In the big current Steam Sale, numerous games are reduced, which want to make virtual dying as tasty as possible for you. We tell you which reduced roguelikes and soulslikes you absolutely have to check out!
Yeah, sure, winning is fun. But sometimes losing can be at least as fun, as the game genres Roguelike, Roguelite, Soulslike and Metroidvania prove. And it’s exactly these genres that are drastically reduced on Steam in the big Rogue Sale right now!
And the editors didn’t want to miss the chance to present you with seven personal highlights that you can currently get for far less than 20 euros and that we think you should definitely try out!
Table of Contents
Slay the Spire
(Developer: Mega Crit Games – Publisher: Mega Crit Games – Release: 23 January 2019 – Price: 8,39 Euro (60 percent discount))
Kevin: I don’t like card games. No Skat, no Schafkopf, no Uno. And certainly no deck builder things like Magic and Co. And it doesn’t matter whether analogue with paper cards or digital on the computer. I simply don’t like them.
At least that’s what I thought of myself until I was persuaded to play Slay the Spire by the enthusiastic review by my colleague Fritsch. Because as soon as I had completed the first rounds of the map-based dungeon crawler, I was hooked. Since then, I’ve spent hour after hour in the eponymous tower, and the Switch version in particular, which is also famously successful, has had me commuting for many months.
The highlight of Slay the Spire are – of course – the cards. They determine our attacks (and defence options) and can also be upgraded. In addition, there are 160 relics (from traders and particularly strong opponents), some of which turn the dynamics of the battles upside down because they strengthen certain attacks or permanently improve our armour.
And then there are the seven hero types (thanks to expansions like the recently released Downfall), each of which changes the starting conditions. With the Slime Boss, we can now even take over a character that used to function as a boss.
In Slay the Spire, however, it is not the hero who gains experience, but rather oneself. After a few hours, the effect of your own deck can be assessed excellently and you learn better and better how to deal with the peculiarities of the cards, relics and, not least, opponents. Oh, maybe I’ll try Schafkopfen again.
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
(Developer: Artplay – Publisher: 505 Games – Release: 18 June 2019 – Price: 16 Euro (60 percent discount))
Flo: Steam has a very curious understanding of Roguelikes or Roguelites. Because Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is actually neither, but hey: you don’t look a reduced horse in the mouth. Bloodstained should bring back the glory of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night in 2019 – one of the forefathers of the Metroidvania genre. The result doesn’t quite reach the legendary status of the great role model, but it is still worth seeing.
As usual in Metroidvanias, in Bloodstained you explore a gigantic dungeon, level up your main character, collect lots of weapons, skills and kill gigantic bosses. The story of Bloodstained unfortunately doesn’t even fill the edge of a beer mat, so it’s best to concentrate fully on the great gameplay.
Bloodstained doesn’t have the unique mood and story of a Hollow Knight, nor any of the other modern tricks that have been advancing the Metroidvania for years. For better or worse, it’s classic genre fare through and through. But for 16 euros, definitely worth a look.
Children of Morta
(Developer: Dead Mage – Publisher: 11 Bit Studios – Release: September 3. 2019 – Price: €7.69 (65 percent discount)
Sachith: Game journalist is not the best job now, even if it sounds like it at first. I’m not helping to make the world a better place, nor am I accumulating Duckburg-money-store-worthy riches. But sometimes I do feel like I’ve achieved something. At gamescom 2019, for example, where my character was the only one in the Children of Morta demo not to kick the bucket once. No easy feat, after all, death is part of the gameplay in Children of Morta.
In procedurally generated dungeons, you slash your way through hordes of enemies with a grandiose combat system, but lose all the equipment you have collected when the screen exits. Fortunately, you keep your gold; you use it to expand your home base. This is the Bergsons’ estate, because in Children of Morta you play the members of a family; each has a different class such as rogue, warrior or archer. The story around the Bergsons motivates you to keep playing and the conversations with my family are a highlight.
