XLarn (2015)

Developer: Swinfjord-Games
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
Genres: Indie, RPG
Rating: 3.6 of 5, 53 player ratings
Typical playtime: about 3.1 hours
Where to get it: Steam

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

More games like this

How it feels

A tense, methodical dungeon crawl where every step feels precarious and death is permanent.

turn-basedpunishingatmospherictenseproceduralclassicdifficultgrindy

What players say

Players are split on this port of a 1980s roguelike. Some appreciate the faithful recreation and addictive gameplay, while others complain about missing quality-of-life features like auto-explore and original keyboard shortcuts, replaced by slow mouse menus. Combat can devolve into tedious miss streaks.

Screenshots

More games like this

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.