Streets of Rogue 2, the newly announced sequel to Matt Dabrowski’sGrand Theft AutomeetsDeus Exmeets top-down pixel mayhem simulator, is on track for an Early Access release in 2023. The originalStreets of Roguehas accrued an “overwhelmingly positive” reception on Steam, and the sequel could ascend to the heights ofindiestardom with its new conceit: procedurally generated open-worlds, as opposed to a linear progression of levels.
Game Rant spoke to Dabrowski about the development challenges associated with crafting an ambitious sequel, such as changing graphical styles while capturing the soul of the original game. He also shared his insights on what makesplaying and developing roguelikes so appealing.
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Detail vs. Clarity in Pixel Art Design
In the development announcement detailingStreets of Rogue 2on Steam, Dabrowski mentioned he was grappling with the challenges associated with maintaining readability amid a graphical upgrade that overhauls everything from sprites tolighting effects.
“In the original game, you wanted to be able to look at a scene and parse it really quickly. Because there are so many options you have to deal with a given obstacle. Like a hideout, for example. You see the door, you see the air vent, you think ‘maybe I can put something in there,’ but then you have to look for the air vents to see if they will actually affect the guards inside.”
The originalStreets of Rogue’s graphics have anarcade-like appeal, and they excel at highlighting the various options that exist in the game world; whether relevant to the player’s current class or not. In addition to making the game easier to play, this readability also essentially baits the hook for future playthroughs by teasing other solutions to a problem for specific classes. Preserving that same at-a-glance coherence will be crucial for maintaining the same kind of anarchic energy and freedom of choice that defined the first game, while suggesting possibilities for future runs.
Dabrowski and his pixel artist, Thomas Feichtmeir, have put a lot of work into making the worlds ofStreets of Rogue 2feel denser, and the results are evident. Rather than classic arcade vibes, the sequel feels like something from the golden age of pixel graphic RPGs, with contemporary flourishes like ambient lighting systems. Like most modernpixel art darlings, there is little ambiguity about which parts of the world are interactive. The key to attaining that quality, according to Dabrowski, lies in little details like how interactive items catch light, the thickness of sprite outlines, and other subtle things that become effectively invisible within the context of play.
Variety is the Spice of Life in Streets of Rogue
Roguelikes have exploded in popularity, and enjoyed something of a renaissance with groundbreaking indie hits likeHadesandSlay the Spirealongside AAA entries into the genre likeReturnal. According to Dabrowski, the genre’s appeal from a development standpoint is how people can easily attain an enormous breadth of content.
“[A] big part of it is you may get a lot of content pretty cheaply from a programming standpoint. People have playedStreets of Roguefor hundreds of hours, and I don’t think they would be doing that if they were playing the same levels.”
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Dabrowski believes that a tremendous degree of variance in a single playthrough is the hallmark of asatisfying roguelike. Every run feels different from the one before it, not only because a player refines their skills, but because the basic terms of the game change. Whether organizing divine boons into specific builds withHades, changing classes and perk combinations in the originalStreets of Rogue,or exploring a new permutation of perpetually changing environments inReturnal’s Atropos, smart procedural generation allows developers to deliver on the promise of a fresh experience every time.
In a genre thick with competition, remixing content within the same constraints often won’t cut it anymore. It takes a novel premise to elevate the now-common promise of endless possibilities. Fortunately, the open-world style ofgames likeSkyrimandStardew Valleymerged with the anarchic energy and characterful classes ofStreets of Roguesounds like a winning formula. Yet to leave a mark on the industry as a whole, great roguelikes need at least one more ingredient.
Streets of Rogue 2 and the Hook of Challenge
Dabrowski said “if you may beat a game on your second run, you have a problem as a developer.” While Souls-like games demand mastery via memorization, the development of hand-eye coordination, and a great deal of patience, roguelikes reward improvisation and tactical exploitation of the title’s mechanics. If victory becomes a foregone conclusion, players have no motivation to experience the variety on offer.Failing is part of the appealin roguelikes. Mastering their loops is (usually) less focused on refining coordination, and more about learning how to take advantage of the game’s systems.
If variety is the bait to entice players, challenge is the hook that will keep them coming back for more. It creates a dual appeal that calls a gamer’s desire for mastery, and perks their curiosity to wonder what else is possible. That’s something Dabrowski hopes to capture in his coming release.
Streets of Rogue 2is currently in development for PC, with a release projected for 2023.
