Slay the Spire 2 Review Summary

Enjoyable multiplayer experience: The multiplayer mode is frequently praised for being fun, seamless, and well-adapted. Reviewers enjoy playing with friends and find the co-op mode particularly engaging and enjoyable.

Positive overall game experience: Many reviewers express enjoyment and appreciation for the game, highlighting its innovative and engaging nature. They find it fun, interesting, and worth looking forward to, with a solid foundation and potential for further improvements.

New and unique characters: The addition of new characters is well-received, with reviewers noting that they feel fresh and distinct. The changes to existing characters and the introduction of new ones add to the game's uniqueness and playability.

Addictive and enjoyable gameplay: The core gameplay loop is described as addictive and enjoyable. Reviewers find the gameplay exciting and praise its addictive nature, contributing to a positive overall experience.

Improved visuals and aesthetics: The game's visuals and animations are highlighted as beautiful and greatly improved. Reviewers appreciate the refined art style and the overall presentation of the game.

Game design flaws: Players have criticized the game for its poor design, lack of player agency, and stale gameplay. The game mechanics are seen as frustrating and poorly balanced, leading to inevitable losses.

Ignoring player feedback: Many reviews mention that the development team does not listen to or consider player feedback. This lack of response to player feedback has led to frustration among the player base.

Card removal changes: Players are frustrated with the changes to card removal mechanics, including increased costs and reduced efficiency. These changes have made it more difficult to manage cards effectively.

Enemies deal too much damage: Players find that enemies and bosses deal excessive damage, making the game overly difficult and frustrating. The scaling of enemy attack power is seen as too high.

Forced gameplay changes: Players are frustrated with the developers' focus on forcing specific gameplay strategies and limiting player options. This approach is seen as restrictive and not enjoyable.

Card-based gameplay mechanics: The game features a variety of card-based mechanics, including deck-building, card synergies, and energy management. Players use different strategies and character-specific decks to defeat enemies and bosses.

Character-specific mechanics: The game includes unique mechanics and abilities for different characters, allowing for diverse playstyles and strategies. Players discuss character progression and specific adjustments.

Game balance issues: Players have noted various balance issues within the game, including gameplay balance, monster balancing, and card effectiveness. These issues impact the overall gameplay experience and replayability.

Deck-building strategies: Deck-building is a core aspect of the game, with players focusing on constructing decks with synergies and managing deck sizes. Strategies vary based on character builds and card mechanics.

Boss and enemy mechanics: Boss fights and enemy encounters are key elements, with specific mechanics and strategies required. Players mention various enemy designs and balance issues.

Game frequently crashes: Multiple players report that the game crashes often, affecting both PC and Steam Deck users. This includes general crashes and bugs that lead to crashes.

Game fails to launch: Some players experience issues where the game fails to launch entirely, preventing them from playing.

Multiplayer bugs: There are notable bugs in the multiplayer mode, affecting the gameplay experience for those who play with others.

Save file issues: Players have reported problems with save files, which can impact game progress and overall experience.

Works well on Steam Deck: Despite some issues, the game generally works well on the Steam Deck, providing a good experience for users of that platform.

Avoid purchasing the game now: Many players advise against buying the game in its current state due to various issues and recommend waiting for improvements or updates.

Wait for updates or sale: Some players suggest waiting for more updates or purchasing the game during a sale for a better experience.

Add new difficulty levels: Requests for new levels of difficulty to cater to different player preferences and skills.

Introduce new bosses and mechanics: Players are asking for new bosses and mechanics to enhance gameplay variety and challenge.

Devs should livestream high difficulty: Players suggest that developers should livestream playing the game at high difficulty levels to showcase its potential.

Community fair range: $20.00 - $25.00.

Game completion: 40.0h.

The multiplayer mode in 'Slay the Spire 2' is highly praised for its innovation, enjoyment, and the unique synergies it brings to the game. It is seen as a significant improvement and a key feature that enhances the overall gaming experience.

Reported time to anchor: 30m.

Friction: The multiplayer mode is criticized for its difficulty and balance issues, particularly in higher Ascension levels.; Some players find the multiplayer mode less engaging if one player achieves an infinite combo, making the game boring for others..

Unlock drivers: Unique team synergies and shared progression in multiplayer mode.; The addition of multiplayer-specific cards that enhance team dynamics..

Co-op Enthusiast: Cooperative and interactive. Motivation: Social interaction and cooperative gameplay. Stance: buy.

Frustrated Challenger: Strategic and adaptive. Motivation: Overcoming challenges and enjoying the game. Stance: deep sale.

Strategic Collaborator: Collaborative and strategic. Motivation: Strategic depth and collaborative gameplay. Stance: buy.

The game generally performs well across various hardware configurations, with many players reporting smooth gameplay and good optimization. However, there are notable issues with crashes, instability, and performance drops, particularly on higher-end systems and specific configurations like MacOS and Linux setups.

Windows <8GB VRAM / <16GB RAM: mixed. Players report a mix of smooth performance and significant issues like crashes and save file deletions.

Windows 8-11GB VRAM: mixed. Performance is generally good, but there are frequent reports of crashes and instability.

Windows 12-15GB VRAM / 16-31GB RAM: mixed. Mostly positive reviews with some reports of crashes and performance issues.

Steam Deck: The analysis of user feedback for the Steam Deck experience of the game reveals several key themes. Controller support is a significant issue, with many users finding navigation and interaction problematic. Text size and readability are also notable concerns, as the small text makes it difficult for users to read important information. Stability and crashes are frequent complaints, with users reporting that the game often crashes, leading to a disrupted gaming experience. Despite these issues, many users have reported that the game runs well overall on the Steam Deck, with only minor bugs that do not significantly impact the experience.

Linux and Proton: The game generally receives positive feedback for its native Linux support, with many users reporting that it runs well out of the box on various Linux distributions. However, there are notable mentions of crashes, stability issues, and the need for specific launch options or tweaks to optimize performance. Graphical glitches and performance issues are also reported by some users, indicating that while the game is largely compatible with Linux, there are areas that could be improved for a smoother experience.

Monetization: The game is praised for its lack of microtransactions and fair monetization practices. However, some players feel that the content could have been delivered as a DLC rather than a full sequel. There are also mentions of gameplay balance issues, but these are not directly related to monetization.

Mod reliance: The game is playable but heavily reliant on mods for both basic functionality and enhanced features. Users report technical issues and a lack of updates, which mods help to address. While the game is functional, the reliance on mods for an optimal experience is notable.

External guides: The analysis of user feedback reveals significant reliance on external tools like spreadsheets and wikis for effective gameplay, indicating high complexity and a steep learning curve. Users also report frequent technical issues and bugs that require external research to resolve, impacting the overall experience. Additionally, there are complaints about the user interface, such as the game launching on the wrong monitor and the need to alt-tab frequently. These issues collectively contribute to a challenging and sometimes frustrating user experience.

Communication issues with developers: There are reports of communication problems between Chinese players and the game developers.

Mods to remove boss: Players have created and shared mods that allow them to delete the boss from the game.

Save scumming tip: Players have shared tips on how to use save scumming to their advantage in the game.

Allegations of review manipulation: Some players have accused the developers of gaslighting and using bots to farm positive reviews.