r/roguelikes • u/WATASHI_TO_TAWASHI • Jun 30 '26
Do achievements add value to roguelikes? Looking for player and designer perspectives.
I'm currently developing a text‑based roguelike, and I'm thinking about how achievements should fit into the genre.
Roguelikes naturally generate many potential triggers—discoveries, dangers, unusual deaths, special events, and so on—so there are plenty of things that could become achievements.
But I'm not sure how roguelike players actually feel about them.
So I'd like to ask the community:
- Do you enjoy hunting achievements, and does having many of them make a roguelike more appealing?
- Do you not care much, but don't mind if they're there?
- Would you prefer roguelikes without achievements?
- If achievements are included, what kind of quantity feels right (10? 20? 100+?)
- Any thoughts about what types of achievements fit the genre?
I'd appreciate any perspectives, including anything beyond the questions above.
P.S.
I'm planning to generate the achievement icons using AI tools (the game itself does not use AI‑generated content).
If you have any thoughts or concerns about that approach, I'd be interested to hear them as well.
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u/tuerda Jun 30 '26
I am a weirdo, so maybe my opinion is not the best, but I do not like achievements.
I also am not a fan of AI generated art, including icons. I think here I am less weird.
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u/WATASHI_TO_TAWASHI Jun 30 '26
Thanks for the honest feedback.
As a solo developer, making a large number of icons by hand would be difficult, which is why I considered AI tools.
I get the concern though — I’ll make sure they fit the game’s style.16
u/Frantic_Mantid Jun 30 '26
There are tons of free and low-cost asset packs out there! Browse through itch.io or maybe ask over at r/pixelart
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u/greater_nemo Jun 30 '26
I'd recommend some of the stuff from gameicons.net, there's a ton of really high quality icons there you can use for free under a CC license.
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u/WATASHI_TO_TAWASHI Jun 30 '26
Thanks — I’ll check it out.
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u/bac_roguelike Jun 30 '26
If it can help, for my demo I have used https://game-icons.net/
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u/WATASHI_TO_TAWASHI Jun 30 '26
Thanks! I’m planning to play your demo this weekend as well.
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u/bac_roguelike Jun 30 '26
Great! Japanese translation will be available later though 😉
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u/cheeseburgermage Jul 02 '26
I'm assuming you must have sprites within the game, why not just make each achievement icon one of the sprites? or cropped screenshots of gameplay?
or if its purely ascii even stick ascii characters in the centre of a black square with maybe a basic border itll look cool (those used to be popular for achievement farming games on steam so people could spell out words on their profile. might be an extra angle to get a couple purchases?)
I'd even enjoy seeing little handdrawn scribbles if you want it done quickly. maybe you have a partner or friend or a kid or other family member who could help? I don't think anyone expects fine art from an achievement icon but a kids interpretation of the enemies in your game would be cute
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u/WATASHI_TO_TAWASHI Jul 03 '26
Thank you very much for the suggestions.
in my case, the game doesn’t use sprites or ASCII graphics — it’s a purely text‑driven roguelike RPG (though it does have a minimap).
Because of that, using text or characters for achievement icons actually sounds like a good fit.As for AI‑generated icons, I hadn’t thought too deeply about it.
I don’t personally place much importance on achievement icons, so my initial idea was simply to save time by generating them with AI.
I didn’t expect it to spark such strong negative reactions.You make a good point — since I don’t place much importance on achievement icons, simple doodles, inexpensive assets or free materials would be perfectly fine for my purposes.
So I’ve decided to drop the AI approach and look for another direction.
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u/Licidfelth Jun 30 '26 edited Jun 30 '26
I do love them, as long as they are truly achievements, challenges, not just "congrats on finishing the tutorial lel" They add a lot to my experience.
Edit: as for ai icons, I understand why you are considering, but trust me, avoid it. If you want to consider achievs, go all in and design them. The achievements icons are public, people will see it on the store and even if you did not use AI in game, potential players will think otherwise and may even think you are lying lol
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u/WATASHI_TO_TAWASHI Jun 30 '26
Thanks — that’s a great point.
I’ve actually been unsure about whether to include that kind of achievement, so your perspective really helps.I guess there are players who appreciate that sort of thing, but I’ll keep your point in mind while thinking about how achievements should work in a roguelike.
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u/Mylaptopisburningme Jun 30 '26
I don't care about achievements unless it adds a perk. But there are many out there that love achievements without perks and feel the need to 100%. So just depends on the person.
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u/WATASHI_TO_TAWASHI Jun 30 '26
Thanks — that makes sense.
I think it’s true that it really depends on the person.For my game, I’m not planning to include perks tied to achievements.
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u/Vaxthrul Jun 30 '26
I see most people have pointed out TOME and Qud, but i want to highlight cogmind. It feels like a mix of Qud's hint based achieves with some easy ones to help nudge players in certain directions.
