Slay the Spire | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | Mega Crit |
Publisher(s) | Humble Bundle |
Composer(s) | Clark Aboud |
Engine | libGDX |
Platform(s) | Windows, macOS, Linux, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, iOS, Android |
Release |
|
Genre(s) | Roguelike deck-building |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
Slay the Spire is a roguelike deck-building game developed by the American indie studio Mega Crit and published by Humble Bundle. The game was released in early access for Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Linux in late 2017, with an official release in January 2019. It was released for PlayStation 4 in May 2019, for Nintendo Switch in June 2019 and for Xbox One in August 2019. An iOS version was released in June 2020, with an Android version released in February 2021.
In Slay the Spire, the player attempts to ascend a spire of multiple floors created through procedural generation as one of four characters, battling through enemies and bosses. Combat takes place through a collectible card game-based system, with the player gaining new cards as rewards from combat and other means, requiring the player to use strategies of deck-building games to construct an effective deck to complete the climb.
Slay the Spire has been very well received. It was nominated for multiple awards in 2019 and 2020. It is considered the video game that popularized a trend of roguelike deck-building video games. A sequel, Slay the Spire II, is planned for release in 2025 for PC.
Slay the Spire is a combination of roguelike-inspired progression and the gameplay of a deck-building card game. At the start of a playthrough the player selects one of four predetermined characters, [a] which sets a starting amount of health, gold, a starting relic which provides a unique ability for that character, and an initial deck of cards with basic attack and defense, as well as character-specific, cards. [1] The goal is to work through several levels of a spire, each level having a number of potential encounters distributed in a branching structure with a boss character at the end of the level. Encounters include monsters which vary in strength; elite enemies which offer enhanced rewards; campfires to heal or upgrade cards to more powerful versions; shopkeepers to buy cards, relics and potions from, as well as to remove cards from the deck; chests with random loot; and random choice-based encounters. [2]
Combat is played in turns. Each turn the player receives a fresh hand of cards and three energy points. The player can play any combination of cards as long as they have the energy to pay for the energy cost of each card, and at the end of the turn, all cards not played are sent to a discard pile. Players' cards vary by the character but generally consist of attack cards to damage opponents, skill cards that buff themselves, debuff opponents, or add to their blocking power for the turn, and power cards where the effect remains in play until the end of combat. Each opponent on the field will telegraph what move they will make: if they will attack and with how much damage, if they will block, cast a spell to buff themselves or debuff the player. [3] In some cases, the opponents' attack or the player cards may add unplayable cards representing battle conditions like Wounds and Curses to the player's deck that can dilute a player's hand and may add negative effects while in the player's hand. [4] The player can determine the best strategy to avoid taking any damage after they complete their turn. If the player's health drops to zero, the game is over and they must restart from the bottom of the spire. Otherwise, if the player defeats all the monsters in an encounter, they typically receive gold and a choice of one of three randomly-selected cards to add to their deck, if desired. Other loot that can be obtained from monsters or other encounters include relics that provide a permanent character buff for the duration of the game, such as increased maximum health, additional energy points, lower casting costs, and automatic blocking, and single-use potions that can be used during any turn for no cost to restore health, buff the player, and debuff or damage the enemy. [3]
The deck-building game requires players to develop a strategy for their deck on the fly based on the cards they can obtain from loot and in synergy with the relics they obtain. Like other deck-building, too many weak cards or the unplayable cards dilute the player's deck, and the player must strategically decide which cards are the best fit to make the deck effective, when to turn down additions of cards, or when to spend money to remove cards as to maximize the deck's strength. [2] [4] [3] [1]
Slay the Spire features metagaming aspects. Completed or failed runs contribute points towards unlocking new characters or new relics and cards that will be made available for the specific character. Up to 20 Ascension difficulty levels unlock with each successfully completed run, each adding a cumulative negative effect such as lower health or stronger enemy attacks. Achievements provide several challenges to the player such as to climb the tower with a character using only their starting relic or with only common cards in their decks. A daily challenge gives players a single chance to get as high in the spire as they can under pre-set conditions and a fixed random seed, so that each player is starting from the same point and sees the same encounters. [5] The custom mode allows players to start runs with custom modifiers that can increase or decrease the difficulty of the game. [6]
