> Still rock hard though.

I mean, Octopod Transmuter is not... easy... but all the long major roguelikes (ADOM, Nethack, DCSS, ToME) are basically games of patience. They're repeatably doable if you learn all the rules and are careful. Speedruns are harder, of course.

Whereas even if you're completely spoiled and have achieved a perfect score in the past, Brogue is still difficult because every decision matters and you can't take your time. If you don't plan the most efficient way to explore each level then you starve, and if you miss or waste a key resource then you die because you aren't powerful enough. I still love Crawl but I strongly second the recommendation to give Brogue a whirl.