Experience points are often gained by consuming food rather than just killing enemies.
Unlike traditional skill trees, these often define your physical capabilities (e.g., movement speed vs. armor) and can drastically alter your appearance. Part 3: Comparative Evolution: Roguelike vs. Roguelite Rogue-like: Evolution
At the International Roguelike Development Conference, developers codified the "8 must-haves" for a "pure" roguelike: Experience points are often gained by consuming food
The genre eventually split into two distinct evolutionary paths: Roguelike (Classic) Roguelite (Modern) None; every run starts from zero. Persistent upgrades/unlocks between runs. Gameplay Turn-based and grid-based. Often real-time (Action/Bullet Hell). Difficulty Extreme; requires deep system knowledge. Scalable; often more forgiving. Examples Caves of Qud , NetHack , ADOM . Hades , Vampire Survivors , Dead Cells . requires deep system knowledge. Scalable