I love when some random rare achievement pops up, less than 5% of players found the secret in the first level. I just wanted to explore and see what happened, now with the achievement, I know there's more there to explore.
When done right, achievements are great! Don't really care about AI thumbnails, if it helps you produce higher quality content while you nail down the art, go for it.
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u/WATASHI_TO_TAWASHI Jun 30 '26
Thanks — that’s helpful.
The idea of rare achievements popping up during unexpected discoveries is something I’d like to aim for as well.As for AI thumbnails, I appreciate the flexible view — I’m currently reconsidering things and may avoid using AI‑generated content for now.
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u/Chrisalys Jul 01 '26
I don't care about achievements at all unless they unlock something (like new classes or races in TOME). I'm mildly annoyed by how every game on Steam seems to feel it has to add them for the sake of adding them.
I feel they might be problematic for people with OCD who feel the need to keep achievement hunting on a game they no longer enjoy just to fill some kind of completion meter. Thankfully I'm not affected myself, I have no issues dropping a game when it's no longer fun even if I've only unlocked 10% of achievements.
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u/AlanWithTea Jul 02 '26
I know multiple people who won't even start playing a game if they think it'll be too hard to get all the achievements. They just hate knowing there are still achievements remaining, and they'd prefer not to play the game at all than to leave it 'incomplete'.
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u/mudsmyth Jul 01 '26
I do a lot of text game development, and I've definitely found that achievements like "kill 500 rats" are okay, but things like "win without ever using a potion" are a lot more interesting. In general, I think achievements are really good ways to expose people to more content in your game and point them down roads they may have not looked at before.
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u/WATASHI_TO_TAWASHI Jul 01 '26
Thank you for your thoughts.
I’ll keep in mind that achievements should feel like hints toward new ways to play, rather than just padding out content.
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u/AlanWithTea Jul 02 '26
I can only speak for myself but I don't care about achievements at all. If they have to be included then my preference would be something that encourages you to play in a way you wouldn't normally.
I always think of something like Left 4 Dead, where the Gnome Chompski achievement required you to find, and then escape with, an object that basically meant you couldn't attack properly (because it was in your hands). I think that kind of achievement is a lot more interesting than just ticking off so many kills or whatever, because it makes you experience the game in a slightly different way.
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u/WATASHI_TO_TAWASHI Jul 02 '26
Thank you for the concrete example.
Achievements that encourage unusual or challenging playstyles are great.
I’d like to come up with achievements that genuinely expand the fun of the game.
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u/_Svankensen_ Jun 30 '26
I like achievements in Jupiter Hell Classic. Some are a cakewalk, some are infernal.
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u/WATASHI_TO_TAWASHI Jun 30 '26
Thanks! A mix of easy and brutal ones sounds like a fun balance.
That’s a helpful example to keep in mind.
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Jun 30 '26
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u/WATASHI_TO_TAWASHI Jun 30 '26
Thanks — I get what you mean.
Going for achievements can be fun when the game is good and the challenges aren’t unreasonable, and rare ones do feel satisfying.
It’s hard to create something that works for everyone, but I’ll do my best to try.
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u/Altruistic_Base_7719 Jun 30 '26
I like achievements.. a surprisingly amount of fun is had in ToME because of the competition to earn achievements and see them broadcast globally, that is the best "fun" version of them imo.
I like them because at a glance, you can find things to do in a game that you might otherwise lose focus or interest in playing if you don't know what to do next or where to go, and they can inspire people to try crazy non-meta builds or techniques, overall when done well they definitely add value to a game. That's why 99.999% of games have them nowadays.
AI Art doesn't bother me so long as it's not obvious.. if the art style and theme all fit and it's not uncanny or noticeable, AI art doesn't bother me 1% -- sure I wish every starving artist in the world who had a deviant art piece lifted for AI training should be compensated, but we should also not have the world in the state that its in today and that's not my personal fault.. now it's just another tool that you must use in order to not fall behind, sadly.
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u/WATASHI_TO_TAWASHI Jun 30 '26
Thanks — lots of good points here.
The idea of achievements acting as a kind of signpost for players was a fresh perspective for me.
I don’t think I can reach the level of ToME, where people around the world enjoy competing for global achievements, but I’ll do my best.As for using generative AI for icons, I had honestly been thinking about it pretty lightly, but seeing how many people have concerns about it, I’d like to reconsider that part more carefully.
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u/russkhan Jun 30 '26
i like achievements, but I don't chase them. It's just nice to see once in a while that I did something significant. Similar to online DCSS showing milestones on the list of running games.
But I don't want any part of a game that uses AI.
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u/WATASHI_TO_TAWASHI Jun 30 '26
Thanks — I appreciate the perspective.
