Best Medieval Themed Roguelikes, Ranked

Having skyrocketed in popularity over the past decade, roguelikes now sit as a firm staple of gaming. From chaotic shooters to sweat-inducing platformers, there’s a roguelike to fill every gamer’s fancy, for veterans and beginners alike. Renowned for their procedural generation and punishing gameplay, players die repeatedly in the pursuit of progress. Only the most determined individuals will emerge victorious. Death is rarely the end, however. With each loss, players are granted new items, characters, and equipment, along with hard-earned experience.

Medieval worlds are among the most common settings for roguelikes. These gritty, often realistic backdrops compliment the unforgiving death mechanics of roguelikes, upping the ante on every moment of what is already tension-rich gameplay. The medieval period is also the perfect backdrop against which to introduce fantasy themes organically. The following games have been ranked based on the extent to which their medieval themes enhance the game, whether narratively, mechanically, or visually.

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6

Slay The Spire

Cohesive Themes

Released

January 23, 2019

ESRB

E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood, Tobacco Reference

Developer(s)

Mega Crit

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

• Turn-based deck builder with medieval themes.
• Medieval aspects give Acts 1 and 2 cohesive themes.

Slay The Spire is a single-player turn-based deck builder. Trapped within the Spire in a permanent cycle of death and rebirth, players face off against the many dangers of this dungeon. Their only hope of freedom is conquering the Spire’s seemingly endless floors.

While Slay The Spire takes its themes from many a genre and time period, medieval fantasy is one of the most prominent. It does a stellar job of giving the Spire, especially its first two acts, cohesive visual and gameplay themes. Even new players can guess the kind of monsters they will encounter in these acts: standard fantasy RPG monsters and human or humanoid creatures. When they discover a hulking armor-clad giant or a hooded incorporeal mage, it makes sense.

Medieval themes aren’t the only aesthetic Slay The Spire sports, however. There’s more than a sprinkle of the eldritch to be found here, with Act 3 going full Lovecraftian horror as players battle through the fleshy core of the Spire, facing off against tentacles and literal beating hearts.

5

Darkest Dungeon

Vital To The Cast

Released

January 19, 2016

ESRB

T For Teen due to Alcohol Reference, Blood and Gore, Mild Language, Partial Nudity, Suggestive Themes, Violence

Developer(s)

Red Hook Studios

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

• Party-based management dungeon crawler.
• Many characters draw from medieval themes.

Survival is the name of the game in this party-based dungeon crawler. Every character plays a vital role in keeping the party alive: lose one, and the rest will soon follow. Death is not just a frustrating loss, but a devastating setback both for those within the dungeon and the run as a whole.

It’s impossible to place Darkest Dungeon under any one time period or historical theme. From the undead to medieval crusaders, and even eldritch monsters, this game has it all, placed against a backdrop of Victorian and Lovecraftian horror. When it comes to characters, however, medieval history takes a far more prominent seat, making up a significant portion of the cast. Whether health-giving vestals or damage-tanking men-at-arms, without medieval themes, there wouldn’t be half as many diverse characters to choose from. While medieval themes are integral to the game’s cast, its impact beyond that is limited, rarely enhancing the game’s narratives or mechanics.

4

Kingdom: New Lands

Enhances Difficulty

• Released: 2016-08-09
• Genre: Tower Defense
• Developer: Noio

• Tower defense resource manager.
• Medieval weaponry makes combat and survival difficult.
• The medieval setting is less impactful than other entries.

In this side-scrolling tower defense, players must protect their settlements from the all-consuming Greed. Set in a low fantasy medieval world, players are locked in a vicious battle of development. Every day that passes sees Greedlings launch increasingly powerful nighttime assaults.

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Kingdom: New Lands’ medieval setting is the background on which much of its narrative and gameplay is built. Stuck with only medieval technologies — bows, catapults, and swords — surviving Greedlings is a risky ordeal. Later technologies of swordsmen and catapults, while stronger, also have their own disadvantages. While equipped with high firepower, catapults, like archers, leave much to be desired regarding accuracy.

