Genre guidesRandomShort runPlanning
Roguelike runs
A run begins with a set of starting resources while rooms, rewards or combinations change. Failure resets the run; each design decides which forms of progress persist outside it.
Guides explain combinations and are counted separately from individual mechanisms.
Core loop
- Enter a new area with few resources
- Make one tradeoff in a fight or an event
- Use the new ability to change the next encounter
- Restart immediately, keeping only memory of the route
Key mechanisms
- The player should feel stronger within the same run
- Randomness comes from combining a small reward pool
- The cost of failure is losing the build, not waiting
Design notes
- Start with three items and two enemies, and check that combinations change play
- Keep one familiar anchor in every run so learning can accumulate
- If progress outside the run is too strong, choices inside it stop mattering
Reference games
- Hades
- Spelunky
- The Binding of Isaac
Variants and combinations
- With platform jumping: death resets the room, but remembered shortcuts remain
- With cards: each floor adds only one card, so the deck gets narrower
- With a shop: an offer can be held until the next floor
Common pitfall
Roguelike-inspired games do not all reject permanent growth; state what resets and what persists.
Observations and sources
Cases refer to public documentation. Developers and community wikis are credited separately; document review is not a claim of hands-on testing.
- Hades
Compare repeatable dungeon runs; this entry's brief chooses a variant without permanent stat growth.
Brief for the studio
Opens the AI studio with the brief below in the input. You can edit it. Nothing starts automatically.
Make a short roguelike: each run has three random rooms, a jump attack, and a choice between two items. Dying restarts immediately and items are not kept. A run lasts about two minutes.
Covers are original AI-generated style illustrations. Game names reference publicly visible design choices and remain the property of their owners. This atlas does not supply screenshots or assets from those games. Prompts and combinations are original drafts for new games.