Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

NetHack VS Angband

Compare NetHack VS Angband and see what are their differences

NetHack logo NetHack

NetHack is a single player dungeon exploration game that runs on a wide variety of computer...

Angband logo Angband

Angband is a free, single-player dungeon exploration game.
  • NetHack Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-19
  • Angband Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-16

NetHack features and specs

  • Replayability
    NetHack offers immense replayability due to its procedurally generated levels, ensuring that no two runs are exactly the same. Players can experiment with different character classes, items, and strategies to discover new aspects of the game.
  • Depth and Complexity
    The game is renowned for its deep and intricate mechanics. It requires players to think critically and plan their moves, taking into account a wide variety of factors such as item properties, monster behaviors, and environmental hazards.
  • Community and Legacy
    Since its release in 1987, NetHack has built a strong, dedicated community that contributes to its development and fosters a collaborative learning environment. Extensive guides and forums are available to help players navigate the game's complexities.
  • Free and Open Source
    NetHack is completely free to play and its source code is available to the public. This openness has allowed for numerous porting and modification opportunities, making it accessible on multiple platforms.
  • Humor and Easter Eggs
    The game is filled with a unique sense of humor and numerous Easter eggs, including references to popular culture, literature, and mythology. These touches add an extra layer of enjoyment for players who appreciate such nuances.

Possible disadvantages of NetHack

  • Steep Learning Curve
    NetHack can be difficult for new players to pick up due to its intricate mechanics and lack of in-game tutorials. Beginners might find themselves overwhelmed by the depth of the game.
  • Graphics and Interface
    The game employs very basic ASCII graphics which can be off-putting for players accustomed to more modern and visually appealing games. Its text-based interface may also appear dated and cumbersome.
  • Permadeath
    NetHack features permanent character death, meaning that once a player dies, they must start over from the beginning. While this adds to the game's challenge, it can be frustrating for players who dislike losing all their progress.
  • Time-Consuming
    Due to its complex nature and the required investment in learning its mechanics, NetHack can be very time-consuming. Players may need to dedicate significant amounts of time to see meaningful progress.
  • Retro Appeal
    The retro style and classic gameplay may not appeal to everyone, especially younger gamers or those who prefer modern design and more streamlined experiences.

Angband features and specs

  • Depth of Content
    Angband offers a deep and engaging gameplay experience, with a wide variety of monsters, items, and skills to explore, providing many hours of entertainment.
  • Replayability
    The game features procedurally generated levels and monsters, ensuring that each playthrough is unique, which greatly enhances replayability.
  • Community Support
    Angband has a strong community that actively contributes to its development, offering mods, updates, and advice to players.
  • Classic Roguelike Experience
    Angband retains the classic elements of roguelike games such as permadeath and turn-based combat, appealing to fans of traditional roguelikes.
  • Free and Open Source
    Angband is free to download and open source, allowing anyone to modify and share the game.

Possible disadvantages of Angband

  • Steep Learning Curve
    New players might find the game challenging to understand due to its complexity and the lack of a detailed tutorial.
  • Outdated Graphics
    The game uses simple ASCII graphics, which may not be appealing to players who prefer modern graphics.
  • Time Commitment
    Angband requires a significant time investment to complete, which may be off-putting for casual players.
  • Limited Interface
    The game's user interface can be cumbersome for new players, with a reliance on keyboard commands that may not be intuitive.
  • Lack of Narrative
    While it has a rich lore, Angband doesn't focus heavily on storytelling, which might not satisfy players looking for a narrative-driven experience.

Analysis of NetHack

Overall verdict

  • NetHack is highly regarded by fans of traditional roguelikes and is frequently praised for being one of the best examples of the genre. However, its ASCII graphics and difficulty may not appeal to everyone, particularly those who are not accustomed to retro-style gaming.

