[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:03.14,0:00:08.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,One of the most fascinating genres in gaming,\Nis the roguelike.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:08.31,0:00:14.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The term was originally used to describe games\Nthat closely mimicked the design of the 1980
Dialogue: 0,0:00:14.04,0:00:19.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,dungeon crawler Rogue - but in more recent\Ntimes, it’s been commandeered to describe
Dialogue: 0,0:00:19.17,0:00:24.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a whole fleet of indie titles that share two\Nvery important characteristics:
Dialogue: 0,0:00:24.77,0:00:28.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The levels must be randomly generated each\Ntime you play.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:28.24,0:00:35.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And the game must have permadeath, which means\Nall progress is reset to zero whenever you die.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:35.48,0:00:39.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But that second characteristic isn’t always\Nwhat it seems.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:39.69,0:00:45.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In some games, like Spelunky, permadeath means\Npermadeath. When you die, all progress through
Dialogue: 0,0:00:45.49,0:00:50.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the game is reset - and you start your next\Nrun with exactly the same starting criteria
Dialogue: 0,0:00:50.61,0:00:55.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as your very first. So that means you always\Nbegin with the same amount of health, bombs,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:55.48,0:00:56.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and money.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:56.81,0:01:02.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But in others, like Rogue Legacy, dying isn’t\Nquite so harsh. When you mess up in this game,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:02.67,0:01:07.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you can use any money you’ve found to unlock\Nupgrades that will improve your health, magic,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:07.97,0:01:13.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,attack power, and so on. And those upgrades\Npersist from run to run, and will be applied
Dialogue: 0,0:01:13.95,0:01:16.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to all characters going forward.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:16.62,0:01:22.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Some have taken to calling games with no persistent\Nupgrades, “roguelikes” And games that
Dialogue: 0,0:01:22.59,0:01:28.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,do carry persistent upgrades, “roguelites”.\NAnd in this video, I’m going to look at
Dialogue: 0,0:01:28.26,0:01:33.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,both the advantages and disadvantages of these\Ntwo approaches - and also look at how clever
Dialogue: 0,0:01:33.59,0:01:39.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,designers have tried to find ways to design\Naround those drawbacks.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:40.60,0:01:46.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Let’s start with roguelikes - the games\Nthat don’t have persistent upgrades. I’m
Dialogue: 0,0:01:46.06,0:01:49.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,talking about games like Spelunky and Enter\Nthe Gungeon.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:49.25,0:01:55.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The key advantage of this design, is that\Nthe games almost exclusively reward player skill.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:55.34,0:02:00.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Because the game never changes from run to\Nrun, the overall difficulty level of the game
Dialogue: 0,0:02:00.54,0:02:06.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,- across multiple attempts, that is - is completely\Nflat. That means the only way to smash through
Dialogue: 0,0:02:06.82,0:02:12.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that barrier and win is to improve your own\Nskill: by learning the ropes, practicing the
Dialogue: 0,0:02:12.43,0:02:16.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,controls, and becoming more familiar with\Nthe game’s world.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:16.35,0:02:21.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Nothing is standing between you and the final\Nboss, except for your own ability and knowledge
Dialogue: 0,0:02:21.22,0:02:27.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of the game’s systems. Other than a particularly\Nlucky, or unlucky random roll, of course.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:27.31,0:02:32.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And this means that a highly skilled player\Nhas no barrier to simply finishing the game.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:32.32,0:02:37.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But the disadvantage is that a low skilled\Nplayer may never finish the game. Roguelikes
Dialogue: 0,0:02:37.40,0:02:42.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,ask you to play through a really difficult\Ngame in one go, and offer no real way to reduce
Dialogue: 0,0:02:42.82,0:02:49.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the difficulty. And so if you can’t do that,\Nyou’ll just never succeed. Ouch.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:49.26,0:02:53.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Another drawback is that because your progress\Nthrough the game must be wiped clean every
