Slay the Spire

This game is so much fun, the random-ness of it all adds so much flair and excitement. The enemies vary just enough that you do not get tired or burnout of fighting in every room. Does a great job of rewarding you for picking fights and taking risks instead of just taking the safest path and rushing the boss.

This game is fun and engaging, mechanics are good and I enjoy the daily challenge setup :D

I am so addicted i cannot stop. I started with the board game version actually and that had a surprisingly good co op experience. It made me want to download the video game. I am only upset i did not get into this game sooner. I cannot wait for the sequel.

Jogo incrivelmente divertido e equilibrado, parece ser muito simples, mas muito bem feito

A challenging game, which is very much to my liking. It allows for very creative builds of cards/relics, and very exciting combinations when RNG allows it. It truly absorbs you and makes you want to get better through experience while also unlocking new cards and characters on the way.

As part of my "review more games in my library" series, I recommend Slay the Spire overall. Though I'll keep this one shorter.

A roguelite deckbuilder with a lot of replayability even before mods are involved. There is little meta progression however, so you'll unlock your arsenal of deck options for all the characters early on.

As your knowledge, tactics, and strategy grows - you can mitigate RNG and improve your odds of success to consistently achieve a normal ending. Refine all these areas and push yourself to prepare for the alternate ending for each character as well as attempt higher difficulties of the Spire.

There are many ways to build your deck. Daily challenges to give you a quick 30~90 minute play session and a little something to shake things up if not playing the game to exhaustion. You'll have to ignore the cheaters on the leaderboard and find some peers to compete against instead. And then when you've fulfilled yourself on the base game, look into the mods to change things up even moar.

I enjoyed the soundtrack, the build possibilities when a run really comes together, gamepad support (may have to occasionally click if the gamepad loses focus or restart the application), and being able to skip the animations after repeated runs to speed up my victory or demise.

As you can tell by my hours, I haven't played the game very much and there is A LOT for me to still learn and do.

Slay the Spire Review: Strategy, Cards, and Endless Possibilities 🃏🔥

Among card-based roguelike games, Slay the Spire has carved out a throne of its own. Developed by MegaCrit, this game captivates players with its deep strategic mechanics, making hours fly by unnoticed. If you're looking for a perfect blend of calculated strategy and just the right amount of luck, Slay the Spire is a must-play. 🎮✨


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Gameplay: Infinite Strategic Depth ♟️

Slay the Spire is a deck-building, turn-based strategy game where you choose from multiple unique characters, each with their own abilities. Every decision you make shapes the challenges ahead, making careful planning essential for success.

Card Selection 🃏 – The cards you acquire throughout your run directly impact your deck and playstyle. Finding synergies that match your strategy is the key to victory.

Relics 🏺 – The relics you collect drastically alter your battle strategies. Finding the right combinations can give you an immense advantage in combat.

Enemy Variety 👹 – The game's AI and enemy designs ensure that no two runs feel the same. Boss fights, in particular, feature well-crafted mechanics that keep you on your toes.



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Visuals and Atmosphere 🎨

The game features a minimalist yet distinctive art style that helps keep the focus on its deep mechanics. Each enemy has unique animations and attack styles, adding to the immersion. 🎭

As for the soundtrack, it perfectly complements the experience—calm and atmospheric when needed, but intense and adrenaline-pumping during battles. 🎶🔥


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Addictive Mechanics and High Replayability ♾️

Slay the Spire excels at providing a fresh experience with every run, thanks to its randomized elements and extensive player freedom. Experimenting with different relics, card combos, and strategies ensures the game never feels repetitive.

The difficulty curve is also well-balanced. While it may seem challenging at first, the game rewards players who take the time to learn and adapt.


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Final Verdict: A Perfect Strategy Experience ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

If you love turn-based combat, deck-building, and roguelike mechanics, Slay the Spire is a must-play. Every detail in this game is meticulously crafted, delivering an engaging and rewarding experience with incredible strategic depth.

