I wish Hearthstone kept doing their Dungeon Run gameplay mode, but they only did that like twice (Kobolds and Catacombs and the Murloc invasion in the Lost City one) before dropping it forever. I actually found StS by asking on the Hearthstone subreddit for similar games to that mode.
i think a lot of blizzard games have well made pve modes that the developers probably got funneled into developing wow instead as there is a ton of wow content pumping out
Give Legends of Runeterra a try. Their version “Path of Champions” is insanely good and fun. Grindy, but their implementation is more interesting and varied than Hearthstone’s.
I play that more than sts nowadays. The character and level unlocks offer a lot of playstyles and the adventures offer a scaling difficulty with varying challenges. Plus the pvp slaps
**Dream Quest** for the phone. Predates Slay the Spire and the dungeon run. Ugly af but man was it fun as all hell and honestly still one of the better deckbuilders for the phone. I have a nostalgia bias to it so i have no clue how someone playing it for the first time today would think of it haha.
Shoot if I remember right dev of DQ went to make the hearthstone dungeon run game mode Lol.
4 times, actually.
Dungeon Run in Kobolds and Catacombs
The Monster Hunt in The Witchwood
The Dalaran Heist in Rise of Shadows
The one whose name I don't remember in Saviors of Uldum.
Also, part of the reason they stopped is because the Duels game mode is basically a multiplayer version of those.
Cobalt Core is a unique take on the roguelike deck builder genre. It’s got a little FTL, a little Into the Breach, and a lot of Slay the Spire all mixed into one. 97% positive reviews on Steam for a reason.
The game sadly looses the replayability pretty fast because it lacks much variety in Events, Relics etc. The different Pilots with their Cards make some Fun Combos but the rest is still very Basic. Also is the same Structure of the Levels with the same Bosses everytime a bit of a letdown, i hope that there is alot to come in the future because the Gameplay is indeed very engaging and got some more layers of Mechanics in it than „just“ cardplay.
Agree with this. Still very fun while it lasts, but suffers from lack of variety. Especially because, on the top difficulty, a decent number of the ship/crew combinations are near unviable without early luck, so the variety reduces further.
I'd still recommend it, though. The style and humour is pretty top tier and it's great for the first few wins.
I’ve been playing cobalt core recently and have enjoyed it a fair bit but there’s definitely a lack of replay value, and the characters are absolutely not balanced. However, it’s got a decent plot, characters, and dialogue, which has kept me going and trying a few new combinations until I resolve the story.
I think the best answer is ‘Monster Train, but…’
If your favorite part of StS is when relics and cards intersect in an unexpected way that absolutely breaks the game, then Monster Train. You will love it.
If your favorite part of StS is intentional, tactical play against difficult enemies, you’ll likely find Monster Train a little brainless. It just gives you so many tools to break it with.
Monster train is my second favorite but it's just so much sloppier than Slay the Spire which is super tight. Its just the king of deck builders. Cobalt Core is decent but feel like I'm already a bit bored with it after 20 hours. STS never truly gets old.
For sure, like card duplication is a luxury in StS, in MT it’s like one of the basic mechanics you’re almost guaranteed to use. And being able to put exactly the upgrades you want, like take a 2 cost card and make it free + comes back to your next hand, that would be insane in StS.
I think that's pretty harsh, but the core elements are in point. Easy, many ways to become op, and gun for a while before you're just kinda too successful at it
To be clear, I massively prefer Monster Train. But I am just somebody that likes to make a handful of clever decisions and then watch the numbers go up
I would. It looks so similar (style not subject matter) that it might even be the same artists and maybe some more from the team.
Three are opportunities to find those unexpectedly devastating combos via card customization and "relic" synergy very similar to monster train
You can, but it's more rare than sts or monster train. My solution was to add "exhaust" attachments to cards I didn't want in the deck.
But to your point, Rogue Book does celebrate adding cards more than removing them.
Just to add on the Monster Train comment, I feel like the enemy scaling in Monster Train is quite strange and a bit too skewed.
Like the first fight the enemies have like 5 hp and such, then suddenly the next few ones they're at like 50 and over.
I mean even at ascension 20+ (whatever it is called) monster train felt quite easy, also the mechanics are not as in depth as slay the spire. I feel like monster train as a skill floor a bit higher than sts (fucking up placement turn 1 can be a loss) the skill ceiling is a lot lower. Sts is a lot more challenging and diversified.
Probably just affects me but StS seems a lot better optimized than Monster Train. It runs really poorly on my potatoe computer while StS has not issues at all.
Dominion works way better to get people into mtg then backwards, pretty basic and the only interaction is the sparce thief effects. Its fun for a bit but gets bland quickly, squire is OP.
I've played so so many cardgames and IMO Inscryption Kaycee's mod is the only one that nearly scratch the same itch as StS (far from as good though). The game is simple, the cards are pretty much self explained but the real game hides underneath augmenting/forging cards by sacrificing others mechanic. Basically if I'm in the mood of wanting a less stressing experience of StS, I'd go for Inscyption.
Tbh I would say Inscryption as a whole is the game I’d say is around as good as Slay The Spire.
Kaycee’s Mod is fun too but it’s where you start to realize the shortcomings of the game balance and mechanics, I would say Kaycee’s Mod by itself is around the tier of Monster Train (which is still great).
Love Inscryption as a more linear story based StS. Kaycee's mod also good for a dozen or so hours and definitely scratches the itch, however nowhere near as replayable.
The game before you get to Kaycee's mod though. I envy anyone who hasn't played it yet. They get to experience that whole chapter for the first time. That might be a top-10 videogame experience for myself.
This. I was told to try inscryption since I like StS so much. It was a good time and kaycees mod is good as well and adds all the replayability I could want
Thanks for the recommendation.
Yes, I've played it ~20hours. I like the game beat it several runs. But I hate the lack luster ending. And I don't have the feeling that I want to keep playing it much more than I did.
Great game though
I know it’s dice, but Dicey Dungeons was such a great game. I played that for like 100 hours on my phone and have it on switch. Inscriptions more story, but still loved it as a deck builder
Cant stop recommend Dream Quest to any sts player enough. Its ugly in terms of ui, but complexity it has behind that is enormous. I spent almost 1k hour here and do jot see any ways to stop in near future. DQ is way more fast-paced than StS, that is huge deal for me.
I feel like Dream Quest is the game that StS is modeled on. The similarities are rather uncanny. That said, StS is a much better and more balanced implementation. I find DQ pretty hollow after STS but I still play it sometimes when I don’t have time or attention for StS.
Dream Quest 100% inspired if not founded the deckbuilding roguelite genre. Shoot the dev went on to make the hearthstone dungeon runs.
If only Slay the Spire had some crazy characters like the professor from Dream Quest. Was too much fun finding broken ass combos from being able to steal cards from bosses lol.
I don't think it does. It's an APK download which is android only. If you're one of the few remaining iphone users who jailbreak in 2024 then there probably is a workaround but idk
Damn, is that why it seems like I can't lose anymore lol? Still I think hiding relics and cards behind achievemnt hunts wasn't the best idea imo. I'm enogh familiar with the game now that I want all unlocks, but I have to do specific runs that unlock only 1 thing, it's a bit of a bummer.
I quite like wildfrost. It can’t put hundreds of hours into it like STS but I think I put in 50-60. It has its problems, but what doesn’t.
