After being widely considered to have established an entire genre, Slay the Spire 2's devs were never likely to attempt to recreate the wheel with this sequel. Slay the Spire wasn't the first roguelike deckbuilder, but the modern ubiquity of the format owes much to the slow-burn popularity of MegaCrit's debut, so much so that a follow-up could have played things very safe. Instead, Slay the Spire 2 is as successful a sequel as its early access release could have allowed for: instantly familiar, but already bursting with new ideas.Each attempt at Slay the Spire 2 places you back at the ground floor of the titular tower, resurrected by the cetacean spirit Neow with a basic array of moves with which to kickstart your next ascent. A randomly-generated map offers different paths up the Spire, with each chosen encounter offering ways to hone your approach, optimizing your deck of cards to ensure that your desired win-condition is as easy as possible to execute. Defeating simple mobs offers new cards and a small amount of gold, which can be spent in the shop for even more cards or powerful relics that can change the direction of an entire run. Random events and Elite battles throw in even more variables, turbo-charging an ascent with the right reward or stopping it in its tracks if you're not prepared for the inevitable skill-check.
