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by ryani 2113 days ago
I think that's a reasonable distinction between the genres but the boundary can get a bit gray. Two examples:

Bones levels have been a staple of Roguelikes since Nethack, where you can find the area that one of your previous characters died. Usually this means a huge power boost if you can deal with the threat of your ghost and/or whatever killed you.

Angband is an ancient and classic Roguelike but it has a "monster memory" that accumulates the knowledge of the enemies you have fought, both in your current playthrough and all previous playthroughs. This represents a significant assistance as you progress through the game, both because the knowledge that "this beast has killed your ancestor" is a big caution sign, and also that you eventually "know" the stats of all the monsters.

1 comments

It feels to me like 'roguelike' has recently come to mean something totally different than in used to. It used to be games like Nethack, Moria, Angband, and later AdoM, where you're an @ walking between walls of # fighting d and o. Now it seems they can be any game that involves dungeons and fighting.