I make a confession: I am a self-indulgent, rogue uninstaller.
I almost always reach a point in games like Balatro, Dead cellsor Hades When looking at my game time bubble I feel the need to resist the temptation to play the game. Roguelikes, almost by definition, follow an addictive structure, which reviewers often describe as that “one more run” feeling, where the player feels compelled to start the loop again and again (and again, and – you get it). Another common phrase you'll hear is the idea that you “lost time” by playing a game, as if the game tricked you into giving more of your life than you were consciously willing to give. For me, this type of compulsive gaming leads to what I think of as “roguelike anxiety,” or the feeling that I really need to get away from a potentially infinite game so that it doesn't take over my entire life. I usually delete it then.
This is clearly my problem. There are undoubtedly people with better impulse control, and there are undoubtedly people for whom the feeling of “losing time” through a game is experienced not as fear but as joy. (Infinite gameplay for $20-30? That's a bargain.) Still, a cursory Googling suggests that I'm not the only one who's afraid of roguelikes and feels like these games are so engrossing that they're all-consuming. So, to my fellow roguelike uninstallers, I'm here to tell you:
Download Gone with the wind – it’s that good.
Gone with the windthe latest game from Dead cells Developer Motion Twin, was released in early access at the end of October. Swap the side-scrolling pixel art vibe of Dead cells for a top-down, cel-shaded romp through islands jutting into the sky, Gone with the wind It manages to be both distinctly different from Motion Twin's last work and also close enough in spirit that it's easy to get caught up in the loop. As usual, the game offers plenty of challenges and offers extensive meta-progression unlocks even in Early Access to make every playthrough feel fresh. Combat is the star here, with a new emphasis on chaining together different attacks for maximum damage. The soundtrack is also insanely catchy, equal parts synthesizer and rock, with a vocal track that gets me excited every time it comes on. Even in what feels like a very early version in terms of design, Gone with the wind clearly has what it takes to keep you playing for days, months and years.
Time for another admission: I don't like playing roguelikes in Early Access. The reason is probably obvious, considering everything I've already written. I know myself, and I know that I get burnt out on games like this, so I don't like putting time into something that isn't finished yet, and I'm afraid of the thought that if it's 1, I won't want to go back to it. 0 reached. I put it down Hades 2 Earlier this year for exactly this reason. Everything in me wanted to keep pushing forward, but every time I saw placeholder graphics or read the game balance changelog, I felt the nagging feeling that I should save my stamina until the game was “completed.” Roguelike horror is inevitable for me, and that's why I thought it best to wait until at least 1.0 to play a game, if not later.
Image: Motion Twin
Gone with the wind can be a great single player experience, but as the game's marketing will readily tell you, that's definitely not the point Gone with the wind. The point is the co-op mode for two to three players. It's about tackling the game's daunting challenge with one or two friends. It's about wasting time together. So once again to my fellow roguelike uninstallers: I'm here to tell you:
No, seriously – Gone with the windgo ahead, it's great.
Here's the thing: Gone with the wind is not the first multiplayer roguelike. Not by a long shot. Somewhere out there, a Danger of rain 2 The player is tearing his hair out reading this, and if so, please stop. I see you and I honor you. Even The Binding of Isaacafter all these years, just added online co-op. I'm not here to say that Gone with the wind is the first and not even the best multiplayer roguelike. What I am claiming here is that it was so My the first multiplayer roguelike, and because of this a revelation occurred: the answer to roguelike fear is other people.
When I play a roguelike, I usually ask myself questions like “Has this become a waste of time?” or “Are there other games I'd rather be playing right now?” More generally, I might have a creeping feeling that I'm too spend a lot of time on one thing. In fact, I have a little bit of that feeling when I play Gone with the wind as a single player game. This is a roguelike, after all, and I've already laid out my personal mental hurdles when it comes to the genre. Every loop, no matter how pleasant it may be, eventually triggers the feeling that I want to get out of it. Unless it turns out I'm not the only one in the loop.
I won't extol the joys of multiplayer gaming to an audience well-versed in such things, but I will say this: It was funny to me how quickly and completely my worries about “losing time” or feeling addicted Being after a roguelike dissolved when it was something I shared with a close friend. I immediately didn't care if this early build would feel incomplete compared to 1.0. All I cared about was chatting about our workdays and strategizing about who picked up which item and when. Suddenly, the time I spent playing the game felt less like a personal enjoyment and more like an interpersonal investment. Why do we care if the game changes tomorrow? The time together would be worth it, no matter how many digits there are behind the pre-release number. The game was both a social vehicle and a random number generator, and it was all the richer for it.
Play for me Gone with the wind was a good reminder for me to make my gaming experiences accessible to other people. The world can feel lonely and punishing at times, and that goes for roguelikes too. But if you walk the path together with other people, success seems more tangible. Or if not success, then at least a courageous effort that we can laugh about together. Even failure feels better when there is someone else there to pick you up.
Even as a rampant roguelike uninstaller, I haven't deleted it yet Gone with the wind. In fact, I don't feel compelled to do it at all. Instead, I look forward to the next update and watch it with a friend to see what new obstacles we could overcome together. In my experience, fear is absent, replaced by a sense of shared possibility.
Gone with the wind was released in Early Access for Windows PCs on October 24th. The game was played with a download code purchased from the author. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These have no influence on the editorial content, although Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased through affiliate links. More information about Polygon's ethics policy can be found here.
