When someone thinks about monsters, what typically comes to mind? A Mummy, Dracula, the Wolfman and the Creature from the Black Lagoon are easy picks that often come up whenever a game includes things that go bump in the night. That's not entirely the case with Rogue Lords, though. The Slay the Spire-inspired Roguelike's cast still contains a few iconic monsters; however, it showcases a respectable selection of less popular villains that deserve some time in the spotlight.

Rogue Lords is a Roguelike RPG that charges players with becoming Satan, commanding his monstrous Disciples to corrupt the land and eventually defeat Van Helsing. Players start the game with access to three Disciples: The Headless Horseman, Bloody Mary and Dracula. There are nine total, but the other Disciples are unlocked by either clearing Campaigns or ranking up. Though some notable inclusions like Dracula, Dr. Frankenstein and his Monster are present in-game, they're outnumbered by the lesser-known ghosts, ghouls and otherwordly entities making up the majority of the cast.

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Rogue Lords Lets Players Be Lesser-known Evils

Rogue Lords Hecate Character

When the Devil himself comes beckoning for aid, only his most diabolical Disciples answer the call. Luckily, the Disciples in Rogue Lords are not robed cultists or Universal Monster wannabes; they're figures like Baron Samedi, Lilith and The Headless Horseman. It's refreshing to see a game that's focused on horror entities look beyond the obvious monsters players have seen for years. In fact, outside of SMITE's occasional non-mythological character inclusions or referential in-game easter eggs, some of these characters haven't been featured in a video game before -- at least not in any serious capacity.

The entities in Rogue Lords range from urban legends like Bloody Mary to those with a biblical origin like Lilith. Though the game has an overall gothic feel, none of the characters feel like they're out of place. Some have seen some minor cosmetic alterations to fit the game's ambiance better, but each character is represented faithfully. Of course, due to the nature of the game, there's very little character development or insight into the Disciples, but the little that's delivered through voice lines or character biographies offers just enough to help color each character beyond their ghastly appearances.

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Killing Floor 2 Halloween Infernal Insurrection

For some, Rogue Lords may offer a player's first introduction to The Lady in White or Hecate -- and that's phenomenal. Though these characters are by no means original, they're not at the front of people's minds the same way that Dracula or the Wolfman are. More games should make a habit of pulling from the past for monster inspiration. There's a whole world of nearly-forgotten horrors and urban legends that games can pull from and, especially when considering making a spooky game for a spooky season, offer players a treat by focusing on what's really scary -- the unknown and forgotten.

Naturally, not every game can take strides as Rogue Lords has and include scary figments from legend or otherwise. That said, even during in-game seasonal events for titles like Killing Floor 2 or Destiny 2, the themes are often based around the Universal Monsters in some form. Games have overused the aesthetic, whether it's a Dracula-themed costume or a stage dressed up to look like Dr. Frankenstein's lab. Developers should dive deeper into horror mythology and feel free to experiment a little; it'll lead to some fun discoveries.

Rogue Lords lets players take control of a wide assortment of monsters and entities, focusing on the lesser-known. Dracula and Frankenstein are there to help fill out the roster for the Devil, but the real team are the apparitions and ghouls that spent their days haunting while people have worried about movie-popularized masked killers. The game offers players one of the few chances to play as this diverse team of villains, but it shouldn't be the last.

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