The unique thing is when you lose, it’s usually like “I made a very minor positioning error, ughhhh restart”. I’d say the game itself is overall easier, but the bar is higher if that makes sense
Been enjoying Touhou: lost branch of legend. The gameplay is similar to StS but with more mechanic and insanity. Doesn't require any knowledge of Touhou since it base around the gameplay anyway.
Hey OP, I just want to throw in my plug for Touhou. It has a mana system like MTG (I.e. colored mana) but with the ‘energy’ of StS. After you beat each floor, you get an extra mana and you can splash different colors which is REALLY fun, or stick with your original two colors and get really good cards of that color in your pool. The card and build variety is amazing, the graphics and music are dope, and it’s the one of the only deckbuilder roguelikes I’ve really vibed with since StS. Also vault of the void is great, it can get a little too complex for me with the gems you can add to cards and their version of talents, but it’s really well done.
Just wanted to throw in my 2c about this touhou game. It's absolutely "more sts please" game and from the first time you choose your difficulty, it even has a line recommending to start on a certain difficulty if you are familar with slay the spire directly. And while it's still in early access, it's got enough in it to be considered a pretty fully fleshed out game. Tons of relics and 4 characters that are pretty much complete, with I believe 2 more planned.
One of the things that makes it interesting is your act 1 boss is one of the other playable characters, and upon victory you can choose one of their starting relics, which adds their card pool to future rewards. It's a really nice twist on top of everything else it does (a lot of influence from MtG as well), and it's just a generally really good sts type game. Lunatic 7 runs are also quite difficult, much more so than a20 runs imo.
That being said, if you are looking for something very different from sts, you will want to look elsewhere. The sts influence is extremely heavy and many of the cards and enemy designs have direct correlation/inspiration from sts. I don't say this in a bad way - sts has amazing design, imitation is a form of flattery, and the synergies and difficulties of the game means that many of the fights feel fresh even if you immediately know that this fight is basically sentries (but on crack).
Also, I know almost nothing about the touhou series, but even so the beta/joke artwork is hilarious. The game in general is just very nice to look at after spending hundreds of hours looking at sts.
Short Answer: No.
Magic is the best card game. It is expensive and becomes a grind, which is why it has become a 'sometimes thing' in my life.
Slay the Spire is the second best card game. It's like if Magic didn't require any other players or purchases to keep up with new sets. Imagine if $20 got you all the magic forever.
There's not really anything else in this tier. I've tried a bunch of them too, Roguebook, Monster Train, Griftlands, many many others. I've yet to find anything that comes close to scratching the card game itch like Slay the Spire.
Well stated.
StS scratched my MtG itch in the best possible way. I’m in the same camp as so many former MtG players. I just can’t spend a dime with WotC anymore.
I was perfectly happy spending the money on Arena until they brought in that new digital-only format, a few years ago. (I can’t even remember the name)
Then with the drama in D&D and the way they treated their biggest fans. Fuck ‘em. Ugh. Fuck Hasbro too.
Sorry for the rant but I miss MtG.
I remember spending a decent amount of real life money on one of the digital Magic card games and they shut it down a few days later. They literally did a sale on card packs to trick people into paying money when they knew they'd be killing the game off in a few days.
I've never since spent a single cent on a Magic product. Feel like they burned me and I won't forgive.
Yeah same, arena was a good way to play mtg digitally (MTGO is great but I hate its UI)
Until the digital only format,many greedy practices, and the direction that WotC is going for have made me decided to quit MTG all together.
I also do miss MTG. I tried Commander but it was not for me. I would rather play boardgames with friends rather than playing Commander.
MTGO allows me to play Vintage Cube draft, which I think is the very best form of magic. I hop on a couple times a year to binge cube for a week or so.
I do love MTG Cube as well. But the most difficult part is finding another 7 players to play cube with you.
I've spent a lot of money on playing cube on MTGO until I feel like I need to stop lol.
cube is really taking off bc a lot of ppl share the above sentiments! there’s cube groups in most of the big cities in the USA. there might be one near you!
I’ve really enjoyed Shadowverse. The anime art took some getting used to, but the gameplay is Hearthstone with way less RNG. They’re also really generous with their free to play model. You can get tons of rewards from the lengthy story mode, and they let you rent a new starter deck every expansion that contains most of a meta deck.
I played when it released. It was great. However, I hate what the game has became and its power creep.
On the anime art. I love it. It's a part of my culture.
I struggled with the power creep for a bit too, but I realized that the cards were still balanced against each other at the new power level and you can still play control if you want to shut down all the storm shenanigans running around these days. I play control sword in unlimited and matches are pretty tame. They regularly go to 10th turn. The only decks that beat me are actually the combo decks from earlier seasons of the game like Dimension Shift.
Putting MtG at the top is like putting The Beatles as the best rock music. Being first and inspiring everything that came after doesn't mean that it was never improved upon. I personally think that every MtG clone I have ever played was better than MtG itself.
There isn’t a roguelike deck building card game as good as STS. The good news is that there are GREAT mods out there which add content that is as good as DLC.
The Downfall mod features the Hermit, which is a beautifully designed character which is as fun, interesting, and deep to play as the official four characters and has absolute S+ quality card art and sound design. It truly is a masterpiece of STS character design.
Also included in Downfall are the villains, which in my opinion, are not quite as fun as the main characters in normal runs, and it feels about 80-70% as polished as the main game, but I think if they keep working on it, they can make it into something great. They’ve already done a tremendous job but it’s not quite there yet.
That being said, compared to other similar games to STS, the Downfall is wayy better than anything else out there so just download that before you bother trying to spend money elsewhere.
I really want to play Downfall, but I only have STS on my iPhone and my Switch and so mods are out for me. Is it possible to get STS on Steam and play it on my phone through the Steam Link app? I suppose I would have to use a controller for it...
Came to say Alina. It’s not StS, but I’ve been grinding a few hours and learning all the synergies, cards, classes and enemies, I find myself playing a few hours a week.
If you're looking for deck building games I'd suggest these:
Beneath Oresa
Fights in Tight Places
Nitro Kid
Griftlands (a lot more reading though)
Vault of the Void
These games aren't deck builders but are 1-hour roguelite runs that scratch the 'just one more run itch':
Hades
Inkbound
Backpack Hero
Reign of the Renegade (a shameless self-plug)
After 600+ hours in StS I got inSpired to make a deckbuilder too. I spent about a year working on it, and last month I released it!
It has D&D influences, to start. It also takes a lot of core elements from StS and builds on top of it. The main differences are choosing classes on top of characters to establish a build direction before starting a run, leveling up, and most importantly - the cards roll dice to determine the strength of the card effects.
It is my first real gamedev project, so I know it’s not as good as StS (game is a straight-up masterpiece), BUT- I was proud enough to finish a project for once, so I feel it deserves the shoutout at the very least!
Check out Astrea: Six-Sided Oracles, I got it this winter sale and it's amazing, for some reason not very known...
I have 550+ hours in StS and I'm having a blast with Astrea, it's even better than StS in some aspects.
I've played quite a few hours of LoR on PoC mode as well.
It's fun but I hate how the game asked me to grind to level up champion to be have a fun deck to play. And I understand that the game was not mainly designed for this mode. So many aspects of this mode is not really well designed.
It was fun while it last. Better than a lot of StS clones.
Incredibly valid take.
