Slay the Spire

Mechanically exceptional but the art direction is ghastly.

So I'm reranking this since my previous review was from the early access before the third character was even added. It's freaking awesome. No holds barred, should be esteemed with the greats of the 2010's for no other reason than the tactical depth of its decision space.

Never thought I'd find a card game this addicting as it's not normally my genre. The relics and the countless strategies really do make this an exceptional game and one of those games that you think about and theory craft around even when away from your computer.

visuals are boring and the music is crap, but yeah. an incredibly tightly tuned combination of deck-builders and roguelites. as repetitive as binding of isaac and others but turn-based strategy is easier for me to deal with.

With an exceptional card-based battle system, and a striking balance between feeling omnipotent and feeling feeble, Slay the Spire is an engrossing roguelike that will happily devour your time. You may spend 15 minutes and make some progress, or you may complete an entire run, and both options feel satisfying, thanks to a series of unlocks based on your XP. Failed runs, as demoralizing as they may be, never feel wasted. At the current price point, there's no better time to Slay the Spire.

Hypocritical rating given the hours spent on it, but I believe the sequel will be better.

Repeatability is so great! As a fan of Magic: The Gathering and Hearthstone, this is a must-have game with a really nice progression. I like to get back to this game from time to time.

great roguelike, basically infinite replayability

Bullshit act 3 final boss. Had op deck with power cards + infinite lightning combos. But final boss conveniently counter my strat by powering up whenever I used power cards?! Imagine you study your test and pass all of them only to find out the final exam test you an entirely different subject. That's bullshit. Mech > warrior > huntress. Didn't bother to unlock the final character after that bullshit. Good luck defending 30-40 dmg every turn with RNG shields for 1 attempt in 2-3 hrs grind.

I only don't give it around 100 because the graphics suck.