Rogue Lords

Rogue Lords borrows quite a bit from other popular games, but it isn't really worse for wear because of it. Players looking for something completely fresh may be disappointed by the strong similarities with games like Slay the Spire and Darkest Dungeon, but the unique visual design and combat twists push this sternly into the "more of a good thing isn't a bad thing" category for me. If you like roguelikes and turn-based squad combat, this is the perfect game to spend some time with as we enter the early days of the Halloween season.

Rogue Lords is an innovative mix of roguelike and RPG elements with clever new concepts to tax your tactical mind. There’s a constant one-more-encounter compulsivity as you look to make your band of villains ever more powerful, and a huge scope for creativity provided by the reality-bending devil mode. For an entertainingly strategic experience where you have free license to indulge your dark side and wreak havoc with a variety of ghosts and ghouls, Rogue Lords will sate your wicked desires.

Rogue Lords is an extremely fun spin on the roguelike genre, featuring addictive Devil Power design, thoughtful gameplay, a variety of choices and a highly enjoyable atmosphere. However, as always, the Devil is in the details: the game's RNG-based nature, repetitiveness and lack of balance can spoil the otherwise good impression.

Rogue Lords’ approach to turn-based combat — with or without cards — isn’t radically different, but the Devil Mode and ability to “cheat your way to victory” offers a new mechanic that will have you rethinking your usual strategies. Some issues with bugs, balancing, and its overlong, weariness-inducing campaigns are made less egregious thanks to its amusing writing, great music and fantastic gothic horror art direction. Unlike some of the games in this style, Rogue Lords demands a bit of patience, thought and tolerance for complexity while still be accessible to fans of the genre.

Rogue Lords is a well-built roguelike that can get anyone in an evil Halloween party mood. The game has the style and addictive hook to keep devilish map-crawlers progressing through suspicious sanctuaries and nasty taverns. Lovers of the genre will find a familiar but engaging gameplay loop and new strategies to learn. However, its reliance on punishing difficulty, probably meant to encourage more risk-taking, can take a toll on the player's overall enjoyment of what is a really fun game.

Rogue Lords presents an interesting take on the roguelike genre. Although it draws inspiration from many games, including Darkest Dungeon, Slay the Spire and Iratus: Lord of the Dead, Rogue Lords sets itself apart thanks to some compelling gameplay mechanics. Moreover, all the additions to an already traditional formula feel well thought out and extremely fun. The writing and the art style are top-notch as well, and so is the voice acting. If not for the balance issues and the repetitive nature of the formula, Rogue Lords could have been a truly great game. Even so, if you love games like Darkest Dungeon and Slay the Spire, you’ll certainly enjoy Rogue Lords.

The necessary mastery requires showing patience and perseverance, further reducing the accessibility of a title which, for all that and despite the implementation of actions that are sometimes difficult to define, remains particularly well designed, surprising and satisfying to go through.

Rogue Lords will not suit everyone, that's for sure. Very (too?) difficult at times and what you will get during each of your runs, this game will at least have the merit of making you feel a strong sense of accomplishment at each boss you defeat. On our side, as rogue-lite fans, we were clearly won over. The art direction is a bit of a head-turner, like Darkest Dungeon for example, and should appeal to the same type of players.

With Halloween season at the doors already, Rogue Lords can offer some nice time in the company of ghouls, zombies and vampires. The battles will be tough for sure, but don't fret because Devil will always play by his own rules.

Rogue Lords is a fine lead-up to the spooky season, with a genuinely addictive gameplay loop and a satisfying combat system. The ability to mess with the game’s own mechanics as the Devil is an absolutely inspired idea, and the experience is only made less than perfect by a few glitches that need patching out. The game would feel a little more complete if there were more to do in each chapter’s overworld, but what is there is a delightfully challenging roguelike. The inability to lower the difficulty may turn some people away, but other people will relish the challenge.

While charming in its use of gothic horror themes and tropes, Rogue Lords barely does enough to stand out from previous turn-based dungeon crawlers.

Rogue Lords needs a lot more polish before I could feel comfortable recommending it. The UI's messy, the pacing is off, and it makes itself hard to get into, with overcomplicated mechanics presented in obscure, difficult-to-interpret ways. I like its atmosphere and the glee it takes in letting you be evil, but if I wasn't reviewing it, I probably would've dropped Rogue Lords after the first hour. There's fun to be had here if you can push through it, but like a lot of Eurojank games, it doesn't feel like it's entirely finished.

The terror and hindrance effects make each run feel uniquely challenging, and the story events and Disciple traits are where Rogue Lords really shines. Unfortunately, as it stands, Rogue Lords suffers significantly from its lack of balance and the repetitive nature of both runs and combat. It can be difficult to strategize when RNG constantly feels stacked against the player, and being forced to restart a book after a surprise, impossible boss fight is demoralizing. With some retuning, however, Rogue Lords could better capitalize on its great ideas and innovate for the roguelike genre.