Games like Vivid Knight

The Squirrel's verdictFull enemy-intent visibility before every action is Shogun Showdown's defining feature: you read what each enemy will do, then plan your moves on a grid accordingly. The roguelike run structure and unlock progression carry over, but every attack and step is yours to execute. Reviewers with 100-plus hours cite tight puzzle-like design; others note late runs become RNG-dependent. Median playtime is 29.3 hours.

Not for you if you want hands-off auto-battle combat or found the manual-every-move structure described in other cards unappealing.

The Squirrel's verdictHadean Tactics runs the same auto-battler-plus-cards loop as Vivid Knight, but layers a Slay the Spire map on top: nodes, potions, relics, gold, choose-your-path structure. Units still fight automatically while you feed them cards and items between rounds. Suits players who wanted more deckbuilding scaffolding around the auto-battles rather than pure dungeon-crawl progression.

Not for you if you want tight balance rather than reviewer-reported swingy cards and relics, or you already know Slay the Spire's map structure well.

The Squirrel's verdictWarriors of the Nile 2 keeps the roguelike meta-progression and unlock-driven runs, but trades Vivid Knight's auto-battler positioning for direct turn-based control: you move and act each unit yourself, chess-like, across scripted encounters. Reviewers compare it to FF Tactics and Disgaea. Suits players who want the same run-to-run unlock loop with hands-on tactical input instead of watching units fight automatically.

Not for you if you want the hands-off auto-battle style of Vivid Knight rather than manually positioning and commanding units each turn.

The Squirrel's verdictThrone of Bone puts you in the role of a necromancer summoning and directing minions that fight automatically, built on the same auto-battle loop as Vivid Knight. Between fights you adjust your roster and loadout. Reviews praise the art style and core concept but flag shallow class differences and a tendency for each run to converge on the same minion combinations. Median playtime is 17.9 hours.

Not for you if you want broad build variety and meaningful class differences across runs.

The Squirrel's verdictFORWARD strips the roguelike dungeon crawler down to a card-based movement puzzle: no auto-battling units, no party building, just eight characters with three abilities each navigating card-tile runs. Median playtime sits under nine hours, so this suits someone who wants a short, cheap roguelike hit rather than Vivid Knight's deeper unit-and-gem progression.

Not for you if you want Vivid Knight's party-building and gem-based combat depth rather than a compact single-character card puzzle.

The Squirrel's verdictEight characters, hundreds of perks, and tile-based positioning that reviewers compare to Into the Breach crossed with Darkest Dungeon's 1D line combat — Anomaly Collapse is built for players who want Vivid Knight's meta-progression and run-to-run build variety delivered through direct tactical control rather than automatic unit combat. Median playtime is 19.2 hours.

Not for you if you want units to fight on their own rather than manually positioning and acting each turn.

The Squirrel's verdictShadowveil keeps the auto-battler-plus-roguelite structure: units fight automatically, you rebuild a party across runs, and meta-progression carries between attempts. The difference is scale and setting, an L5R-licensed campaign built around long-term unit development and expedition choices rather than short escalating dungeons. Suits players who want strategic depth over quick replay loops.

Not for you if you want tight replayable runs rather than a long campaign that reuses the same bosses across chapters.

The Squirrel's verdictStray Path replaces Vivid Knight's auto-battler combat with a Freecell-style card grid: clear rows to move enemies and cards, unlock relics and blessings as you go, then die and start a fresh run. Same roguelike currency-and-unlock loop, but the tactical layer is card placement, not squad positioning. Suits players who want the meta-progression without babysitting formations.

Not for you if you want character builds to feel distinct early rather than locked behind high difficulty and achievement-gated unlocks.