Review: Slay the Spire is an Unconventional and Addicting Deckbuilder

Slay the Spire is an addicting video game that combines elements of deckbuilding, roguelike games, and traditional RPGs. The "tabletop" video game genre is growing, as various video game developers attempt to either adapt fan-favorite board games into a digital format or develop new properties that fuse board game mechanics with innovations only possible in a video game. One such game is Slay the Spire, an indie video game recently released for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 after a successful early access period on Steam. Slay the Spire combines the randomly generated level format of roguelike games with deckbuilding aspects pulled from games like Dominion to create an addicting test of strategy, survival, and combat.

The core gameplay of Slay the Spire is simple - players choose from three unique characters and ascend a Spire filled with randomly generated enemies and challenges, collecting new cards and relics in the process. Players begin the game with the same deck of cards with each ascent, but they add cards after every victory over enemies and can also periodically upgrade cards to make them even stronger.

Combat plays out over a series of rounds, with players choosing between cards focused on attack or defense. With a limited pool of energy, players have to choose whether to pick more basic cards that cost less to use or stronger cards that can leave players vulnerable to attack. One thing I like about Slay the Spire is that you can see what enemies will do on their next turn, which adds an additional layer of strategy on each turn. Should a player stick to defense and load up on Block cards, should they weaken enemies with status effects to blunt their enemies' abilities, or should they mount an all-out offensive?

Players currently can pick between three characters in Slay the Spire: the Ironclad, the Silent, and the Defect. The Ironclad is focused primarily on dealing damage with powerful attacks, the Silent uses poison and effects to wear down an enemy, and the Defect focuses on setting up longterm strategies and passive abilities. Each character has its own strengths and weaknesses, and uses very different strategies to win.

Because Slay the Spire is a roguelike game, players also need to manage their HP over the course of their Spire run, as they (usually) don't heal in between combat. While there are opportunities to rest at certain levels, they come at the cost of upgrading their cards to make them more powerful. There's no save points or resets in Slay the Spire, so making the wrong choice could result in starting over from scratch, as deaths are permanent.

Slay the Spire is an easy-to-learn game that requires little time commitment. A single Spire run usually takes less than an hour, although players will likely want to start a new run right away. In addition to the traditional Spire run, players also have access to daily challenges, a more difficult Ascension mode, or even a custom mode that gives players the chance to create their own challenges.

Slay the Spire is currently available for Steam, the Nintendo Switch, and the PlayStation 4.