Slay the Spire (2019)

8/10

Kao klinac sam skupljao, a ponekada i drsko otuđivao od nepažljivih vršnjaka. Pokemone. Karte. Ali nisam ih igrao. Fora ih je bilo imat što više, po mogućnosti 4 blastoisa i barem 3 čarizarda, ali eto, to su igrali samo smrdljivi gikovi, a pravi gangsteri su obilazili susjedne kvartove u potrazi za novim žrtvama koje bi mogli prekokat, ili im oprezno ukrast pokoju kartu iz velikog špila. Dok bi ovi skužili da im nešto fali, mi bi već bili na sigurnom, pod roditeljskim skutama.

Ako ne brojimo "tablića" i "sedmicu" s babom, "ajnc" na maturalcu u osnovnoj i povremeni uno u prigodnim situacijama, prva kartaška igra mi je bio, malo neugodno za priznati, ali Yu-Gi-Oh na kompjuteru, nemam pojma točno kada, onako cca negdje 2005. or so. Zatim je bila velika pauza, pa onda Hearthstone tamo negdje 2015. ili 2016., na što sam potrošio dosta sati kroz godine, a onda opet pauza. Sve dok slučajno negdje nisam čuo da dolazi neki tamo Slay the Spire 2, kako je to kul, kako ekipa troši puno vremena na to, wu-wa-wu, pa otišao bacit oko na steam i vidi vraga - bio je 5 eura, neki solidan popust. I uzmem da vidim o čemu se radi.

Dakle, PvE kartaška igra spojena s (pre)dragom mi WoW M+ mehanikom - završi dungeon, otključaj veći level, pa ponovno idi u dunegon, ali teži, pa ga opet završi, otključaj veći level i tako dalje. Samo što ovdje svaki put dobivaš random karte i niti jedan run nije isti. Okej, kad odigraš tko zna koliko, 200 ili 300+ partija, neki runovi počnu poprilično sličiti jedan drugom, ali opet, toliko je varijabli da jednostavno niti jedan nije isti. Jer postoje tu i neki relici koji su uvijek različiti, layout levela je svaki put random, random eventovi su, šokantno, isto tako random, bossevi na kraju "actova" su random. Znači, replay value ogroman, zabavna ogromna. Learning curve malen, ali mastering curve ogroman. Težina na ovim većim levelima taman pogođena, ono, igraš pol dana i ništa i ništa i ništa, i onda se samo sve poklopi u jednom runu i etogac, zadovoljstvo. Na kraju, kad sam prešao najveću težinu (Ascension 20) mi se toliko nije prestajalo igrat, a nije mi se dalo baš stalno spammat s istim likom, da sam išao prelazit i s ostalim klasama i skupit sve achievemente. Dakle, uzelo me. Utrošio skoro 200 sati sve skupa. I iako mi je već malo muka od jedinice, kad sam sve prešao, išao sam kupit dvojku koja je u Early Accessu i nema pol stvari. Zato jer mi se još igra. Ali nešto novo. Makar malo za probu.

Ako se date lako navući, zaobiđite ovo. Ili igrajte. Otići će vam puno vremena. Ali vremena u kojem u bilo kojem trenutku možete sejvati i izaći iz igre, pauzirati ju i otići raditi nešto deseto, dok igrate slušati podcaste, vijesti, gledati lascivni sadržaj, pričati s boljom ili lošijom polovicom, majkom, bratom, sestrom... Nije opterećujuće. Ono što bi uzeo kao minus je to da progress nije "endless" nego u jednom trenutku ipak stane, nema tog endless climba, a doista ne razumijem zašto. Kad već prepoloviš igricu na pola s nekim bolesnim buildom kad ti se sve zvijezde poklope, zašto ti ne daju da vidiš do kud će taj build doći. Kao još jedan minus bi izdvojio što protivnici/bossevi ipak nakon nekog vremena postanu dosadni i monotoni, jer em ih je premalo (barem ako netko planira igrati duže od 10-20 sati) em ne mijenjaju patterne, tako da uvijek znaš što te čeka. Okej, razumijem, ali fora bi bilo da ima neki game mode gdje recimo boss može dobit random relic, affix, šta god. Ali, sve u svemu, jako dobra igra, pogotovo za cijenu, i pogotovo u onim trenucima kada se ne možete ili ne želite 100% "immersati" u igru.

