GAME
Hades
Pick this if you want short bursts of combat with a story that moves forward even when a run ends.
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Run-based games.
Play a self-contained attempt, then start another with different choices or conditions.
Try, fail, try differently.
Start with a small kit → adapt to what appears → reach a goal or lose the run → try again.
A run-based structure can overlap with other genres. In Hades you fight in real time; in Slay the Spire you plan one card at a time. Some games let you carry upgrades between runs.
What changes after a failed run?
Often your route, tools or enemies change. Some games also preserve upgrades or story progress.
Games to try.
Balatro
A good first stop if you enjoy spotting surprising combinations. Poker hands are the vocabulary; building a scoring engine is the game.
Hades II
Try this for quick action with more room to experiment between runs. Casting and spacing change how encounters feel.
Dead Cells
A quick-moving action game where new weapons change the pace and reach of every fight.
Slay the Spire
Start here to learn why skipping a card can be stronger than taking it. Enemy intentions give you something concrete to plan around.
FTL: Faster Than Light
Command a small crew and make hard calls about which failing system to fix first. You can pause to issue orders.
Vampire Survivors
Move through crowds while weapons fire automatically. The interesting choices come from routes and upgrades.
Dicey Dungeons
Roll dice, slot them into pieces of equipment and decide which moves to spend your numbers on. Each character changes the rules of the run.