My relationship with Slay the Spire is one that has had several years to mature. I first played it when it was free on XBOX Game Pass. It was the game I used to play while sitting on the exercise bike in the lounge room at the old house. It was a way to think and to kill time while endeavoring to have a somewhat healthy routine. Then at some point I started going to a real gym instead, and the exercise bike went outside and didn't get used all that much.
Then I purchased the game on the Nintendo Switch. Every time I had a flight, it was my game. It meant the hours whittled away quickly. Until I discovered Hades, then that game took its place, but for a very long time, every night, Slay the Spire put me to sleep.
Then I got a Steam Deck. Then I purchased Slay the Spire on Steam, and spent 71.3 hours (so far) when I probably should have been sleeping or not exposing myself to blue light trying to get my endless combinations and just the right random seed to work.
Now, with Slay the Spire 2 in early access, this was very much a Day 0 (Day 1?) purchase. And it went straight on the Steam Deck. And I uninstalled Slay the Spire (the original) from the Steam Deck. And I still long to play more Slay the Spire 2.
For a sequel, it isn't that much different. To take the opposite end of the rogue like spectrum, Darkest Dungeon and Darkest Dungeon 2 could not be more different. Meanwhile, Slay The Spire 2 is a familiar friend, returning from a long holiday, with new stories about their misadventures, and harrowing, difficult interludes that will, as ever in the roguelike genre, end in defeat.
I do not know what is so compelling about the rogue like genre. It isn't the birth of gaming where you keep inserting a coin to try and defeat the machine's inevitable increasing tempo and stacked odds, but instead it something about coming back to a familiar challenge, and trying to navigate it in a different way.
There's a new character to play. There's new cards to build a deck out of. There's new monsters to fight, and there's new items, relics, and a new unlock system. The music (which was incredible) is still incredible, and the same. There's a bit more flavor text, and the mechanics are just as tight, satisfying and challenging as the initial Slay the Spire game.
The only thing really new is the addition (hah, see what I did there?) of the number 2. And a smoother experience. More optimisation so you can game for longer on your handheld PC of choice, on the same battery life. But given all the hours sacrificed to the original game, this is a purchase that is truly worth it, as while the game is in early access for the time being - it is a very complete and very successful package
If you liked the original, you'll like this. If you didn't like the original, then you won't like this. If you didn't play the original... maybe play this first? Some recent reviews say the game has gotten to hard. I say that people need to accept the fact that death and defeat is inevitable.
There's no real story to speak of, but the ones that you make in your mind, and what you piece together from the flavour text. It is fun. It is enjoyable. It is a game that should deserve to go up on a pedestal in some sort of hall of fame. I haven't played the game for a few weeks, but I am eagerly awaiting the full release beyond Early access.