One of the biggest indie surprises of the summer, Megabonk has undoubtedly prompted many people to explore the incredible world of roguelikes.
Many smash hits themselves, these roguelikes can offer countless hours of fun, what with their many build options, explosive combat, tension, and possibly the most satisfying gameplay loop of all time.
So, if you're one of that crowd searching for that Megabonk vibe, here are our picks for the best games like Megabonk, all in one place and no particular order.
Table of contents
Best games like Megabonk
Vampire Survivors
I'm immediately going to get this one out of the way, given how much it has influenced Megabonk itself, from its overall gameplay loop to its style. Vampire Survivors is one of the most revolutionary roguelikes to date, a game that has spawned its own genre that people still can't agree on what to call. Survivors-like is what I'd pick, but it's still up for debate.
It's a simple game, with a gameplay loop simpler still. Much like in Megabonk, everything you have on your person is automatically used against swarms of enemies that just keep coming, with the added mechanic of item synergies, i.e., some items can be combined to produce a third, more powerful weapon, which I think Megabonk should've introduced as well.
It doesn't have the portals that came from another game on this list, with survival limited by time, where winning a run means living for at least 30 minutes. It's addictive, chaotic, fun, and has everything that makes Megabonk as awesome as it is.
Risk of Rain 1 and 2
Like Vampire Survivors, the Risk of Rain series has had a tremendous impact on Megabonk and its core gameplay, especially when it comes to items, characters, and the portal bosses.
Both Risky games, one a side-scroller and the other a third-person, have a ton of these wacky characters and items, which function largely the same as they do in Megabonk. There are no synergies, nor Tomes or weapon slots. Each character is unique in how it plays, with its own abilities and weapons, and they can pick up as many (or as few) items as they want.
The loop ends once the portal is found and the stage boss defeated, with you progressing to the following stage, and then the next, and the next, until you're dead. This should be quite familiar to you if you're coming off of Megabonk.
I personally consider RoR 2 to be the best roguelike of all time, and I hope you do end up having as much fun with it as I do.
Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor
Deep Rock Galactic is a dwarven sci-fi extraction shooter with squad elements, making it similar to the likes of Left 4 Dead and other squad shooters. Its Survivor spin-off, however, is basically Vampire Survivors but carrying those unique elements of Deep Rock Galactic.
You fight off swarms of enemies, collect various items and weapons, and have to reach the end goal and fight the final boss before progressing. It's the same loop, a different franchise and genre, and it will make you feel right at home coming from another Survivors-like.
It's also a game developed by one of the most beloved indie teams ever, and will probably make you addicted to grog, grow a beard, and yell “Rock and Stone!” every time you see a pickaxe.
Death Must Die
More of a Hades-like than anything else, Death Must Die is yet another indie roguelike that's way better than it should be. It has a very similar loop to Vampire Survivors, meaning you have to survive for a certain amount of time before facing off the final boss and “winning” the run.
Power-ups are awarded by a host of deities, which are artistically stunning and have great voice acting, much like they do in Hades. There's a host of characters to pick from, all with their own unique attacks, abilities, advantages and flaws that make every run unique and different, especially given how varied the power-ups from the various gods are.
It's fun, it gets a lot of updates constantly, and it should scratch that Megabonk itch like few others.
Hades
Speaking of Hades-likes, why not delve into Hades itself? It's a roguelike game where you fight wave after wave of enemies, albeit in different stages. Playing as the son of the Greek god Hades, you're trying to escape the Underworld, with the Olympian host helping you out along the way. They grant various powers and abilities, while you yourself have access to a myriad of weapons and abilities, which can be upgraded and tweaked to increase your odds of getting out.
It's among the most visually striking games, especially among indies, and is rightfully so popular and influential, meaning you shouldn't continue sleeping on this hit any longer after getting introduced to the roguelike world with Megabonk.
Brotato
Brotato is another classic bullet-hell game, pitting you against, you've guessed it, waves of enemies that just keep coming, and they don't stop coming. You can wield six weapons that fire automatically (sound familiar?), can pick from dozens of characters and hundreds of items, and even play in co-op with friends!
That last bit is what most of these roguelikes need, with only Risk of Rain 1 and 2 having that option on this list. Well, aside from Brotato and this next entry.
Temtem: Swarm
Visually beautiful and with great music to boot, Temtem: Swarm is very much a Survivors-like, but one with a lot more thought put into art and design. The loop remains largely the same: battle swarms, get power-ups, become stronger, and discover ways to be completely OP and brag to people on Reddit about how many millions of damage you got in a single run.
What stands out the most with the game is by far its artistry, so if you're a fan of more pleasant looking games (not to say that the games on this list are unpleasant by any means) this is the pick for you. Oh, and it's also similar to Megabonk, so that's a big plus, too.
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The post The 7 best games like Megabonk – great roguelikes to try appeared first on Destructoid.
