A lot of games use randomly generated maps, rpg like progression and 'permadeath'. Permadeath meaning something that removes all of your progress in the actual world of the game - Rogue Legacy does have permadeath in this sense because every time you die you have to completely restart the dungeon.

The term Roguelite was actually popularised by the Rogue Legacy developers to describe how their game plays and how it lets you bank some sort of progress between deaths - not on the map, but in the RPG style progression.

Roguelites definitely do work, we know this because they're actually quite popular. Traditional roguelikes work by giving you the same level of challenge over and over again and watching as you develop your skills and knowledge of the game to try to progress further each time. Roguelites on the other hand, work by giving you a series of small goals to focus on. To begin with you try to get through one room, then a handful of rooms, then whole floors, then past the first boss, then the second etc. There's always an achievable goal for you to be aiming for while you developer your skill at the game!