Introducing the combat-automated roguelike "AutoRogue." Though it seems like a game that progresses automatically, it actually requires thoughtful planning of actions [TGS2025]

At the 2025 Tokyo Game Show, an indie selection booth featured a roguelike game titled AutoRogue that automates combat. Hearing “combat automation” might not immediately convey much, so let me introduce this game after trying it out.

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In this game, “combat automation” does not mean “fighting automatically on its own.” Instead, it means “automatically fighting based on actions set by the player.” Actions are carried out through “skills”—such as offensive and defensive skills—which players combine to create combat routines.

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There are several rules for automation. Skills can be assigned “conditions” and a priority level. A skill with higher priority will activate only when its conditions are met. For example, suppose you have “Marumaru,” a defensive skill that grants a “shield” upon use, and “Zutsuki,” an offensive skill. If no condition is set and the priority of “Marumaru” is raised, then only “Marumaru” will be used; if its priority is lowered, only “Zutsuki” will be used.

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To avoid such issues, conditions are added to skill activation. For example, setting “Marumaru” to activate only when the enemy is about to attack means that even if it has high priority, it won’t trigger unless the enemy actually plans an attack—thus allowing “Zutsuki” to activate instead. In this game, players control actions by combining such conditions.

This basic example of action control is taught in the tutorial, but naturally, the main gameplay builds upon these principles. For instance, you can add further constraints: setting “Marumaru” to trigger only when “the enemy plans an attack” and “defense is smaller than offense.” Then, when your defense exceeds the enemy’s attack power, “Zutsuki” will be used instead.

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Additionally, some skills require “energy,” a resource to activate, and others have usage limits, so understanding these traits is key to creating optimal combat automation.

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The game follows a roguelike structure: players adjust their action settings based on the enemies encountered, and upon defeating them, receive random rewards such as skills, gold, or items. The exact situation remains unclear, but the protagonist is being chased by “Mom” and must progress without being caught (i.e., avoid reaching the predetermined turn limit).

In short, the core of this game lies in constructing efficient strategies to defeat enemies using randomly acquired resources.

I initially thought I’d just casually play a game where combat happens automatically—but AutoRogue turned out to be surprisingly strategic. Released on May 23, 2025, it’s now available on Steam. If you enjoy carefully crafting tactics, give it a try.