Forestrike
Repetition and perfection: the Roguelike is all about doing the same thing repeatedly and getting better at it each time. Typically, this dynamic is expressed via a complete, start-to-end run. Forestrike, in comparison, compresses the essence of the Roguelike into each of its fight scenes. You play a martial-arts master in training who has access to the eponymous power of precognition; each stage pits you against a new combination of variously powered enemies, but before you fight them in reality, you can play out the encounter in your imagination as many times as you want, practising every attack, dodge and weave until you’ve learned how to win the battle flawlessly. Every level therefore becomes a Roguelike unto itself. At the same time, if you lose one of your fights – really lose it, outside the forestrike – you also lose your whole playthrough, and have to begin your journey, from the apprentice’s temple to the final boss, all over again.