My favorite action rogue likes on Switch

The renaissance of the rogue-like has been one of my favorite things to happen in the last decade of gaming. Rogue is one of the first games I remember being completely amazed by. A nearly infinite variety of experiences in a single ASCII package? I could barely wrap my mind around the concept, but I loved it. Since then, I've been a mark for any game that takes inspiration from it.

Luckily for me, there are plenty of developers who feel the same way. I know it's become something of a punchline for a lot of people, but there are some genuinely great games that have elements of Rogue in them. The Switch is the perfect portable platform for them, too. I've picked out a few of my favorite action-based ones here. It's not in any particular order. These are just the games that have never left my memory card.

List items

• 

  Dead Cells

  It feels so good to play. They made movement and combat flow incredibly satisfying with just about every weapon, trap, and skill. It's remarkable how many different ways there are of building a viable path through the game. It demands a high degree of precision and skill, but it also gives you plenty of tools to help you reach that level. It's masterful in just about every way.

• 

  Neon Chrome

  Neon-drenched cyberpunk twin-stick shooting. Pick one of three vat-grown avatars to control, each with its own class and unique abilities, and try to reach the top of the corporate tower to eliminate the tyrannical ruler of this dystopia. Destructible environments, a huge variety of weapons and cybernetic upgrades, punishing boss fight, and plenty of secrets make this a damn fine time. There are persistent upgrades you can purchase between runs, and you can purchase your favorite load out, too. It's definitely worth looking at if you're into this kind of thing.

• 

  Hades

  So much has been written about it, and there's not much I can add to the chorus of praise. It's Supergiant's best game, and everyone should play it.

• 

  Galak-Z

  I'm a child of the 80s, and this game activates all of my nostalgia pleasure centers. From the VHS aesthetic to the transforming jet mech, everything about it reminds me of my childhood. It also controls beautifully, has a tremendous soundtrack, and forces you to make some tough choices about what you're going to use and how you're going to use it. It's something special.

• 

  Risk of Rain

  I have beaten this several times, and I still haven't seen everything there is to see. It's a masterpiece in design and execution. They create an incredible atmosphere with so few pixels. It also has some of the best lore writing I've seen in any game. Each enemy, weapon, and item has a detailed description written from the perspective of the hero and they're all worth reading. Each hero plays completely differently, demanding different strategies and tactics. Each run is a completely unique experience. It's one of my all time favorites.

• 

  Steredenn

  This has some of the most beautiful pixel-art explosions I have ever seen. It also has a delightful soundtrack, a wide variety of levels, enemies, and weapons, and unique ships to unlock. Some of the levels and bosses are straight bullet-hell, and the final boss feels a little unfair, but it's still great.

• 

  Wizard of Legend

  You'll spend your first few runs with a limited choice of spells and items, and you'll get absolutely destroyed by the bosses the first time you meet them. After a while, you'll unlock more spells than you know what to do with, you'll experiment with all sorts of combinations, and you'll probably still get slaughtered by the bosses. It's a tough game, and I've not gotten past the third boss, but I keep trying.

• 

  Children of Morta

  It's a gorgeous game with meticulously drawn and animated pixel-art. The cut-scenes are all works of art, and I'm still amazed at how much atmosphere and personality they were able to create. The Bergson family's history, relationships with each other, and trials they endure stayed with me long after I finished their story. It rewards failure by giving you little pieces of the story every time you fail. It's not just these things, though; it's a fun and challenging dungeon crawler with plenty of quests and secrets each time you run through it. The Bergson family are all different enough that you'll find your own favorites, but they're all good at what they do.

• 

  Black Future '88

  It has the 80s aesthetic nailed, and that may be a big part of why I like it. It's not just that, though. There's a lot of challenge and variety in each run. You've only got a certain amount of time to reach the top before you die, so are you going to go straight to the boss of each level, or spend some of that precious time to try to find better weapons and perks? It's a unique twist on the formula. You also have a choice of characters, each with their own initial load out and perks. There's quite a few ways to approach this, and that's why I keep coming back to it.

• 

  One Step from Eden

  I wish I was better at this game than I am. It's so much fun moment to moment, and you can fine-tune the difficulty by picking your own path through each level, but just a few mistakes can ruin your run. The bosses get progressively more difficult as you progress, and by the fourth stage they get positively unfair. Still, you learn from those encounters and you do better next time. There's a steady drip of new cards, perks, and characters to play. The characters are all very different from each other, so you'll definitely be able to find one that suits your style. I respect it, even though I'll never be good at it.