Between Elden Ring, Diablo 4, and Baldur’s Gate 3, we’re in a golden period right now for weighty, in-depth RPGs. If you want to lose yourself in a huge world, learn and master intricate party and combat mechanics, and fill your mind with lengthy lore, as it stands, you’re spoiled for choice. But sometimes you want something a little more accessible, a little cleaner, a little quicker. You want the beauty and melodrama of a sweeping RPG, but with more quickfire combat and perhaps – dare I say it – a shorter runtime. Rated 10/10 on Steam, one classic RPG has just been reimagined as a zippy, ferocious roguelike. The world-building and story remain intact, but mechanically, this is a superb, stripped-down version with hack-and-slash combat and run-and-repeat dungeons – and it’s so good, the original game just hit a new all-time high player count.
Astlibra Revision originally launched back in 2022. A gigantic RPG game from Keizo, it picked up massive plaudits thanks to its unique character building system, gorgeous 2D visuals, enormous boss battles, and expansive endgame. There are six difficulties and once you beat the story, you enter a lengthy ‘postscript’ which feels, essentially, like a separate game unto itself. Combined with its stylish brawler combat, Astlibra has successfully earned the coveted ‘overwhelmingly positive’ rating based on player reviews.
And now it’s back, but in a very different, and much more instantly-playable form. Astlibra Gaiden: The Cave of Phantom Mist is an expansion on the original game’s world and story, but rather than an RPG, it’s a fast-paced, dungeon-crawling roguelike. Over 20 or so hours, you face a series of successively tougher challenge rooms and bosses.
Gear, upgrades, and weapons are collected as you go, and if you die, you start from the top. Astlibra Gaiden also adds a new magic system, and it’s been such a hit that the original Astlibra, which you need to play the roguelike version, has hit a new player count record. If you want to try it out, you can get it right here.
Alternatively, you might want to try some of the other best roguelike games, or maybe the best JRPG games on PC.
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