Slay the Spire is a 2D roguelike deck building game on PlayStation 4 that is going to test your skills and show you how good you really are. Learn more in our Slay the Spire review!
Slay the Spire from Mega Crit and Humble Bundle is a very fun and challenging roguelike deck-building game on PlayStation 4. As you start the game, you’re given an option on how you want to take on this game. You can play it as a full-on roguelike, warts and all, or you can have a go at it and enjoy the story. You can play this one in single-player mode, or take on a daily challenge in which you can compete against others as you aim for a high score. You can customize things as you unlock buffs and other stuff, but you do need to keep in mind that playing in certain modes will disable trophies. You will get a warning message in red letters, so be sure to pay attention!
As you work your way on to the top of the spire, you will face off against weird and dangerous creatures. You will take on these beasts by using your deck of cards as you and your foe take turns picking out cards from what you’ve been dealt. You will get to attack, defend, or use your abilities as needed. You also have buff cards which will boost your strength or beef up your defenses. On that note, you should be mindful of your mana since you can as many cards as you want in a single turn, as long as you have mana. Once you’re done, it will be your enemy’s turn, and you should prepare for that before you end yours. I suggest that before you use up all of your mana, you use a bit of it to defend yourself so that you have a better chance of surviving.
The floors you progress through will get tougher and tougher, so you will always need to be ready for the worst case scenario. There’s a solid element of strategy for Slay the Spire since you can’t just go around picking any card at random because your enemy won’t be as careless and will use its opportunity to completely obliterate you. Mana is limited, so you should make the most of the cards you have by combining some of them so that they have a greater effect on yourself or your opponent. Complete a floor, and you will get some sweet loot for your troubles, potentially including some brand new cards for your deck.
You have classes to try out, each with their very own deck of cards, which adds some welcomed variety to the game. As you play, you need to keep an eye on your health meter, because if you die, you can’t just pick up where you left off. Your health does not reset as you progress higher and higher in the spire, so if you’re low on health, you’re either going to have to go all in with a series of powerful attacks that might leave you open for the hit that will end you, or play it safe and hope that your defense cards can buy you some extra time to find a solution to your predicament.
Something that is not going to appeal to everyone is how you can see what attacks and defense cards your enemy is planning to play. On the bright side, this allows you to plan accordingly as you try to stay one step ahead of it, but on the other hand, this might rub some players the wrong way, as it could be argued that it ruins the element of surprise. But you do have to remember that Slay the Spire is a roguelike game, and anticipating your opponent’s moves will prove to be useful – and it will become part of the overall gameplay cycle. You can, on the other hand, tailor your experience a bit by changing if you want to see how much damage you’re going to deal or are about to receive.
Cards can be upgraded, and you can buy some new ones in the camps which are marked on maps as a question mark. You can even heal up and buy better relics to aid you on your quest. If you’re short on money, you can always do a daily challenge, and since there’s a new one every day, you’ll be playing the game for a while since you have a reason to dive into this one for a bit every day of the week.
Slay the Spire is a challenging but fun 2D roguelike deck building game that I highly recommend you play on PlayStation 4. It has an interesting gameplay cycle, a nice variety of attack, defense and ability cards, some deadly enemies and even deadlier bosses to battle, and relics that can buff your character to maximize your future runs to the top. There are plenty of things to like about this one, so I hope you enjoy your time with Slay the Spire!
Disclaimer
This Slay the Spire review is based on a PlayStation 4 copy provided by Humble Bundle.
