One Way Heroics and games like it

The WhatsNext verdict

One Way Heroics is a clever, unusually focused roguelike whose creeping darkness turns every decision into momentum. Play it if you want short RPG runs, meaningful risk, and a genuinely original survival structure more than lavish presentation.

What it does best

A roguelike built around one irresistible direction
Every step is a survival calculation
One more run through a world that will not wait
A complete roguelike adventure in bite-sized runs

What might put you off

Sparse presentation and a weak tutorial
Repetition sets in after extended play

The setup

What you are walking into

Across all dimensions, the only constant is Darkness! A procedurally generated RPG-roguelike journey across the multiverse! In One Way Heroics, you take on the role of an intrepid adventurer who must travel across the land and face the Demon Lord before a mysterious darkness engulfs everything. Darkness always approaches from the left, and with each movement, attack and action you take, the darkness creeps ever closer. Forced to run right, you'll encounter any number of monsters, allies, thieves and shops on your desperate journey to stop the end of everything. The good news is that you don't just have access to one world. You have access to all of them. Born with the mysterious power to travel to other dimensions, you can choose which dimension you wish to travel to in order to get to the Demon Lord. Dimensions vary based on their name. One might be full of lush forest landscapes full of adorable animals and cunning thieves, while another might be full of corrupted hellscapes infested with demons. You might find likeminded heroes willing to journey with you, or you might meet no one and be forced to venture into the unknown alone. Like a dimension you previously visited? Simply input the name at the Dimensional selection screen before you begin your journey. Want to try your luck with a random dimension? Type any word that pops into your head, and watch as One Way Heroics builds you a world based on the name you chose. Infinite permutations. Infinite worlds. Infinite adventure.