Slay the Spire is developed by Seattle-based studio Mega Crit, with Anthony Giovannetti and Casey Yano as lead developers. Their initial goal was to fuse the concept of a roguelike game with deck-building games like Dominion . [7] The game was also inspired partially by the Netrunner collectible card game, of which Giovannetti was a fan, and for which he maintains a community website. [8] The game was built on the libGDX framework. [9]
To help test and get feedback on the game, Giovannetti turned to expert players in the Netrunner community. [8] This was also necessary to determine appropriate balance for the cards they added, as balancing the difficulty of the game against the randomness of the roguelike encounters and the card-based play was difficult. By using a large number of playtesters, along with gameplay metric reporting from the game client, they were able to determine what cards had positive designs and which cards to remove. For example, they became aware of cards with too low of a value for the game when they were not picked when offered by players, and found cards that were overpowered if they occurred too frequently within game-winning decks. [10] They had no issue when players discovered card synergies that created powerful combinations, a factor of concern in typical collectible card games, as it was a single-player game and there would be no opponent that would feel overwhelmed by these combos. [9]
Originally, enemies did not show their next intended action as is common to most turn-based role-playing video games, but this design did not mesh well with the roguelike nature of permadeath. [7] During playtests, they found that players were confused about the number of card abilities without any clear situation to apply them. [11] They first created a "Next Turn" system where the player could select individual targets to see what their chosen action would be in part of the game's user interface. The "Next Turn" system brought something unique to the game, according to Giovannetti, and enabled them to create new buffs and debuffs that were easy to describe to players through the interface. However, from a user-interface perspective, there were still issues particularly when multiple enemies were present. [7] They then transitioned from the "Next Turn" to the new "Intents" system, which used icons to represent the enemy's next move, though originally this lacked exact numbers for attack values, instead representing certain ranges of attacks by different weapons. Giovannetti felt they didn't want to present too many numbers to players to overwhelm them and make the game off-putting, but they discovered through playtesters that having the numbers available was more engaging, did not require the player to have to memorize what each symbol meant, and enabled players to create new strategies. [7] The approach for players to progress through the spires with branching pathways and random events was inspired by FTL: Faster Than Light . [9]
Upon its early access initial release in November 2017, the game featured two playable characters with plans for at least a third to be added during the early access period. Giovannetti said that while they could add more cards for a character's card pool, they found having about 75 different cards available was the right balance to give some potential strategy to the player; having too many card types would make deck construction during runs much more haphazard, an issue that Netrunner had faced. [8] Charlie Hall of Polygon found that, in contrast to most other early access titles, the game's mechanics and core gameplay was already well-developed at the start and found that the sustained weekly updates made the game more attractive to potential buyers. [12] Giovannetti credits indirect feedback from watching online streamers play the game during early access to help improve its balance, as he said "A streamer isn't going to be afraid to speak their minds or insult you – they probably don't even know you're there most of the time." [13]
Other changes over the course of early access development included adding more potions with novel effects, and adding more events to the game. [14] On Steam, the game also supports user-created modifications through the Steam Workshop, allowing users to create new playable characters, cards, monsters, and other items. [15] The early access period ended on January 23, 2019, with the full release of the game. [16] [17] An official fourth playable character was added to the game as part of a free content update, first released to Windows versions on January 14, 2020. [18] [19]
Humble Bundle helped to provide publication support for Mega Crit for the console releases: Slay the Spire was released for the PlayStation 4 on May 21, 2019, [20] for the Nintendo Switch on June 6, 2019, [21] [22] and for the Xbox One on August 14, 2019. [23]
Mobile versions of the game for iOS and Android were planned for release in 2019, but in December 2019, Mega Crit pushed their release into early 2020. [24] The iOS version was released in June 2020, and had feature-parity with the computer and console releases. [25] [26] The Android version was released on February 3, 2021. [27]
Aggregator | Score |
---|---|
Metacritic | PC: 89/100 [28] PS4: 88/100 [29] NS: 85/100 [30] iOS: 85/100 [31] |
Publication | Score |
---|---|
IGN | 9/10 [32] |
PC Gamer (US) | 92% [33] |
TouchArcade | [34] |
