two & a half gamers The next evolution of Roguelites is finally here by Jakub Remiar
Roguelites have dominated mobile and Steam for three years — Survivor IO, Vampire Survivors, Habi’s new games, and a wave of Steam hits. But the genre is hitting a wall: every run resets too much, and long-term progression is stuck in 2018.
In this solo episode, Jakub breaks down the next evolution of the roguelite genre: the imprint system — a mechanic where each run becomes a permanent resource.
What you’ll learn
• Why traditional roguelites suffer from harsh resets
• How Uma Musume solved the progression problem with “run → character” imprints
• How Chaos Zero Nightmare created a more accessible imprint system
• Why deckbuilders (Slay the Spire-style) handle imprints perfectly
• Why MegaBong, Bonk roguelites, and Ball X-Pit are missing the key feature
• How imprint systems increase retention, investment, and buildcraft
• Why the next Western roguelite hit will use this mechanic
• Why Habi, Supercell, and 4X devs will adopt it in 2026
Key takeaway
The future of roguelites is simple: your best run should never die — it should become your next strongest asset.
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This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let’s not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.
Panelists: Jakub Remiar, Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric
Podcast:
Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipg
Chapters
00:00 — The core problem with roguelites (resets ruin progression)
03:10 — Uma Musume: the first full-feature imprint system
08:20 — Chaos Zero Nightmare: the streamlined imprint evolution
13:10 — Steam roguelites (MegaBong, Ball X-Pit): deep innovation but missing imprint save
18:00 — The future: imprint systems will redefine mobile roguelites
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Matej Lancaric
User Acquisition & Creatives Consultant
https://lancaric.me
Felix Braberg
Ad monetization consultant
https://www.felixbraberg.com
Jakub Remiar
Game design consultant
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar
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