Can you make it out alive–or will the spire consume you?

This is an honest and unbiased review of Slay the Spire based on my time playing it.

About Slay the Spire

Slay the Spire is a strategy deck-building roguelike packed with risk, reward, and incredible power. It was released as an early access game in 2017, then officially launched in 2019. Mega Crit Games continued to add content, characters, and game rebalances through 2020.

The game has consistently held overwhelmingly positive reviews on Steam since its release. It was nominated for several awards in 2019 and 2020 and was named by IGN as Best Strategy Game of 2019.

Slay the Spire Early Access Launch Trailer

Slay the Spire’s Story

Shared through only gorgeous imagery and fragments of dialogue, much of Slay the Spire’s storyline is left up to interpretation. We don’t know how the main characters ended up in the spire, only that they want to escape–and must ascend dozens of treacherous floors to do so.

The spire is a strange, dangerous place filled with bizarre monsters, powerful relics, and unexplainable events. From the quirky shopkeeper to an ambitious rogue leader named Romeo, players encounter a wide variety of events and characters that will help–or harm–on their journey to the top.

The chatty, friendly Merchant is always happy to see you (and more excited about the gold you spend).

Slay the Spire Gameplay

Streamer FrostPrime explains the Defect

You’ll start your journey through the spire by picking a character. At first, you’ll only have access to two characters: Ironclad and Silent. The third and fourth characters, Defect and Watcher, will unlock as you progress through the game. 

Each character has a unique starting relic, their own deck of cards, and a drastically different playstyle. As you progress through the spire, you’ll add more cards and relics to your deck to create an unstoppable synergy and (hopefully) make it out alive.

The endless paths, choices, and possibilities make Slay the Spire an incredible level of replayability. It is a roguelike game, after all–it’s intended to be played over and over, with a unique experience every time.

The deeper you venture into the spire, the more cards and relics you’ll unlock for future runs. Even once you manage to defeat the final boss, you’ll unlock additional Ascension modes that add even more challenge to future playthroughs.

Fortune favors the bold. The most dangerous paths tend to offer better rewards.

Slay the Spire Combat

The most dangerous monsters of the spire lurk on the top floors, so you’ll have plenty of time to build your strength before facing them.

In the beginning, expect to fight worms and gremlins that shouldn’t cause you too much trouble. Each turn, you’ll be able to see your enemy’s intentions and react accordingly based on the cards in your hand. If they plan to attack, you might decide to defend. 

Combat is turn-based with no time limit. Each card has an energy cost, typically limiting you to only a few cards each turn. Take your time to craft the best strategy!

With each victorious battle, you’ll win rewards: gold, a new card for your deck, and sometimes a potion. After tougher battles, you can loot powerful relics that offer passive benefits during every fight. 

Slay the Spire gameplay with the Silent

Navigating the Spire

There are countless paths through the spire–and it’s up to you to choose a safe way through. Reference your map carefully, as it will be your guide. 

Do you risk the dangerous path packed with Elite monsters, knowing you’ll be rewarded with more relics? Or do you opt to play it safe, sticking to campfires and shops to upgrade your deck in peace?

But as helpful as it is to have a map, the spire is a mysterious place. Some events along the path are clearly marked, and others are left unknown. Question marks along the path could be almost anything: an enemy encounter, a random event, or even a surprise run-in with the merchant. Some events are purely helpful or harmful, but most are a mix of both.

The spire is always shifting. A new map is procedurally generated with each run, giving you a different experience every time.

Slay the Spire Graphics

Slay the Spire has a gorgeous hand-drawn graphic style with dark, gloomy backgrounds, rich colors, and subtle textures. Creatures of the spire are unique and intricate, and along your journey, you’ll meet quirky, well-designed characters that make you curious to learn more. 

I know not everyone is a fan of a flat, hand-drawn style. But speaking subjectively, I absolutely love Slay the Spire’s graphics. It’s charming, intriguing, and unique. Overall, the style is subtle but incredibly well-done, adding mystery and allure to the spire and its inhabitants without distracting the player.

There’s a lot to keep track of during a run–dozens of relics, the enemy’s intentions, potions available, and your energy along with your current hand, deck, and discard. But the developers did a fantastic job presenting information in a clear, easy-to-understand way.

Playable cards are highlighted, and the text is perfectly legible. Special effects are explained through hover popups, which are subtly designed so they aren’t annoying to trigger accidentally.

There isn’t much in the way of animation, and at least for me, that’s fine. The effects that do exist are beautifully executed and serve a purpose, such as a one-time use card fading to dust after it’s played.

You haven’t lived until you’ve stance-danced an endless turn as the Watcher.

Slay the Spire Developer

Slay the Spire was developed by Mega Crit Games, and you can tell they put a lot of effort and care into their work. After over 350 hours of play, I can’t remember encountering any bugs. But if you do encounter any, the developers have an active Discord channel to collect feedback and bug reports.

It was originally released in early access and they listened carefully to community feedback. Even after the official launch, they continued to add free content to the game–including an entirely new character, The Watcher.

Slay the Spire Price

Slay the Spire currently costs $24.99 on Steam, Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One. It’s also available on Android and Apple phones for $9.99.

There are no pay-to-win elements and no in-game purchases. The only DLC is the soundtrack. 

FINAL VERDICT: 10/10

Pros 

• Challenging risk/reward-style play
• Requires a good balance of strategy, planning, and game knowledge
• Nearly endless replayability
• Gorgeous drawn graphics and beautiful soundtrack

Cons

• A lot to keep track of for new players
• While mostly strategy-based, bad luck can still ruin a good run

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