TL;DR - An exceptional roguelike deck-builder that rewards experimentation and learning synergies, but is still fun when playing without a build in mind. With four heroes to choose from and 20 Ascension levels to beat, there is a ton of content included in the base game. That's not mentioning all the great PC mods this has which make it a truly endless game. Don't let the simplistic graphics and bare-bones animation turn you away from one of the best in the genre!

ROGUELIKE DECKBUILDER - Ascend a mysterious spire, battling enemies and bosses by crafting strategic card decks, while choosing paths, relics, and upgrades to survive increasingly difficult challenges.

PROS:

++ Engaging gameplay loop. Typical with the genre, Slay the Spire is an incredibly addicting game. The moment to moment gameplay is incredibly refined and engaging. A successful run requires a good amount of RNG, but it also requires the player to become wiser in making the right choices with all the micro-decisions they face, and to adapt and build according to the cards they've been dealt. It is so satisfying to win a run by patching together a barely-viable deck, and it is even more satisfying to build incredibly OP decks that utilize a hero's strengths and synergies. Throughout all my failed runs, it never really felt like the game screwed me over. I always felt as if I just made the wrong choices or that I played poorly. But conversely, all my wins felt hard-earned and that it was due to my decision-making that gave me a successful run. This game is a defining example of how small choices and actions can compound to either defeat or success. Do I rest or upgrade? Do I go to the shop, or do I fight this elite? Which card should I choose out of the 3? Which relic should I buy? Should I skip this card? Which choice should I pick in this event? Which path should I take? These are just a few examples of the micro-decisions you have to make that will ultimately determine your success in the Spire. All in all, this game was phenomenal. Even after posting this review, I'll be playing much, much more of this game on my Steam Deck.

++ Content. The four heroes in the base game all play quite different, and I genuinely enjoyed my time with each of them. None of them felt boring or weak to use, and all had the potential to build some broken and overpowered builds. Along with four excellent heroes, there are also a total of 21 difficulties (base + 20 Ascension levels that add more difficult rules to your run), a Daily Climb, a Custom Run mode, and an incredibly difficult Act 4. Even without any mods, there is enough meat in the game (for those who like the genre) to last a player multiple hundreds of hours.

++ Incredible mods. There are tons of great mods that can be easily downloaded from the Steam Workshop. The most renowned is called Downfall which acts as an expansion to the base game that adds an incredible new character, and a new game mode where you play as the Spire's monsters defending yourself from the heroes. Along with QoL mods, new enemies and items, are dozens of fun, competently-made, unique, and engaging heroes that have their own decks and unique mechanics. It increases the game's replayability by 10x and the base game was already highly replayable.

++ Interesting combat encounters. This game is far from a cakewalk. I was absolutely destroyed in my first few runs. But as I learned what each enemy did and what their tendencies were, I found myself making significant progress. The more I played, the more I grew to appreciate all the enemies and the different compositions you have to go up against. And I'm specifically thinking about the enemy encounters in Acts 2 & 3. Some test your ability to deal AoE damage, some test the defensive viability of your deck, others test your single-target damage capabilities, some test how quick it takes for you to set-up, and others test your ability to end the combat quick. Each enemy encounter and boss feels like a quiz or test and I really grew to enjoy and look forward to fighting them to test the potential of my deck.

CONS:

-- Lack of animations. I really don't have any serious gripes with the game, but if I was nitpicking, I would say that I would have preferred if each card was accompanied by an animation. This was probably a matter of budget, but it really would be my only (minor) complaint.

-- Plain art style. The visuals are okay. Nothing outstanding. It could definitely be much better.

I can not stop playing this thing. It is so fun to strategize and learn, and it’s so rewarding when you finally get a good run. Initially, I avoided this game because I really didn’t like the artwork, but once I got past that… the game mechanics are incredible.

This only came on my radar because I was obsessed with Inscryption and needed something to scratch that itch. I’ve always been a story-driven and art-driven gamer (which inscryption ALSO has), but games like StS have shown me how enjoyable solid gameplay mechanics can be on their own.

I am still trying to beat the final act, and already hoping more games come out in this genre. My dream game would be something with heavy atmosphere, amazing art, and great lore. But highly recommend StS to basically everyone.

