In the beginning, I wasn’t so sure how I would feel about this game. In the genre of card playing and turn-based game play, it just didn’t seem to sit well with me. There’s no shame in admitting that this type of category just isn’t my cup of Joe. Surprisingly, MegaCrit did a mighty fine job by bringing us Slay the Spire.
For anyone that has dabbled in playing Dominion, then this game may feel a little familiar. Slay the Spire is considered a “roguelike” game and is definitely a deck building game. On its surface the game seems to have little to offer. There doesn’t seem to be a story, but as I found out, that didn’t matter. The game is in early access, so more is sure to come.
The premise is simple to follow and now I can see why so many people have jumped all over this game and turned it into a super popular indie game. There are two characters, more will be added, to choose from but characters must be unlocked by playing through the first level. What presents itself as a map at first, is actually a spire with multiple branches that lead to a final arena. Depending on the character chosen in the beginning, you may have different starting amounts of gold and health. Along the spire are enemies, campfires to restore health, shopkeepers and upgrade areas for your cards. So far, so good.
Visually the game is colorful and intriguing, which is good for younger audiences. The map itself looks complicated at first but then simple after the first few path choices. But the cards are where the game really gets good. Depending on the enemies or bosses that are in the path, upgrades to cards will be necessary. Upon encountering a monster (which there are some very interesting ones that make you stop and say, “What is that?”) the round becomes turn based. As the player, you have a hand of cards usually ranging from 0 to 8. Cards can be shuffled and will go to the grave pile when used. Each card has an action to use against the monsters or a buff. Luckily, the monsters show their intended action which helps players to choose what they want to play accordingly. Be warned though, depending on the characters energy level, there may or may not be multiple cards to play. You can only use cards that will match your energy level. This is frustrating when waiting for the next turn after an enemy has dealt damage.
As upgrades become available, cards become more powerful and then the deck building begins. From here you can customize what you want or don’t want so in the next battle you can be ready. These cards will assist you in traveling along the map to the final boss area. I didn’t win the first time around, but I learned what I could do better for the next time. Slay the Spire really gets addicting after the first few fights. I also discovered later that what I thought was the final boss was really just the boss of the first area.
Overall, Slay the Spire is easy to pick up and there are no worries about how complicated the deck building will be, so that’s a bonus. The way that MegaCrit built the game to ease players in to learning the game is fascinating. No painful tutorials and I was off to as great start. Characters, cards and monsters were all great to look at and the best part is, I want to play more, I pretty much have to play it again. So, with that said, I completely recommend Slay the Spire.
Slay the Spire is available now on PC
