There's a very, very interesting comment on the last KS update, about the 5million roguelike goal. As much as I enjoyed games like Rogue legacy and Dungeon of the endless, I agree with this guy. That's not meant for a Castlevania, er, Igavania game, at all.
I had a feeling people who do not understand game development would not understand why even if the roguelike dungeon were an extra/additional MODE, it would STILL affect how they go about building the pieces that make up their game map. I understand that they said they would only be adding features, but this is one feature that affects the development style, and ultimately the quality of the game itself. To fit pieces of the world map together so that they can be procedurally generated, it affects their size and shape, whether their ceilings and floors can or cannot be varied or different heights. To make the pieces fit together for that kind of play, the level construction "set" will have to limit the kinds of variety for those elements, or will have to use an entirely different set of assets and setpieces - which is unlikely due to their already massive workload. Either they design what they are building from the main game in mind which compromises design, or they make the roguelike use pieces that are totally different - which will make them not feel the same as in the main game, which would be preferable if a mode like this were to be included at all - but it increases their workload by a huge degree. Until there are firsthand statements and examples of how implementation of procedural levels will IN NO WAY affect how they design the world they are building, you'd better assume that the design will be some kind of compromise and that's not what I'd want to support. Between a feature like procedurally generated maps and them now having to build the biggest castle ever, this might end up becoming Cutandpaste Vania. In response to Rogue Legacy; I did not enjoy that game, or Risk of Rain, or the other games like it. Its not for everyone. I've seen MANY comments in this thread echoing that sentiment. The people who like Rogue Legacy can go play that game; games like that are being made; go play them if that floats your boat. But what the majority of supporters here are for, is a real Igavania to be made, without compromise. To pander to what is "trendy" now would be a great disservice to the vision and promise that was being originally proposed.
This is exactly why I do not want us to reach 5 million. Even if it is in it's own mode these design decisions will influence the rest of the game. I hate procedural generated maps like this. They will never have the soul of actual methodical design. Those types of games feel so lifeless and mechanical.
I feel in a way that classic mode could have a similar bleed back effect into the actual game, but not nearly as pronounced as this.
If classic mode and rouge mode were their own separate games, then sure. Those would be interesting. But trying to make this game a one size fits all will certainly reduce it to the lowest common denominator. The core experience will get lost in making all the rest work.
I'd say make classic mode the portable prequel game. Ditch rouge mode entirely.