The game’s medieval themes take a back seat for the most part, influencing only some gameplay and visuals. Its medieval setting doesn’t impact the game as actively as subsequent entries on this list.

3

Battle Brothers

Medieval Setting Compliments Gameplay

Indie Games

Tactical

RPG

Strategy

Adventure

Released

April 27, 2015

ESRB

t

Developer(s)

Overhype Studios

OpenCritic Rating

Strong

• Single player turn-based strategy RPG.
• The medieval setting enhances punishing realism.
• Realistically brutal medieval combat.

Battle Brothers is a turn-based strategy RPG. Slay monsters, waylay caravans, or compete in gladiatorial fights; it’s up to players to choose how their mercenary band navigates this unforgiving, low fantasy world. Be warned, this is not a land of dragons, magic, and fairies, but rather one of flesh-eating undead, maimings, and cold-blooded murder.

This game pulls no punches. From the stupid to the seemingly sensible, mistakes will be punished brutally. It’s here in Battle Brothers’ gritty realism that its grounded medieval setting enhances gameplay, forcing players to live a true-to-life mercenary experience. It’s not all glory and riches, but rather a violent struggle for survival against poverty, starvation, and death, where every battle could spell the end. Even the most seasoned of warriors can die in an instant, skewered by humans or monsters alike. All it takes is one careless move or unlucky attack to change the company’s fate forever.

2

Barony

An Essential Piece

Barony

Systems

Released

April 4, 2015

ESRB

T For Teen Due To Blood, Crude Humor, Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violence

Developer(s)

Turning Wheel

• High fantasy co-op dungeon crawler.
• The medieval setting helps inform player expectations.
• Setting makes understanding game mechanics easier.

Danger lurks around every corner in this co-op dungeon crawler. Tasked with slaying a lich, players must fight through the depths of his dungeon, fighting monsters, finding treasure, and dying along the way. This game is as much about battling enemies as it is about chaotic multiplayer antics.

Barony’s medieval setting is the backbone of this game, especially narratively. Anyone familiar with medieval fantasy, especially RPGs, will recognize the game’s plot as the typical adventuring party’s journey: survive, gain power, and defeat the evil villain. As is always the case, dangers, whether monsters, booby traps, or deadly mini-bosses, will bar their way.

Given its medieval fantasy setting, most players will know what to expect. From class systems to equipment, they will already have some existing knowledge of the game’s basic mechanics. Strength increases damage, powerful magic items exist, and goblins, gnomes, and other monsters prowl the dungeon’s halls. Players know exactly what they’re getting themselves into with Barony.

1

ADOM (Ancient Domains Of Mystery)

Different Setting, Different Game

Released

November 16, 2015

Publisher(s)

Assemble Entertainment

• High fantasy turn-based dungeon crawler RPG.
• Gives players subtle guidance.
• Reinforces the realistic and punishing world.

ADOM (Ancient Domains Of Mystery) is a turn-based dungeon crawler RPG. Players take on the role of an adventurer, exploring the world’s greatest wonders and deepest dangers. Be warned, though: this world is unforgiving, rewarding even the smallest of mistakes with a swift death.

In a game with little guidance on where players should go or what their goals are, ADOM’s medieval fantasy setting is vital in giving players a sense of direction. Anyone familiar with the genre will recognize it as one of dungeon looting, quest completing, and power gathering. This is exactly what the game wants players to do; it just allows them the freedom to come to that conclusion themselves. That’s a true roguelike.

In a world where any mistake or a drop of overconfidence could be lethal, the game’s realistic medieval fantasy setting adds gameplay tension. Starvation is a real and debilitating affliction. Wounds can leave players stranded, unable to continue fighting or flee from their attackers. Such deaths are tragic but brutally realistic.

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