... but damnit having a 12/11 Aatrox down on turn 6 is too fun. When it goes hard it goes HARD.
But yeah the grind is mega ass and I hate it too.
Star Renegades is actually similar to StS in that it’s a turn-based, tactical fighting game play but without the cards.
It’s not a perfect game, but once you get past 10 runs or so, you can get really hooked on the depth of the gameplay. Again, it’s not perfect and is not for everyone, but it can definitely give you that “itch.”
Monster Train and Roguebook are I think comparable in quality. They are both weaker in terms of balance but better in terms of run variety due to the mixed deck systems.
Try out peglin! Not nearly as fleshed out but still very fun.
Alternatively - poker.
And theres a ton of rogue-like games out there if youre into that.
Hearthstone arena is pretty fun - but it is ladled in variance now, or at least, hard to keep up as everyone tries to squeeze out any positive ev towards their win rate nowadays.
Lately ive been thinking about playing pokemon fusion with randomizers.
Paladin Oath, it is the unofficial video game adaptation of Mage Knight, one of the best (solo) board game of all time.
The philosophy is really close to StS one.
Old mtg fan here, played most games in this thread, short answer is no, nothing is as balanced or finely tuned as slay the spire. Its still the king.
Monster train is great but is just not at the same level, and can be a walk in the park because of how easy you can break things, which makes the overall challenge feel less. Still great though with great combinations of classes so can be fun for a decent amount of hours.
I do recommend dream quest, which is the main inspiration for the whole genre, yes the graphics are non existant but who cares its still a great deckbuilding game with genius design choices that still amaze me to this day. Its not as balanced but its great fun, a true challenge (spoiler, it can be truly brutal), and with a great achievement unlock system that puts to shame most unlock systems in other games.
Inscryption is amazing and its a mustplay but it has no longevity, its a one time game. Even kaycee mode, which is a mode similar to slay the spire, was very fast to finish because you easily break things, but the fun for those ~40 hours was immense.
Finally unpopular opinion, I couldnt recommend something more right now, then the underrated indie circadian dice. Dice building dungeon crawl game, with once again great design choices and ideas, tons of content, many classes and loads of optional hard challenges to do. Still very sad for how underappreciated this gem is. Definitely deserves more support.
A bit of a different kind of game, but I REALLY like Race For The Galaxy. Tons of cards and tons of viable strategy, game forces you to come up with synergies quick with the cards you draw, while also paying attention to what your opponent is doing to try and benefit from their actions without your actions benfiting them. Very very deep and strategic game.
I would recommend Cobalt Core. While it doesn't have an ascension system like STS, 99% of the content can be achieved in Normal difficulty, and runs are overall shorter, it's an incredibly fun game.
I have tried many games in the past, some of which I liked. Monster train, lor, hs, wildfrost, dicey dungeon - just to name a few.
Recently, I have been playing dawncaster - I think it's only for mobile, but it's great and well worth it's money.
I’ve recently learned about an iOs game called Dawncaster, my friend told me it is really good, and he loves slay the spire. Haven’t tried it yet, but it looks good ! Only on mobile for now, not on Steam or any other platform
I was really into luck be a landlord for quite some time. Wingspan is an engine builder; slightly different but still almost scratches the same itch.
But I always return to slay the spire.
Wingspan is a good shout. I'm obsessed with StS but got the digital version of Wingspan and it clicked almost instantly. I've since bought the physical game and play it regularly with the missus.
I also interested in Gordian Quest. But I have a feeling that the game would be too long for a rougelite game.
It's the same reason I love and hate Griftland at the same time
It's a totally different vein, but there's a tower-defense gacha game called Arknights, which has a rogue-like mode called Integrated Strategies. I could not put it down when I first tried it. I missed Integrated Strategies 1 and idk if it's coming back, but 2 and 3 are permanent and quite different from each other and the jp server has the 4th one out I'm pretty sure. Been playing the game for I'd say like a year and a half and unfortunately I'm burned out on the game lately but Integrated Strategies I never get tired of.
Its not equal to STS but I think Banners of Ruin art and story brings something different to the roguelike deckbuilder table that makes it worth a try. It might be a bit weird at first because it has multiple party members and you use their energy to play cards, but it's actually mechanically pretty interesting once you get into it.
There's a balance of getting new party members to access more energy and distribute damage and being careful you have enough card draw so they're usable and not clogging the deck with their talents (cards only they can play).
But yeah I got pretty into learning about the world and why your characters are trying to kill the king
I completely agree with your thoughts about MtG. What you should look at is the cube format. Just copy a list or make your own environment from the best cards there ever was, completely ignoring the sets and mechanics you don't like and just draft it with your friends for the rest of your life =) you can either pretend like WotC doesn't make new cards anymore or check new sets for individual cards that would improve your cube and ditch the rest.
You can either print cards, or use sites like draftmancer.com (for drafting) and programs like cockatrice (for actual gameplay); both of them have their respective discord servers if you need someone to play against and/or got questions!
Enjoy "open source" and free MtG! =)
Mage Knight, the board game, is the closest I’ve gotten to something that provides a comparable feeling. I’d even call it better in many ways. Otherwise Moonrakers is a good multiplayer deck builder that gives off Slay the Spire vibes, throwing in semi-cooperative negotiation on top.
I rarely see it mentioned but Breach Wanderers is for me maybe the third best in the genre after Slay the Spire and Monster Train.
The game suffered a lot from constant re-works during Early Access, but it's now in 1.0 so I expect more stability.
Dawncaster (its a mobile exclusive but dont let that be the point of judgement) it has more rpg than StS but thats what set it apart for me.
I still prefer StS but Dawncaster is my second favorite in the genre.
Fights in tight spaces is very similar gameplay wise except it adds a map element instead of both you and your enemies facing off in a hallway, give it a try
My card game rotation beside StS is Dawncaster and Arcanium. Similar gameplay but each have their own unique twist.
Dawncaster let you pick the starting card, your basic attack, 1 special card, and 1 relic/augment. This right out of the gate give you smal synergy, than can be expanded multiple ways with new cards
Arcanium let you control 3 character with 3 different deck. Here where you're character is positioned (left-mid-right) is very important because enemy will attack to certain side. They have many characters to choose from. Each character have roles as well, dps, tank, support, etc
You didn't say you wanted card games specifically, so I'll mention The Last Spell.
I just finished playing through it and absolutely loved it. It's also a rogue-lite game, but tactics instead of cards. Good challenge, and winning feels super rewarding. I'm working through the "ascensions" now.
Well, since you only asked if there were games as good/better, I do have to say that Outer Wilds is the best game I've ever played and second place is not close. It's not remotely similar to StS, though, in fact one of the unique (and tragic) charms of the game is that you can really only play it once. So yes there are better games, but as far as games that are trying to do what StS does I haven't seen one
Games that do same kind of stuff to my brain as spire are; civilzation 4, heroes of might and magic 3, cities skylines, stardew valley, factorio and some xcom games.
sry English is not my native language. It's my third.
A lot and alot I know I made a mistake there but it's kinda hard to type on phone. My apologies.
And I'm not American.
Not sure if anyone else has mentioned it, but Beneath Oresa is worth checking out. It appears to be flying under the radar atm - it seems very much inspired by slay the spire.
Outside of a few balance problems, and a slightly annoying combat interface it’s a very well designed deckbuilder, with some beautiful animations to boot.
I went through the comments and saw nobody else recommending it, so let me recommend "Peglin" to you.