Dialogue: 0,0:02:53.59,0:02:59.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,time you kick the bucket, every failed run\Ncan feel like a waste of time. Sure, you’re
Dialogue: 0,0:02:59.05,0:03:03.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,improving your skills - but with nothing tangible\Nto show for it, you don’t get that unique
Dialogue: 0,0:03:03.76,0:03:09.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,dopamine rush that comes from numbers ticking\Nup.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:10.34,0:03:16.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Okay, now let’s look at roguelites- the\Ngames that do have permanent upgrades that
Dialogue: 0,0:03:16.81,0:03:22.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,carry over from run to run. I’m talking\Nabout games like Rogue Legacy and Dead Cells.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:22.73,0:03:28.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The key advantage of this design is that almost\Nevery run is given meaning. When you die in
Dialogue: 0,0:03:28.17,0:03:32.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Rogue Legacy you don’t feel like you’ve\Nwasted your time, because you know that you’ve
Dialogue: 0,0:03:32.53,0:03:36.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,earned enough money to unlock a new upgrade\N- and improve your chances at succeeding in
Dialogue: 0,0:03:36.99,0:03:42.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,future runs. Ultimately, every attempt at\Nthe game helps bring the difficulty of the
Dialogue: 0,0:03:42.31,0:03:43.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,game down.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:43.54,0:03:48.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And this also allows pretty much all players,\Nregardless of skill, to finish the game eventually
Dialogue: 0,0:03:48.48,0:03:52.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,- they’ve just got to keep upgrading their\Ncharacter until they’re super powerful and
Dialogue: 0,0:03:52.52,0:03:54.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the game becomes a bit of a pushover.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:54.81,0:04:00.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The disadvantage is that this is actually\Na really weird difficulty curve - where the
Dialogue: 0,0:04:00.15,0:04:06.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,game is at its most challenging when you begin,\Nand slowly gets easier and easier over time.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:06.21,0:04:10.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That’s the opposite of pretty much every\Nother type of game, where the difficulty should
Dialogue: 0,0:04:10.94,0:04:13.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,ramp up in sync with player skill.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:13.64,0:04:18.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And one of the most pernicious outcomes is\Nthat your success with these games is much
Dialogue: 0,0:04:18.43,0:04:23.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,less about your own skill - and much more\Ndependent on the level of your character.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:23.35,0:04:28.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In a game like Dead Cells, it’s easy to\Nfeel like you have no real chance of winning
Dialogue: 0,0:04:28.50,0:04:33.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,until you’ve purchased a few more health\Npotions from the shop - creating this artificial
Dialogue: 0,0:04:33.03,0:04:37.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,barrier you’ve got to grind through until\Nyou can really start focusing on winning.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:37.44,0:04:41.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But once you finally do win one of these games\N- it’s ambiguous whether it was because
Dialogue: 0,0:04:41.92,0:04:47.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of your improving skill level, or just the\Never-decreasing difficulty of the game. Did
Dialogue: 0,0:04:47.00,0:04:52.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you get better, or did the game just get easier?
Dialogue: 0,0:04:52.38,0:04:58.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So both types of game have their advantages\Nand disadvantages. But luckily for us, clever
Dialogue: 0,0:04:58.85,0:05:04.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,designers have found ways to alleviate the\Nworst drawbacks of the two design archetypes.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:04.97,0:05:10.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So roguelikes can be accused of offering no\Nsense of progression. However, lots of these
Dialogue: 0,0:05:10.07,0:05:14.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,games have found ways to give you a feeling\Nof advancement - without changing the difficulty
Dialogue: 0,0:05:14.79,0:05:19.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,level of the game. By letting players unlock\Nstuff that’s fun, but has no meaningful
Dialogue: 0,0:05:19.45,0:05:22.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,impact on their chances at finishing the game.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:22.20,0:05:26.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Take Enter the Gungeon. In this game, killing\Nbosses nets you a special currency that you’ll
Dialogue: 0,0:05:26.70,0:05:31.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,hold onto - even after you die. And you can\Nuse this money in a shop in the game’s hub
Dialogue: 0,0:05:31.31,0:05:35.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,world: but it’s not to unlock new powers\Nfor your character like extra health or bigger
Dialogue: 0,0:05:35.82,0:05:41.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,ammo crates. Instead, it simply adds more\Nweapons to the game’s already bursting selection
Dialogue: 0,0:05:41.13,0:05:45.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of randomly dropped guns. Meaning next time\Nyou go to a treasure chest, there’s now
