The Best Action Roguelikes & Roguelites With Dynamic Enemy Encounters

Key Takeaways

• Dynamic gameplay in action roguelikes is defined by changing elements that keep players on their toes.
• Endless Dungeon swaps strategy for twin-stick action, offering an accessible yet strategic experience.
• Dead Estate and Noita enhance dynamic encounters with room hazards, ticking timers, and physically-simulated worlds.

Action roguelikes and roguelites are typically more overtly dynamic experiences than traditional roguelikes, thanks to real-time gameplay. These titles typically come in the form of brawlers, twin-stick shooters, and hack-and-slash games. However, some are more dynamic than others.

Dynamic gameplay should contain an element of change that keeps the player on their toes, forcing a reaction. This could be via a diverse cast of well-designed enemies, timed challenges, or any other element that adds chaos and/or unpredictability to each encounter.

8 Endless Dungeon

Unique Resource Management And Wave-Based Enemy Encounters

Endless Dungeon is a sequel to the real-time strategy/tower defense roguelike, Dungeon Of The Endless. However, Endless Dungeon swaps real-time strategy for twin-stick action, while keeping the resource management and tower defense mechanics that made Dungeon Of The Endless so unique.

As a result, Endless Dungeon is able to be an accessible but strategic experience, and arguably more dynamic than the original. Endless Dungeon sees players exploring room after room, building defenses and managing resources as they plot their way through the various dungeons. The contents of each room can have a dramatic impact on the player’s strategy, and the constant pressure of enemy swarms keeps the exploration intense.

7 Dead Estate

Room Hazards And The Overhanging Threat Of An Invincible Foe

Dead Estate is a twin-stick shooter with a chunky pixel-art style and arcade-infused gameplay that’s deeply nostalgic. This action-packed title tasks players with navigating a monster-infested mansion, hopping around from room to room in true roguelike style.

The variety of enemies combined with classic room hazards provides dynamic enemy encounters similar to games such as The Binding Of Isaac. However, Dead Estate is made more dynamic through the constant pressure of its invincible enemy, Chunks. This creature shows up when the player spends too long dawdling, and stalks the player much like Mr. X.

6 Heat Signature

A Variety Of Gadgets And Open Levels Facilitate Dynamic Encounters

Heat Signature is a unique action rogue-like that puts players in the shoes of one of many spacefarers, each with their own personal missions. The gameplay itself revolves around taking on contracts, breaking into spaceships of varying sizes, and fulfilling a variety of objectives.

The action of Heat Signature is slow-paced and strategic, encouraging players to take their time and rewarding the prepared. By allowing players to tackle each mission in a variety of ways with all manner of creative gadgets, Heat Signature is able to provide a dynamic experience that can quickly become chaotic.

5 Risk Of Rain 2

Third-Person Action And Constantly Scaling Difficulty

The third-person action of Risk Of Rain 2 is elevated by a diverse cast of characters and the cooldown management that comes with their various abilities. Each run sees players maneuvering through expansive environments, collecting loot, and battling a variety of enemies.

The biggest draw of Risk Of Rain 2 is perhaps the potential power fantasy that comes with combining the game’s various items. However, this stylish title is also a dynamic experience thanks to its scaling difficulty, a constantly ticking timer that encourages speed and punishes players who overstay their welcome in each zone.

4 Going Under

Weapon Durability That Forces Players To Improvise

This colorful 3D brawler follows a roguelite structure and elevates its gameplay with a satirical tone and dynamic combat encounters. Going Under tasks players with battling through a variety of uniquely-themed dungeons, fighting enemies with makeshift weapons scavenged from office environments.

These makeshift weapons are burdened by a durability system and will break after too much use. This results in truly dynamic gameplay that constantly forces players to improvise and adapt on their feet in order to succeed.

3 Ravenswatch

Dynamic Combat Under The Pressure Of A Ticking Timer

Ravenswatch is a stylish action roguelike that features a distinctive dark fairy-tale theme and a variety of unique playable characters. Each run, players battle through a slew of chapters that each feature their own sets of enemies, a unique quest, and a climactic boss battle.

Players are propelled through each chapter by a constantly ticking timer. This allows each enemy encounter to feel dynamic, as players are under a constant time pressure. Furthermore, many of the enemies in Ravenswatch behave differently during the day and night.

2 Noita

Exploring Physically-Simulated Caverns Under Constant Threat

Putting players in the role of a wizard and sending them down into procedurally-generated caverns, Noita is driven by its physically-simulated world. This high level of simulation allows Noita to be a dynamic experience through and through, a game in which each of the player’s actions has clear consequences.

Noita is heavily focused on exploration and experimentation, and players will often perish due to environmental hazards. However, the possibility of dangerous chain reactions and the looming threat of the environment help to make each enemy encounter a dynamic one.

1 Streets Of Rogue

An Action Sandbox With The Spirit Of An Immersive-Sim

This action roguelite combines the unhinged sandbox gameplay of games such as Grand Theft Auto with the spirit of immersive sims such as Deus Ex. Streets Of Rogue champions emergent gameplay through a variety of gadgets and weapons, as well as an objective-based structure.

Players are given total agency in Streets Of Rogue, plopped down in open levels complete with their own factions, buildings, and environments. This results in enemy encounters that are forever dynamic, as each obstacle can be overcome in a variety of creative (or not-so-creative) ways.