Hollow Knight
(Developer: Team Cherry – Publisher: Team Cherry – Release: February 24, 2017 – Price: 5.99 Euro (60 percent discount))
Emma: Okay, you’ve probably all heard of Hollow Knight, or at least that its announced sequel Hollow Knight: Silk Song is one of the most requested games on Steam. But have you played Hollow Knight at all? And if not, why not?
I mean, check out this infinitely cute and detailed forgotten kingdom that lies beneath the dilapidated city of Dirtmouth and is just waiting to be discovered by you. Again and again you have to prove your worth against nasty bugs and other monsters that, in true Souls-like style, make you despair time and again. But here, too, the better you know your opponents, the easier the way becomes. From time to time, it also helps to equip the right talisman.
If you like crunchy challenges, love the freedom of an open world and have a heart for the cuddly style, you should pick up Hollow Knight now at the latest for just six euros.
Nioh
(Developer: KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD. – Publisher: KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD. – Release: November 7, 2017 – Price: 12.49 Euro (75 percent discount))
Dani: Well, I love Elden Ring and Sekiro is certainly not a bad game. But the thousands and thousands of hours in the open world of the former can quickly wear you down, and in the latter I sorely miss the actually awesome boss design of other soul games. Who wants to fight a boring guy on a horse instead of gigantic demons made of corpses? I sure don’t!
Nioh combines the best of all worlds for me: It takes the snappy action-focused fights and Japan setting from Nioh and the completely otherworldly bosses from Elden Ring – and throws all these ingredients into a compact action firework without unnecessary lengths. And all this is available for less than 13 euros. Better and cheaper than any visit to the cinema! And no one will throw popcorn at you.
Dead Cells
(Developer: Motion Twin – Publisher: Motion Twin – Release: August 6, 2018 – Price: 14.99 Euro (40 percent discount from 25 Euro))
Michael: I’ll just say it straight out: Dead Cells is the best roguelike I’ve personally ever played! It just feels “right” all around: it’s hard, but almost never feels unfair. The battles are fast and relentless, but control with absolute precision down to the pixel. The graphics are pixelated, but beautifully detailed and bursting with creativity (especially in enemy design) without serving fantasy clichés of orcs, elves & Co. And the sound perfectly accompanies the action with smacking, lush hit effects and an atmospheric soundtrack.
But I could go on for hours listing individual features of Dead Cells. What ultimately matters is: Few titles have pulled me so deeply into the addictive spiral. Just one more run and then I’ll go to bed for sure! If I perfect this attack combo, I’ll be invincible! I really want to try this item or upgrade! Dead Cells always holds a new carrot in front of you without feeling like work. For me, Dead Cells is therefore a game that should be experienced. Oh yes: The DLCs are also reduced and can keep up with the quality of the main game!
Haiku, the Robot
(Developer: Mister Morris Games – Publisher: Mister Morris Games – Release: 28 April 2022 – Price: 16,14 Euro (15 percent discount from 18,99 Euro))
Thomas: There seems to be no end to the wait for Hollow Knight: Silksong. If you’re also one of the near-starved fans, this trip to Arcadia is for you! Where to? Well, to the land of Arcadia, home to countless robots and other machines that have been corrupted by a nasty virus – and Haiku.
The little robot is in possession of a microchip that has not yet been infected by the pest. So it’s up to him to hop, run and roll through the mechanical world. Oh, and of course there is a lot of fighting. Just like in Hollow Knight, it’s all about precise timing and clever dodging.
You’re not all alone, by the way, because in the course of your journey you’ll also meet friendly robots again and again who will help you and offer advice and support. Have I forgotten anything else? Oh yes: There are of course all kinds of secrets to discover in the game world.
Thanks to its pixel look with Game Boy charm, the game at least pleases my eyes. Yours too? Then what are you waiting for? Become a friend of little Haiku! Of the 350 Steam reviews so far, 95 per cent have been positive!
