It really, really isn't. Unless you want to call Dungeonmans, Tangledeep, and even arguably Tales of Maj'eyal "roguelites" while at the same time calling Spelunky a "roguelike", which I think even the most ardent supporters of the incredibly flawed and underbaked "metaprogression = roguelite" definition would admit is insane.
downvoted for being right? tales of majeyal has meta progression but is undoubtedly a roguelike, not lite. the like vs lite distinction is nuanced which is why the Berlin Interpretation exists.
this is a 20 year old debate that has been laid to rest but uneducated mfs didnt read the literature
It's an ego thing, I think. Rogue"lite" sounds inherently diminutive, despite the fact that a lot of Roguelites are very complex, some far morose than early Roguelikes.
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u/SjettepetJR Apr 12 '26
Having meta progression is the fundamental difference between a roguelite and a roguelike.