There’s a lot to like about Enter the Gungeon.
The game is a tantalizing hybrid of roguelike elements and the gratuitous bullet hell genre. Most of its fun lies in the fact that it takes the bullet hell concept and cranks it up to 11, while also introducing a host of excellent quality-of-life features and roguelike mechanics.
As a result, it had a ton of replayability. The game was easy to learn but incredibly difficult to master. However, even with its tons of procedurally generated areas, heaps of loot, and various randomized enemies, after a while, it can get samey.
You may still be looking for similar thrills in other roguelike titles, and luckily for you, we’ve put together a list of games like Enter the Gungeon that can scratch that itch! Here are 7 games like Enter the Dungeon to check out today.
The Binding of Isaac
Since coming out in 2011, The Binding of Isaac has spawned numerous sequels and spin-offs, but the first game is still the ultimate version of that particular gameplay experience.
Also, it introduced some particularly dark and complex subject matter into a 2D roguelike game. Its gritty gruesomeness is something quite a few titles have tried to imitate since, to varying degrees of success.
Our hero is a boy that spends the game hurtling his tears at the monsters that populate his basement. And if that premise sounds weird, fasten your seatbelts; it only gets stranger and darker from there.
Isaac’s story starts with his mother, a crazed religious fanatic who believes she’d received a message from God. Of course, in true biblical fashion, the message is a demand for sacrifice- more specifically, her son’s sacrifice.
The boy we’re guiding throughout the game runs to their dark basement in a bid for survival, but there’s no such luck, as he’s forced to do battle against a horrific set of monsters, lost siblings, his deepest fears, and at some point, naturally, his mother.
Now, if all of this sounds depressing, don’t worry; the game is actually super entertaining. You’ve got a top-down 2D, a series of rooms that function as arenas with randomized enemies and loot, and a boss that waits for you at the end of every floor.
The game encourages replayability, as it’s practically a necessity; the only way to learn what all the items do is to use them in practice. It’s one of the best games like Enter the Gungeon and it’s worth checking out.
Spelunky
Our next pick is another roguelike classic that’s become a synonym for roguelikes in the mainstream gaming community: Spelunky. And if you didn’t know, ‘spelunking’ is basically a fancy expression for ‘cave exploration’.
Of course, that’s precisely what this lovable but difficult 2D roguelike platformer is about. The game’s unique style and presentation resulted in a slew of similar games imitating its gameplay during the 2010s, but the original is still #1.
So, what does the game look like in practice? Well, it gives you control of a brave explorer with a single goal in mind: survive traps and collect treasure. Okay, that’s two goals, but you’ll pretty much be going after them simultaneously.
The gameplay premise revolves around a series of procedurally generated tunnels that hide many enticing treasures but just as many enemies and traps. On every one of your Spelunky runs, you’ll go through four cave areas, with each one being progressively more difficult than the last.
Like in many other exploration-focused roguelikes, your main focus will be on managing a set of scarce resources; in this case, mostly ropes and bombs. On top of that, you’ll have to stay alive by avoiding traps and enemies that lurk in the tunnels.
Once you lose all of your health points, the game is over — and you won’t get a second chance at exploring that specific cave, seeing as all of them are procedurally generated.
And like most roguelike titles, it’s relatively easy to master the game’s basics—but getting good at playing it will mean plenty of trial and error. Also, Spelunky 2 is out as well, and it’s garnered similarly positive responses from the gaming community. Both are great options for fans of games like Enter the Gungeon.
It’s one of the most interesting roguelike games on Steam.
Rogue Legacy
Rogue Legacy is such a roguelike that it had to put the “Rogue” in the name — and if that’s not enough of a recommendation, we don’t know what is! If you’re a fan of games like Enter the Gungeon, you’ll love this title.
Jokes aside, we’re talking about a decent Metroidvania-style game with an interesting twist. Just like you would in a classic Castlevania title, you set out to explore a humongous castle filled with all manners of ghosts, ghoulies, and treasure. It’s one of the best Metroidvania games on Steam.
Of course, roguelike games being what they are, you’ll die a lot. But the way death is naturally baked into the progression of the game is incredibly original. Every time you perish, you’re sent back to the castle’s entrance; but you’re not resurrected as yourself.
Instead, you’re playing a descendent of your previous character, so you’re effectively playing as a dynasty of adventurers rather than as a single character. And the characters you’ll play throughout your run can differ in all sorts of interesting ways — some are taller and stronger, while others are dyslexic, colorblind, etc.
On every playthrough, you collect gold, which you can use to buy abilities in your next lives — like air jumping, dash, and flight. There’s a variety of armor and weaponry you can purchase, provided you’ve been successful enough in the past to afford them.
As for the gameplay itself, there’s no denying its difficulty. You’ll need to make plenty of extremely precise jumps and movements, kill tough enemies, and solve brain-wrecking puzzles. And every time you go into the castle, your enemies regenerate so that it won’t get boring for a good long while.
