@Risk It’s a contentious topic. My roguelike podcast cohosts and I devoted almost 2 hours talking about this specifically in a recent episode: https://grogpod.zone/2023-10-11-what-is-a-roguelike/

It’s also worth noting that the definitions have changed over time and will likely continue to do so, as with any evolving genre: https://github.com/ScottBurger/going_rogue_podcast/wiki/What-is-a-roguelike-database

This article doesn’t interpret the Berlin interpretation correctly. The things the article says are “must haves” are actually just “high value factors” as the post says.

This list can be used to determine how roguelike a game is. Missing some points does not mean the game is not a roguelike. Likewise, possessing some points does not mean the game is a roguelike.

So while some of these are deemed important to roguelike, it can be a roguelike without all of those things.

Now personally I think the debate over the genre is silly, and I don’t think the Berlin interpretation is really accurate anymore. But to be fair to it, it does not say a game has to have everything on that list. Spelunky is a roguelike. Idc what anyone says. Just because it isn’t turn/grid based doesn’t mean it isn’t a roguelike. It has most all the other high value factors, and a handful of the low value factors as well.

Here’s how I understand it:

Rogue-lite: has permanent upgrades that persist between runs.

Rogue-like: each run is unaffected by any previous run.

Roguelikes come from the age of boomers and gen x, are hard as nails, very complex, have a cursed tome of documentation and take months to reach victory, if at all.

Roguelites are for the modern times.