... . |
| 2000 | Fushigi no Dungeon: Fūrai no Shiren 2: Oni Shūrai! Siren-jō! | Chunsoft Chunsoft is a Japanese video game developer specializing in console RPGs and visual novels. It was founded by Koichi Nakamura, a video game designer from Enix... |
Fantasy | N64 | ||
| 2002 | 2003 | Dark Chronicle Dark Chronicle Dark Chronicle , released as Dark Cloud 2 in North America, is a role-playing video game for the PlayStation 2 video game console... /Dark Cloud 2 |
Level-5 Level-5 is an independent video game developer and publisher based in Fukuoka, Japan. The company, which currently employs about 200 individuals, was founded in October 1998 by Akihiro Hino after he departed from the now defunct Japanese developer Riverhillsoft... |
Fantasy | PS2 | Much like its predecessor, Dark Cloud Dark Cloud is a role-playing video game for the PlayStation 2 video game console. It was developed by Level-5 and published by Sony Computer Entertainment in 2000 and 2001 in Japan and American/PAL regions respectively. The gameplay of Dark Cloud combines action role-playing with elements of city-building... , it wasn't a pure roguelike, including world-building aspects, though dungeons remained roguelike. |
| 2002 | 2010 | Doom, the Roguelike DoomRL DoomRL is a roguelike video game for Microsoft Windows and Linux, whose setting is based on the first-person shooters Doom and Doom II... |
Kornel Kisielewicz | Futuristic, Fantasy | LIN, WIN | Based on the Doom series by id Software Id Software Id Software is an American video game development company with its headquarters in Richardson, Texas. The company was founded in 1991 by four members of the computer company Softdisk: programmers John Carmack and John Romero, game designer Tom Hall, and artist Adrian Carmack... . |
| 2004 | Nightmare of Druaga: Fushigino Dungeon, The The Nightmare of Druaga: Fushigino Dungeon The Nightmare of Druaga: Fushigino Dungeon is a console role-playing game developed by Arika and Chunsoft and published by Namco in 2004 exclusively for the Sony PlayStation 2... |
Arika Arika is a Japanese video game developer. It was formed in 1995 by former Capcom employees. The name of the company itself is the reverse of the name of the company's founder, Akira Nishitani, who created Street Fighter II. Arika's first arcade game was Street Fighter EX... , Chunsoft Chunsoft is a Japanese video game developer specializing in console RPGs and visual novels. It was founded by Koichi Nakamura, a video game designer from Enix... |
Fantasy | PS2 | Sequel to The Blue Crystal Rod for SNES. | |
| 2005 | N/A | Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team | Chunsoft Chunsoft is a Japanese video game developer specializing in console RPGs and visual novels. It was founded by Koichi Nakamura, a video game designer from Enix... |
Modern, Fantasy | DS | |
| 2005 | N/A | Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team | Chunsoft Chunsoft is a Japanese video game developer specializing in console RPGs and visual novels. It was founded by Koichi Nakamura, a video game designer from Enix... |
Modern, Fantasy | GBA | |
| 2005 | 2006 | Tao's Adventure: Curse of the Demon Seal Tao's Adventure: Curse of the Demon Seal is a Nintendo DS video game developed by Konami.-Story:The game revolves around a boy named Tao from the island of Bente, who must travel to Mondominio to get a rare monster egg from the monster tower. The seal from the tower has been broken, and monsters have turned all the people of his village... |
Konami Konami is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games... |
Fantasy | DS | Semi-sequel to Azure Dreams Azure Dreams Azure Dreams is a PlayStation video game developed by Konami and released on 30 June 1998. The game was later ported onto the Game Boy Color... . |
| 2006 | Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja, known in Japan as and in Europe as Izuna: The Legend of the Ninja, is a Nintendo DS roguelike game by Success and published by Atlus USA in the United States, and by 505 Games in Europe.-Story:... |
Success Success (company) Success Corporation is a Japanese game developer and publisher, based in Tokyo, and founded in: June 1976. They are best known for their Cotton series of shooter games , Zoo Keeper and others... |
Fantasy | DS | ||
| 2006 | 2011 | Stone Soup Linley's Dungeon Crawl Linley's Dungeon Crawl is a roguelike computer game originally programmed by Linley Henzell in 1995, and first released to the general public on October 1, 1997. Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup, a branch of Dungeon Crawl currently in development, is one of the most popular roguelikes being played today... |
Community | Fantasy | CROSS (open source Open source The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology... ) |
