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

Before You Read
I picked this game up during the Winter Sale last year because it appeared in the historical low price section. Honestly, it was an impulse purchase and I was not even sure if I would ever play it. It turned out to be a complete eye opener.
Before playing this game, I had absolutely no experience with card games. Not even in real life. I did not know what deck building meant or how it worked. Yet somehow the game pulled me in purely because of how well it is designed.
All of a sudden I found myself introduced to an entirely new genre, and it delivered one of the best gaming experiences I have ever had.
I am writing this review especially for someone who has little to no interest in card games or has zero experience with deck building. If that sounds like you, then this game might surprise you the same way it surprised me.
Gameplay
Slay the Spire is a roguelike deck builder with four playable characters. You begin with a starter collection of cards that form your deck. Your goal is simple. Climb the tower floor by floor and survive.
You start at Floor 1 and attempt to reach the final encounters through three different Acts. Every run is different. You will face different bosses, elite enemies, events, and choices each time you play.
Throughout your journey you collect:
New cards that shape your strategy
Potions that provide temporary advantages
Relics that act as permanent buffs for your character
What makes this game incredible is how unique every run feels. As you spend more time playing, you naturally learn how cards interact with each other. You begin creating builds without even realizing it.
The choice of cards and how efficiently you use them matters far more than luck. Knowledge becomes your greatest strength.
My favorite part is how fair the game feels. Every time you lose, you learn something valuable. Instead of frustration, you feel motivated to try again and improve.
As you unlock the remaining characters, each one introduces completely different mechanics, cards, and playstyles. It almost feels like learning a new game every time.
If you are tired of long open world AAA games filled with distractions and filler content, this is the opposite experience. You simply sit down and play. No gimmicks. No wasted time. Just pure gameplay.
Every run feels meaningful.
Bosses and Enemy Design
As you progress, you will encounter many bosses and elite enemies. I genuinely have no complaints here.
They can feel punishing when you first meet them, but the game respects your time. The more knowledge you gain, the more manageable they become.
Each Act has its own pool of enemies and bosses. Encounters are randomized, meaning every climb feels fresh. Even side bosses vary between runs, forcing you to adapt instead of relying on one strategy.
Enemies are unique and often act like puzzles you must solve using your deck.
The challenge never feels unfair. It feels earned.
Presentation and Atmosphere
I honestly do not want to focus too much on graphics because this is not that type of game.
The visuals do exactly what they need to do. Each Act has its own atmosphere and personality, which keeps the journey interesting instead of feeling repetitive.
If you end up loving this game, it will almost certainly be because of the gameplay depth rather than graphical fidelity.
Summary
Slay the Spire surprised me in the best possible way.
I went in with zero expectations and no knowledge of card games. What I found was a deeply rewarding experience that constantly teaches you, challenges you, and respects your time.
Extremely addictive gameplay loop
Massive replay value
Fair and rewarding difficulty
Unique characters and builds
Perfect for short or long play sessions
If you have ever looked at deck builders and thought, "this is probably not for me," then I strongly recommend giving this one a chance.
It might just open the door to an entirely new genre for you, the same way it did for me.

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.

My kid got me into this game via the board game. We played that thing to death....well, the heart never really dies... but my son had been playing the digital game, and well, let's just say I have put 120 hours into this game in the last few weeks....Need to get back to work now....or....maybe one more game.

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.

After 152.3 hours of playing this game, I thought it might be best for me to uninstall it so that I could focus more on my school work so that I can graduate and get my Bachelor's degree. One week later, Slay the Spire II was released.
I am going to fricking fail my classes, bro.