Now, as mentioned in one of my previous blogs, it has recently been my birthday. You might be forgiven for believing these baby-soft, smooth fingers that type these reviews actually belong to a wizened, wise old veteran, but alas, it is not so. I am still a baby-faced 34-year-old man with a pretty boring 9-to-5. So, when the absolute gem that my wife is picked up Slay the Spire for my birthday, I was harkened back to my even smoother-faced years, dreaming about being the hero who offed the bad guys with my huge, He-Man level body that I would, of course, just naturally grow into (albeit with bigger ears and nose). Unfortunately, it was not to be; I instead slay incompetence as a teacher at a college. Equally valuable, I’m sure, if a little less bloodthirsty.
Slay the Spire, however, is an absolute masterpiece. From the practically precision-engineered box to how it plays in general – it’s just brilliant. It’s a deck-building game, which, as people may know, is one of my absolute favourite types of game to play. I’m looking at you on my shelf, Clank! Or, if I were to dig even further back, what truly started the obsession was DC Deckbuilder, one of my very first four games. But I’m off on a tangent – something that happens a lot, and my students definitely don’t take advantage of (often!). The core of the game is very simple: You pick one of the four classes available (just like in the video game, which, on another tangent here, is not something I ever prescribe to; most of the time, games based on other games, books, or films never seem to work) and set off on an adventure up the Spire. You slay a few monsters, add new exciting skills to your deck, pick a new route to follow, and then rinse and repeat until you reach the floor boss, which you hopefully beat before starting at the bottom of Level 2. But the intricacy of this game is incredible. The synergies between cards? Chef’s kiss! Nothing feels clunky or like it’s been ham-fisted into a board game variant. I honestly take my hat off to the creators because it’s just WOW.
Nitty Gritty: Put Your Sword Away for Now
Right, the board is a typical roguelike layout with a bunch of empty spaces that you fill with different ‘encounters’. You pick one of the four classes and take their starting deck and matching class card, then reveal the ‘starter’ enemies for the floor you are on. On your player board, you have Health, Energy, and Block, as well as a special power, with each class getting a different one. For example, I was the simple Swordsman, and his specialwas that at the end of combat, he regains one hit point. Seems negligible, but his class (at least the version I am building) relies on his block ability, which means he can take some damage in a fight.
Now, before starting your ascent, you get a ‘blessing’ from some weird creature (honestly, its name escapes me, but it looks wild!) that will affect you across your entire run. But that’s an important thing to note: it’s a run. You can expect to be beaten and start over and over and over and over again, each time doing a little better, getting a little further. At the end of combat, you can draw a card from your upgrade deck, which will add a new skill to you. If you’re really lucky, you’ll pull a ‘golden ticket’, allowing you to pick a ‘golden skill’, which is, as you’d expect, just better! On your run up a floor, you can aim for the little campfire icon where you can regain some health or, if you prefer, upgrade a card. Because that’s the thing: your skills can even be upgraded! By which I mean, you take the card out of its sleeve and turn it over. Every single skill card – and there are hundreds of them – is double-sided with its upgraded version on the back. Genius!
During each round of combat, you can play cards until your energy is empty, then you will discard the rest of your hand and draw up. Then it will be the enemies’ turn (assuming you left any kicking!). They will follow a specific attack pattern to damage you back. Then it’s back to you. This continues until either you kill them or they end your run. If you kill them, you take a look at the path on the board you have chosen and follow that up. The enemies vary in both strength and attacks, keeping each engagement fresh and challenging. And though we have only used two of the four available characters, they feel completely different from each other, with completely different play styles and totally different decks.
There is a ‘save’ system, so you can pack the game away and pick up where you left off without losing your progress through the Spire. And the whole thing, right down to the art, is breathtaking. This could easily be one of my new favourite games. Me and my wife definitely didn’t just open two of my birthday games and play this one from around 5 pm to 1 am… honest! There will for sure be reviews for the others purchased coming soon, once we finally manage to Slay the Spire (sorry, Zatu!).
If you like campaign games such as Gloomhaven, Slay the Spire is well worth a look. There isn’t really a story like there is with that, but it’s still very much along the lines of a persistent campaign.
2-Players: Daring the Heights Together
Slay the Spire played incredibly well with two players. There are monsters that attack everyone, no matter what ‘row’ of combat they are in. Likewise, you can get skills that do the same. You can help allies with their enemies, meaning that you need to talk about strategy and the skills you will use. Even when you ‘go shopping’ in certain areas of the board, there is a need to discuss your purchases. Would this game be better with more people? I honestly don’t know. The table talk required would be the same, and the enemies and battles are just as hard as they scale with player count. My genuine belief is that it would shine just as bright as a solo player as it would with more people.
Tips and Tricks (From My Ascents)
This list won’t be particularly long as the game is so free-flowing in how you build your perfect deck for your class. If I bogged you down with my specific thoughts wouldn’t really help you. But generally?
· Talk to who you are playing with. Discuss your move and theirs to see if you can help them finish off an enemy quickly, especially if that enemy is charging a powerful attack. Teamwork makes the dream work!
· Think before adding too many cards to your deck. Strong skills are great, but if you bog them down in the middle of a deck full of weak skills, you won’t draw them when you need them most.
· Don’t be afraid to get rid of some of the weaker cards when your skills start getting better. They are basic skills for a reason! Trimming the fat can make your deck much more efficient.