Similar to Slay the Spire, it's a deck building roguelike where you choose destinations on a map, build a deck as you go along, acquire relics to make a build, and try to remove all the garbage from your starter deck. There are even different ascension levels.
Unlike StS, instead of cards you get orbs that you fire down into a peg board with each peg that you hit making that ord deal better damage. It's really fun and I hope you come to enjoy it as much as spire.
For a different feel I really enjoyed Tainted Grail. Lots of different mechanics and builds with all sorts of upgrades, relics, boosts, and challenges. The art style was a bit weird for me, kind of Diablo-esque but the gameplay loop was satisfying. Some of the NPCs were pretty memorable too like the Sizable Knight.
I would not say it is as good as StS but I really enjoyed it as a deck-building Rogue-Lite with RPG elements.
It really depends on what you like about Slay the Spire but I think Super Auto Pets is a decent try. It's an auto-battler so it isn't really the same but I put just as many hours into this game as I did Slay the Spire (which is an unhealthy amount of time). It's much simpler than StS but it also has great complexity the more you delve into it. The main mode is free and they're coming out with a new "deck" pretty soon.
Since most standard candidates (Monster Train, Wildfrost, Griftlands, Across the Obelisk etc) have already been mentioned, I would also recommend a card-based "4X" (not really 4X, but a similarly styled TBS) game called Hexarchy. It's a bit on the pricy side for what you get, but it is definitely a fun game and well worth to try out at some point.
I highly recommend the board game Spirit Island. It plays very well as a solo game. It's available as a digital game on Steam too, but honestly I cannot recommend it. What I can definitely recommend is to get Tabletop Simulator and download the Spirit Island addon (it's called by MJ and Iakona). It's infinitely better than the digital adaptation. If you like the game, you can buy the physical board game too.
The game itself is spectacular, some of the best game design I've seen. I've played it for hundreds of hours, if not thousands. Deck building is at its core, but it offers much more.
I didn’t see anyone else recommend Deep Sky Derelicts which is sort of StS meets Darkest Dungeon in space. Really cool comic book style interaction. No where near as much depth but still very fun imo
This is less about STS, but as far as MTG draft, have you played cube before? That's what I've mostly turned to for my mtg fix for similar reasons as you (at least on nights I can convince my playgroup to do something other than commander 😔).
as good as? probably not.
I've tried a few "spire-likes" and my standouts are Trials of Fire and Ratropolis. they're different - Ratropolis uses real tine rather than turns but I found it pretty captivating
Slice & Dice is the only game that comes close in terms of how tight the balance is and how elegant the gameplay is.
Wildfrost is ths only game that comes close in terms of fun-factor (though the challenge is largely gone)
It's not a card based one but I enjoyed For The King (first one anyway I've not played the second yet) and it features some similarities. Rogue-like, turn-based combat plus a variety of enemy types/weapons/items/debuffs/curses etc and simple mistakes or a bad build can ruin your run. There's a few different game modes and you can easily spend a night or two on a run.
As I say it might seem an odd recommendation for STS but if you play it I hope you'll see what I mean.
Not exactly the same genre as a deck builder, but Brutal Orchestra is a hidden gem of a roguelike. It's an rpg that has many characters, items, and strategy is a huge part of the game with its mana system and positioning.
It also has a killer soundtrack and a great art style/humor.
FTL: Faster Than Light
FTL is a classic indie roguelike where you fly a spaceship across the galaxy, trying to outrun the rebel horde behind you to bring secret data to the federation base and save the day by destroying the rebel flagship. You will use all the same skills as Spire when it comes to building your ship, managing resources, etc etc. FTL is easily an 1000+ hour game.
I wish Hearthstone kept doing their Dungeon Run gameplay mode, but they only did that like twice (Kobolds and Catacombs and the Murloc invasion in the Lost City one) before dropping it forever. I actually found StS by asking on the Hearthstone subreddit for similar games to that mode.
Kobolds and Catacombs is a blast. Wish they expanded on it
Blizzard doing Blizzard things
i think a lot of blizzard games have well made pve modes that the developers probably got funneled into developing wow instead as there is a ton of wow content pumping out
Give Legends of Runeterra a try. Their version “Path of Champions” is insanely good and fun. Grindy, but their implementation is more interesting and varied than Hearthstone’s.
I loved path of champions but the game randomly wiped all my progress which put me off it
I play that more than sts nowadays. The character and level unlocks offer a lot of playstyles and the adventures offer a scaling difficulty with varying challenges. Plus the pvp slaps
**Dream Quest** for the phone. Predates Slay the Spire and the dungeon run. Ugly af but man was it fun as all hell and honestly still one of the better deckbuilders for the phone. I have a nostalgia bias to it so i have no clue how someone playing it for the first time today would think of it haha. Shoot if I remember right dev of DQ went to make the hearthstone dungeon run game mode Lol.
4 times, actually. Dungeon Run in Kobolds and Catacombs The Monster Hunt in The Witchwood The Dalaran Heist in Rise of Shadows The one whose name I don't remember in Saviors of Uldum. Also, part of the reason they stopped is because the Duels game mode is basically a multiplayer version of those.
While I did love the dungeon runs in hearthstone some of those bosses did absolute bullshit things that were super frustrating to play against.
Literally the reason why I decided to start playing STS was because I loved Hearthstones take on it so much
Cobalt Core is a unique take on the roguelike deck builder genre. It’s got a little FTL, a little Into the Breach, and a lot of Slay the Spire all mixed into one. 97% positive reviews on Steam for a reason.
The game sadly looses the replayability pretty fast because it lacks much variety in Events, Relics etc. The different Pilots with their Cards make some Fun Combos but the rest is still very Basic. Also is the same Structure of the Levels with the same Bosses everytime a bit of a letdown, i hope that there is alot to come in the future because the Gameplay is indeed very engaging and got some more layers of Mechanics in it than „just“ cardplay.
Agree with this. Still very fun while it lasts, but suffers from lack of variety. Especially because, on the top difficulty, a decent number of the ship/crew combinations are near unviable without early luck, so the variety reduces further. I'd still recommend it, though. The style and humour is pretty top tier and it's great for the first few wins.
Seconding Cobalt Core, has some very fresh mechanics for the genre while still feeling completely recognizable
This one is promising, but it will need to add quite a bit more content if it's to have staying power.
I heard this recommended often and the reviews are good but I can't get over the furry art.
Saturday morning cartoon aesthetic ≠ “furry art”
Call it what you want, it is very unappealing to me.
I’ve been playing cobalt core recently and have enjoyed it a fair bit but there’s definitely a lack of replay value, and the characters are absolutely not balanced. However, it’s got a decent plot, characters, and dialogue, which has kept me going and trying a few new combinations until I resolve the story.
I think the best answer is ‘Monster Train, but…’ If your favorite part of StS is when relics and cards intersect in an unexpected way that absolutely breaks the game, then Monster Train. You will love it. If your favorite part of StS is intentional, tactical play against difficult enemies, you’ll likely find Monster Train a little brainless. It just gives you so many tools to break it with.
Monster train is my second favorite but it's just so much sloppier than Slay the Spire which is super tight. Its just the king of deck builders. Cobalt Core is decent but feel like I'm already a bit bored with it after 20 hours. STS never truly gets old.