✔️ Pros:
✅ Deep and strategic gameplay
✅ Endless replayability
✅ Thought-provoking mechanics
✅ Well-balanced difficulty

❌ Cons:
❗ The minimalist visuals may not appeal to everyone
❗ The learning curve can be steep for newcomers

If you haven’t played this game yet, you’re missing out! 🔥💡

Game Link:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/646570/Slay_the_Spire/?curator_clanid=4777282

Spawned a whole genre and a co-operative board game. Will eat entire swathes of your life without a second thought. Also has mods, for eating up all the time of your second life too.

Slay the Spire approaches greatness but is ultimately unfinished. It lacked most meaningful mechanics or systems necessary to guide a run or follow an effect build. You are constantly hamstrung by unavoidable losses because the RNG decided to deal you no blocks while making every enemy attack simultaneously. You will go entire runs without seeing many of the cards, making it impossible to ever plan to play around them.

Clearing everything the game has to offer is much more about rolling the dice until you get blessed with great early cards and relics than skill, as even the best of the best don't have any surefire ways to beat the highest difficulties. You'll be constantly frustrated when you get dealt easy hands and fly through a run and then start another only to find you didn't get any better, you just got lucky last time.

Luck, luck, luck. This game is far too close to gambling and far too unlike a proper video game. Maybe the sequel will be better, if they bother to finish building the systems so the player can steer a little more.

Edit after a few more hours: I cannot emphasize enough how common it is need one or two critical cards and to just never get them. Or for one bad draw to force you to lose half your hp and doom your entire run. Or for you to be forced into an elite fight and it just so happens to be the fight that's the worst for your deck, despite the fact that you've spent the entire run up to that point looking for the one card that makes the fight doable. It's so much trial and error.

Worst of all, the way they make the game more "difficult" isn't clever. They don't actually make it more challenging. They make it more *PUNISHING* instead. They just crank up the damage on the enemies and burden the player with more and more hindrances. In better games, like Hades, the "hard mode" options tend to just increase risk. For example, enemies might deal more damage but so do you, speeding up the gameplay while simultaneously making it less forgiving of mistakes.

The worst parts of Slay the Spire are the turns where you have fun and interesting cards you want to play but you're forced not to because the enemy is raining attacks on you and you have to play boring defensive cards instead. As you climb the Ascension levels, that becomes more and more common. You go from being able to play one Defend to block an attack to needing two, and then maybe even three. You get dealt a lot more unavoidable damage, too. And the part that stings the most is that by the time you get to those higher levels you will know that with the right card or two you could demolish those fights and not even have to worry much about blocking. But the RNG just won't give them to you. You'll know exactly how beat the fight quickly and efficiently but you're powerless because the RNG has screwed you 10+ times in a row.

That's what makes the game a failure, in my eyes: At the end of the day, it's a slot machine game where you just keep pulling the lever over and over praying that the slots spit out the handful of cards that make a run perform really well. Skill is so unimportant as a fact as to be virtually worthless. If you can beat the base game you can beat Ascension 20 if you just keep doing runs because eventually the RNG will give you a great deck and good fights no matter how many attempts you've failed up to that point.

It's really amazing how the game unfolds as you play, there is so much depth in the decision-making from every micro and macro choice, that leads to your victory or defeat. It was incredibly enjoyable to learning the game and climbing to Ascension 20.

Overview:
The game starts with just one character, but as you play, you will unlock 3 more, each with a unique card pool (and relics). Each run starts fresh with a fairly basic deck, just some Strike and Defends, plus one or two character specific cards, but as the run progresses you get more cards, upgrade cards, and relics. Relics provide passive bonuses, some which require more skillful play, as you manipulate the counters on them. There's a fun risk reward between taking harder combats for more relics, using the rest spots for upgrading cards instead of healing, etc. Learning the behaviors of each enemy ingrains them in your brain, and as you learn the challenges you can make better decisions for each run. Eventually winning a run, then winning on each character, then doing a run collecting all the keys to face the true final boss, and getting a true victory. Then climbing each progressive difficulty Ascension, all the way to 20. That's the experience of Slay the Spire, I'm looking forward to completing A20 with the other characters now, and going for the few remaining achievements.

