Perhaps we’d be referring to games as brotato-likes if the world was just a little different. But Brotato calls back to different genre classics and in many way is different and has its own lineage. Brotato-style games typically take place in small arenas instead of mimicking exploration. They generally have more accurate auto-aim, less focus on sweeping with movement. They also generally end with firm rounds and let you increase your power on round end instead of while gathering XP. They can be seen as being directly linked with older browser arena shooters and perhaps a little less with diablo style action RPGs, while both being roguelite auto-shooter genres. These subsets of games seem to often appeal strongly to different fans.

To summarize, Brotato is distinct on at least these game design metrics:

– Takes place in a small arena
– Increase power on round end
– XP gathered on round end or as kills are made, so less focus on gathering and more on dodging
– Waves don’t spawn organically and you have a breather to strategize on round end

We might tag a similar game as “Brotato-style”