How Slay the Spire uses chaos to make it one of the best designed roguelike card games ?
Slay the Spire was launched on PC in the end of 2017 but it was launched on Android only in the beginning of 2021 and that is when I picked it up. I was glad I did and did not mind the $10 price tag. It is a great example of emergent gameplay based on luck and impactful decision-making.
Simplicity at its Core
Slay the Spire is a roguelike deck building card battler. You start the run by selecting one of 3 characters to play with. You then get to choose your path to climb the spire with enough options to keep you entertained. You battle a wide variety of monsters in a turn based fight. In every turn, 5 cards are randomly drawn from your collection and you have to use them in the right order to get maximum out of your turn. On winning the battle, you collect coins and get a choice between 3 cards to add to your deck. With every match you add more and more cards to your deck and these are the cards that you use while playing. You also get relics that act as permanent buffs and potions that act boosters that help you through the game.
Chaos emerges from this initial simplicity
The game has 4 acts and each act has multiple battles. At the end of these battles you have to choose from 3 randomly selected cards. There are over 250 cards. Along the way, you can get relics that give you permanent benefits. There are over 150 relics. You can also use from among the 40 potions to help you out of a tight spot. Every run feels unique cause you never know which card, relic or potion you are going to get in the next battle. That is what lies at the crux of chaos in Slay the Spire.
However this is a designed chaos and does not debilitate you
Even though every run might feel unique and there might be a lot of chaos, it never gets out of hand. It never feels unfair. The credit for that has to be given to the excellent design of these cards, relics and potions. Every run through is filled with instances where the cards aligned in just the right order to give you an immense upper hand.
Game gives you ample ways to counter this chaos
What makes any game fun is when it gives you ways to bend its own rules. You will encounter merchants on the way to the top that sell you cards for a small sum of money that you get after battles. You can also encounter treasure chests along the way filled with goodies. The path that you choose also defines your strategy. The knowledge that you earn from the previous runs give you the confidence to make the important choices thereby giving you ample control over this chaos.
Multiple characters, modes add to the longevity
Finishing one playthrough does not take a lot of time. Though it will take a while before you get there. However, each character has a separate set of cards associated with it giving you a unique experience. There is also the daily challenge where you are paired alongside other players to conquer the spire. You can also customize your own run using unique modifiers. All these features keep this game fresh long after the first playthrough.