Why this product is good

  • NetHack is considered a classic in the roguelike genre, known for its deep gameplay mechanics, high replayability, and the vast variety of interactions possible within its richly detailed ASCII world. Players appreciate its steep learning curve and the sense of accomplishment from mastering its challenges.

Recommended for

  • Fans of traditional roguelikes
  • Gamers who enjoy challenging gameplay
  • Players interested in open-ended gameplay with numerous ways to solve problems
  • Enthusiasts of retro and text-based games
  • Those who appreciate games with a high degree of replayability

NetHack videos

NETHACK: The dev team thinks of everything

More videos:

  • Review - NetHack is the Best Hack!

Angband videos

Let's Play Angband: Ep 1 - To Use Graphics or Ascii?

More videos:

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to NetHack and Angband)
Action
63 63%
37% 37
Games
64 64%
36% 36
Adventure
57 57%
43% 43
RPG
64 64%
36% 36

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Angband might be a bit more popular than NetHack. We know about 25 links to it since March 2021 and only 22 links to NetHack. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

NetHack mentions (22)

  • First version of nethack with a bestiary?
    Prior to 3.1.x the dat subdirectory didn't exist yet but data.base was present somewhere, possibly in the src subdirectory instead. I don't know whether it goes as far back as hack 1.x or even nethack 2.x. The source code for a bunch of old versions is present at https://nethackwiki.com/ but I'm not sure whether the data files are all there too. The source code for the most recent released version (3.6.7) is... Source: about 2 years ago
  • Is there a discord?
    I am not sure what extra benefits the Steam version has, but the game is available for free either as download on nethack.org, or to play online at something like alt.org/nethack or hardfought.org. Source: about 2 years ago
  • REMINDER: You only need two people to play D&D
    You don't even need two people to play D&D, Nethack is great! Source: about 2 years ago
  • I just bought factorio
    I've always been fond of the last quote on nethack.org. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Went to see the video game exhibit at the NY MOMA
    It was discussed here last fall, when the home page for nethack.org was updated to mention it. The blurb includes a few other tiny screen shots and says the exhibit is scheduled to be open until mid-July. Source: over 2 years ago
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Angband mentions (25)

  • Honor Mode lets one TRULY savescum
    (If you like the turn-based combat, "choices matter," and "the devs thought of everything" parts of BG3, there are several legacy roguelikes that have similar mechanics and which are still actively maintained: Nethack, Angband and ADOM... All totally FREE!). Source: over 1 year ago
  • We all just decided to agree that mana in video games is blue.
    Https://rephial.org/ if anyone wants to check the game out :). Source: almost 2 years ago
  • What is your favourite open source game(s)?
    I play tons of other games, but Angband holds a special place in my heart. Been playing since the 90's. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Is it worth playing 1st gen rouguelikes for fun today ? I am talking about Hack, Moria, Larn, Omega
    I played a bit of Angband awhile back, to get a feel for the old school rouge-likes. It's a fork of umoria, which is itself a porting of Moria to C. Here's some links: https://umoria.org/history/ and https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angband_(video_game) and https://rephial.org/. Source: about 2 years ago
  • The two types of Angband variants
    Honestly, your regular Angband is pretty good. There's also https://angband.live/ which houses many variants and their versions, if you want to try out different ones. Source: about 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing NetHack and Angband, you can also consider the following products

Shattered Pixel Dungeon - A Roguelike RPG, with randomly generated levels, items, enemies, and traps!

Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup - Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup is an open-source, single-player, role-playing roguelike game of...

Tales of Maj'Eyal (ToME) - Tales of Maj'Eyal (ToME) is an open-source, single-player, tactical role-playing roguelike and...

Pixel Dungeon - Pixel Dungeon is a traditional roguelike game with pixel-art graphics and simple interface.

Brogue - Brogue is a Roguelike game for Mac OS X, Windows and Linux by Brian Walker.

Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead - Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead is a Survival, Turn-Based, Post-Apocalypse, and Single-Player video game produced by CleverRaven.