Steam Curator

I have almost 100 hours in Slay the Spire, and the only reason I stopped was to force myself to make this review.

It's a game that is seemingly light on content at first glance, but it's depth is incredibly deceiving.

Slay the Spire is a combination of a deckbuilding game and a roguelike game, and in hindsight it seems like a genre combination that should have happened years ago.

Randomness is prevalent enough to keep runs different, but not so overbearing that skill won't always save the day.

If any part of you likes card games, deckbuilders, or both, just buy this game.

For my full thoughts, check out the video review:

I really loved this game, I just wish I didn't love it as much as I did.

Don't get me wrong, excellent gameplay, engaging strategy, really fun card interactions and synergy.

The only I don't give it 5 stars is because I wish I didn't spend 120 hours on it. I really should've put it down after the first 30 or so.

Intro

STS is a single-player deck-growing game in which you follow one of several paths towards the three (?) bosses, encountering enemies, text adventures, merchants and resting places along the way. Each lets you earn money, potions, relics, cards, etc. and/or lose stuff.

Fluff bit

One of my favourite games of all time is the 1997 MicroProse Magic: The Gathering game. I loved building decks with impossibly expensive cards and playing against the AI. It also had an amazing campaign mode called Shandalar. In this you pick a starting colour and travel across a map, fighting enemies, picking up quests, buying/selling cards, etc. I've always wanted to have another game like that. Enter Slay the Spire.

Review

Slay the Spire is fairly similar, but it has several big flaws. You always start with the same exact deck. You can only pick from 1-2 characters for the first hour at least (no idea how to unlock #3 & 4). The paths are fairly linear. There is almost no deck-building, mostly it's just deck-growing (removing cards is expensive). And, worse of all, everything is really random.

One of the things i love about proper deck-building is coming up with different strategies and combos and stuff. Here you basically get random powers and random/a limited selection of cards. Most of the cards are rather boring and straightfoward as well. Some of the more clever cards, usually powers, require luck to work well. I never felt like i could really strategise.

Also, i had already played this game before. Slay the Spire is very similar to Northmark: Hour of the Wolf, a game i basically discovered by accident (it was in a Groupees bundle). That game has a story. It has environments. You talk to people. There are little secrets on some maps. You can determine your own path to some degree. And it respects your time and sanity. You can finish it in 4-6 hours and you don't have to start over constantly. And it has hobbits, which are scientifically proven to improve any game they're in by 15%.

Conclusion

Slay the Spire isn't bad, but i had really hoped for more. More control. More starting options. More permanent bonuses so the game eventually gets easier. I did about 3-4 runs, which took an hour, then i got bored. I'd rather play Labs.

Oh yeah. If you enjoy Slay the Spire, you should check out Legends of Runeterra. It's a free CCG that has a single-player mode called Lab of Legends. In this mode you pick one of twenty champions (each with their own deck) and a starting power. Then you play through up to nine battles. Along the way you get new powers, new cards and items that enhance single cards. It's a lot more interesting than STS if i'm perfectly honest.

This game excels the most in originality. I have never experienced a game like this before and it really left a positive impression on me. I found the enemy variety refreshing, the card selection strategically challenging, and the overall difficulty of the game fair. Overall I had a blast playing this game and my only wish was that the campaigns were a tad longer and not so short at moments. On its unique factor alone it is definitely worth a try.

I wouldn't say this is an amazing game, but it's definitely worth the hype. I tried it out while it was still in Early Access, and at first I couldn't really get into it. I don't think it was substantially different then, than my current experience, but it's got a steep learning curve.

I'd compare it to Risk of Rain (not gameplaywise, mind you, but I'll explain), in that it's easy to get curbstomped early on, but if you can get a good strategy going, and eventually you can get a lot of relics, which make you a rolling damage machine.

The game is all about managing risk vs. reward. Is it better to defend now to conserve HP for later (and if you're sure you've done enough damage to almost definitely win next turn, the answer is usually, defend; and in the same vein, if you can get a kill, go for the throat before you get got).

Going for Elite enemies to get relics is almost always worth it, because relics are going to carry you through the game.

Anyway, I made it through to the heart for the first time, and now I feel like I have a good enough hang on the game that I really enjoy it. If a rogue-like deckbuilder sounds like fun, this is a good game to pick up.