Slay the Spire

[JaySevenZero]

Here's where you can contribute your thoughts and opinions for Slay the Spire for potential inclusion in the forthcoming podcast.

A friendly reminder that where the feedback for the podcast is concerned, we love it - but keeping it brief is appreciated. We do want to include a breadth of opinions where appropriate, but no-one wants a discussion podcast that’s mostly reading out essays. Better to save yourself time and cut to the chase if you can.

[Kez86]

An absolute belter of a deck-building rogue-lite with some wonderful artwork and a score that emboldens the experience. I have spent 68 hours climbing and failing, climbing further and failing again, up and down the spire and it amazes me that you can continually discover new cards, items and relics to change and adapt the experience so that every run feels slightly different.

Now I cannot believe I am going to say this but here it goes...

However, after the 60 hour mark, I found the experience starting to become too repetitive with not enough variety in enemy design or variety in playable characters in which to send off on their journey to climb the spire.

That's after 60 hours. Honestly, I adore this game, but...

For those who feel the same, I can 100% recommend "Downfall - A Slay the Spire Fan Expansion" https://store.steampowered.com/app/1865 ... Expansion/ which adds a new game mode, new character, bosses, cards, relics, items, etc, etc, etc. I now have over 150 hours in the free fan-made DLC alone. I also recommend for the Cane and Rinse team to check this out and include it within their episode as will open up a lot more discussion in terms of what more could be added to this already brilliant simple game.

3WR
corrupt card collecting

[Time for Stein]

I played this a fair bit when it was given away on PS Plus last year. Having played boatloads of rougelikes/lites etc over the years, I really enjoyed the different change of pace that the turn based, deck building combat brought to the table.

Not a game I've sank hundresds of hours into or anything, but I enjoyed the time I had with it, well worth a try.

[nosleeptill0blivion]

I purchased this day one on a whim on the PS4 having never played a deck-builder before and only dabbling in roguelikes. I was initially frustrated buy the steep learning curve and punishing difficulty but persisted, squeezing in runs here and there when I had a small window of time for something quick to boot up and play.

It was only after unlocking further cards and relics that I started to really understand the mechanics and synergies that allowed me to fully utilise the tools at my disposal and make better decisions to conquer the spire. The game requires you adapt to a build based on the cards dealt as opposed to having one in mind from the onset.

Almost 2000 hours later, Slay the Spire has become one of my favourite games of all time. With the challenging combat, unique character play styles, and small subtle plot threads, this is a game that is far more than just another roguelike.

[Nicktendo]

I played this on the Switch last year after searching for a Card-based battle game similar to Inscryption. And it did not disappoint. Aesthetically, STS doesn't set the world on fire, but it's simple gameplay loop was more than enough to keep me hooked. The rogue-like gameplay and "always improving" game elements ensured I wanted just one more run before bed-time. I somehow beat all 4 character spires, but stopped with the post-game content due to the sheer difficulty.
Three Word Review:
One More Run

[Bloody Initiate]

I first picked up Slay the Spire as a gift for a friend after hearing how it worked and thinking he’d like it.

I then got it for myself on Xbox. Once I got used to it I was hooked and shortly after so was my wife.

The thing I remember immediately appreciating about the game is how easy it was to learn about each element onscreen. If you didn’t know what a status effect was or how it worked you could highlight it and learn about it. I remember this is also what made my wife decide to try it. She’s not historically a gamer but she watched me and thought “I could do that!”

I also remember immediately thinking it should be a mobile game. We played it for a long time, eventually drifted away from it, but never all the way. When it came out on mobile we thought “Finally!” and bought it right away on our separate devices. It’s just too good a game to not have in your pocket. We both played it to death on mobile too. She was playing just yesterday.

I do have some complaints. I found the starting decks oppressively limited and mostly played daily challenges when I started the game. It’s not the power of the cards that’s limiting it’s just that I get so bored of those same old strikes and defends on each character. I’d often take the Pandora’s box relic just to change the scenery even if it cost me.

Eventually you get good enough to batter through those tedious starting cards faster.

I’d still like to go back and get some of the achievements on Xbox too, since some of them look like fun decks. However the randomness of rogue likes that adds so much early charm and replayability becomes an obstacle to a veteran who can see their deck is less and less likely to feel different from a previous play through. It has diminishing returns, and turning those off turns off the achievements too.

Anyway overall I do love the game. I don’t how many hours I’ve got in it but I’m sure the number is embarrassing. I think most people who could enjoy something like Slay the Spire should try it, it’s almost definitive in its genres. If you can read and do basic math it’s within your power to play it well.

[RadicalDog]

Brilliantly, brilliantly balanced game. Each character provides multiple play styles, and relics add different flavours to the mix.

A word of criticism, though; I really dislike how grindy it feels to go through 20 levels of difficulty for every character. At times you know you've got a deck working explosively well, but if you're on ascension 2, tough luck buddy - you'll only unlock ascension 3 all the same. I would rather have bigger jumps, perhaps the equivalent of going to ascension 4, 8, 12 etc, so that each difference in difficulty was individually impactful, rather than the very slow build up in the real game. I notice there are two types of players, those who accept defeat as it happens, and those who restart bouts repeatedly to keep progression going. Perhaps the extended difficulty levels work better for the latter type of player?

It has inspired some other great games, such as Monster Train, and Inscryption. My personal recommendation is Alina Of The Arena, which brings a fresh idea in the form of a tactical grid. All in all, Slay The Spire has popularised a genre which is rich in opportunities, and I look forward to playing many more card battlers in future.

[Wuqinglong]

I'm a sucker for deckbuilding mechanics in games so it was a no-brainer to pick this up back when it hit early access. I played the 2 available characters on hundreds of runs in the first month or so before putting the game down until I came back when the third character was added. I really enjoyed my time with the game but moved on once the early game sections started to feel too repetitive.

[Marco]

I've enjoyed the idea of card-battling games since first playing Cardfighters Clash right up to the recent Marvel's Midnight Suns and I'm a big fan of different kinds of deck-building mechanisms in board games. Slay the Spire was an instant buy for me.

I think one thing that those games have in common with Slay the Spire is that, although the RNG can be harsh, the enemies’ next moves and your deck are visible to the player. It's not perfect information but you can see the incoming attacks and what you are likely to draw clearly and as you play, you can begin to predict likelihoods. I'm not one of those Runic Dome maniacs or anything but it works for me as I'm more likely to play a risky move, take a hit and gamble on future cards I can see in my draw pile.

I also love how I can often choose how to play. The achievements do a good job of clueing you into the fact you can win with 4 cards, infinite decks are possible or you could ignore every relic. Yes the RNG can infuriate at times but the runs where you see the potential for something great and you get that 25 shiv turn are pure bliss.

When I play, sometimes I try to be methodical and when I see I'm about to lose a fight, I quit out to see if I can do it better. Other runs are Whirlwind power sprints to the finish line, using my character’s face to block. I'm sure there are even approaches in between.

For me, this is a never delete game on 3 systems. I've yet to find myself losing interest especially as I've barely dipped a toe in the seemingly endless ocean of mods available on Steam or the seeded runs that make my Claw deck dreams a reality.

[Alex79]

As someone who doesn't really like card games or rogue-like games I thought this sounded right up my street (of things I don't like) so I gave it a try. To the surprise of nobody, I didn't like it. I got it for mobile and ended up getting a refund. Now, since trying it, I have actually got in to a few more card games and there have been plenty of rogue like games I've enjoyed, so perhaps I ought to give it another shot.