I Think My First Must-Play Title of 2026.
After playing well over 200 recent games this year, I am officially turning the page on 2025. My annual roundup is live, and I'm satisfied with the final results, accepting that a host of excellent games may have dropped under the radar. Now, there's plan is to other than unwind, unplug a little, and maybe enjoy a nice walk in the— oh no, found another amazing experience. So much for my intentions!
An Early Contender Emerges
During my off-hours play, usually reserved for a few oddball curiosities, I've discovered what could be my first favorite game of 2026. Sol Cesto is a peculiar roguelike for Windows PC that reimagines a classic labyrinth explorer into a probability-fueled game of major consequence peril and prize. Consider this an early adopter's heads-up: If you enjoy in knowing about a game before it's cool, sample Sol Cesto so you can punch a hole in your indie credit card.
A Tactical Roguelike Twist
Sol Cesto is a tactical roguelike that's different from everything I'm familiar with. The setup is that you must venture into a dungeon, progressing deeper and deeper in search of the sun, which has gone missing from this mythical realm. In practice, that makes for some recognizable genre framework. Choose an adventurer who has parameters and powers, fight through each level of monsters, pick up some passive buffs (in the form of teeth), and defeat a few area guardians. Simple enough!
The Unique Central System
How you truly navigate a area, however. Each instance you start another stage, you're shown a sixteen-square board of boxes. Every tile features a monster, a loot box, a trap, or a health-restoring fruit. To make a move, you simply click on one of the horizontal lines, but which square you select is up to chance.
You might see a row with a pair of enemies, a strawberry, and a reward box in it. You initially will have a quarter likelihood of hitting any given square in a row.
Subsequently, your probabilities change. The question becomes: Do you press your luck, or do you choose on a alternative option first and attempt some more cautious selections early? This is the push-your-luck gameplay on display in Sol Cesto, and it's captivating after you develop a feel for it.
Influencing Chance
The meta-layer is that your probabilities can be influenced during an attempt by picking up teeth that alter which objects you're more attracted to. As an instance, you may obtain a perk that will reduce the probability of hitting a trap, but will also decrease the odds of landing on a treasure chest too.
- Crafting a loadout is about manipulating math to the utmost to have a higher chance at getting your desired outcome.
- In one run, I invested my attribute improvements toward physical attack/defense and selected all the teeth possible that would increase my odds of landing on monsters aligned with that strength.
- In another run, I built my character around treasure chests and paired that with a perk that would reduce the power of surrounding monsters each time I claimed a reward.
The build options are not endless, but it provides ample to engage with to let you manipulate probabilities to your preference.
A Constant Gamble
Of course, it remains a game of chance. You constantly face the possibility that you have an 80% chance to land on the preferred space but ultimately choose on an enemy that would eliminate your last bit of health. Every move is a gamble, so there's a constant tension as you clear a floor out and determine if to continue selecting or to advance to the following level rather than risking it all.
Tools such as destructive ordnance help cut down the chance, as do some character abilities. One hero's special power, activated once making four moves, enables you to select a vertical column rather than a horizontal line on a turn. If you play your cards right, you can reserve that option for an optimal time to circumvent a perilous selection. There's a shocking amount of nuance in the simple act of clicking.
Looking Ahead
Sol Cesto is still in early access, and it has another update planned until the complete edition is released. An additional hero and a fresh guardian are scheduled to arrive sometime in January. The official version likely won't be far behind, but the studio haven't set a concrete launch day yet.
A Parting Recommendation
No matter when the complete game arrives, you might want to put Sol Cesto in your sights. I've been thoroughly captivated with it, uncovering each of small details and storing my run rewards every session to unlock a steady stream of persistent upgrades, such as new characters and items purchasable during a run. I still haven't found the deepest level, and I get the feeling I'll continue pursuing that objective when the official release drops. Count me in for the long haul.
