roguelike posts

Welcome to Freeware Friday, a weekly column showcasing excellent games that you can play free of charge!

It seems that, in the end, it all comes back to the rogue-like. We've featured so many here on Freeware Friday, and for good reason. They are much more complex and replayable than most retail games, and range from the incomprehensible graphics of Dwarf Fortress to the slick presentation of Transcendence or Triangle Wizard. Notrium definitely falls into the second category, and the mixture of survival and invention distinguished it from its many established colleagues. It may be several years old, but it's still fantastic, and an amazing game for the low, low cost of free.

Winning awards for the most absurd and, consequently, absurdly long name ever, The Sewer Goblet: The Wu-Tang Clan and the Wu-Tang Baby has been released. Made by the talented developers behind Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden: Chapter 1 of the Hoopz Barkley SaGa, Sewer Goblet is a textbook rogue-like. Where it differs is that instead of stereotypical fantasy settings, you play as a member of the Wu-Tang Clan in search of a mystical baby being held by an evil wizard underground. Yes, I know, it makes no sense. But if you like rogue-likes, it's definitely worth a look, as it's a hilarious take on the genre.

[Via TIGSource]

Have you ever imagined what NetHack would be like without combat? What it would be like if instead of slaying monsters, you have to protect your children from natural disaster? Well, now you will know, as Fatherhood has been released by Jeff Lait, developer behind POWDER.

Featuring randomly-generated levels, unique child AI (which makes the child run around and do things you most definitely do not want it to do), and precisely zero combat, Fatherhood plays more like a puzzle game than a roguelike. Made in one week, from conception to finish, it's a neat little game to waste some hours in. Best of all, levels can be saved to try later or share with your buddies. Check it out at the official website.