Dialogue: 0,0:05:45.74,0:05:48.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a few more firearms that could pop out.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:48.44,0:05:53.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This doesn’t massively affect the balance\Nof the game, because these items are no more
Dialogue: 0,0:05:53.07,0:05:58.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,powerful than the guns you could find at the\Nbeginning. It just adds extra variety to future
Dialogue: 0,0:05:58.37,0:06:00.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,attempts at the game.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:00.13,0:06:05.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Another idea can be found in Nuclear Throne.\NIn this roguelike shooter, you can unlock
Dialogue: 0,0:06:05.09,0:06:10.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,new characters - giving you more options to\Nchoose from when starting your next game.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:10.05,0:06:14.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Just like before, these character aren’t\Nany more powerful than the default ones because
Dialogue: 0,0:06:14.38,0:06:19.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they have their own advantages and disadvantages\Nto balance them out. They just provide different
Dialogue: 0,0:06:19.78,0:06:25.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,ways to play. It’s like the character classes\Nin the older roguelike games, but if the devs
Dialogue: 0,0:06:25.04,0:06:29.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,held most of them back to be unlockable after\Na certain amount of play.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:29.38,0:06:33.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Another option is to simply offer players\Ncosmetic upgrades that have zero impact on
Dialogue: 0,0:06:33.62,0:06:38.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the way the game plays. The new colour options\Nin Downwell, for example, are given out as
Dialogue: 0,0:06:38.37,0:06:42.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,rewards for collecting a certain number of\Ngems across multiple runs. That gives you
Dialogue: 0,0:06:42.93,0:06:47.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a small reward for continuing to play, but\Nthey have no impact on the balance of the
Dialogue: 0,0:06:47.78,0:06:48.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,game whatsoever.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:48.78,0:06:54.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Then, go look at Hades. This one does actually\Nhave persistent upgrades, but I want to focus
Dialogue: 0,0:06:54.07,0:06:59.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on something else: the way it incorporates\Nlore and character backstories. So in this
Dialogue: 0,0:06:59.31,0:07:04.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,game you unlock more about each character\Nevery time you respawn, and you can find items
Dialogue: 0,0:07:04.77,0:07:09.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the game world that can be given to characters\Nin the hub to butter them up and unlock more
Dialogue: 0,0:07:09.81,0:07:15.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,story content. Unlocking new narrative stuff\Ngives you something to hold onto, even while
Dialogue: 0,0:07:15.46,0:07:22.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you’re failing over and over again at the\Nactual game.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:22.36,0:07:26.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Roguelikes can also seem impenetrable, because\Nthere’s no way to reduce the difficulty
Dialogue: 0,0:07:26.41,0:07:31.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of the game. But some of these titles do have\Nstuff to give players a helping hand - but
Dialogue: 0,0:07:31.42,0:07:34.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,without permanently changing the balance of\Nthe game.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:34.13,0:07:39.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,One of which is shortcuts, as seen in Spelunky.\NHere, if you do some chores for the tunnel
Dialogue: 0,0:07:39.90,0:07:45.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,man you can create a new door in the hub world\Nand start your adventure in, say, the jungle,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:45.93,0:07:50.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,skipping the first four rooms in the mines\Nentirely. This arguably does makes the game
Dialogue: 0,0:07:50.68,0:07:56.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,easier, and definitely allows new players\Nto practice at the the harder areas in the game.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:56.26,0:08:00.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,However, Spelunky makes it clear that you’ll\Neventually want to play through the game from
Dialogue: 0,0:08:00.08,0:08:05.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the beginning to finish it properly. For one,\Nyour time won’t show up on the leaderboard
Dialogue: 0,0:08:05.75,0:08:11.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,if you use shortcuts. And for another, the\Ngame’s true ending - where you descend into
Dialogue: 0,0:08:11.25,0:08:16.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,hell - requires you to find a series of items\Nthat are hidden in every area. Meaning that
Dialogue: 0,0:08:16.61,0:08:21.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,if you use a shortcut to skip an early part\Nof the game, you won’t be able to get all
Dialogue: 0,0:08:21.03,0:08:25.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the stuff you need to unlock the secret entrance\Nto the underworld.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:25.06,0:08:29.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And then there are boosts that will carry\Nover into the next run - but don’t stick