Other than that, I'm just really looking forward to what this team can do with Slay the Spire 2, this is the best $25 you can spend, buy the game, and have fun. It may take a couple runs to click, but it has a very enticing gameplay loop, letting you build crazy combo decks.

For all the games inspired by Slay The Spire, none can match the balance, variety, replayability and depth of the original. One of those approachable games where, during your first turn you're wondering "Hmm should I swing for 6 or block for 5, that's a tough one", and then 1,000 hours later you start a new run and you're still wondering "Hmm, swing for 6 or block for 5..."

The game is so simple and addictive, it's hard to understand why it's special without playing it. Just try it for yourself!

Excellent deck building Roguelike. The synergy is the best of the genre, with fun bosses, and challenging gameplay. Highly Recommend.

I played this mostly on Xbox - this is an all-timer for me. The best rogue-like and the best card battler. I revisit every year or so to give myself a new challenge with mods or ascension mode. The Downfall mod was a lot of fun, and now just waiting for the sequel.

Luck is too significant a factor. There is a lot of strategy involved, but then in a couple rooms it'll all go out the window as RNG takes over.

Extremely enjoyable and addicting card game. Even after 100%ing the Steam achievements and my file, it's good enough to keep coming back for more. Scratches an itch that games like Hearthstone used to, only with far less frustration.

This is (basically) the first of it's kind. The one that started it all. The original roguelike deckbuilder.
Let me tell you, it's fantastic.
The main focus of the game is the combat system, but it's all you really need. You build a deck of cards that let you punch weird things and then romp around this big building on a quest to kill some stuff, at the request of a magic whale. (That's the entire story, but the way.)
There are over 300 unique cards to collect, dozens of magic items, tons of enemies to fight, and 4 different characters to master. The whole game revolves around how far you can get each run, and you'll only improve each time.
This game offers a near infinite amount of gameplay. The game itself is brimming with possibility, but if you include mods, that possibility only expands.
Buy this game. It's great.
(Also, if you like the idea of this, but want more story-based decisions, check out Griftlands.)

Fun game, actually pretty simple gameplay loop. It took me embarassingly long to work out that you don't have to accept every reward from a fight. Keep that in mind so your deck doesn't become bloated. Enjoy.

very good game design takes skill but is rather simple in nature making it relaxing and challanging at once

Honestly simple yet requires a ton of strategy which is what makes this game addictive and thoroughly enjoyable. The more I play the more new things I learn with all the buffs, artifacts, relics, and what not. Such a great game.

While not as hopelessly addicting as other roguelikes ive lost myself in, and despite some heavy balancing issues in builds and enemy difficulty, Slay the Spire is pretty delightful, and I enjoy opening it for a new run pretty frequently. Silent Gang rise up!

Very fun, challenging, and addicting. Easy to learn, difficult to master.

The king of roguelike deckbuilders. The closest game to perfection games of this genre has ever gotten.

I feel only slay the spire 2 will threaten this game's position at the top.

No Roguelike deckbuilder has ever given this level of content, of replayability of depth. Its truly a masterpiece.

I cannot recommend it enough.

Comentario Analítico: "Slay the Spire"

Slay the Spire es un excelente Rogue-like de estilo Deck Builder de acción por turnos, estrenado a modo de Early Access en 2017 y publicado oficialmente en 2019, ocurrido en partidas procedurales intervenidas por una suerte de Game Master que nos fuerza a tomar decisiones entre combates en función a una de muchas rutas por la que optar.

Es uno de los Rogue-like más pulidos con los que me pude encontrar, sabe encontrar el balance entre una jugabilidad desafiante y permisiva gracias a cuán intuitivo es, apenas hace falta ir a fuentes externas para buscar explicaciones de nada, incluso respecto a su factor RNG es un producto accesible, el papel del jugador es en su mayoría un trabajo de optimización de recursos y administración de las cartas a disposición.