Minecraft Dungeons
With the stunning planetary success that Minecraft has achieved in the past, it was practically inevitable that we would get other games set in the same universe. And while a straight sequel to Minecraft wouldn’t be practical — the game is, after all, still being regularly updated with new content — Mojang has experimented with Minecraft games in other genres.
That push gave us, among other things, Minecraft Dungeons. It’s a dungeon-trotting action-adventure title set in the world of Minecraft. Enter it, and you’ll explore various said dungeons, pursue different missions, and look for gear found in treasure chests and on enemy corpses.
Naturally, you need this gear to defeat bigger and badder enemies and get access to the more challenging dungeons — which then give you more gear and push the gameplay loop forward.
Crucially, Minecraft Dungeons isn’t a strict single-player experience — you can join up to three other friends and explore this subterranean world together with them. And every one of them will have their own specific purpose in the group, akin to an MMORPG or a MOBA game.
One player may play a warlock-esque role that debuffs enemies, while another might be a damage dealer. Of course, seeing as younger audiences largely play Minecraft, the mechanics aren’t as complex as in many other multiplayer RPGs out there, but it’s still great fun.
Boot Hill Bounties
When it comes to comedic representations of the Wild West, not many games manage to reach the heights of Boot Hill Bounties. Barring some of the funnier Call of Juarez titles, this game is probably the best at mocking western movies’ rough and gruff legends.
However, apart from being a largely comedic foray into the world of spaghetti westerns, Boot Hill Bounties also manages to be an enticing reenactment of the Wild West locale it so successfully spoofs.
You’ll have the opportunity to encounter brave lawmen, outlaws, and all of the untamed wilderness you want. Sure, this roguelike RPG experience doesn’t come with the gorgeous visuals of a Red Dead Redemption title — but the pixelated cowboy world has its own charms.
In terms of gameplay, you’ll have plenty of missions to complete and tons of bad buys to hunt down. And that leads us to another interesting gameplay mechanic. Namely, unlike in most other games, you can actually see and promptly avoid enemies before an encounter begins.
Rather realistically, you may not always (or even ever) want to do battle. Sometimes the smart thing to do is just to run away and hide. And when a battle does begin, the whole game switches to a turn-based engine where you cue up different characters’ attacks.
This superficially funny recreation of the Wild West only gets deeper as you keep playing and discovering its many encounters and locations. You’ll do everything from scaring away feisty raccoons that are hoarding stolen goods to stopping potentially bloody barroom brawls.
Gutwhale
Gutwhale is a roguelike 2D shooter that takes place entirely inside a whale’s gut. And like any true roguelike should be, it’s darn challenging. However, the nature of the challenge is what’s unique about this particular title.
In an unusual but incredibly comedic twist, your ammo is rather limited. Or, to be more precise — you’ll only ever have a single bullet. However, the bullet is indestructible — and once you shoot an enemy with it, you’ll have to reach it and pick it up before you can shoot again.
Funnily enough, the interior of the whale’s stomach looks rather like a dilapidated warehouse; these kinds of aesthetic and design decisions bring an everpresent charm and originality to the game.
And while we’re on the subject of the levels, there are always three levels in each run. However, every level comes with four rooms — the smaller sublevels containing your enemies. Also, take note of the deliciously infectious soundtrack, whose techno vibes will stay with you long after the game stops interesting you.
Of course, the game wouldn’t be much of a roguelike without procedural generation — which is why each room is generated anew when you reach it, with different enemies on every run. The layout can vary drastically as well, and this randomness only ups the ante on an already challenging game.
In terms of equipment, you can wear and unlock various hats. These are the only items you can collect, and they give you impactful, game-changing skills — like getting more points from killing enemies or the ability to jump much higher.
If you’re looking for more games like Enter the Gungeon, you’ll love this title.
Hades
Ever wondered what Greek mythology would look like as an anime show? Well, this dungeon-exploring roguelike will answer that very question.
In Hades, you’ll take on the role of Zagreus, Hades’ son, who’s trying to escape his father’s rather droll and unforgiving underworld empire. Over the course of the game, you’ll fight through plenty of mythical locales and interact with most of the famous members of the Greek pantheon — like Poseidon, Athena, and Zeus.
Some of them will try to hinder your progress, while others will help you on your quest to escape the underworld and even grant you new skills. And as you might expect from games like Enter The Gungeon, you lose all your progress if you die.
However, it’s only quasi-permadeath, as your character retains his upgrades in all the subsequent runs — and the characters you’ve interacted with clearly remember you from previous outings into your Groundhog Day-ish adventure.
The game’s art style is quite unique and memorable, especially for the Greek mythology setting. All the characters and environments are hand-drawn, and there’s some amazing voice acting, too.
The result is a thrilling action game with an evolving narrative, deep characters, and a strong gameplay loop that will keep you playing for days.