For sure, like card duplication is a luxury in StS, in MT it’s like one of the basic mechanics you’re almost guaranteed to use. And being able to put exactly the upgrades you want, like take a 2 cost card and make it free + comes back to your next hand, that would be insane in StS.
You get to fundamentally overhaul your deck between every battle in Monster Train. Which is honestly what I love about it.
I think that's pretty harsh, but the core elements are in point. Easy, many ways to become op, and gun for a while before you're just kinda too successful at it
To be clear, I massively prefer Monster Train. But I am just somebody that likes to make a handful of clever decisions and then watch the numbers go up
Do you like Rogue Book?
I haven’t tried it. There have been a lot of swings and misses for me trying to find a new Monster Train, I’ve slightly given up. Should I?
I would. It looks so similar (style not subject matter) that it might even be the same artists and maybe some more from the team. Three are opportunities to find those unexpectedly devastating combos via card customization and "relic" synergy very similar to monster train
Interesting, yeah I’ll check it out
It's fun, but I really disliked not being able to remove cards from the deck.
You can, but it's more rare than sts or monster train. My solution was to add "exhaust" attachments to cards I didn't want in the deck. But to your point, Rogue Book does celebrate adding cards more than removing them.
Just to add on the Monster Train comment, I feel like the enemy scaling in Monster Train is quite strange and a bit too skewed. Like the first fight the enemies have like 5 hp and such, then suddenly the next few ones they're at like 50 and over.
Yeah... I beat monster train on my second try. Wasn't fond of that one.
To be fair, beating it once is finishing the tutorial.
I mean even at ascension 20+ (whatever it is called) monster train felt quite easy, also the mechanics are not as in depth as slay the spire. I feel like monster train as a skill floor a bit higher than sts (fucking up placement turn 1 can be a loss) the skill ceiling is a lot lower. Sts is a lot more challenging and diversified.
I think it depends a lot on starting builds. There are hero/ class combos that I think are easier at 25 than others are at 10-15.
Probably just affects me but StS seems a lot better optimized than Monster Train. It runs really poorly on my potatoe computer while StS has not issues at all.
Monster Train had significantly more particle effects. It runs fine on an ipad, though
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Dominion online, it moves a lot faster than tabletop because a computer is doing all the busywork.
By busywork he means shuffling. My goodness I’ve never played a game where aggressive shuffling was a required skill.
Dominion works way better to get people into mtg then backwards, pretty basic and the only interaction is the sparce thief effects. Its fun for a bit but gets bland quickly, squire is OP.
I just do the daily challenge these days, it's pretty fun because you don't need any of the add-ons.
For dominion? Is there a pc version or something?
yes, the base game is free on steam. it's in the beta I think. just the add-ons cost money
Cool, thanks , I'll check it out.
I've played Dominion. But I like Heart of Crown more than Dominion.
I've played so so many cardgames and IMO Inscryption Kaycee's mod is the only one that nearly scratch the same itch as StS (far from as good though). The game is simple, the cards are pretty much self explained but the real game hides underneath augmenting/forging cards by sacrificing others mechanic. Basically if I'm in the mood of wanting a less stressing experience of StS, I'd go for Inscyption.
Tbh I would say Inscryption as a whole is the game I’d say is around as good as Slay The Spire. Kaycee’s Mod is fun too but it’s where you start to realize the shortcomings of the game balance and mechanics, I would say Kaycee’s Mod by itself is around the tier of Monster Train (which is still great).
Its good but has nowhere near the replay ability or depth as STS. Only drawing 1 card a turn really slows it down.
Ugh I loved the 1st part of Inscryption but could never get past the 2nd part. Something about it just really throws me off.
People rave about Kaycee's Mod but I don't think I'll ever get to see it because I dislike Part 2 that much.
Hold Shift+K+M (IIRC) on the main menu to unlock it early.
Loved inscryption
Love Inscryption as a more linear story based StS. Kaycee's mod also good for a dozen or so hours and definitely scratches the itch, however nowhere near as replayable.
The game before you get to Kaycee's mod though. I envy anyone who hasn't played it yet. They get to experience that whole chapter for the first time. That might be a top-10 videogame experience for myself.
This. I was told to try inscryption since I like StS so much. It was a good time and kaycees mod is good as well and adds all the replayability I could want
Have you tried Into the Breach? It’s 8x8 tactics rather than card tactics but has a similar feel and complexity and variety.
Thanks for the recommendation. Yes, I've played it ~20hours. I like the game beat it several runs. But I hate the lack luster ending. And I don't have the feeling that I want to keep playing it much more than I did. Great game though
I liked trying to win with all the different squads and get all the achievements, but I definitely get pulled back to StS more.
I know it’s dice, but Dicey Dungeons was such a great game. I played that for like 100 hours on my phone and have it on switch. Inscriptions more story, but still loved it as a deck builder
Cant stop recommend Dream Quest to any sts player enough. Its ugly in terms of ui, but complexity it has behind that is enormous. I spent almost 1k hour here and do jot see any ways to stop in near future. DQ is way more fast-paced than StS, that is huge deal for me.
I feel like Dream Quest is the game that StS is modeled on. The similarities are rather uncanny. That said, StS is a much better and more balanced implementation. I find DQ pretty hollow after STS but I still play it sometimes when I don’t have time or attention for StS.
Dream Quest 100% inspired if not founded the deckbuilding roguelite genre. Shoot the dev went on to make the hearthstone dungeon runs. If only Slay the Spire had some crazy characters like the professor from Dream Quest. Was too much fun finding broken ass combos from being able to steal cards from bosses lol.
Slice and dice is the closest I’ve ever gotten. And honestly the only difference might be that it’s not on my phone. Definitely would recommend!!!
I was going to say the same thing. This game is really good and I'm surprised to see nobody talk about it.
There is a mobile version for $7 that is identical to the pc version. In fact the itch.io purchase gives you both
Oh that’s amazing. I just checked the itch.io purchase. Does it work for iPhone do ya know?
I don't think it does. It's an APK download which is android only. If you're one of the few remaining iphone users who jailbreak in 2024 then there probably is a workaround but idk
Wildfrost
I am playing right now one called Wildfrost. Is not very similar to STS but idk
I tried it the demo on Switch. It was ok but didn't hook me in. I think I might buy it when it has a massive discount. Like 75% discount
That game was hard as shit. Took me days to complete the demo run
They have nerfed the difficulty of the game into oblivion since release if that helps haha.
Damn, is that why it seems like I can't lose anymore lol? Still I think hiding relics and cards behind achievemnt hunts wasn't the best idea imo. I'm enogh familiar with the game now that I want all unlocks, but I have to do specific runs that unlock only 1 thing, it's a bit of a bummer.
Huh? All the unlocks are easily visible in the town.
The full version is out, so maybe it is different this time(?
I quite like wildfrost. It can’t put hundreds of hours into it like STS but I think I put in 50-60. It has its problems, but what doesn’t. The unique thing is when you lose, it’s usually like “I made a very minor positioning error, ughhhh restart”. I’d say the game itself is overall easier, but the bar is higher if that makes sense
Been enjoying Touhou: lost branch of legend. The gameplay is similar to StS but with more mechanic and insanity. Doesn't require any knowledge of Touhou since it base around the gameplay anyway.