Dialogue: 0,0:08:29.20,0:08:35.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,around permanently. In the tiny tactics game\NInto the Breach, you can keep one levelled
Dialogue: 0,0:08:35.66,0:08:40.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,up soldier after death, who can then be used\Nduring your next attempt. But because these
Dialogue: 0,0:08:40.59,0:08:45.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,characters don’t stick around forever, it’s\Nnot making a persistent change to the game’s
Dialogue: 0,0:08:45.98,0:08:52.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,difficulty. It just gives you a bit of a leg-up,\Nand also an excuse for “just one more go”.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:52.50,0:08:57.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And then there’s roguelites. Here, there’s\Na real ambiguity over whether your successes
Dialogue: 0,0:08:57.72,0:09:02.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and failures are due to the game’s difficulty\Nlevel - or your own skill. But the designers
Dialogue: 0,0:09:02.55,0:09:07.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of these games are often careful to introduce\Nelements that still require a certain level
Dialogue: 0,0:09:07.37,0:09:12.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of skill - and stop you from just grinding\Nthrough the game forever until you eventually win.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:12.82,0:09:18.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Take Rogue Legacy’s creepy doorkeeper, Charon.\NThis dude hangs out at the front door of the
Dialogue: 0,0:09:18.47,0:09:23.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,castle and stops you from entering - and thus\Nstarting your next run - until you give up
Dialogue: 0,0:09:23.65,0:09:29.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,all of your unspent money. The idea is, you\Ncan’t save up small amounts of money over
Dialogue: 0,0:09:29.15,0:09:34.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the course of multiple runs, and then spend\Nit all at once on an expensive upgrade. You
Dialogue: 0,0:09:34.31,0:09:39.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,have to earn a lot of money in a single run\N- thus, proving your ability to stay alive
Dialogue: 0,0:09:39.45,0:09:42.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,long enough to fatten up your wallet.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:42.03,0:09:46.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And then in Dead Cells, you don’t actually\Nkeep your money when you die. You have to
Dialogue: 0,0:09:46.83,0:09:50.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,make sure that you spend your cash at one\Nof these upgrade stations, or it will be gone
Dialogue: 0,0:09:50.99,0:09:55.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for good. The idea here is that you need to\Nactually be good enough to get through to
Dialogue: 0,0:09:55.80,0:10:01.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the end of an area and bank your money - or\Nelse it will vanish into the ether.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:01.05,0:10:06.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Another downfall of roguelites is this feeling\Nthat player skill isn’t as valuable as time
Dialogue: 0,0:10:06.45,0:10:10.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,invested. But pretty much every roguelite\Nis made with the intention that the player
Dialogue: 0,0:10:10.25,0:10:15.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,can actually finish the game without buying\Na single upgrade - check YouTube and you’ll
Dialogue: 0,0:10:15.58,0:10:18.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,find players who can finish Rogue Legacy with\Na level zero character.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:18.95,0:10:23.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In fact, this could be turned into a meta\Nlevel challenge within the game -
Dialogue: 0,0:10:23.20,0:10:28.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,how few levels do you need to ascend before you can finish Rogue Legacy?
Dialogue: 0,0:10:28.24,0:10:33.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, there we have it. But, as I’ve found\Nout, everyone’s got a different viewpoint
Dialogue: 0,0:10:33.70,0:10:34.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on this.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:34.70,0:10:40.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Personally, I love the purity of roguelikes.\NRandom generation and permadeath mean you
Dialogue: 0,0:10:40.78,0:10:46.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,can’t memorise the level layouts, or rely\Non the slow accumulation of power. It’s
Dialogue: 0,0:10:46.00,0:10:51.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,all about your skill. Roguelites, however,\Ndo allow for that slow accumulation of power
Dialogue: 0,0:10:51.84,0:10:56.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,- and, if you ask me, that creates a weirdo\Nbackwards difficulty curve that brings in
Dialogue: 0,0:10:56.74,0:11:01.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,an unpleasant ambiguity over whether you success\Nis down to your increasing skill, or the game’s
Dialogue: 0,0:11:01.85,0:11:03.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,falling difficulty level.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:03.43,0:11:09.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But what about you? Do you prefer roguelikes\Nor roguelites - and why? Please let me know
Dialogue: 0,0:11:09.98,0:11:13.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,your thoughts in the comments below. Thanks for watching.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:13.36,0:11:15.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,ZAGREUS: Well, time to go get killed again.