[6] Whenever a character dies as a result of losing all of their Hit Points (HP), control will transfer over to one of three randomly generated heirs which the player may choose between, though this number may be increased to six with a later upgrade.

Each descendant carries their unique characteristics and abilities,[7] including such genetic peculiarities as color-blindness (in which the game is presented in black and white), ADHD (in which the player moves faster) and dwarfism (in which the character is short and can fit into small gaps).

These include mages, which can use more advanced spells, warriors, who have higher strength, and assassins, who can use various stealth techniques and have an increased likelihood of having a critical hit.

Similarly, the enchantress can use runes found in fairy chests to give the player enhancements, unlocking additional abilities such as double jumping and dashing.

Finally, the architect can lock down the design of a previously encountered castle (so that a new one isn't randomly generated) in exchange for a percentage of any gold found.

In December 2014, Cellar Door Games teamed up with IndieBox, a monthly subscription box service, to produce an exclusive physical release of Rogue Legacy.

This limited, individually-numbered collector's edition included a flash-drive with a DRM-free game file, the official soundtrack, an instruction manual and Steam key, as well as several custom-designed collectible items.

[28] Philip Kollar of Polygon and Mike Splechta of GameZone mentioned the short life spans of their characters,[29][30] and Scott Nichols of Digital Spy expressed frustration when first starting out.