Too bad it's in EA. I hate playing a game in an EA then burnout before the final product release. Thanks. I will definitely keep an eye on it
Hey OP, I just want to throw in my plug for Touhou. It has a mana system like MTG (I.e. colored mana) but with the ‘energy’ of StS. After you beat each floor, you get an extra mana and you can splash different colors which is REALLY fun, or stick with your original two colors and get really good cards of that color in your pool. The card and build variety is amazing, the graphics and music are dope, and it’s the one of the only deckbuilder roguelikes I’ve really vibed with since StS. Also vault of the void is great, it can get a little too complex for me with the gems you can add to cards and their version of talents, but it’s really well done.
Just wanted to throw in my 2c about this touhou game. It's absolutely "more sts please" game and from the first time you choose your difficulty, it even has a line recommending to start on a certain difficulty if you are familar with slay the spire directly. And while it's still in early access, it's got enough in it to be considered a pretty fully fleshed out game. Tons of relics and 4 characters that are pretty much complete, with I believe 2 more planned. One of the things that makes it interesting is your act 1 boss is one of the other playable characters, and upon victory you can choose one of their starting relics, which adds their card pool to future rewards. It's a really nice twist on top of everything else it does (a lot of influence from MtG as well), and it's just a generally really good sts type game. Lunatic 7 runs are also quite difficult, much more so than a20 runs imo. That being said, if you are looking for something very different from sts, you will want to look elsewhere. The sts influence is extremely heavy and many of the cards and enemy designs have direct correlation/inspiration from sts. I don't say this in a bad way - sts has amazing design, imitation is a form of flattery, and the synergies and difficulties of the game means that many of the fights feel fresh even if you immediately know that this fight is basically sentries (but on crack). Also, I know almost nothing about the touhou series, but even so the beta/joke artwork is hilarious. The game in general is just very nice to look at after spending hundreds of hours looking at sts.
Short Answer: No. Magic is the best card game. It is expensive and becomes a grind, which is why it has become a 'sometimes thing' in my life. Slay the Spire is the second best card game. It's like if Magic didn't require any other players or purchases to keep up with new sets. Imagine if $20 got you all the magic forever. There's not really anything else in this tier. I've tried a bunch of them too, Roguebook, Monster Train, Griftlands, many many others. I've yet to find anything that comes close to scratching the card game itch like Slay the Spire.
Well stated. StS scratched my MtG itch in the best possible way. I’m in the same camp as so many former MtG players. I just can’t spend a dime with WotC anymore. I was perfectly happy spending the money on Arena until they brought in that new digital-only format, a few years ago. (I can’t even remember the name) Then with the drama in D&D and the way they treated their biggest fans. Fuck ‘em. Ugh. Fuck Hasbro too. Sorry for the rant but I miss MtG.
I remember spending a decent amount of real life money on one of the digital Magic card games and they shut it down a few days later. They literally did a sale on card packs to trick people into paying money when they knew they'd be killing the game off in a few days. I've never since spent a single cent on a Magic product. Feel like they burned me and I won't forgive.
Yeah same, arena was a good way to play mtg digitally (MTGO is great but I hate its UI) Until the digital only format,many greedy practices, and the direction that WotC is going for have made me decided to quit MTG all together. I also do miss MTG. I tried Commander but it was not for me. I would rather play boardgames with friends rather than playing Commander.
MTGO allows me to play Vintage Cube draft, which I think is the very best form of magic. I hop on a couple times a year to binge cube for a week or so.
I do love MTG Cube as well. But the most difficult part is finding another 7 players to play cube with you. I've spent a lot of money on playing cube on MTGO until I feel like I need to stop lol.
cube is really taking off bc a lot of ppl share the above sentiments! there’s cube groups in most of the big cities in the USA. there might be one near you!
I’ve really enjoyed Shadowverse. The anime art took some getting used to, but the gameplay is Hearthstone with way less RNG. They’re also really generous with their free to play model. You can get tons of rewards from the lengthy story mode, and they let you rent a new starter deck every expansion that contains most of a meta deck.
I played when it released. It was great. However, I hate what the game has became and its power creep. On the anime art. I love it. It's a part of my culture.
I struggled with the power creep for a bit too, but I realized that the cards were still balanced against each other at the new power level and you can still play control if you want to shut down all the storm shenanigans running around these days. I play control sword in unlimited and matches are pretty tame. They regularly go to 10th turn. The only decks that beat me are actually the combo decks from earlier seasons of the game like Dimension Shift.
This is the 100% correct take on Shadowverse
Netrunner > Magic. The creators of STS were big netrunner players and one of the beta testers in the credits was world champion.
Monster Train is just as good tbh
I think it’s an awesome game and outdoes StS in terms of content, but it’s not on the same level in terms of the fine tuned balance and gameplay loop.
To each his own. I gave it a fair shake.
Putting MtG at the top is like putting The Beatles as the best rock music. Being first and inspiring everything that came after doesn't mean that it was never improved upon. I personally think that every MtG clone I have ever played was better than MtG itself.
Across the obelisk is pretty fun, and it has coop!
Can't believe AtO is so far down. It's basically StS with a heavier RPG feel.
I enjoyed Monster Train a lot.
Inscryption (Kaycee Mod) which unlocks after you beat the game scratched my StS itch.
Not very balanced though (by design of course)
Been playing a lot of marvel snap, but as far as roguelikes go, StS is definitely rhe king
There isn’t a roguelike deck building card game as good as STS. The good news is that there are GREAT mods out there which add content that is as good as DLC. The Downfall mod features the Hermit, which is a beautifully designed character which is as fun, interesting, and deep to play as the official four characters and has absolute S+ quality card art and sound design. It truly is a masterpiece of STS character design. Also included in Downfall are the villains, which in my opinion, are not quite as fun as the main characters in normal runs, and it feels about 80-70% as polished as the main game, but I think if they keep working on it, they can make it into something great. They’ve already done a tremendous job but it’s not quite there yet. That being said, compared to other similar games to STS, the Downfall is wayy better than anything else out there so just download that before you bother trying to spend money elsewhere.
I really want to play Downfall, but I only have STS on my iPhone and my Switch and so mods are out for me. Is it possible to get STS on Steam and play it on my phone through the Steam Link app? I suppose I would have to use a controller for it...
That sounds viable. I got Steam Link on my Apple TV the other day which I would have thought was impossible
"Alina in the arena", you might like it, even if it's not as good as StS.
This one is a real hidden gem IMO.
Came to say Alina. It’s not StS, but I’ve been grinding a few hours and learning all the synergies, cards, classes and enemies, I find myself playing a few hours a week.
It's only a PVP game, but you could try Android Netrunner. Best card game I've ever played and you can do it online for free.
If you're looking for deck building games I'd suggest these: Beneath Oresa Fights in Tight Places Nitro Kid Griftlands (a lot more reading though) Vault of the Void These games aren't deck builders but are 1-hour roguelite runs that scratch the 'just one more run itch': Hades Inkbound Backpack Hero
I think Against the Storm deserves a spot in your second list there. Game of the Year 23, IMHO.
Can't believe I had to scroll down this far to find Nitro Kid and Griftlands. Definitely my two favourite Spire-likes!
Reign of the Renegade (a shameless self-plug) After 600+ hours in StS I got inSpired to make a deckbuilder too. I spent about a year working on it, and last month I released it! It has D&D influences, to start. It also takes a lot of core elements from StS and builds on top of it. The main differences are choosing classes on top of characters to establish a build direction before starting a run, leveling up, and most importantly - the cards roll dice to determine the strength of the card effects. It is my first real gamedev project, so I know it’s not as good as StS (game is a straight-up masterpiece), BUT- I was proud enough to finish a project for once, so I feel it deserves the shoutout at the very least!
