There were a lot of surprise announcements at The Game Awards. Chief among them had to beGod of War Ragnarok: Valhallafor multiple reasons. One, it was announced within a week of its release. Two, it was free DLC that was turning the game into a roguelike via a separate mode that was still story-based.
The Last of Us Part 2’sremaster on PS5 is also getting a roguelike mode. This begs the question. Are there any other PlayStation franchises that should get roguelike modes likeGod of War Ragnarok: Valhalla? Maybe there are series that should get full-blown roguelike spinoffs on PS5 or beyond. Let’s explore the depths of Sony’s IP catalog and see what turns up.
7Ape Escape
Catch Those Apes
Ape Escapeis a long-forgotten franchisethat could get revived in a small, roguelike revival. The core games could best be described as somewhere between action and puzzle platformers. Apes escaped from a lab and players had to get them back with nets and other gadgets.
The roguelike could make catching apes part of the upgrade loop. The more apes one gets, the easier the next run will be. It could all take place in the jungle, which would account for the randomization of everything if players get dropped in different places every time.
6Astro Bot
PlayStation Nostalgia To The Max
Astro Botis the hot new PlayStation platformer franchise that all started withAstro Bot Rescue Mission, which was the first full-fledged game not considered a tech demo. That game was VR-focused and then the PS5 got the well-reviewedsequel, Astro’s Playroom, at launch. Whether Astro Bot is in VR or on the TV, the platforming remains solid.
The robot nature of the character would work well with having to reform after every run. New parts could be added to make it stronger every time. A dream scenario would have Astro Bot go through various PlayStation franchises which was a nostalgia trip inAstro’s Playroomwith the capsule collecting.
ThefirstDark Cloudwas already close to a roguelike. Players began as a young adventurer who had to rescue his village from a curse inflicted upon them by an evil genie. The nearby dungeon held people and objects inside hovering orbs which players would then use to rebuild the village.
That sounds like a perfect roguelike for a modern revival and other games have a similar loop. For example, inMoonlighterplayers dived into dungeons at night and then sold their wares to customers in the daytime. Money earned could be repurposed to rebuild the town whichDark Cloud’sspinoff could mirror.
inFamousstarted with the main character, Cole, gaining electric powers after an accidentin the city. He was the protagonist in the first two games but in the third entry,inFamous Second Son, a new character by the name of Delsin took over. He had the unique ability to absorb other people’s powers which began with a smoke/fire ability.
Delsin’s powers of absorption sound perfect for a roguelike. Players could gain elemental powers in a run and then lose them after failing. Perhaps Delsin could be caught again by the authorities and run through trials in an ever-expanding maze.
The one thing theRatchet and Clankgames have always had is an abundance of creative weapons. From guns that turned enemies into sheep to giant rockets that obliterated them to pieces, the two heroes came into battle packing. That’s already a great idea for a temporary bonus to give players in a run. A roguelike from 2023 had some inventive weapons as well called Roboquest.
That game was a first-person platform shooter though but it did have a whimsical setup just like theRatchet and Clankseries. Insomniac could take a look at that for inspiration. TheRatchet and Clankseries has had arenas in almost every game and a spinoff was even centered around the concept calledRatchet: Deadlocked. A roguelike would work in this context for sure.
The Resistance series started on PS3 and ended in that same generation. Much to the chagrin of fans, there hasn’t even been a remastered collection yet. It had a cool premise too with aliens invading duringWorld War 2, putting that whole Nazi thing on hold.
There are a lot of ways Insomniac or some other studio could turn this series into a roguelike since the war was global. Maybe the game could focus on a war effort in a specific region wherein players would constantly rotate through different soldiers as they died in battle. It wasn’t a roguelike, butThe Mummy Demasteredused this sort of death mechanic with the protagonist and that game was met with fairly good praise.
Wild Armswas a Sony staple RPG for a while but a new game hasn’t been on a console since the PSP. That’s sadly the story with a lot of these franchises but time and time again, history has shown that something can be revived after ages of being stagnant. Sega is doing that with a myriad of series like Shinobi so why not Wild Arms too?
This series was known for taking the typical turn-based RPG formula and infusing it with Westerns.Wild Arms 3was the greatest example of this including high noon shoutouts, wandering through desert plains, the guitar strumming music, and more. There haven’t been many Western-themed roguelikes yet and Wild Arms could certainly fill that void. The expansive nature of Westerns would give developers plenty of room to work with in either a turn-based or action game.
