I have played over 100 hours of Slay the Spire, which is probably the most I’ve ever played of any game that wasn’t a giant RPG. With the sequel out, I went back to see why I loved this game so much. Normally I have a low tolerance for frustration. And even the best roguelikes, like Hades and Megabonk, I’ll only enjoy up to a certain point - and then I’ll give up. So what was it about this game that had me in its grip for 100+ hours?
Screenshots taken from Slay the Spire (2019), Mega Crit / Humble Bundle
A lot can be said about what it does right. Like any roguelike, it gives you three temporary benefits to choose from: “boosts” or “buffs” in other games, “cards” and “relics” here. Since these only apply within your run, when you inevitably die, you say to yourself, “Next time, maybe I’ll get better options.”
But it’s not that - choosing from three options is standard practice in roguelikes. Slay the Spire goes beyond this and offers two more types of choices: Choose from many, and Choose from two.
Choose from many: Everything starts with the Map. There are multiple paths to get to each area’s boss, and each path has various risks. Do you fight tougher Elites to get more rewards? Or take a safer route?
Besides the cards and relics offered to you during the run you can also shop at the Store. This has a ton of options: cards, relics, potions, or the option to remove a card from your deck. You can buy as many things as you want for as long as you can afford it. Both the Store and Map are long pause points - they’re crucial to your success, so you need to study it and plan your approach carefully.
Choose from two: But the game also offers simple binary choices, often in story events, but also with some rewards. Binary choices are often a no-no in games because they can feel very obvious: like it’s a GOOD vs BAD choice, and why would you ever choose something that’s bad for you?
Slay the Spire balances this by making sure each choice has a cost. Get 99 gold for free, or get a rare card but lose HP? Get a relic that you need right now, or get a quest item you will need later? There is no “good” option, because it all depends on how much risk you are willing to take to get to the end.
All these options make you feel like you are in control of your run. They don’t feel random, and the different setups ensure choices are wide (many) and deep (strategic and meaningful). And so when you die - and you die a lot - you never feel like the run was unfair or RNG didn’t go your way. Every choice was yours, not the system’s.
Happy to report that the newly released Slay the Spire 2 is even better than the first, but that’ll get its own post. For now, I’ll retire this game. 100+ hours well-spent!
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