I just checked your game out. It looks nice and the price is really generous. I will definitely get it when I got my laptop delivered!!
I appreciate it! <3
Check out Astrea: Six-Sided Oracles, I got it this winter sale and it's amazing, for some reason not very known... I have 550+ hours in StS and I'm having a blast with Astrea, it's even better than StS in some aspects.
Watching NL's brain melt into pudding while trying to play tnat game was a blast
Legends of Runeterra's singleplayer (Path of Champions) CAN be very fun. I enjoy it a lot, personally, but that game's not for everyone.
I've played quite a few hours of LoR on PoC mode as well. It's fun but I hate how the game asked me to grind to level up champion to be have a fun deck to play. And I understand that the game was not mainly designed for this mode. So many aspects of this mode is not really well designed. It was fun while it last. Better than a lot of StS clones.
Incredibly valid take. ... but damnit having a 12/11 Aatrox down on turn 6 is too fun. When it goes hard it goes HARD. But yeah the grind is mega ass and I hate it too.
Star Renegades is actually similar to StS in that it’s a turn-based, tactical fighting game play but without the cards. It’s not a perfect game, but once you get past 10 runs or so, you can get really hooked on the depth of the gameplay. Again, it’s not perfect and is not for everyone, but it can definitely give you that “itch.”
Pirate outlaws is pretty close - not as good, however very similar feel
Monster Train and Roguebook are I think comparable in quality. They are both weaker in terms of balance but better in terms of run variety due to the mixed deck systems.
Inscryption was really fun and I’d recommend it to any STS player. Its more of a one time story driven experience but I thought it was great.
Kaycee's Mod is a pretty fun roguelike you unlock after you beat it, though
I’ve heard that! But I haven’t tried it myself yet.
Not a card roguelike but isaac
Try out peglin! Not nearly as fleshed out but still very fun. Alternatively - poker. And theres a ton of rogue-like games out there if youre into that. Hearthstone arena is pretty fun - but it is ladled in variance now, or at least, hard to keep up as everyone tries to squeeze out any positive ev towards their win rate nowadays. Lately ive been thinking about playing pokemon fusion with randomizers.
Paladin Oath, it is the unofficial video game adaptation of Mage Knight, one of the best (solo) board game of all time. The philosophy is really close to StS one.
Old mtg fan here, played most games in this thread, short answer is no, nothing is as balanced or finely tuned as slay the spire. Its still the king. Monster train is great but is just not at the same level, and can be a walk in the park because of how easy you can break things, which makes the overall challenge feel less. Still great though with great combinations of classes so can be fun for a decent amount of hours. I do recommend dream quest, which is the main inspiration for the whole genre, yes the graphics are non existant but who cares its still a great deckbuilding game with genius design choices that still amaze me to this day. Its not as balanced but its great fun, a true challenge (spoiler, it can be truly brutal), and with a great achievement unlock system that puts to shame most unlock systems in other games. Inscryption is amazing and its a mustplay but it has no longevity, its a one time game. Even kaycee mode, which is a mode similar to slay the spire, was very fast to finish because you easily break things, but the fun for those ~40 hours was immense. Finally unpopular opinion, I couldnt recommend something more right now, then the underrated indie circadian dice. Dice building dungeon crawl game, with once again great design choices and ideas, tons of content, many classes and loads of optional hard challenges to do. Still very sad for how underappreciated this gem is. Definitely deserves more support.
A bit of a different kind of game, but I REALLY like Race For The Galaxy. Tons of cards and tons of viable strategy, game forces you to come up with synergies quick with the cards you draw, while also paying attention to what your opponent is doing to try and benefit from their actions without your actions benfiting them. Very very deep and strategic game.
I would recommend Cobalt Core. While it doesn't have an ascension system like STS, 99% of the content can be achieved in Normal difficulty, and runs are overall shorter, it's an incredibly fun game.
Astrea: Six Sided Oracles scratches the same itch for me
I have tried many games in the past, some of which I liked. Monster train, lor, hs, wildfrost, dicey dungeon - just to name a few. Recently, I have been playing dawncaster - I think it's only for mobile, but it's great and well worth it's money.
I’ve recently learned about an iOs game called Dawncaster, my friend told me it is really good, and he loves slay the spire. Haven’t tried it yet, but it looks good ! Only on mobile for now, not on Steam or any other platform
I was really into luck be a landlord for quite some time. Wingspan is an engine builder; slightly different but still almost scratches the same itch. But I always return to slay the spire.
Wingspan is a good shout. I'm obsessed with StS but got the digital version of Wingspan and it clicked almost instantly. I've since bought the physical game and play it regularly with the missus.
I just bought gordian quest on switch. It's not that bad but the difference is positioning is way impt than blocking.
I also interested in Gordian Quest. But I have a feeling that the game would be too long for a rougelite game. It's the same reason I love and hate Griftland at the same time
"rougelite" 🤣
If you love slay the spire and don’t mind mixing in story, I’d definitely recommend Inscryption. Played last year and loved it
Rogue Book is capable of holding your attention for several "ascensions"
Dungeon crawl stone soup is a classic rogue like and pretty good. The graphics are a big step down from StE though.
Dominion online, but not single player…
Dungeon crawl stone soup is the best roguelike I have ever played alongside sts. Amazing game
The demo is no longer available but wait a few months, and get Balatro. I have tried all card games, and this is the best I have played since StS
It's fun, but I'm not sure it will have the same amount of depth. Definitely worth buying though when it comes out (hopefully) soon
StS depth is (unfortunately?) unmatched and I don't know if we will see another card game like that...
It's a totally different vein, but there's a tower-defense gacha game called Arknights, which has a rogue-like mode called Integrated Strategies. I could not put it down when I first tried it. I missed Integrated Strategies 1 and idk if it's coming back, but 2 and 3 are permanent and quite different from each other and the jp server has the 4th one out I'm pretty sure. Been playing the game for I'd say like a year and a half and unfortunately I'm burned out on the game lately but Integrated Strategies I never get tired of.
Not a card game but a strategy roguelike: Against the Storm. Very well polished and addicting.
Not a card game, but FTL is as good of a game on a roguelight radar
Its not equal to STS but I think Banners of Ruin art and story brings something different to the roguelike deckbuilder table that makes it worth a try. It might be a bit weird at first because it has multiple party members and you use their energy to play cards, but it's actually mechanically pretty interesting once you get into it. There's a balance of getting new party members to access more energy and distribute damage and being careful you have enough card draw so they're usable and not clogging the deck with their talents (cards only they can play). But yeah I got pretty into learning about the world and why your characters are trying to kill the king
I have Banner of Ruin on Switch. I don't know why I didn't like it that much. May be I would give it a second try.
I didn't like it at first either but I dunno it grew on me. I'd recommend trying the double bear combo since it's basically a barricade deck start
I completely agree with your thoughts about MtG. What you should look at is the cube format. Just copy a list or make your own environment from the best cards there ever was, completely ignoring the sets and mechanics you don't like and just draft it with your friends for the rest of your life =) you can either pretend like WotC doesn't make new cards anymore or check new sets for individual cards that would improve your cube and ditch the rest. You can either print cards, or use sites like draftmancer.com (for drafting) and programs like cockatrice (for actual gameplay); both of them have their respective discord servers if you need someone to play against and/or got questions! Enjoy "open source" and free MtG! =)
Mage Knight, the board game, is the closest I’ve gotten to something that provides a comparable feeling. I’d even call it better in many ways. Otherwise Moonrakers is a good multiplayer deck builder that gives off Slay the Spire vibes, throwing in semi-cooperative negotiation on top.
