Rogue Lords

70%
Game Brain Score Based on 569 reviews
  • gameplay
  • story
  • graphics
Rogue Lords Game Cover
Rogue Lords offers an interesting Roguelike offers but fails to really live up to its devilish premise
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In Rogue Lords, you play as the devil, reaping souls and commanding a dark council of minions in a roguelike adventure. You'll need to balance resources, manage your minions, and outsmart enemy agents to succeed. Each playthrough offers unique challenges, with procedurally generated levels and an array of skills and relics to discover. Your choices and strategies will determine the fate of your dark dominion.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

70%
Audience ScoreBased on 569 reviews
gameplay105 positive mentions
grinding25 negative mentions
  • The game features a unique 'cheating' mechanic that allows players to manipulate combat and events, adding depth to the gameplay.
  • The art style and voice acting are top-notch, creating an engaging atmosphere that enhances the overall experience.
  • The variety of characters and their distinct abilities encourage experimentation and strategic planning.
  • The difficulty spikes significantly between chapters, often leading to frustrating encounters that feel unfair.
  • There are issues with balance, as certain characters and abilities overshadow others, limiting viable strategies.
  • The overworld navigation can feel tedious and unnecessary, detracting from the overall pacing of the game.
  • gameplay258 mentions

    The gameplay of the game is characterized by a mix of innovative mechanics, particularly the "devil mode" that allows players to manipulate combat and events, creating a unique strategic layer. While many players appreciate the depth and variety in team building and encounters, there are significant criticisms regarding balance issues, repetitive combat, and a steep learning curve that can lead to frustration. Overall, the game offers a fun and engaging experience, but it requires refinement and polish to fully realize its potential.

    • “The gameplay is engaging and unique.”
    • “The devil powers, which are the most novel mechanic for this game, were really interesting.”
    • “Rogue Lords is a fun turn-based roguelike that incorporates many design mechanics from other popular roguelikes while adding its own twist, primarily its diabolic essence mechanic that allows you to manipulate fights and events.”
    • “That's where the creativity ends: the fights are repetitive, the characters aren't interesting, the gameplay is clunky, the graphics are ugly, and the writing is subpar.”
    • “The gameplay is meh.”
    • “Unfortunately, several mechanics are either bugged or there are hidden rules that need to be exposed.”
  • story135 mentions

    The story in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it engaging and well-integrated into the gameplay, while others describe it as repetitive and lacking depth. Many appreciate the unique premise of playing as the devil and the interesting lore, but feel that the narrative becomes tedious over time due to its static nature and the need to replay similar story beats. Overall, while the art and voice acting are praised, the story's execution leaves some players wanting more variety and depth.

    • “The story is pretty engaging.”
    • “The premise is fun, the theme is interesting, and the story builds and feeds back well into the game loop.”
    • “The art style, voice acting, and game story are very good.”
    • “The storylines are mediocre episodic macguffin chases with random vignettes.”
    • “Too much repetitiveness, too much sameness, since the story doesn't really hold your attention that much.”
    • “After you beat the first chapter, you've basically seen everything this game has to offer, aside from story and bosses; I already feel bored by the game.”
  • graphics101 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive a largely positive reception, with many reviewers praising its beautiful art style, charming animations, and cohesive aesthetic that enhances the overall experience. While some mention minor bugs and repetitive visuals, the unique theme and strong visual identity are highlighted as standout features. Overall, the game's graphics are considered a significant strength, contributing to its appeal despite some gameplay criticisms.

    • “The art style is gorgeous and has a strong identity of its own.”
    • “Beautiful graphics, amazing music, being able to be the bad guy... it's fantastic!”
    • “The graphics are top notch and the characters are well animated.”
    • “That's where the creativity ends: the fights are repetitive, the characters aren't interesting, the gameplay is clunky, the graphics are ugly, and the writing is subpar.”
    • “This is an odd game to review; I don't think I have seen such a big gap between gameplay quality and graphic quality.”
    • “There are a few minor bugs (with sound) and the graphics can be a little choppy at times during transitions, but the meat of the game is the strategy, deck building, and interesting events.”
  • atmosphere31 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is consistently praised for its dark, spooky tone, enhanced by excellent music, voice acting, and art direction. Players appreciate the immersive experience created by the combination of atmospheric elements, including the contrast of light and dark, which complements the complex combat mechanics. Overall, the atmosphere is described as engaging and well-crafted, making it a standout feature of the game.

    • “The music's great, too, and adds a lot to the atmosphere, especially when coupled with the excellent voice work.”
    • “Production is very good and the atmosphere is wonderfully crafted.”
    • “The atmosphere is darkish.”
    • “It breaks up the combat and provides atmosphere, but maybe make it so we can walk through forests.”
    • “Really love the dark atmosphere of the game and the medieval legends; you can really tell that a lot of love for evil went into the game.”
  • grinding27 mentions

    Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, often leading to a lack of meaningful progression despite the unique character skills available. Many reviews highlight the repetitive nature of battles and the difficulty curve, which can make gameplay feel like a chore rather than an engaging experience. While some appreciate the depth of strategy involved, the overwhelming sentiment is that the grind detracts from enjoyment, making it a significant drawback for many players.