Fork of Linley's Dungeon Crawl Linley's Dungeon Crawl Linley's Dungeon Crawl is a roguelike computer game originally programmed by Linley Henzell in 1995, and first released to the general public on October 1, 1997. Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup, a branch of Dungeon Crawl currently in development, is one of the most popular roguelikes being played today... |
| 2006 | 2011 | Slaves to Armok II: Dwarf Fortress Slaves to Armok II: Dwarf Fortress Slaves to Armok: God of Blood, Chapter II: Dwarf Fortress, also called Slaves to Armok II: Dwarf Fortress, but most commonly known simply as Dwarf Fortress, is a freeware computer game by Bay 12 Games for Microsoft Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X set in a high fantasy universe that combines aspects of... |
Tarn Adams | Fantasy | LIN, OSX, WIN | |
| 2006 | Dragon Quest: Shonen Yangus to Fushigi no Dungeon | cavia Cavia, inc. was a Japanese video game developer. The company name was apparently an acronym for Computer Amusement Visualizer, although the company web site also claims it refers to caviar.... |
Fantasy | PS2 | Spin-off of Dragon Quest VIII Dragon Quest VIII Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King, known in Japan as and in PAL regions as Dragon Quest: The Journey of the Cursed King, is a role-playing video game developed by Level-5 and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 2... . |
|
| 2007 | N/A | Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness | Chunsoft Chunsoft is a Japanese video game developer specializing in console RPGs and visual novels. It was founded by Koichi Nakamura, a video game designer from Enix... |
Modern, Fantasy | DS | |
| 2007 | N/A | Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time | Chunsoft Chunsoft is a Japanese video game developer specializing in console RPGs and visual novels. It was founded by Koichi Nakamura, a video game designer from Enix... |
Modern, Fantasy | DS | |
| 2007 | 2008 | Izuna 2: The Unemployed Ninja Returns Izuna 2: The Unemployed Ninja Returns Izuna 2: The Unemployed Ninja Returns, released in Japan as , is a roguelike dungeon crawler video game developed by Ninja Studio and published in Japan by Success and in North America by Atlus for the Nintendo DS handheld game console... |
Ninja Studio Ninja Studio Ninja Studio is a Japanese video game developer mostly known for its Izuna the Unemployed Ninja series.Izuna appears to be a mascot for Ninja Studio and made a cameo appearance in Success' Rondo of Swords along with Shino .Ninja Studio's games:*A Ninja's Tale *Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja... |
Fantasy | DS | Sequel to Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja, known in Japan as and in Europe as Izuna: The Legend of the Ninja, is a Nintendo DS roguelike game by Success and published by Atlus USA in the United States, and by 505 Games in Europe.-Story:... |
| 2008 | N/A | Dransik | Iron Will Games | Fantasy | PC | An online MMORPG Roguelike with NES-like graphics that is still being updated to this day. |
| 2008 | Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon , is a role-playing video game published by Square Enix for the Wii. It is an installment in the Chocobo series that focuses on Chocobo and a Cid character.-Gameplay:... |
Square Enix Square Enix is a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series... |
Fantasy | Wii | ||
| 2008 | 2010 | Shiren the Wanderer | Chunsoft Chunsoft is a Japanese video game developer specializing in console RPGs and visual novels. It was founded by Koichi Nakamura, a video game designer from Enix... |
Fantasy | Wii, PSP | 3rd game in the series. |
| 2009 | N/A | Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky | Chunsoft Chunsoft is a Japanese video game developer specializing in console RPGs and visual novels. It was founded by Koichi Nakamura, a video game designer from Enix... |
Modern, Fantasy | DS | |
| 2009 | 100 Rogues 100 Rogues 100 Rogues is a Roguelike Role-Playing Game developed by and published by Fusion Reactions for the iOS.In 100 Rogues, players take on the role of one of several avatars, and battle their way through a series of randomly generated dungeons in a quest to kill Satan... |
Dinofarm Games | Fantasy | iPhone OS | ||
