Clearly atypical, Slay the Spire is actually both a card game and a rogue-like. Suffice to say that the developers have bet everything on the gameplay and have relegated the scenario to the background. We will therefore simply specify that you must climb a tower in order to go and shoot down the giant heart which is at the very top, on the 51st floor. Several paths to get there are randomly generated at the start of each game, and it's up to you to choose the one that looks most promising to you. Each floor is represented by a room, which can contain an enemy to fight, an elite enemy, a treasure, a merchant of cards and magic relics, a rest room (which is mainly used to regain life and improve its cards ) or a surprise . Symbolized by a question mark, these rooms often give us the choice between several textual actions, which lead to obtaining bonuses, penalties... or both. Finally, each run unlocks new cards, which then become available for subsequent attempts. So much for the rogue-like aspect, which ensures a virtually infinite game life. Slay the Spire. Daily Challenges, Custom Mode, and Ascension Mode (which adds twenty additional difficulty levels to Classic Mode) are there to keep you going. Putting one foot in the game is the guarantee of spending several tens of hours, even several hundred. It must be said that the experience is highly addictive, and this is partly due to the presence of three characters who play differently.
THE GAME THAT IS REBORN FROM CARDS
The iron soldier is the most basic, since he essentially relies on his strength to win, as well as on his regeneration power which allows him to regain six life points after each fight. The Silent One is particularly adept at poison, which inflicts damage on victims every turn. Finally, the Defective is certainly the most interesting character to play. This robot manipulates orbs that it juggles above itself. Keraunic Orbs trigger a lightning bolt at the end of each turn, Glacial Orbs generate some armor points, Plasma Orbs give more energy points (which are used to play cards) and Dark Orbs garner potential damage each turn. turn, until they are activated. A principle of rotation and automatic activation further enriches the tactical aspect of this system. If the different characters are interesting, the cards are also very well done. After each fight, you can add a new one to your deck, and the synergy between the different cards is stunning. Sometimes, one of them can seem useless, even harmful, until we understand that accompanied by this or that other card, it becomes formidable. There are different types (attack, skill, power, status, curse, etc.), and you can add potions, to be drunk during combat, and collectible relics, with permanent effects, to the equation. But that's not all ! The behavior of the enemies is also worthy of many praises. Already, at each turn, we can know their intentions, and therefore prepare correctly for the next turn. Then, their behavior varies significantly from one type of enemy to another. Finally, the multiplicity of states means that the choice of each card that is played must be carefully considered.
Extremely didactic and based on simple and effective principles, Slay the Spire makes it a point of honor to keep the player perfectly informed at all times.
When a boss combines Aggressive, Ephemeral, Unstable, Chained, Strength, Vulnerability and Weakened effects, it is not a question of playing his hand anyhow. Therefore, one could fear that the game turns out to be confusing or too complex at times, but it is absolutely not! Extremely didactic and based on simple and effective principles, Slay the Spire makes it a point of honor to keep the player perfectly informed at all times. Clear and readable, the interface has multiple tooltips giving the description of any effect present on the screen. Unlike many rogue-likes and card games, you never have to go to reddit or a wiki to find information and understand the effect of a particular card or item. Icing on the cake, the French translation is exemplary! Almost flawless, Slay the Spire only sins on points of detail. For example, the first contact with the very flat and barely animated 2D graphics is usually quite rough. But you get used to it very quickly, and you even end up finding a certain charm in them. The inevitably repetitive aspect of the runs, especially the first ten floors when you haven't yet collected any powerful cards, may eventually tire some players. And we wouldn't have spat on a small multiplayer mode, cooperative or competitive, even if the single player experience is enough on its own. In short, we nitpick, but in truth we strongly advise you to try this little gem!
