Every game is a roguelike now. And if it isn't a roguelike, then it's a roguelite. The beat 'em up is a roguelike . The FPS is a roguelike . Poker is a roguelike . Breakout is a roguelike . Even the flippin' city-builder is a roguelike. It's overwhelming. They're all around us, man. They're coming out of the goddamn walls. Then they're coming out of the goddamn walls again, with superior weapons and abilities.

Now, gaming's most virulent progression system has arrived beneath the walls of Age of Empires 4, and the RTS' quivering denizens have thrown open the gates rather than face the unchained wrath of the roguelike's horde. The sequel's latest DLC, Dynasties of the East , introduces The Crucible. This radically reworks the RTS' loop in a fast-paced game of accruing power to fend off inc

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