Tales of Maj'Eyal

I don't claim to be have expert knowledge when it comes to roguelike, but this is the best roguelike that I've played. This game is immensely deep but it's also rather easy to get into, unless you require to have fancy graphics and all which this game clearly doesn't have. The battles are turn based with a over the top view, and the movement is grid based so every move really counts and you have all the time in the world to think about the right one to do. I've clocked in 18 hours so far, but it does feel like I'm barely scratching the surface. You'll find many people with hundreds (and even thousands) of hours poured into the game, it's really fun and challenging.

There are 2 main modes to go by, one is adventure where you gain some extra lives at specific experience levels or you can go more for the real roguelike experience with just 1 life with the apply titled roguelike mode. There's multiple difficulty levels available (most of them are locked), but even on the normal mode the game isn't so easy to master and complete (which I haven't done yet). One of the best aspects of the game is the multiple race and classes, you can make any combination of race and class to create your character. The game starts with the choice of 6 races and 8 classes, but as you progress in the game you will have new birth options to unlock when you complete certain events. The base game currently features 4 extra races and 20 extra classes, while the expansions add even more to that. The race will define your base stats and where you start in the world, but the classes are really about the playstyle. What's so amazing about this system is that every class really plays differently, for example a Berserker, an Archer and a Summoner all have 3 completely different approaches to battles so it really makes the game varied when you restart over with a new class (and you will, since you will die). Also the game features an insane amount of loot (Diablo style), but your class can't make use of all of it which makes each class a really unique experience.

The game does have quite an amount of lore, but frankly I'm not that much into it but it's certainly not bad. I'm here more for the extremely good tactical gameplay, and just the vast amount of variance and replay-ability the game brings. There are thousands of achievements to unlock, and I've only done a dozen or so far so it feels like there is endless gameplay in there (and I'm not even thinking about what the expansions bring). TOME4 has really surpassed my expectations, from a genre that I never considered myself a big fan of, it makes me reevaluate my perception of the roguelike concept. Definitely would recommend this game to all fans of RPG systems, this game is highly satisfying in that aspect. You can acquire it for free, but by making a donation or getting on Steam/GOG you will unlock the online features and a few other quirks which are neat to have.