Slay the Spire

This game is so good that it has taken me close to 200 hours of gameplay before I finally realized that I am trash at this game

Slay the Spire. The game requires you to use all your brainpower on the highest difficulty even if you already sunk hundreds of hours into it. The learning curve is almost endless and no 2 runs are the same. The game has tremendous depth and the longer you play, the more you can appreciate it.

Now seems to be the perfect time to review Slay the Spire. As we sit right now, during the Steam Winter Sale 2025, it is $2.49. That is a total steal. On the surface, it might look a little bland. The art style isn't necessarily going to win any awards for beauty. Although I don't actually mind it, there's kind of a charm to it. But objectively, not the prettiest.
The game shines among deckbuilders for the card interactions, the character abilities and the way the game sets up the path to the boss on the map. There's a reason why many other games in the roguelike/lite genre have pretty much copied the way their maps look from Slay the Spire. It's simple, it gets the point across, and after a run or two you get the idea about how to plan out your path to the end of the act. It delivers the message clearly- Here are your elite battles, your events, shops, your rest spots, and your regular battles. Risk vs Reward.
The genius of the game is that despite the potentially meh art, and the deceptively simple cards, the way everything comes together is so engrossing that you don't really find yourself paying much attention to anything except what play you're going for next. Each character feels unique. I've sunk 80 hours into this game, between the Switch and the PC/Steam Deck. There were times where I laid down in bed and said I'd play through an act, only to either complete it or fail and immediately set up for another one. You could have sworn it was 10:30 fifteen minutes ago, but no, it's past midnight and you've been playing Slay the Spire.
In many ways it is still the best pure deckbuilding game out there. Others might do some things better and may do it in more "attractive" packages... But StS was there as a integral foundation for those games to build upon. It might not be the new and shiny game anymore, but it still offers up so much fun. There's a lot of depth. It's one of those essential indie games, and I can't wait for the second one.

It's like your worst addiction, but it's a game with cards, so it is socially acceptable.

The king of roguelike deckbuilders. The closest game to perfection games of this genre has ever gotten.

I feel only slay the spire 2 will threaten this game's position at the top.

No Roguelike deckbuilder has ever given this level of content, of replayability of depth. Its truly a masterpiece.

I cannot recommend it enough.

For all the games inspired by Slay The Spire, none can match the balance, variety, replayability and depth of the original. One of those approachable games where, during your first turn you're wondering "Hmm should I swing for 6 or block for 5, that's a tough one", and then 1,000 hours later you start a new run and you're still wondering "Hmm, swing for 6 or block for 5..."

The game is so simple and addictive, it's hard to understand why it's special without playing it. Just try it for yourself!

This game spawned a genre and after a few hundred imitators it's still the best of its kind. Why are you reading this just play the game?