According to Mega Crit, the game's first early access release in November 2017 was very slow, with about 2000 copies selling across the first weeks, the period in which most games sell the most copies. While they had seeded redemption keys with streamers and influencers, these had not converted into sales. It was not until a Chinese streamer featured the game on their channel that had over a million views, did Mega Crit start to see the large rise in sales. [35] During the week ending January 21, 2018, Slay the Spire was the second highest-sold game on Steam. [36] [37] By February 2018, the game had more than 500,000 players, according to SteamSpy estimates. [10] Mega Crit announced that by the end of June, sales of Slay the Spire had exceeded 1 million, [38] and reached 1.5 million by March 2019. [35]
On release, the game received positive reviews, with a Metacritic aggregate rating of 89 out of 100. [28]
Year | Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2019 | 2019 Golden Joystick Awards | Best Indie Game | Nominated | [39] |
PC Game of the Year | Nominated | |||
The Game Awards 2019 | Fresh Indie Game (Mega Crit) | Nominated | [40] | |
Steam Awards | Most Innovative Gameplay | Nominated | [41] | |
2020 | 23rd Annual D.I.C.E. Awards | Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year | Nominated | [42] |
Outstanding Achievement in Game Design | Nominated | |||
NAVGTR Awards | Engineering | Nominated | [43] | |
Independent Games Festival Awards | Seumas McNally Grand Prize | Nominated | [44] | |
Excellence in Design | Nominated | |||
18th Annual G.A.N.G. Awards | Best Music for an Indie Game | Nominated | [45] |
IGN named Slay the Spire as the Best Strategy Game of 2019, [46] while PC Gamer gave it the Best Design for 2019. [47] IGN later ranked it as one of the best 25 PC Games from the past decade, [48] and one of the top 10 roguelike games. [49]
Mega Crit announced in January 2021 that they were creating a cooperative board game adaptation of Slay the Spire with Contention Games. [50] The game features more than 730 cards total, with four possible player characters to choose from. [51] A notable difference from the video game is that the game can be played co-operatively with four players. [52] A crowdfunding campaign for the board game was launched on November 2, 2022, and reached its funding goal after just 6 minutes. [53] [51] The campaign reached US$1.4(equivalent to $1.5 in 2023) million in its first day, [54] and finished after raising nearly US$4(equivalent to $4.16 in 2023) million total. [55] CBR included it on their list of most anticipated tabletop games of 2023. [55]
Mega Crit announced in April 2024 that a sequel, Slay the Spire II, was planned to be released in early access in 2025. The game will see returning characters the Ironclad and the Silent, and at least two new characters, the Necrobinder and an unknown-named character. [56] [57] Mega Crit stated that they were inspired to make the sequel due to the amount of fan support they received for the first game, and plan to release the sequel into early access to work along with fans to finalize the game. As a result of the changes with the Unity engine licensing, Slay the Spire II will be developed in the Godot engine. [58] A gameplay trailer was revealed at The Game Awards 2024.
Roguelike is a style of role-playing game traditionally characterized by a dungeon crawl through procedurally generated levels, turn-based gameplay, grid-based movement, and permanent death of the player character. Most roguelikes are based on a high fantasy narrative, reflecting the influence of tabletop role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons.
Hearthstone is a 2014 online digital collectible card video game produced by Blizzard Entertainment, released under the free-to-play model. Originally subtitled Heroes of Warcraft, Hearthstone builds upon the existing lore of the Warcraft series by using the same elements, characters, and relics. The game is available on the Windows, macOS, iOS and Android platforms, featuring cross-platform play. It has been a critical and commercial success, with Blizzard reporting more than 100 million Hearthstone players as of November 2018, and the game has become popular as an esport, with cash prize tournaments hosted by Blizzard and other organizers.
A deck-building game is a card game or board game where construction of a deck of cards is a main element of gameplay. Deck-building games are similar to collectible card games (CCGs) in that each player has their own deck. However, unlike CCGs, the cards are not sold in randomized packs, and the majority of the deck is built during the game, instead of before the game.
Enter the Gungeon is a 2016 bullet hell roguelike game developed by Dodge Roll and published by Devolver Digital. Set in the firearms-themed Gungeon, gameplay follows several player characters called Gungeoneers as they traverse procedurally generated rooms to find a gun that can "kill the past". The Gungeoneers fight against bullet-shaped enemies, which are fought using both conventional and exotic weapons. Enter the Gungeon features a permadeath system, causing the Gungeoneers to lose all obtained items and start again from the first level upon death. Between playthroughs, players can travel to an area called the Breach, where they can converse with non-player characters and unlock new items randomly encountered while playing.
Gwent: The Witcher Card Game is a 2018 digital collectible card game by CD Projekt. It was released free-to-play first for Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in 2018, and for iOS in 2019, Android in 2020, and macOS in 2021. Gwent is derived from the card game of the same name featured in Andrzej Sapkowski's The Witcher novels and playable in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt video game. A standalone single-player expansion, Gwent: Rogue Mage, released in 2022 to mixed reception.