¿En conclusión? Un pilar de ambos géneros a los que representa.

Literally coke, have played this game 40 hours in and have only beaten the game three times with the three characters and up to the watcher and not even up to Ascension. Still really fun to play despite losing a bunch.

This game is a gem in the roguelike deckbuilder genre.
You have the option to choose among 4 different classes which come with their own unique mechanics and loops of dealing damage or blocking.
The card drafting is challenging as it makes you craft a balance between early game survivability and late game scaling.
The relics obtained throughout the run are also pretty interesting, some of which you can draft your cards around.
The random encounters also have a good mix of risk and reward.
Daily mode mixes different rulesets for a unique playthrough every day.
And for those seeking a challenge, ascension mode makes things trickier one step at a time.
The only downside is the lack of variety in the elites and bosses which can make the game feel stale sometimes.

Slay the Spire is a classic roguelike deckbuilder. It's basically been the basis and inspiration for so many games since. It defined the style of games further and became the game everyone compares those types of games to.

That said, I don't like it. The basic gameplay hinges on luck with your seed, a coinflip. When you break down how the RNG works, not every run is winnable and that's inherently a bad thing. It wasn't an error you made typically that ends a run, just the odds. A player will continue to have these experiences where sometimes the deck feels good and others it feels like there wasn't even a chance.

Moreso to the randomness, it's not a healthy feeling random. Build a poison deck around a power card and have that power card somehow draw only on the 3rd turn every time. It's consistent in this weird rng too. It's not "sometimes you get bad rng", but instead, every time. That brutal swing never will feel good and there's no real way to augment it, the players choice and input means less when ultimately it is removed from them.

I'm sure there's "strategies", but it's not formative of a user's own ingenuity in the system in place. There is no "aha!" moment. You didn't figure out some genius strategy, you only ended up using what was the only option the game spoonfed you.

So no, I wouldn't recommend this game on that basis. A player who engages in luck and slot-machine style games will likely find this more their fancy than someone who prefers strategy.

I really tried to like this game. I just can't. It's not as good as the majority says it is. The premise is cool, and I like the visuals. However, I'd sooner flush a toilet a thousand times for my own amusement than have my run wrecked by RNG elements that seem to like bending you over the table with no consent. Y'all could certainly do better. I recommend a hard pass on this game.

As a roguelike deckbuilder, this game is one of the best that you are gonna find. The game is simple but feels fun and rewarding when you pull off your thought out combos. Plenty of variety between playable characters and respective cards. Although its a game that i didnt feel drawn out to, i still put almost 20h into it and finished runs with multiple characters. You can tell that there was a lot of thought and work put into this game to make it the most fun and complete product possible.

ive played many rougelikes this is the best one hands down it get very chalenging at times if you are going for Assention 20 but its overall increble

What is there to say about this game that hasn't already been said about Slay the Spire? It's easily one of, if not THE best deck building rogue-likes on the market. If you are hesitating to buy it, just buy it. You won't regret it.

I have played Slay the Spire for many many hours and maxed every character back when it was still in Early Access, before I decided to buy the steam version and support the developer. Now I have started from scratch again, but it does not stop me from enjoying the game once more.

Fun game to focus on or mindlessly play while watching videos

Fun, challanging. Probably will take me 100 or so more hours to complete! Would recommend for sure, if you like similar games.

I love multitasking with this game in the background 10/10, so fun to pickup whenever

Simple, yet somehow so addicting. It's easy to pick up but takes a lot of time to get a hang of to where you're able to "beat" the game. There's different playstyles and strategies alongside an assortment of difficulties for those who want something even more challenging!

One of the best games I've ever had the pleasure of playing. Also gotta plug my favorite person to watch play the game on Twitch and YouTube, Baalorlord. If you buy this game and are having trouble with the difficulty of the higher ascensions, Baalor is very helpful to watch.

Easily one of the most humbling experiences and toxic relationships I've ever had. I absolutely love this game. StS2 can't come too early.

