With the surprise announcement of Slay the Spire 2 at the first ever Triple-i Initiative indie showcase, fans of the original game have been thrown into a frenzy. Here's what's known so far about the upcoming sequel to one of 2019's most beloved roguelikes.
Released in 2019 (though available via Steam Early Access since 2017), the original Slay the Spire was a smash hit. Incorporating and building on elements from Netrunner, Dominion, and FTL: Faster Than Light, the game combined roguelike exploration, permadeath, and the gradual card acquisition of tabletop board games in a bright and fun fantasy package. Receiving rave reviews, Slay the Spire became an instant favorite of a number of notable Twitch streamers and was quickly ushered into the roguelike hall of fame. While far from the first roguelike deckbuilder, Slay the Spire's runaway success set the groundwork for a legion of digital deckbuilders to follow, from Inscryption to Balatro.
The Triple-i Initiative indie showcase was a 45-minute-long digital event in which dozens of independent game developers came together to highlight a series of games from established and up-and-coming indie development teams. Other games shown off include Hyper Light Drifter sequel Hyper Light Breaker , and steampunk metroidvania Gestalt: Steam & Cinder.
Slay The Spire 2 Gets a Whole New Look
Details are scarce about Slay the Spire 2, but Mega Crit Games has announced that the game has been rewritten from the ground up in Godot, the open source game engine that's rapidly attracting indie talent after the Unity pricing controversy. Along with the new engine, Slay the Spire 2 is set to feature all-new visuals and expanded modding capability. The game will enter Steam Early Access in 2025.
Slay the Spire 2's New Characters, Cards and Enemies
While Mega Crit Games has promised multiple new characters, so far only The Necrobinder has been revealed. Described as 'a wandering lich who seeks to bind the forgotten corpse', the Necrobinder is said to call upon her 'trusty left-hand' in combat. While there is little information yet as to what mechanics the Necrobinder will bring to the table, the prospect of new characters with new gameplay loops is cause for excitement. With only 35 base HP, Necrobinder is more delicate than any character in the original Slay the Spire, implying impressive defensive capabilities will be present in the character's base deck.
In Western esotericism, the left-hand path is an approach to the occult which focuses on destructive or evil black magic. Magic associated with the left-hand path includes necromancy, casting hexes, communing with evil spirits and summoning demons.
As for everything else, Mega Crit Games is playing its cards close to its chest. Only two new cards have been glimpsed in the game's screenshots—Molten Fist and Hellraiser—both belonging to the Ironclad; their effects remain a mystery. It's currently unknown if all 361 unique cards from the original Slay the Spire will make it into Slay the Spire 2—though it seems likely that the majority of the original game's cards will return for the sequel.
It's also currently unknown if any of the original game's enemies will be back for the sequel—all enemies shown off so far look to be new additions to the franchise. However, once again, it seems likely that the new art style giving a fresh coat of paint to old characters means that many of the game's monsters and bosses will also return.
Slay The Spire 2's New Mechanics
With one screenshot presenting the player with the chance to enchant a card with a 'cursed' effect, Slay the Spire 2 looks like it will allow the player to add persistent buffs or debuffs to cards between combat encounters. Though this alone has the potential to make gameplay more strategic than ever before, Mega Crit Games have promised to announce even more new ways to play as the game gets closer to release.
Players Will Have to Wait a While to Slay the Spire Again
With the game entering Steam Early Access in 2025, Slay the Spire 2 is still a long way off. But with the announcement already promising big things, and the chance of even bigger things to come in future updates, the much anticipated sequel looks like it just might live up to the hype.
