An Indie Backlog curated overview. We round up the best indie roguelikes and how professional critics and players received each one — the scores below are theirs, linked to the source.
A bullet-hell roguelike crammed with hundreds of guns, endless dodge-rolls, and more puns than any game has a right to.
At a Glance
| Developer | Dodge Roll |
| Release year | 2016 |
| Platforms | PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch |
| Subgenre | Bullet-hell roguelike |
| Length | ~20 hours (main story) |
| Metacritic | 84 / 100 |
| Steam rating | Overwhelmingly Positive (~95%, 88,000+ reviews) |
| Steam Deck | Verified |
| Languages | 11 |
About the Game
Enter the Gungeon, from Dodge Roll, is a frantic top-down bullet-hell roguelike about descending into the Gungeon — a sprawling dungeon where everything is gun-themed — in search of a gun that can kill the past. You pick a Gungeoneer, dodge-roll through walls of enemy bullets, and shoot back with an arsenal of gleefully absurd weapons.
The hook is the guns. There are hundreds, from sensible pistols to a gun that fires bees, a gun that fires other guns, and weapons that bend the rules entirely. Each run is a fresh draw of weapons and items, and learning enemy bullet patterns — then threading through them with a well-timed dodge-roll — is the whole tense, twitchy joy.
It’s punishingly hard and proud of it, with bosses that demand pattern memorization and a wicked sense of humour throughout. Years of free updates added even more guns and modes. For fans of precise, bullet-dodging action, it’s a roguelike staple.
Screenshots
Screenshots: official Steam media for Enter the Gungeon.
Why It Made the List
Enter the Gungeon makes the list as the definitive bullet-hell roguelike — a twitchy, hilarious, gun-obsessed gauntlet that rewards precision and persistence. It’s the one to beat in its corner of the genre.
What the Critics Say
Enter the Gungeon holds a Metacritic score of 84. Critics praised its tight controls, gun variety, and humour; the main caveat is a punishing difficulty curve and some grind to unlock everything.
What Players Say
On Steam it’s rated Overwhelmingly Positive across more than 88,000 reviews — about 95% positive. Players love the gun variety and the dodge-roll feel, while warning about the steep challenge.
Praise & Criticism
Praise
- Hundreds of inventive, hilarious guns
- Tight, precise dodge-roll combat
- Endlessly replayable
- Constant wit and charm
Criticism
- Punishingly difficult
- Unlock grind
- Bullet density can overwhelm
Games Like This
- Hades — polished action-roguelike combat
- Dead Cells — fast, run-based 2D action
- Risk of Rain 2 — frantic escalating chaos
Where to Buy
Plain store links for now — swap in your affiliate-tagged URLs once you’ve joined Amazon Associates and the eBay Partner Network. (Steam has no affiliate program; that link is for convenience.)
← Back to Top 20 Indie Roguelikes