I’ve felt the same while playing some of 2025’s standout titles. French JRPG Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and the 2D Metroidvania Hollow Knight: Silksong are excellent, but they both hold back certain systems that I wished had been available earlier. Ghost of Tsushima offered a similar experience in years past. I’m often torn between meaningful, long-term progression and immediate, upfront fun. By the time I feel like I’ve truly mastered a game, it’s either ending or clearly approaching its finale — and I don’t always want to commit to a full New Game+ just to keep playing.
In that respect, the roguelike loop’s built-in replayability offers a satisfying middle ground: you can continue to test and refine your skills without restarting the entire campaign or worrying about whether there’s enough time to fully enjoy the content. As a fellow fan of roguelikes, I share Galante’s enthusiasm.
“I think trends in games tend to ebb and flow,” Galante adds. “There may come a time when everyone tires of roguelike randomness and we revert to straightforward, linear action games — maybe the PlayStation 2-style experiences. I actually miss those sometimes. But overall I’m very happy: these systems let people enjoy games in many different ways. From someone who made Vampire Survivors, of course I believe it’s a natural evolution for game design.”
Source: gamesradar.com
