Streets of Rogue

Lore & Background

Streets of Rogue began development in early 2014 as an early prototype created in Construct 2. Due to poor performance that could not be resolved through optimizations, Dabrowski migrated the game to the Unity engine in August 2014. The game is set in a procedurally generated city consisting of several floors, with a top-down view and different visual themes for each level. The Home Base serves as the central base of operations for the Resistance, an organization created to fight against the tyranny of the Mayor of the city. There are 6 main stages: Slums, Industrial, Park, Downtown, Uptown, and Mayor Village, each formed by 3 levels except the last. Players accomplish specific mission goals using special character traits and items, and after every death, new gadgets and abilities can be bought for the next session with chicken nuggets earned up to that point.

Reader's Guide

Streets of Rogue is significant for its blend of roguelike mechanics with immersive sim-style freedom. Lead designer Matt Dabrowski credited Fallout, Grand Theft Auto 2, Deus Ex, Messiah, The Binding of Isaac, and Spelunky as major inspirations. The initial concept was to recreate the 'city-based, mission-based, freeform, open-ended gameplay' seen in games like Grand Theft Auto 2 and Fallout, but without unneeded complexity, after Dabrowski became disillusioned with the complexity of RPG mechanics while playing an early alpha of Wasteland 2 in late 2013. The game received generally favorable reviews, with critics praising its comedic elements, variety, and freedom. Polygon noted that 'comedy in game design is difficult' and that Dabrowski pulls it off by piling cheap gags high and often. Rock Paper Shotgun compared it to 'relatively plain-faced immersive sims of the blockbuster sort,' praising the 'sheer variety of this city’s pandemonium.' PC Gamer celebrated that Streets of Rogue 'gives you more freedom than almost any roguelike.' A sequel was announced in 2020, planned to be built on the existing code of the original game and to be more open-ended, with no established development schedule at the time.

Did You Know?

• Streets of Rogue was initially prototyped in Construct 2 before being migrated to the Unity engine in August 2014 due to poor performance.
• After every death, players can buy new gadgets and abilities for the next session using chicken nuggets earned during gameplay.
• A sequel was announced in 2020, with plans to build it on the existing code of the original game.