I love this game to bits. I recommend this to anyone looking for a fun card game to play in their spare time.

Awesome game! Really enjoy it. I've gotten over 250 hours in it.

Can't wait for the second one to come out in 2025.

Despite the simple graphics and mechanics, it feels like every run you play you learn more and more about the game. Amazing game design, and would recommend to anyone who enjoys either roguelikes or deckbuilders.

Oof, what a beast. The hours here are nothing compared to some other players, but then again this is my fourth time playing this. This is the first time I got all the achievements though. They’re quite tough to get, as I’m not some YouTube god with amazing skills that adjust to any situation. I have to come in with a plan and pray hard to the RNG gods to give me something to work with. Well they did, it just took me around 250 hours. Every hour was very, VERY well spend though. I love this game. Card games are and always will be my go to games in the physical world. But the way this is mixed with other stuff is just mind blowing, and only possible in the digital world. Just play the tabletop version to see how much they had to change to get it to work, to see what I mean. Even though they were probably aiming for it to be something like the game but not exactly the same, because why the hell would you otherwise play it if you already played the digital one to death? But I digress. Buy it, play it, leave life as you know it forever behind. In my humble opinion a true masterpiece.

Enjoyable card-based roguelike. Often frustrating, but that's the nature of roguelike games. Quite fun when I'm in the mood for it.

StS is a very well balanced game with great decision making. You can get hundreds of hours out of it just by trying to beat all ascension levels with each character.

Slay the Spire encompasses what a truly great roguelike/lite needs, which is a good balance between strategy and tactics. Each decision, while minor in a vacuum, ends up snowballing into a win. Each character is very unique and has many builds you can lean into. The game feels fair for the most part, and your losses can usually be blamed on poor planning, misplays, and bad decisions more than bad luck.

Some people might not like the fairly repetitive nature of the game. Your builds and choices will vary widely from run to run, but you will run into the same encounters and events quite frequently between your runs. I see this as a positive because it creates predictability. You know you may need to equip your deck with certain options like AoE damage or ways to deal with certain status effects. This is what makes the game so well balanced and designed. Despite the predictability, the game still poses a challenge, and it's up to you to maneuver your way to the finish line.

So few deckbuilders have been able to live up to this game. For me, this is the Brogue of deckbuilders.

This game is good enough that even someone like me that doesn't like deck-building or card games thinks it's great.

Very fun game, good game play loop. Incentivizes you to keep playing to unlock better cards, fight different bosses, etc. All around good game.

Fantastic, although pay attention to literally everything if you want to progress since it can be difficult at times!

I'm playing this game on three platforms. It has the best replayability of all the roguelikes I have ever played.

Great deck builder, one of, if not, the best. Finally getting around to playing it. Works great on steam deck as well.

I don't like it.
Hot take, I know.
Zero overall progression, I realized what the perfect deck would be on my very first run, made it on my first modifed run (just starting deck choice), absolutely melted everything with ease.
From that point on, it's just feels like a slot machine, start a run, see if you get something viable, repeat.
I LOVE Inscyption btw, this is not it, much shallower and less interesting.
Gambling is not my thing (thank God), so this and Balatro are really not for me.
Guess I'm sick of rougelikes in general, it's fine if there's good permanent progression (like Hades), but this, no.
Basically, you're better of getting this on mobile to do a run when you're waiting for the doctors appointment or whatever, on PC, there are much better ways to waste time.

If you enjoy slot machines, you'll love it to bits, otherwise, maybe play something more traditional.

Where's the fun? You get stuck in loops of being on the defensive with no good means of getting back on the offensive. You roll up bad reward cards that don't aid your strategy and are always starved for gold or consumable items. By the third fight, your enemies can strike for 24 damage and your defense cards can only block a handful of that. You don't get good runs through any sort of skill so the game just wastes your time until you roll the dice enough to be let through and finally finish a run. I'll await the sequel to see if this game can actually have good runs instead of the slot machine randomness that eats hours of your life now.