Slay the Spire, the brilliant roguelike deckbuilder that first released in early access in 2017, is getting a sequel next year.
Slay the Spire 2 was announced with a teaser video, embedded above, at the Triple-I Initiative showcase today. It's quite a glow up: A brief but sweet animated reintroduction to the Spire.
Near the end of the teaser, we see what I assume will be Slay the Spire 2's three launch characters: The Ironclad and The Silent, and a new skeleton character. A screenshot on Slay the Spire 2's just-launched Steam page reveals the skeleton to be The Necrobinder, "a wandering lich who seeks to bind the forgotten corpse."
I'm a little sad not to see my boy The Defect, the first character I beat the original Slay the Spire with, but we don't know for sure what the roster will be. And The Necrobinder sounds cool. I'm wondering if she can somehow raise dead enemies as her own minions?
"The Spire isn't what it used to be," reads the Slay the Spire 2 Steam page. "All new enemies, events, and treasures await as the rooms and items you discover change each time you play... Try risky builds or play it safe as you explore countless different strategies, find yourself in peculiar scenarios, and confront the Bosses of each Act."
Sounds like more Slay the Spire! I'd probably be happy with that, but it being a sequel—stylized with a Roman numeral and everything—gets me wondering if developer Mega Crit has altered or evolved anything about Slay the Spire's core design, difficult as that would be with such an already-elegant game. The listing also promises yet to be announced "new ways to play," and maybe that's what I'm looking for.
The original's distinctive art style has been retained, though the animated teaser, which clearly had some budget behind it, suggests we might see a bit more motion. The original used screen shake to communicate quite a lot of its action, although those shorthand animations—like the way characters attacked by gliding in the direction of their enemies—were part of what made Slay the Spire so charismatic.
Slay the Spire 2 was built fresh in a new engine. Originally, that engine was going to be Unity, but Mega Crit switched to the open-source Godot after Unity announced a controversial new fee structure last year. Unity ultimately backtracked on the fee change, but Mega Crit confirmed to IGN that the switch to Godot stuck.
Slay the Spire 2 will include "modern features," "all-new visuals," and expanded moddability, according to the Steam page. Like the first game, it will release first in early access.
"Slay the Spire's success comes from our community," says Mega Crit. "It sounds corny, but the extra mile many of you went to report issues, translate content/announcements, create long video essays, make excellent (lol) tier lists, and draw goofy or gorgeous fan art is the reason we're doing it all again. We love our job!"
Slay the Spire 2 will be out in 2025, and the developer says to expect more info "later this year."