| 2010 | Smart Kobold | Jeff Lait | Fantasy | WIN, Linux | A "seven-day roguelike" that was selected for demonstration at IndieCade Indiecade Indiecade or IndieCade is an international juried festival of independent video games. IndieCade is known as "the video game industry's Sundance". At IndieCade independent video game developers are selected to screen and promote their work at the annual IndieCade festival and showcase events... , E3 2010 Electronic Entertainment Expo 2010 The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2010, commonly known as E3 2010, was the 16th Electronic Entertainment Expo held. The event took place on June 14–17 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. E3 is an annual trade show for the computer and video games industry presented by the Entertainment Software... . It attempts to implement a high level of artificial intelligence for a single type of enemy. |
|
| 2010 | Z.H.P. Unlosing Ranger VS Darkdeath Evilman Z.H.P. Unlosing Ranger VS Darkdeath Evilman Z.H.P. Unlosing Ranger VS Darkdeath Evilman, known as in Japan, is a Roguelike video game for PlayStation Portable.-Reception:RPGLand.com praised its fresh take on the punishing Roguelike genre and gave it a rating of "Great," saying, "It takes a genre notorious for its crazy amount of deaths and... |
Nippon Ichi Software | Fantasy | PSP | ||
| 2011 | Dungeons of Dredmor Dungeons of Dredmor Dungeons of Dredmor is a roguelike indie game by Gaslamp Games. The game features tile-based graphics.- Gameplay :The game starts as the player assumes the role of the game's main character entering a hostile dungeon crawler environment. The player enters a dungeon at the top floor and gradually... |
Gaslamp Games Gaslamp Games Gaslamp Games, Inc. is a small, independent software development company based in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada currently designing video games for the Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux operating systems.... |
Fantasy | WIN, MAC | Tile-based movement with rudimentary graphics and a sense of humour. |
Action role-playing games
| First | Last | Title | Developer | Setting | Platform | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | 1997 | Dragon Slayer | Nihon Falcom | Fantasy | PC88, PC98, MSX, GB, SAT | Real-time hack & slash Hack and slash Hack and slash or hack and slay, abbreviated H&S or HnS, refers to a type of gameplay that emphasizes combat. "Hack and slash" was originally used to describe an aspect of pen-and-paper role-playing games , carrying over from there to MUDs, MMORPGs, and video games in general... action RPG Action role-playing game Action role-playing games form a loosely defined sub-genre of role-playing video games that incorporate elements of action or action-adventure games, emphasizing real-time action where the player has direct control over characters, instead of turn-based or menu-based combat... with roguelike elements. |
| 1996 | Diablo Diablo (video game) Diablo is a dark fantasy-themed action role-playing game developed by Blizzard North and released by Blizzard Entertainment on December 31, 1996.... |
Blizzard North Blizzard North Blizzard North was the Bay Area division of Blizzard Entertainment, known for the Diablo series. The studio was originally based in Redwood City, and then moved a short distance away to San Mateo, with Blizzard proper being based in Irvine .-History:Blizzard North was originally an independent... |
Fantasy | WIN, OSX, PS1 | A prototypical roguelike action RPG. | |
| 2000 | Diablo II Diablo II Diablo II is a dark fantasy/horror-themed hack and slash, with elements of the role playing game and dungeon crawl genres. It was released for Windows and Mac OS in 2000 by Blizzard Entertainment, and was developed by Blizzard North. It is a direct sequel to the 1996 hit PC game, Diablo.Diablo II... |
Blizzard North Blizzard North Blizzard North was the Bay Area division of Blizzard Entertainment, known for the Diablo series. The studio was originally based in Redwood City, and then moved a short distance away to San Mateo, with Blizzard proper being based in Irvine .-History:Blizzard North was originally an independent... |
Fantasy | WIN, OSX | ||
| 2002 | Dungeon Siege Dungeon Siege Dungeon Siege is a computer role-playing game developed by Gas Powered Games and published by Microsoft Game Studios. Chris Taylor showed Dungeon Siege years in production for the first time at E3 2000... |
Gas Powered Games Gas Powered Games Gas Powered Games is a video game developer located in Redmond, Washington. The development studio was started in May 1998 by Chris Taylor, creator of Total Annihilation, and several other ex-Cavedog Entertainment employees.... |
Fantasy | WIN, OSX | ||
| 2003 | 2010 | Transcendence Transcendence (video game) Transcendence is a sci-fi themed freeware adventure PC game designed and created by George Moromisato.A preliminary version 0.5 alpha release of the game that would become Transcendence was made available in 1995. The game is still under development, with roughly three-quarters of the game... |
