LAB NOTES
I Live, I Die, I Live Again
What is it about roguelikes that keeps me coming back?
AS A RULE of thumb, I hate dying in video games. Death is failure. I’ve dipped my toes into From Software’s titles a few times, even slogging through the miserable entirety of Dark Souls 2, but every “YOU DIED” felt like a dagger piercing my soul. As a youngster, I spent hours tirelessly grinding in Pokémon Crystal so my team would be suitably overpowered to prevent the black screen of defeat.
Why is it, then, that 2020 has me suckered into a whole bunch of games where dying over and over again is part of the deal?
