Erosion Could Be — And Really Should Be — The Template For Future Rogue-likes

The rogue-like genre has proven to be a major fixture of the modern gaming landscape, especially in the indie space. With highlights like Hades II, Slay the Spire, Baltaro, and Starward Rogue all showcasing the different approaches to the style, it’s up to new entries to the genre to stand out amongst the rest of their peers. Luckily, Lyrical Games’ Erosion is one such title, a wild west/retro sci-fi mash-up that tasks a cowboy with saving his daughter from a dangerous, unseen force.

To do this, the cowboy will need to venture into a massive dungeon, with new buffs and weapons unlocked by the adventures he endures on the surface. Brought to life with distinct pixel art and a surprisingly deep approach to world-building, Erosion has a lot of unique energy that makes it feel distinct even as the genre it belongs to has become oversaturated. During a demo at Summer Game Fest 2026, ComicBook got the chance to see the game firsthand and was genuinely shocked by the craft and ambition going on just under Erosion‘s retro surface.

Erosion Is A Clever Reimagining Of What A Rouge-Like Can Be

The actual moment-to-moment gameplay of Erosion is instantly recognizable to anyone who has played a rogue-like, although the game’s approach adds a lot of fun, unique dimension to the genre. As the western-themed father on a mission to save his daughter, you have a loose moral code and a high threshold for violence. Exploring the quasi-futuristic western landscape and venturing into the dungeons unlocks all sorts of weapons, with the demo highlights including a ricocheting laser, a fleet of drones, and widespread machine guns. Players will be able to adjust their playstyle to their discoveries accordingly, ensuring that every adventure into the dungeon plays out differently. The gameplay is fast-paced and often chaotic, which is fitting for the genre.

The scaled-back pixel art is the key here, as the very specific coloring and looks of characters are crucial to keeping an eye on them. The fast-paced nature of the combat invites quick movement and constant motion, especially as enemy forces can easily surround the player or reveal some massive form. The Erosion team teased that many of these encounters take inspiration from classic games, mentioning Pong and Space Invaders as influences. One of these even popped up in the demo, a clear nod to Centipede that makes for a clever boss battle.

Making his way through the dungeon, the gameplay quickly became chaotic around the cowboy. It’s clear that, like with the best entries in the genre, the actual mechanics may be easy to learn, but the challenges will force players to grow and learn how each weapon is best used in which situation. It all flows incredibly well, with the player character dodging and shooting his way through combat encounters. It all flows together well, speaking to the strength of the underlying game design.

Time-Hopping Open World Exploration Opens Up Erosion’s Future

One of the more interesting things about Erosion is the way the rogue-like approaches the concept of the potentially endless game mechanic. Most rogue-likes keep the focus on the dungeon exploration in gameplay, leaving the overworld to serve as the connective tissue for any narrative that needs explaining. By contrast, Erison does its most interesting stuff in the overworld, where players are given a wide-open space to explore.

During the demo, the cowboy explores the western-themed setting and finds himself tasked with a cult to eliminate a small town. In many games, players would have one choice — follow the mission. By contrast, Erosion leaves the players to make up their own minds. Follow the directions of the cult, side with the townsfolk, wipe out both sides, or just walk away entirely. Every trip into the dungeon on a mission to rescue your daughter skips the game world ahead by years, showing the player the ramifications of their action. By completing the quest, the dungeons have a new passive buff — but the ruins of the village have been taken over by the cult, who have refashioned themselves into their own poultry-centric society.

If the player had left the town alone and killed the cult, then the community would have grown in its own unique ways. The world is reshaped by the player’s choices, with the fallout playing out in different ways based on the player’s choices. These various missions and the futures they create open the door for all sorts of gameplay tweaks and fresh approaches on repeated playthroughs, something new entries in the roguelike genre need to accomplish if they want to endure in a crowded genre. Erosion has tight enough controls and a slick enough visual style to stand out from the crowd, but it’s that natural expansion of the overworld that really makes Erosion such an exciting prospect.