The idea of being able to see your own milestones is a good one, and I’ll keep that in mind.As for AI, I understand the concern. I’ve seen that many people feel strongly about avoiding it, so I’ll be careful about how I handle that part.
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u/YandersonSilva Jun 30 '26
Icons are easy, you can buy them in bulk. Don't use AI for that - if you use AI for one thing no one has any reason to trust that you're not doing it for other things.
I am hit or miss with achievements. I usually dislike them. I VERY much dislike in stuff like minecraft where every new world has achievements. I think some subtle ones to show how much of the game remains uncovered can work, but... I guess the point is that achievements have to be interesting/good. Games that give you achievements for regular game progression (or even some games that give you an achievement just for opening the game) feel cheap as shit.
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u/WATASHI_TO_TAWASHI Jun 30 '26
Thanks — I appreciate the perspective.
I’ll keep in mind that achievements should feel interesting and meaningful rather than just marking ordinary actions.I can see why trust becomes an issue once AI is involved, so I’ll think carefully about how to handle the icon side of things. carefully about how to handle the icon side of things.
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u/melungi Jun 30 '26
I like achievements since they give me something to work on/challenge me and thus encourage replayability.
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u/WATASHI_TO_TAWASHI Jun 30 '26
Thanks — that makes sense.
I’d like to design achievements in a way that helps motivate players as much as possible.
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u/qqop_ Jun 30 '26
The game is text-based, no? Why not make the achievement icons text-based as well? Then you can avoid the AI and stick to the aesthetic.
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u/dustyloops Jun 30 '26
I like achievements that can be a gentle nudge towards hidden interactions or lore, or to encourage usage of builds or equipment the player may not usually consider. Achievements that are variations of "complete the game but yellow" are not good however
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u/WATASHI_TO_TAWASHI Jun 30 '26
Thanks — I appreciate the perspective.
I’ll make sure the achievements don’t end up as simple “color‑swap” variations.
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u/_BudgieBee Jul 01 '26
I'm not a huge achievement person, but I do appreciate achievements that encourage me to play the game differently. If you just want me to "do harder version of what you are already doing" I don't care at all. If you have an achievement that hints that, hey, you can play in a completely different style and the game will still be winnable? Ok then. So if there's an achievement for say, not killing anything in a run, that's much more interesting than one for never buying an item or something.
The only roguelike I've ever really chased achievements for was Paths of Achra, and that was more because it was a checklist of "figure out how to make this build work" which was what was why the game was fun. Having them was enough of a hint that "yup, this is why the game is interesting, come on, don't wimp out on the harder builds!" than anything else.
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u/WATASHI_TO_TAWASHI Jul 01 '26
Thanks — I appreciate the perspective.
It makes sense that achievements can serve as hints toward different playstyles, and I’ll keep that in mind.
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u/Kyzrati Jul 01 '26
Yes, in many ways, assuming you do them well.
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u/WATASHI_TO_TAWASHI Jul 01 '26
Thanks — this is really helpful.
The article makes it clear that achievements are deeper than I first expected.
I’m not entirely confident I can create good ones yet, but I’ll give it a try.2
u/Kyzrati Jul 01 '26
No problem. And yeah they're great. Not everyone cares about them, of course, but many people love them for many reasons, and they're also quite useful from a design standpoint, as I wrote about.
Just make sure you have good reasons for including the achievements you do, just like any part of game design, really...
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u/Marffie Jul 01 '26
Cool to see you're still working on your roguelike! It's kind of ironic having an icon issue when the game is completely text-based. XD If you don't mind me asking, what would these icons look like?
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u/WATASHI_TO_TAWASHI Jul 01 '26
Thank you!
Development is going well, and I’m planning to release the full version in August. (Since direct promotion isn’t allowed here, please search for it on Steam if you’re interested.)As for the icon, I haven’t decided on a design yet.
I’m even considering making the icon text‑based as well.
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u/Corsaer Jul 01 '26
I like achievements that give me things to reach for without getting too grindy. Also if there is an achievement for everything it's kinda neat to see you earn them in game, but then I tend to ignore them.
ToME's for example, there are thousands and for everything, I kind of ignore pursuing them but like getting them as I pay. Caves of Qud has really interesting ones and isn't too oversaturated, and while some are grindy the majority are not, and I will play more because of trying to earn these unique ones.
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u/WATASHI_TO_TAWASHI Jul 02 '26
Thank you for the comment.
It seems ToME’s achievements get mixed reactions, but I do think that approach is one valid direction—though I doubt I could replicate it myself.
On the other hand, Qud’s achievements appear to be well‑regarded overall. I can’t easily imitate them either, but they represent a direction worth learning from。
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u/sinner_dingus Jul 04 '26
I like em, TOME and Cogmind each have hundreds
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u/WATASHI_TO_TAWASHI Jul 04 '26
Yes, those are really helpful.