Dead Cells is a 2018 roguelike-Metroidvania game developed by Motion Twin and Evil Empire, and published by Motion Twin. The player takes the role of an amorphous creature called the Prisoner. As the Prisoner, the player must fight their way out of a diseased island in order to slay the island's King. The player gains weapons, treasure and other tools through exploration of the procedurally-generated levels. Dead Cells features a permadeath system, causing the player to lose all items and other abilities upon dying. A currency called Cells can be collected from defeated enemies, allowing the player to purchase permanent upgrades.
Griftlands is a roguelike deck-building game with role-playing story elements in a science fiction setting with Moebius-like cyberpunk artstyle, developed and published by Klei Entertainment. It was initially released in early access for Microsoft Windows in June 2019; the full version of the game was released for Windows, Linux, macOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in June 2021.
A roguelike deck-building game is a hybrid genre of video games that combines the nature of deck-building card games with procedural-generated randomness from roguelike games.
Iris and the Giant is a role-playing strategy video game developed by French designer Louis Rigaud and published by Goblinz Studio, Plug In Digital, Maple Whispering Limited and Mugen Creations. It was released for Microsoft Windows, macOS and Linux on 27 February 2020. The game blends RPG and Roguelike, but is mainly a collectible card game. A port for Nintendo Switch was released on 5 November 2020.
Fights in Tight Spaces is a roguelike deck-building tactical game developed by British studio Ground Shatter and published by Mode 7 Games. The game was released in December 2021 for Microsoft Windows, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S after an Early Access period that started in February 2021. Ports for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 were released in May 2023.
Nowhere Prophet is a roguelike deck-building game developed by German developer Sharkbomb Studios and published by No More Robots. The game was first released in early access for Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Linux in October 2017 on Itch.io. The game was fully released for these platforms in July 2019. A version for PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and Xbox One followed in July 2020.
Inscryption is a 2021 roguelike deck-building game developed by Daniel Mullins Games and published by Devolver Digital. Directed by Daniel Mullins, it was originally released for Windows on October 19, 2021, and on Linux, macOS, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S over the following two years. The game puts the player in a cabin where a mysterious gamemaster makes them play a tabletop game.
One Step From Eden is a roguelike action video game created by American independent developer Thomas Moon Kang, and published by Humble Bundle. Following a successful crowdfunding campaign, it was released for Linux, macOS, Microsoft Windows and Nintendo Switch in March 2020, and later ported to PlayStation 4 in June 2020, and Xbox One in November 2021.
Roguebook is a roguelike deck-building game developed by Abrakam Entertainment. Nacon published it in 2021 for Linux, macOS, and Windows. Console ports were released in 2022.
Cursed to Golf is a 2022 roguelike video game developed by Chuhai Labs and published by Thunderful Publishing. Based on an itch.io demo created two years earlier, it was released for Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch. The player plays as a golfer in Golf Purgatory, which they have to escape by completing eighteen randomly-selected holes in a specific number of strokes, with the aid of statues that grant extra shots when broken and powerups known as Ace Cards. Cursed to Golf received praise for its mechanics and art, though reviews were mixed on the game's difficulty.
Deep Sky Derelicts is a dungeon crawl video game developed by Snowhound Games and published by Fulqrum Publishing. It combines elements of traditional role-playing video games and roguelike deck-building games. Players create a custom crew, who explore and scavenge derelict space ships. It was first released in 2018 and was ported to consoles in 2020.
Tainted Grail: Conquest is a roguelike deck-building game developed by Questline and published in 2021 by Awaken Realms. Players control an adventurer who attempts to stop a curse that is infecting their land.
Trials of Fire is a roguelike deck-building game developed by Whatboy Games and released for Windows in 2021. It blends card mechanics with turn-based tactics in a fantasy world.
Balatro is a poker-themed roguelike deck-building game developed by LocalThunk and published by Playstack. It was released on Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on February 20, 2024, with a port to macOS on March 1. Ports for Android and iOS were released on September 26, 2024. In the game, players play poker hands to score points and defeat "blinds", while improving their deck and purchasing joker cards with a variety of effects.
Cobalt Core is a sci-fi roguelike deck-building game released in November 2023 for Nintendo Switch and Windows, developed by Rocket Rat Games and published by Brace Yourself Games. It follows a group of anthropomorphic animals trapped in a time loop, fighting various enemy spacecrafts in an attempt to discover the origin of the loop and escape it.