badjay posted...
What's top 10 for you?
Oh god, that's a hard one. Besides the #1, which is so much better than the alternatives that it is basically on a different plane of existence from the rest, I don't know if I really have a "locked in" order in that vein. In a generic sense I'd go with:
1. Shandalar. Duh. Anyone who has played it understands why a full RPG Rougelite deckbuillder is something we desperately need and why it sits in a league of its own.
2. Across the Obelisk. Extremely complex card system with a super engrossing story-like structure. Far and away the best unlock system for characters in the genre and just generally hits all of the best notes (minus the one overpriced DLC).
3. Pokemon TCG. Yes the Gameboy game. It does basically everything right for what it set out to do. It is a part of the big Pokmon craze for a reason. You can kind of lump TCG2 in this spot as well as it's a bit harder to rate due to not being quite as freeform but still largely being an upgraded version of the first.
4. Cross Blitz. Still in early access so it could end up being a dud, but from what was there it has one of the better set-ups in terms of being fast and easy to get into while also having really good depth when you start to understand how to break the system.
5. Griftlands. They really failed the landing so the game has been knocked down in the standings (in my eyes) when it left early access. Still one of the better takes on the formula.
6. Slay the Spire. The one that really popularized the genre for good reason. It's the gold standard for the genre.
7. I Was a Teenage Exocolonist. This one is probably the furthest from the genre by a country mile as the card portion of it is weak compared to the others, but being eclectic and highly unique isn't a bad thing and the story and replayability is definitely there.
8. Signs of the Sojourner. Probably the best one to highlight about how I don't think that StS is the be-all, end-all for the genre. Having your deck be your characer's personality and the game themed as you holding conversations with other people is highly novel and fresh. At the same time it doesn't go as hard as Inscryption on the "this game can only really be played only once" that I view as a core requirement for the genre (hence why Inscryption doesn't show up on the list despite being the best here outside of Shandalar).
9. Monster Train. It largely just comes across as Slay the Spire-, but its intrinsic charm and unique (in the genre) gameplay keep it pretty fresh.
10. Deep Sky Derelicts. A bit awkward in that this one is the least compelling to do a second run in out of all of the Rougelites I've ever played, but the first run is one of the strongest and if you're into the genre then it can definitely do it for you if you're into the space-grunge theming.
As said, this really isn't that stock of a list and there are several that could easily make it in based on how I felt on a particular day (Banners of Ruin for an example). Heck, Balatro could make it in depending on how I felt at the time, I just don't think it's such an easy shoe-in like I would for anything in the top 7 of my list (which basically would always make it in no matter how I was feeling in particular). In that same vein it also depends on how I was going at them as the ability to "just play forever" is a lot less important to me than having several runs be as fun as possible. Something like Signs of the Sojourner, for instance, you really don't have any real value in playing forever as the core system just doesn't facilitate that. However, the gameplay is just too fun for the couple of times that you are doing something wholly unique outweighs that fact in my mind. Life is short, don't stick to one game forever just because it is designed that way.