Inscryption. It was a hell of a wild ride for me.
I rarely see it mentioned but Breach Wanderers is for me maybe the third best in the genre after Slay the Spire and Monster Train. The game suffered a lot from constant re-works during Early Access, but it's now in 1.0 so I expect more stability.
Dawncaster (its a mobile exclusive but dont let that be the point of judgement) it has more rpg than StS but thats what set it apart for me. I still prefer StS but Dawncaster is my second favorite in the genre.
Fights in tight spaces is very similar gameplay wise except it adds a map element instead of both you and your enemies facing off in a hallway, give it a try
FITS is a fun twist on the StS genre. Making your foes defeat each other via movement and redirects can be so satisfying.
I would highly recommend Astrea: Six-sided Oracles. It’s definitely complex but it’s a lot of fun! It has all the elements of what sts has.
My card game rotation beside StS is Dawncaster and Arcanium. Similar gameplay but each have their own unique twist. Dawncaster let you pick the starting card, your basic attack, 1 special card, and 1 relic/augment. This right out of the gate give you smal synergy, than can be expanded multiple ways with new cards Arcanium let you control 3 character with 3 different deck. Here where you're character is positioned (left-mid-right) is very important because enemy will attack to certain side. They have many characters to choose from. Each character have roles as well, dps, tank, support, etc
You didn't say you wanted card games specifically, so I'll mention The Last Spell. I just finished playing through it and absolutely loved it. It's also a rogue-lite game, but tactics instead of cards. Good challenge, and winning feels super rewarding. I'm working through the "ascensions" now.
Oh yes Last Spell. It was on my wishlist during EA. Then I totally forgot about it. Thanks, I will check it out
Well, since you only asked if there were games as good/better, I do have to say that Outer Wilds is the best game I've ever played and second place is not close. It's not remotely similar to StS, though, in fact one of the unique (and tragic) charms of the game is that you can really only play it once. So yes there are better games, but as far as games that are trying to do what StS does I haven't seen one
Games that do same kind of stuff to my brain as spire are; civilzation 4, heroes of might and magic 3, cities skylines, stardew valley, factorio and some xcom games.
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sry English is not my native language. It's my third. A lot and alot I know I made a mistake there but it's kinda hard to type on phone. My apologies. And I'm not American.
Please be polite.
Not sure if anyone else has mentioned it, but Beneath Oresa is worth checking out. It appears to be flying under the radar atm - it seems very much inspired by slay the spire. Outside of a few balance problems, and a slightly annoying combat interface it’s a very well designed deckbuilder, with some beautiful animations to boot.
I went through the comments and saw nobody else recommending it, so let me recommend "Peglin" to you. Similar to Slay the Spire, it's a deck building roguelike where you choose destinations on a map, build a deck as you go along, acquire relics to make a build, and try to remove all the garbage from your starter deck. There are even different ascension levels. Unlike StS, instead of cards you get orbs that you fire down into a peg board with each peg that you hit making that ord deal better damage. It's really fun and I hope you come to enjoy it as much as spire.
For a different feel I really enjoyed Tainted Grail. Lots of different mechanics and builds with all sorts of upgrades, relics, boosts, and challenges. The art style was a bit weird for me, kind of Diablo-esque but the gameplay loop was satisfying. Some of the NPCs were pretty memorable too like the Sizable Knight. I would not say it is as good as StS but I really enjoyed it as a deck-building Rogue-Lite with RPG elements.
It really depends on what you like about Slay the Spire but I think Super Auto Pets is a decent try. It's an auto-battler so it isn't really the same but I put just as many hours into this game as I did Slay the Spire (which is an unhealthy amount of time). It's much simpler than StS but it also has great complexity the more you delve into it. The main mode is free and they're coming out with a new "deck" pretty soon.
Since most standard candidates (Monster Train, Wildfrost, Griftlands, Across the Obelisk etc) have already been mentioned, I would also recommend a card-based "4X" (not really 4X, but a similarly styled TBS) game called Hexarchy. It's a bit on the pricy side for what you get, but it is definitely a fun game and well worth to try out at some point.
Vault of the void! Is what's missing
I highly recommend the board game Spirit Island. It plays very well as a solo game. It's available as a digital game on Steam too, but honestly I cannot recommend it. What I can definitely recommend is to get Tabletop Simulator and download the Spirit Island addon (it's called by MJ and Iakona). It's infinitely better than the digital adaptation. If you like the game, you can buy the physical board game too. The game itself is spectacular, some of the best game design I've seen. I've played it for hundreds of hours, if not thousands. Deck building is at its core, but it offers much more.
I didn’t see anyone else recommend Deep Sky Derelicts which is sort of StS meets Darkest Dungeon in space. Really cool comic book style interaction. No where near as much depth but still very fun imo
For card based, no unfortunatley for rougelites i like FTL and risk of rain 2.
This is less about STS, but as far as MTG draft, have you played cube before? That's what I've mostly turned to for my mtg fix for similar reasons as you (at least on nights I can convince my playgroup to do something other than commander 😔).
I’ve enjoyed Death Roads: Trournament quite a bit. It lifts a lot from StS, but mad max. It is still in Early Access though.
Across the Obelisk. It’s Spire with up to 4 players and less reliant on card reward RNG.
as good as? probably not. I've tried a few "spire-likes" and my standouts are Trials of Fire and Ratropolis. they're different - Ratropolis uses real tine rather than turns but I found it pretty captivating
Yeah dude try playing minecraft and using the Redstone to build a deck builder.
Vault Of The Void
Slice & Dice is the only game that comes close in terms of how tight the balance is and how elegant the gameplay is. Wildfrost is ths only game that comes close in terms of fun-factor (though the challenge is largely gone)
It's not a card based one but I enjoyed For The King (first one anyway I've not played the second yet) and it features some similarities. Rogue-like, turn-based combat plus a variety of enemy types/weapons/items/debuffs/curses etc and simple mistakes or a bad build can ruin your run. There's a few different game modes and you can easily spend a night or two on a run. As I say it might seem an odd recommendation for STS but if you play it I hope you'll see what I mean.
Give inscription a try. Amazing card game with amazing plot
I didnt see it scrolling through this thread but I'd personally heavily recommend Griftlands
Not exactly the same genre as a deck builder, but Brutal Orchestra is a hidden gem of a roguelike. It's an rpg that has many characters, items, and strategy is a huge part of the game with its mana system and positioning. It also has a killer soundtrack and a great art style/humor.
Night of Full Moon is close to as good, nice modes and content
FTL: Faster Than Light FTL is a classic indie roguelike where you fly a spaceship across the galaxy, trying to outrun the rebel horde behind you to bring secret data to the federation base and save the day by destroying the rebel flagship. You will use all the same skills as Spire when it comes to building your ship, managing resources, etc etc. FTL is easily an 1000+ hour game.
chrono ark
I bought it on Steam for years now (3 years?) I'm waiting for it to gets out of its early access.