RoguedexPart 1 (Sep 2023) · #33 of 35 in that tierWatch the moment (2:03:52)
Rogue Tower
- Developed by
- Die of Death Games
- Published by
- Die of Death Games
$14.99
Rogue Tower is a tower defense game with roguelike elements and a continuously expanding path which you can influence. Unlock, build, upgrade, expand, defend.
Consensus
C65.1/100
Steam players82.6% positiveVery Positive5,930 reviews
Metacritic ↗Users: 6.5/10
VG Insights estimate ↗≈178K copies · ≈$2M gross
What creators say
Ranked Jan 2024 · #13 of 48 in that tierListen to the episode
Scored 7.08/10 · tier derived from the score
Ranked Jun 2023 · #12 of 14 in that tierWatch the moment (0:47:25)
What players say
A minimalist, isometric roguelite tower defense from Die of Death Games in which the enemy path keeps expanding and splitting as you level up, and you build from randomly drawn tower and upgrade cards unlocked through meta progression.
Steam players rate it Very Positive (about 83% of roughly 5,900 reviews; the store page shows a lower 71% for recent reviews). Fans call it an addictive, deep, chill-but-tricky TD with huge replay value, and many logged hundreds of hours. Detractors focus on RNG-heavy card draws, late-game balance spikes, and a bare-bones feature set: no mid-run save, no speed-up, poor UI scaling and few settings. Critic coverage is almost nonexistent; Metacritic lists one critic review (PLAY! Zine, 90) and a Mixed 6.5 user score from only 17 ratings. The developer appears inactive, and the game is effectively finished as-is; the modding community on Thunderstore fills many QoL gaps.
Players love
- Expanding, branching enemy path (extra lanes unlocked as a difficulty ramp) gives the game its hook and forces you to spread defenses out
- Real depth under a simple look: elevation range/attack bonuses, mana, three enemy health types, and several ways to earn gold
- Card-draw build variety: 400+ cards and upgrades mean runs differ, and you adapt to what you roll rather than following one solved strategy
- Slow unlock tree for towers means the game does not overwhelm newcomers, and progression feels carefully tuned
- Relaxed pace makes it a favorite 'play while on a call, podcast or TV' game; several players say it is addictive even if they dislike TD or roguelikes
- Humorous boss/enemy names and themes, and no time wasted on lore
- Lots of content for the price: around 140 achievements, very hard ones for completionists
- Strong value at $14.99 for many fans: several reviewers call it their favorite or one of the best TD games they have played, though the fan praise often leans on mods for QoL
Common complaints
- No mid-run save or save-and-quit, which is repeatedly called a deal breaker since runs can run a long time
- No pause or game speed controls in vanilla; waiting on a few slow stragglers wastes round time and it takes about 20 minutes to know whether a build works
- UI/UX widely criticised: tiny or unreadable text, UI scale option insufficient on some displays, clicks passing through buttons, a persistent WASD graphic, few settings (resolution/window mode)
- Heavy RNG: card draws can make or break a run, so skilled planning sometimes matters less than luck
- Late-game balance: enemy scaling ramps hard (robots from wave ~26, bosses that one-shot unprepared builds, walls around wave 37-55), and enemy stats are not visible in a run
- Tower variety is questioned: at least one popular review says nearly everything besides the ballistae is flashy but impractical (a single-reviewer claim, not a consensus)
- Developer is described as inactive and unresponsive; some find the fan base dismissive with 'skill issue' replies
- Plain visuals and forgettable music; Unity-default look
- Thin permanent progression: the most-upvoted negative review says it lacks more permanent upgrades and loses replayability after roughly 15-20 hours
Can feel tedious
- Slow, long runs without speed-up, making early game feel repetitive
- Grinding for unlocks, with players noting that some menu upgrades only add items to the random pool rather than being permanent
- Achievement hunting is very luck-dependent, and some achievements were reportedly made impossible by balance nerfs
- Cannot plan a strategy when the cards you need may never appear
- Some players say the game runs out of content after around 15-20 hours
What's unique
- The path itself expands and splits during a run, rather than a fixed map with fixed lanes
- Roguelite card draft for towers and upgrades layered on TD, with an unlock tree meta-progression
- Height/elevation matters for tower range and damage
- Mana system and three enemy health types add layers most TD games lack
- Enemy faction type is picked from a set of three per wave, each with distinct gimmicks, revealed only on encounter
- A sizable community mod scene (BepInEx/Thunderstore: BanishCards, DarkMode, BetterPauseMenu, UpgradesMenu, and even a multiplayer mod)
Players want
- Add mid-run saving and a proper pause menu with quick restart
- Add speed controls (2x/3x) and fast-forward
- Fix UI scaling, add resolution/display settings, and allow map rotation so tiles are not hidden
- Add card reroll or banish options and a way to refund accidental upgrades, plus a reset-XP option
- Show enemy stats and unit info, and add a tower stats view that does not block the map
- Rebalance late game and underused towers; more permanent upgrades and variation or legendary upgrades per tower to extend replayability
Summarised from Steam reviews and community discussion.
Steam tags
Tower DefenseStrategyRogue-likeCasualProcedural Generation3DMinimalistBase-BuildingRogue-liteSingleplayer
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Tier list Part 1 (2023)
Rogue Tower is a little-known blocky tower-defense roguelite. PepperHead loves tower defense and was excited that someone made a roguelike version, but finds it frustrating because strong ideas are undercut by core design and UI problems. Runs are extremely long and the towers and abilities become dull. The music is a standout. He would recommend it on discount and places it in low B, wishing it were better.
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