Do You Like Rogue-Likes? (part 5)

I've seen some innovation in roguelikes lately. Rogue Legacy, for instance, explains the repeated character death by indicating each character you play is the next generation of a long line of ancestors that have been dying in their attempts to survive the dungeon (cleverly enough, each new character you play has a different name, look, and class.) The roguelike space-shooter Galak-Z lets you earn “crash coins” that roll-over to your next playthrough, and blueprints you discover for ship upgrades can be purchased when just starting out using these coins. The steampunk roguelike Ironcast also has a form of roll-over currency you can use to purchase passive abilities, new pilots, or even new ironcast mechs. However, in all roguelikes, your mileage may vary, depending on the kind of gamer you are. One of the biggest RPG draws for me is that I can continually grow and develop my character—I get a little attached to him, and his stuff. I don't like losing almost everything I earned, and I don't like trying to invest myself in a new character each time. For me, it feels a bit like I suspect it would be to live with a family that moves around a lot: it's hard to let yourself make new friends and get close to them when you know that you might have to leave and never see them again. Yet, despite my tendency to get attached to my character in a game, somehow, I still find myself playing roguelikes. They can be a bit addictive for the determined side of us that demands “just one more try!”