George Moromisato | Sci-fi | WIN | Space combat inspired by NetHack. |
| 2004 | Sacred | Ascaron Ascaron Ascaron Entertainment was a video game developer based in Germany. Founded as Ascon and later renamed in October 1996 due to the possible confusion with the Swiss company Ascom AG, the company produced titles primarily for the PC until it was made insolvent in 2009.-Background and history:Ascaron... |
Fantasy | WIN, OSX | ||
| 2005 | 2007 | FATE | WildStudios | Fantasy | WIN, OSX | Action RPG. |
| 2005 | Dungeon Siege II Dungeon Siege II Dungeon Siege II is a computer role-playing game and is the sequel to 2002's popular Dungeon Siege. It was developed by Gas Powered Games and released on August 16, 2005, one year delayed from original projections. The story is a continuation of the Dungeon Siege storyline... |
Gas Powered Games Gas Powered Games Gas Powered Games is a video game developer located in Redmond, Washington. The development studio was started in May 1998 by Chris Taylor, creator of Total Annihilation, and several other ex-Cavedog Entertainment employees.... |
Fantasy | WIN | ||
| 2006 | 2007 | Titan Quest Titan Quest Titan Quest is an action RPG developed by Iron Lore Entertainment. It was released worldwide by THQ on June 26, 2006. The game was released on Steam, along with the expansion Titan Quest: Immortal Throne, on July 17, 2007... , Titan Quest: Immortal Throne Titan Quest: Immortal Throne Titan Quest: Immortal Throne is an action RPG developed by Iron Lore Entertainment. It is the first expansion pack to the 2006 RPG hit, Titan Quest... |
Iron Lore Entertainment Iron Lore Entertainment Iron Lore Entertainment was a computer game developer that was founded in October 2000 by Brian Sullivan and Paul Chieffo.... |
Mythological | WIN | Action RPG |
| 2007 | Dungeon Runners Dungeon Runners Dungeon Runners was a medieval fantasy, often satirical MMORPG developed and published by NCsoft. It featured gameplay similar to the Diablo series of games.- Development :... |
NCsoft NCsoft NCsoft is a South Korea-based online video game company, which has published massively multiplayer online role-playing games including Lineage, City of Heroes, Wildstar, Exteel, Guild Wars and Aion.-History:... |
Fantasy | WIN | Action RPG. | |
| 2007 | Hellgate: London Hellgate: London Hellgate: London is a dark fantasy themed action role-playing game originally developed by Flagship Studios, released on October 31, 2007. It was developed by a team headed by former Blizzard Entertainment employees, some of whom had overseen the creation of the Diablo series... |
Flagship Flagship Studios Flagship Studios was a computer game company founded by Bill Roper along with Max Schaefer, Erich Schaefer, and David Brevik, the original developers of Diablo and former high level Blizzard North executives... |
Futuristic, Dystopia, Fantasy | WIN | Action RPG. | |
| 2007 | Avencast | ClockStone Software ClockStone Software ClockStone Software is an Austrian video game developer founded in 2006. They specialize in the independent development of video games and 3D multimedia applications.... |
Fantasy | WIN | ||
| 2007 | Loki: Heroes of Mythology | Cyanide Cyanide (studio) Cyanide is a game development studio, based in the western suburbs of Paris, France, with offices in Montreal, Canada and Chengdu, China. The studio was created in 2000 by 8 ex-UbiSoft employees and in 2007 has a headcount of 70... |
Fantasy | WIN | ||
| 2008 | Sacred II | Ascaron Ascaron Ascaron Entertainment was a video game developer based in Germany. Founded as Ascon and later renamed in October 1996 due to the possible confusion with the Swiss company Ascom AG, the company produced titles primarily for the PC until it was made insolvent in 2009.-Background and history:Ascaron... |
Fantasy | WIN, PS3, XB360 | ||
| 2009 | Torchlight Torchlight Torchlight is an action role-playing game developed by Runic Games and published by Perfect World, released for Windows in October 2009. The fantasy-themed game is set in the fictional town of Torchlight and the expansive caverns and dungeons nearby, which adventurers explore to collect valuable... |
Runic Games Runic Games Runic Games is a Seattle-based American computer game company formed by Travis Baldree , Max Schaefer and Erich Schaefer , Peter Hu, and the Flagship Studios Seattle team responsible for Mythos. It is a subsidiary of Perfect World Co., Ltd... |
Fantasy | WIN, OSX, XBLA | Action RPG. | |
| 2010 | Cladun: This is an RPG Cladun: This is an RPG is an action role-playing game for the PlayStation Portable. It was developed by System Prisma, a subsidiary of Nippon Ichi Software and released on September 21, 2010 in Japan. It features cooperative and competitive gameplay with up to three other players. Dungeons are randomly generated and the... |