    • “Each of the characters is very unique and interesting to play, with lots of different skills to unlock (and not all that grindy) - Dracula and Baron Samedi are my favorites.”
    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “I have to play on apprentice, and even then it is unbearably tedious.”
    • “A tedious, frustrating, repetitive, and unbalanced mess I bitterly regret buying.”
    • “Unlocking everything seems like a tedious job and there is not much motivation to continue at all.”
  • replayability24 mentions

    Overall, the game's replayability is mixed among reviewers. While some appreciate the diverse team dynamics and varying chapter experiences that enhance replay value, others find it lacking after completing the main campaign, citing repetitive gameplay and limited content. Additional modes or content could potentially improve replayability, but as it stands, opinions range from decent to low.

    • “Developing team dynamics, and mixing up the lords makes the game replayable.”
    • “The map is always different, giving this game infinite replay value. There is a lot to enjoy here and I hope to see them continue to add more things to the game.”
    • “There is replay value here and a large number of variables to experiment with.”
    • “As it is, the replayability is low, since after you defeat the main campaign books, there's really nothing else to do.”
    • “Game really just doesn't have much replayability because the power climb is exactly the same every run - get terror up, focus on events and buff damage, then get skills, in that order every time.”
    • “There are not much replayability after you're done because most of the team compositions aren't fun to use with how the fight is balanced.”
  • music23 mentions

    The music in the game is generally well-received, enhancing the atmosphere with its catchy tunes and fitting the demonic theme. While some players find it enjoyable and atmospheric, others note that it lacks standout tracks and can become repetitive. Overall, it complements the game's art and gameplay, contributing positively to the overall experience without being particularly memorable.

    • “Awesome theme (I get to play as the reality-warping devil himself? Yes!), great graphics and soundtrack, and cool gameplay.”
    • “The music's great, too, and adds a lot to the atmosphere, especially when coupled with the excellent voice work.”
    • “Great theme, music, atmosphere; the turn-based combat has a lot of different ways to play.”
    • “The music so far hasn't stood out as being anything to write home about, but it's inoffensive and seems to fit the mood well.”
    • “And then when you realize the music doesn't vary between areas, you'll mute that, too.”
    • “You won't be humming the songs from the game, but you also won't be muting the game so that you could listen to a 'Gary the Bard' album.”
  • stability12 mentions

    The game's stability has been widely criticized, with players reporting numerous bugs affecting gameplay mechanics, achievements, and interface responsiveness. While many appreciate the visuals and mechanics, the prevalence of glitches detracts significantly from the overall experience, leading to a consensus that the game is currently a "buggy mess." Some users noted that initial game-breaking issues have been addressed, but ongoing stability problems remain a concern.

    • “I don't remember if it was the same the first time I played it, or maybe it's due to some updates, but currently the game is extremely buggy: damage or statuses sometimes work and sometimes don't, effects proc when they shouldn't and don't when they should, and some achievements don't work as they should - you can get an achievement 'you did x' when you didn't do x, and vice versa, no achievement for doing something that should give it.”
    • “I love the mechanics, the visuals, the characters, the voice acting for the most part, etc. The only downside to the game is that it is a buggy mess.”
    • “The game is just too buggy.”
  • character development6 mentions

    Character development in the game is highlighted by unique and interesting designs, complemented by rich backstories that enhance the overall experience. However, some players note that the focus on certain character types can lead to balance issues in gameplay, particularly in later stages. Overall, the lore and character diversity are praised, contributing to a compelling narrative.

    • “The character design and backstories of the characters really add some nice spice to the game.”
    • “Fantastic lore and character design as well.”
    • “Great characters, great character development.”
    • “Woke character design; I've played nearly 20 hours and the only characters I've unlocked are women who greatly outshine the two men that you start with.”
  • humor5 mentions

    The humor in the game is initially engaging and amusing, with quirky voice lines and a playful tone that many players find enjoyable. However, the repetitive nature of these lines can lead to a decline in comedic value over time, as they become tiresome and detract from the overall experience. While some players appreciate the humor's charm, others feel it lacks depth and variety, ultimately diminishing its impact.

    • “Very funny, the art is cool, and the combat can be psycho hard until you figure out the right combo of folks and skills.”
    • “Yes, yes, yes, yes! If you like roguelikes, legit get this game. It's hard, fun, sexy, evil, funny, and cute! ... (I'm weird) but I legit love this game! :D”
    • “The story isn't pushed very far and the rest is very gimmicky, but some of the things the devil says can be funny the first time.”
  • optimization3 mentions

    The game's optimization has seen improvements since the demo, with many performance issues addressed; however, some users still report occasional bugs and random performance hiccups. Overall, while progress has been made, there are still areas that need refinement.

    • “Unfortunately, it's let down a little by the occasional bug and random performance issues.”
    • “But boy, is it a tricky performance!”
    • “They fixed a lot of the performance issues I saw during the demo week, so thus far no major bugs.”
  • emotional2 mentions

    Players find the game to be an emotional rollercoaster, balancing moments of empowerment through skill mastery and character progression with the frustration of sudden, overwhelming challenges. The strong visual style and heartfelt effort contribute to the overall emotional impact, enhancing the highs and lows experienced during gameplay.

    • “The visual style is strong, and you can feel the heartfelt effort that has been put into the game.”
    • “In its current state, it feels like an emotional rollercoaster, where you experience the thrill of feeling incredibly powerful with skills, artifact synergies, and stat increases, but also the despair of being one-shotted by normal enemies.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

70% average critic score

Buy Rogue Lords

Play time

20hMedian play time
22hAverage play time
18-30hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 9 analyzed playthroughs

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