Life & fun · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to Illuminascii

Rogue-like shooter with ASCII text stylings

Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. Illuminascii launched in 2015; newer entries below may have overtaken it.

1. 1AR
   A roguelike game that runs inside Notepad++▲155

   2025 · github.com · its alternatives →

2. 2
   A.I. Invasion▲61

   An action-loaded top-down-shooter in a futuristic setting

   2015 · its alternatives →

3. 3
   Zenzizenzic▲66

   Abstract twin-stick shooter with open-world roguelike mode!

   2015 · its alternatives →

4. 4
   Roguelands▲66

   A pixelated multiplayer RPG

   2015 · its alternatives →

5. 5
   A Dark Room▲90

   The most immersive text-based game ever.

   2015 · its alternatives →

6. 6AM
   Asterogue, my sci-fi roguelike, is now playable on the web▲331

   2024 · asterogue.com · its alternatives →

7. 7KA
   KernType, a typography game made with Raphaël▲268

   2011 · type.method.ac · its alternatives →

8. 8
   Sublevel Zero▲85

   Roguelike 6DoF shooter where reality is falling apart

   2015 · its alternatives →

9. 9PT
   Play the front page of Hacker News as interactive text games▲109

   Hey HN, I hacked together this fun project that lets you play any article on the front page of Hacker News as an interactive text game. You can create a game about anything by going to infinityarcade.com/ You can also use a URL, which is what this page uses. The whole thing is open source: https://github.com/themaximal1st/InfinityArcade

   2023 · infinityarcade.com · its alternatives →

10. 10
    Monodraw▲160

    Powerful ASCII art editor designed for the Mac

    2015 · its alternatives →

11. 11
    DARK ★ STAR▲69

    An epic shoot-em-up, in spaaaaaaace!

    2015 · its alternatives →

12. 12
    Stellar Interface▲56

    A space-shooter meets a rogue-like-ish game

    2016 · its alternatives →

13. 13MA
    Monodraw, an ASCII Art Editor for Mac▲141

    2015 · monodraw.com · its alternatives →

14. 14
    Into the Dim▲66

    Nostalgic roguelike RPG

    2015 · its alternatives →

15. 15
    DarkMaus▲74

    A challenging action game with a minimalist style

    2016 · its alternatives →

16. 16
    Cogmind▲57

    Sci-fi roguelike

    2015 · its alternatives →

17. 17
    Nuclear Throne▲63

    A brutal, yet adorable, roguelike shooter

    2015 · its alternatives →

18. 18
    Assault Android Cactus▲60

    An intense arcade style twin stick shooter

    2015 · its alternatives →

19. 19
    Master Spy▲72

    Stealth-based retro platforming action

    2015 · its alternatives →

20. 20
    Leap of Fate▲67

    Hack 'n slash rogue-like in a cyberpunk setting

    2015 · its alternatives →

21. 21
    Akuatica▲77

    An action adventure game with puzzle elements

    2015 · its alternatives →

22. 220T
    0xDEAD//TYPE – A fast-paced typing shooter with retro vibes▲117

    2025 · 0xdeadtype.theden.sh · its alternatives →

23. 23
    Cryptark▲83

    Roguelike 2D shooter set in the future

    2015 · its alternatives →

24. 24
    Slam City Oracles▲74

    A rambunctious Katamari-meets-Grand Theft Auto physics game

    2015 · its alternatives →

Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →