Slay the Spire - Early Access Version released

The card based RPG Slay the Spire is very successful on Steam right now:

Slay the Spire

We fused card games and roguelikes together to make the best single player deckbuilder we could. Craft a unique deck, encounter bizarre creatures, discover relics of immense power, and Slay the Spire!

Features:

• Two core characters that each have their own unique set of cards. (With more planned)
• 200+ fully implemented cards.
• 50+ unique combat encounters.
• 100+ different items to be found.
• Procedurally generated levels.
• Tons of unlockables.

Dynamic Deck Building
Choose your cards wisely! Discover hundreds of cards to add to your deck with each attempt at climbing the Spire. Select cards that work together to efficiently dispatch foes and reach the top.

An Everchanging Spire
Whenever you embark on a journey up the Spire, the layout differs each time. Choose a risky or safe path, face different enemies, choose different cards, discover different relics, and even fight different bosses!

Powerful Relics to Discover
Powerful items known as relics can be found throughout the Spire. The effects of these relics can greatly enhance your deck through powerful interactions. But beware, obtaining a relic may cost you more than just gold…

More information.

Since I'm a sucker for single-player deck-builders I have this on my wishlist since the first time I saw it. Didn't buy yet, because… backlog.

I'm also having much fun with System Crash atm. Might be worth a look for those who like such games:
http://store.steampowered.com/app/481180/System_Crash/

How does this compare to hand of fate or are they totally different ?

Originally Posted by you
How does this compare to hand of fate or are they totally different ?

They are totally different. Slay the Spire is more like Dream Quest, which is an amazing deck builder which was later copied by the (mostly inferior but still decent) game Monster Slayers.

Unlike Monster Slayers though, Slay the Spire shows signs of being an excellent successor. It's different enough to be it's own game, but still very fun. It is early access though so while it's fun, there is still a lot of room for more content.

This looks like a winner. Going on my wishlist !

Could you elaborate on how they differ ? Does this game reset after each little encounter like hand of fate ?

Originally Posted by fadedc
They are totally different. Slay the Spire is more like Dream Quest, which is an amazing deck builder which was later copied by the (mostly inferior but still decent) game Monster Slayers.

Unlike Monster Slayers though, Slay the Spire shows signs of being an excellent successor. It's different enough to be it's own game, but still very fun. It is early access though so while it's fun, there is still a lot of room for more content.

It resets every time you die, but you may unlock new cards or classes that will be available next run. But there are no action sequences, it's purely turn based. Also the cards in your deck are used in battle against enemies, with each one representing an attack or ability. You start each game with a very basic deck of simple attacks and defends, but you slowly add new cards to your deck which you find as treasure, until you have (hopefully) built a deck full of cards with synergies. And then when you die you do it again (but finding completely different cards, treasure and enemies).

Originally Posted by you
Could you elaborate on how they differ ? Does this game reset after each little encounter like hand of fate ?

Hum. You said it reset if you die; that makes sense but does it reset each time you finish a dungeon like hand of fate (a feature I dislike).

Originally Posted by you
Hum. You said it reset if you die; that makes sense but does it reset each time you finish a dungeon like hand of fate (a feature I dislike).

The game consists of three levels with a boss at the end of each one. If you kill the last boss then you win the game, although there is a placeholder bit at the end which suggests there will be a little more to it in the final version.

Winning the game isn't intended to end your time with it though, runs are reasonably short and there is a fair amount to unlock. So a lot of the fun is playing through the game a bunch of times with different strategies and challenges, unlocking new things as you go. Different cards or items you find can make completely new strategies viable on any given run.

ok thanks. So it sounds a lot like hand of fate where you do short dungeons to unlock stuff but the game basically resets you at the end of each short run.

Originally Posted by fadedc
The game consists of three levels with a boss at the end of each one. If you kill the last boss then you win the game, although there is a placeholder bit at the end which suggests there will be a little more to it in the final version.

Winning the game isn't intended to end your time with it though, runs are reasonably short and there is a fair amount to unlock. So a lot of the fun is playing through the game a bunch of times with different strategies and challenges, unlocking new things as you go. Different cards or items you find can make completely new strategies viable on any given run.

Well aside from the fact that the base gameplay is completely different, hand of fate tells a story across multiple chapters, each of which has a different theme and story to it. You don't win until you play your way through all of them. Spire is just one big dungeon, there are no chapters, and you've won as soon as you beat the boss.

In hand of fate your playing the same character between runs and between deaths. In Spire you are somebody completely different each game, win or lose.

Originally Posted by you
ok thanks. So it sounds a lot like hand of fate where you do short dungeons to unlock stuff but the game basically resets you at the end of each short run.

I have played this for about 10-15 hours and it's quite a bit of fun.
It has a lot of interesting elements and choices. I am really bad at the game though, so I think some people may find it too easy potentially.

I won the game a couple of times with each character now. I will try it out when they release the final character again.