Two Accessible Roguelikes: Midboss & Cardinal Quest 2

It has been a while since I've managed to pen something regarding roguelikes, and immediately I need to bring to your attention the possessive phenomenon that is Midboss.

Midboss is a gorgeously animated isometric crawler where you fight, defeat and possess other creatures, in order to take on their powers and become stronger by surgical selection of leeched powers.

Midboss recently released on Steam, and there was a whole episode of Roguelike Radio dedicated to it, in conversation with the developer Eniko over at Kitsune games.

Listen.

Buy.

Possess.

Now, I also have to mention my return to the 4 directional action of Cardinal Quest 2. I avidly played the first installment of the game on mobile, but the further refinement of the game's core ideas into the sequel left me a little cold initially. I think I was too set in the extremely streamlined mobile centric ways to appreciate the work done on the sequel.

The early more "open" levels of the game, not speaking to the dungeon crawling desire.

Well, I'm happy to say I have returned to the experience, with a more open mind, with the freshness that only a break from genre can bring. CQ2 keeps the essence of the streamlined more accessible game, but it enhances the overall action with more options and much more variety in terms of environments and monsters.

I'm pleased to say, Cardinal Quest 2 seems to be taking up the mantle of accessible complexity for a new generation of traditional roguelikers.

With the Steam sale in full swing it could be time to harvest all those lovely new and not-so-new roguelikes as a long-term investment for the future.