The Therapist Gamer

There is a category of games known as "Rogue-likes" because they share certain gameplay mechanics in common with the 1980 game "Rogue."  Common elements of Roguelikes include character progression, randomized levels, and permanent death (your game restarts when you die no matter how much progress you've made).  Rogue Legacy might be considered a "Rougelike-like" game due to a unique twist on the typical approach.  

 

You begin Rogue Legacy with a character who is doomed to die.  Next thing you know, you are being asked to choose your descendant.  The available characters each have their own class and quirks, such as nearsightedness (everything far away is blurry), vertigo (everything is upside down), or OCD (they regain magic points when they tidy up).  The character you select then begins their journey into a castle to avenge the death of their ancestor.  

 

The gameplay itself is pretty intense and requires a fair amount of skill to survive for any length of time.  Along the way you'll slay monsters who drop gold coins behind.  There are four boss characters throughout the castle and the death of each one unlocks a seal at the entrance of the castle.  

 

When you die (and you will die!) your lineage retains the gold you acquired and you pick another descendant to control.  You can spend your inherited money to buy new armor or weapons, or you can upgrade your castle (which has the effect of upgrading your stats, like maximum hit points).  When you decide to venture back into the castle, Charon (Death) confiscates your remaining money.  This means that you need to spend everything you inherited or else you need to give it up anyway - so no saving!

 

In the castle you can find blueprints to progressively better equipment, and you can find runes which give your character a variety of characteristics - such as being able to double-jump.  

 

So while Rogue Legacy isn't a true Roguelike it definitely mixes up the formula.  Another perspective is that this game is a nerfed Roguelike made to appeal to modern audiences who can't handle to difficult nature of true Roguelikes.  Either way, the game is friggin' awesome and I'd be happy to play many more like it!

 

(Oh, and a few screenshots are from the PS4 version, which is why some of them have four times the resolution.)