The Spire
The procedurally generated tower every run tries to climb.
The goal is to work through several floors of a spire, encountering monsters, elites, campfires, shopkeepers, chests, and random events.[1] In Slay the Spire, a roguelike deck-building game, the player's deck effectively acts as their character.[2][3] Reaching zero health forces a player to begin a new run from the spire's lowest point.[4]
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Mega Crit
- Publisher
- Mega Crit (PC); Humble Bundle (other)
- Designer
- Anthony Giovannetti, Casey Yano
- Artist
- Anailis Dorta
- Composer
- Clark Aboud
- Engine
- libGDX
- Platforms
- Windows
- macOS
- Linux
- Nintendo Switch
- PlayStation 4
- Xbox One
- iOS
- Android
- Genre
- Roguelike deck-building
Facts from the source article.
Making and release
The game was built on the libGDX framework, chosen for its Java runtime that supported Windows, macOS, and Linux.[5] Giovannetti turned to expert Netrunner players to help test and balance the game.[6] The developers' original aim was to combine roguelike elements with deck-building games such as Dominion, with the Netrunner collectible card game also serving as a partial inspiration.[5] When early access began in November 2017, the game included two characters that could be played.[7]
The full version of the game was released on January 23, 2019, marking the conclusion of the early access period.[8]
What the cited sources add
The PC Gamer review notes that after each monster encounter, the player is offered three cards to pick from, adding one to their deck.[3] The same review describes that blocking means adding temporary hit points that clear at the start of the next turn.[3] The Vice article states that the game's deckbuilding feels like finding gear in roguelikes because it builds over a longer period.[9] The Polygon review explains that mastering the game comes from dismantling assumptions about how it works, not learning systems.[10]
The Polygon review also notes that the game requires thinking more creatively and proactively than typical card games.[10]
References
- Wikipedia, "Slay the Spire" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Smith, "Slay The Spire made me fall in love with deck-building", Rock Paper Shotgun, December 19, 2017 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Slay the Spire" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Ramos, "Slay the Spire is my favorite game to lose", Polygon, February 12, 2019 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Dias, "Slay the Spire is a brilliant genre mash-up with third-act problems", PC Gamer, January 24, 2018. facts only, no text reused. pcgamer.com
- Wikipedia, "Slay the Spire" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Dias, "Slay the Spire is a brilliant genre mash-up with third-act problems", PC Gamer, January 24, 2018 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Slay the Spire" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Wiltshire, "Why revealing all is the secret of Slay The Spire's success", Rock Paper Shotgun, February 19, 2018; Caldwell, "How Slay the Spire was tested on Netrunner pros", Rock Paper Shotgun, January 31, 2018; Couture, "Road to the IGF: Mega Crit Games' Slay the Spire", Gamasutra, January 22, 2020; Yano, "On Evaluating Godot", October 16, 2023 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Slay the Spire" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Caldwell, "How Slay the Spire was tested on Netrunner pros", Rock Paper Shotgun, January 31, 2018 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Slay the Spire" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Caldwell, "How Slay the Spire was tested on Netrunner pros", Rock Paper Shotgun, January 31, 2018; Hall, "Slay The Spire is the best new CCG on Steam", Polygon, January 19, 2018; Bourdeaux, "Streamers helped balance Slay the Spire – "they aren't afraid to speak their minds"", PCGamesN, March 21, 2019 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Slay the Spire" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Caldwell, "Slay the Spire adding more characters 'almost certainly'", Rock Paper Shotgun, January 30, 2018; Meer, "Slay The Spire dooms us all by adding official mod support", Rock Paper Shotgun, January 4, 2019; Brown, "Slay the Spire gets an update and a release date", PCGamesN, December 14, 2018; Meer, "Wot I Think: Slay The Spire", Rock Paper Shotgun, January 23, 2019; O'Conner, "Slay The Spire's fourth character will be free", Rock Paper Shotgun, July 2, 2019; Prescott, "Slay the Spire's massive 2.0 update introduces a new character en.wikipedia.org
- Walker, "'Slay the Spire' is the Roguelike Card Game I Never Knew I Wanted", Vice, January 18, 2018. facts only, no text reused. vice.com
- Ramos, "Slay the Spire is my favorite game to lose", Polygon, February 12, 2019. facts only, no text reused. polygon.com
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Slay the Spire (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
More in Mechanics & Meta-Game
Elsewhere in Slay the Spire
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced