Cardinal Quest

I'm on a download-and-play-everything gamer kick right now and I'm having a blast.
I have played so many good games, and some of the best games out there aren't being advertised, so for the next few days (weeks) I'll expose you to the better side of cheap/free indie games.



I love the roguelike genre, but I hate roguelike games.


The problem is that when most devs make roguelikes, they do it half-assed. I mean, it's not the next Street Fighter or Starcraft so who gives a shit, right? Who cares about streamlining the interface, or cleaning up the stats?

What I want roguelikes to do, at the very least, is get the basic formula right.

Cardinal Quest does that.
I'm not saying that it's the best possible game the genre could ever have, but this is what devs should start with when they make a roguelike. They should start with Cardinal Quest and work up.

Try out the demo. It's a lot of fun. The interface is minimalist. The controls are straightforward (you can play the game comfortably with a keyboard). And it's all very fast-paced. Unlike most roguelikes, it feels good to play.