System Prisma | Fantasy | PSP | Action RPG. | |
| 2010 | DeathSpank DeathSpank DeathSpank, , is a comedy action role-playing game by game designer Ron Gilbert. It was developed by Hothead Games and published by Electronic Arts. The game was released on July 13, 2010 on the PlayStation 3 via the PlayStation Network and on July 14, 2010 on the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade... |
Hothead Games Hothead Games Hothead Games is an independent video game developer and publisher based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Hothead is best known for its role-playing/adventure video game series, On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, based on the Penny Arcade webcomic... |
Fantasy | WIN, OSX, XBLA, PSN | ||
| 2010 | Din's Curse Din's Curse Din's Curse is an action role-playing game by independent developer Soldak Entertainment. It was officially released March 31, 2010, for the Windows and Mac OS X platforms. The retail game was published October 3, 2010, by Masque Publishing... |
Soldak Entertainment Soldak Entertainment Soldak Entertainment is a small independent company that was founded by Steven Peeler on November 22, 2004. The company released Windows Depths of Peril on September 5, 2007, followed by a Mac version of the game on June 6, 2008... |
Fantasy | WIN, OSX | Dynamic and evolving game world. | |
| TBR 2011 | Torchlight II Torchlight II Torchlight II is an upcoming action role-playing game developed by Runic Games and published by Perfect World. It is the sequel to Runic's 2009 ARPG, Torchlight, and features peer-to-peer multiplayer support and extended modding capabilities. A release for Mac OS is planned for some time after the... |
Runic Games Runic Games Runic Games is a Seattle-based American computer game company formed by Travis Baldree , Max Schaefer and Erich Schaefer , Peter Hu, and the Flagship Studios Seattle team responsible for Mythos. It is a subsidiary of Perfect World Co., Ltd... |
Fantasy | WIN, OSX | ||
| TBD | Mythos Mythos (computer game) Mythos is a multiplayer computer role-playing game that was originally under development by Flagship Studios Seattle, a subdivision of Flagship Studios, a video game company composed largely of ex-Blizzard North employees who were lead producers of the Diablo series... |
Flagship Flagship Studios Flagship Studios was a computer game company founded by Bill Roper along with Max Schaefer, Erich Schaefer, and David Brevik, the original developers of Diablo and former high level Blizzard North executives... , HanbitSoft HanbitSoft HanbitSoft is a Korean computer game publishing and development company. It is best known internationally as the Korean distributor for the successful computer game StarCraft.... |
Fantasy | WIN | Action RPG. Uses the Hellgate: London Hellgate: London Hellgate: London is a dark fantasy themed action role-playing game originally developed by Flagship Studios, released on October 31, 2007. It was developed by a team headed by former Blizzard Entertainment employees, some of whom had overseen the creation of the Diablo series... engine. |
|
| TBA | Diablo III Diablo III Diablo III is an upcoming dark fantasy/horror-themed action role-playing game in development by Blizzard, making it the third installment in the Diablo franchise... |
Blizzard Entertainment Blizzard Entertainment Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. is an American video game developer and publisher founded on February 8, 1991 under the name Silicon & Synapse by three graduates of UCLA, Michael Morhaime, Allen Adham and Frank Pearce and currently owned by French company Activision Blizzard... |
Fantasy | WIN, OSX | ||
| TBA | Grim Dawn Grim Dawn Grim Dawn is an upcoming action role-playing game developed by Crate Entertainment. Crate Entertainment announced on July 27, 2009 that they had licensed the Titan Quest engine from Iron Lore and announced Grim Dawn's development on January 21, 2010 Initially, few details were revealed, with Crate... |
Crate Entertainment Crate Entertainment Crate Entertainment is a video game developer currently based in Massachusetts. The company was publicly announced on February 18, 2008 by former members of Iron Lore Entertainment.-History:... |
Fantasy | WIN | ||
| TBA | Path of Exile Path of Exile Path of Exile is an upcoming online Action RPG set in a cut-throat fantasy world. It is developed by New Zealand based independent developer Grinding Gear Games and will be marketed as a digital download free-to-play game supported by "ethical microtransactions".- Gameplay :The player controls a... |
Grinding Gear Games | Fantasy | WIN | An online-only free-to-play with a "gloomy tone". |