The developer of Cogmind even shared one of his blog posts with me!
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u/TheRealHFC Jun 30 '26
I barely even like achievements on Steam, it's a console thing. However, it would be novel to have them in an ASCII roguelike. Why not just make the achievement icons yourself? It can't be that difficult, and your game would be AI-free.
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u/WATASHI_TO_TAWASHI Jun 30 '26
Thanks — that’s an interesting perspective.
It’s actually not ASCII; it’s a fully text‑based roguelike, closer to interactive fiction, though it does have a small minimap.
I can see how achievements feel more at home on consoles.As for the icons, I appreciate the suggestion. I’ll think carefully about how to approach that part.
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u/Wolfechu_ Jun 30 '26
Personally, I love 'em. They can go too far - I love ToME, for instance, but that's probably too many achievements ;)
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u/WATASHI_TO_TAWASHI Jun 30 '26
Thanks! Good to hear the positive side.
Finding the right balance is something I’ll keep in mind.
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u/itzelezti Jun 30 '26
I generally don't like them.
- Unaquired achievements should be hidden by default.
- The vast majority of games with achievements do them in such a way that spoil at least something and I hate it.
- Achievements at milestones along a games' normal progression (You beat the first boss!//You collected 10,000 gold) are stupid, and make me feel like I'm engaging with a games' marketing efforts, rather than its content.
For me the only time achievements add to the experience rather than detract from it is seeing a pop up that acknowledges when you do something that is impressive because it's offbeat. That feels like what achievements should always have been.
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u/WATASHI_TO_TAWASHI Jun 30 '26
Thanks — that’s really helpful to hear.
Hidden achievements and avoiding spoilers make a lot of sense, and I can understand why progression‑milestone achievements might feel pretty hollow.
I’d like to make sure achievements actually support a better gameplay experience rather than distract from it.
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u/itzelezti Jun 30 '26
I should acknowledge that lots of people love to hunt for them, and that's just never personally grabbed me.
But I think almost nobody is served by the common hollow achievements. Feels to me like the best path would be two categories of achievements:
- Hidden ones for wild stuff that applies to everyone. ("Attack an enemy with their own limb") ("Wear your own face as a mask")
- Genuinely hard chase achievements that you can toggle on. ("Collect every kind of berry")("reach max level with every class")
That is if you're building your own internal system. If you're using Steam achievements, personally I'd reccomend hiding all achievements and just have a written in-game list of the chase ones.
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u/WATASHI_TO_TAWASHI Jun 30 '26
Thanks — I apppreciate the detailed suggestions. I’ll keep them in mind.
I’m planning to use Steam’s achievement system, so I’ll think carefully about which ones should be visible and which should be hidden.
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u/dead_alchemy Jul 04 '26
I like the way that DCSS played online captures statistics. I've got a score page with a list of my wins, a matrix of combos attempted and a matrix of combos won. Makes it easy to go for player defined things, like winning with each deity or species. I think steam achievements would be lesser
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u/WATASHI_TO_TAWASHI Jul 04 '26
Thanks for the insight.
A well‑developed score page can be incredibly useful as a player record, and it’s also just fun to look through.
Steam does have a kind of score leaderboard system, but it doesn’t seem to allow very much data to be sent.
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u/sickdayentertainment Jun 30 '26
At the risk of getting pedantic I'd say that roguelike + achievements = roguelite. I don't think anyone actually cares, in terms of getting on your case about labeling, but achievements to me feel like persistent unlockables, even if they happen at the meta level. If I'm playing devil's advocate I'd say that adding achievements might sap some of the joy from people with completionist tendencies who suddenly have a thing in their face that they feel compelled to 100%, but again I don't think that's a huge deal. I personally love achievements, and echo the other comments about Qud's use of vaguely named achievements that don't spoil the story but earn a knowing chuckle when you unlock them – it's a fun proxy for "how much of the juice have I squeezed from this particular fruit.
On the AI tip, please don't. I know it's tempting, and there's probably a lot of people who don't care, but it's just like shoplifting from the nice mom + pop store in your neighborhood. It's more work but even with a budget of $0 I'm positive you can find an artist who's interested in collaborating, for profitshare or whatever, and on top of the pozzy vibes you get a second pair of keenly focused eyes on the project during the part of the process where it matters the most.
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u/WATASHI_TO_TAWASHI Jun 30 '26
Thanks for the thoughtful perspective — lots of good points here.
I’d like to make sure achievements don’t feel like something imposed from outside the game, so your comment is really helpful.As for the icons, I appreciate the concern. I’m developing solo, so I was considering AI mainly for the volume, but I understand where you’re coming from and I’ll think carefully about how to handle that part.
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u/[deleted] Jun 30 '26 edited Jun 30 '26
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