One of the most successful indie games of all time finally gets a sequel but is it worth playing in early access or would you be better off waiting for the full release?
For years now there has been a real problem with indie game sequels. No matter how good they are, and regardless of whether they’re very similar to the original or completely different, they just never seem to sell. From Spelunky 2 to Rogue Legacy 2, and many more besides, there’s been no clear reason why they should fail, given any mainstream game in a similar situation would likely prosper.
Last year’s Hollow Knight: Silksong did seem to break the curse (which is ironic because it wasn’t originally intended to be a sequel) and now Slay The Spire 2 has achieved success too, its early access release recording half a million concurrent players on Steam – a number any online multiplayer game would be very proud of.
Console and mobile versions are planned eventually but the early access version on PC runs on even very modest hardware. It’s also a lot more complete, and bug free than many early access titles, so while it’s not cheap – and the price is expected to increase for the final launch – it’s already a fully formed experience, even if it could’ve got away with less at this point.
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The original Slay The Spire was released in early access in 2017 but only got a full launch in 2019. While it was far from the first deckbuilding game with roguelike elements it was certainly the most successful, selling millions of copies and proving highly influential in terms of other indie games and triple-A titles such as Marvel’s Midnight Sons. Its success was well deserved, but it was a very low budget game, with some very cheap looking visuals.
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The artwork often appeared very amateurish but that’s the first thing you’ll noticed has changed in this sequel, with expensive looking animated intros and generally much more professional presentation all round. What you also notice is that not much else has actually changed and that Slay The Spire 2’s method for avoiding the indie sequel curse is to be almost exactly the same game.
It’s hardly the first sequel to face that accusation though, indie or otherwise, and since the original was by no means perfect, trying to make the best version possible of the first game is a perfectly legitimate approach. Even if we do wish they’d concentrate more on reducing the random elements.
Since Slay The Spire 2 works in the same basic way as the original that means it sounds very dull unless you try it yourself. It’s set up like a series of standard turn-based role-playing battles, except instead of picking moves and options from a menu you’re using cards to determine what you can do – cards dealt at random from a deck that’s dependent on which character you’re playing as.
All the characters have their own unique decks and gameplay mechanics, which helps you to anticipate cards and how you’ll use them. Although it’s a bit disconcerting that Slay The Spire 2 starts you off with the exact same character as the first game, and then the next one you unlock is also the same as the original, which doesn’t help in giving the impression that this is a brand new game.
Developer Mega Crit isn’t being lazy though and beyond the improved presentation, and a refined user interface, there are lots of new cards, characters, and enemies – as well as potions and relics that help you customise your deck. The game is what used to be called an expansion pack sequel, in that it could easily have been just a big DLC update. But as long as you’re prepared for that it’s not necessarily a bad thing, if the net result is an unequivocally better game.
That is what Slay The Spire 2 is though. Beyond the new four-player co-op mode there are no significant new features, that would count as a major step forward, but there are lots of changes and additions that help it to improve on the original.
As well as simply being better balanced, it now feels like you have more control over your cards in general, including important abilities like letting you keep them after you use them or holding them back for another turn. So while the random nature of the game hasn’t really changed, it’s now very rare for some runs to seem doomed from the start, no matter what you do.
There’s also more variety in terms of structure, with more side quest style Events, that can span over multiple Acts, quest cards that unlock rare secrets if you fulfil their requirements, and more unique abilities for both new and old characters. The newcomers include The Necrobinder, who controls a reanimated hand that acts as an (in-)human shield, and The Regent, who is a minion-sacrificing space being that has his own star-based resource and a magic floating sword.
Slay The Spire is not a game that sounds very exciting to describe and that’s certainly true of its sequel as well. But once you get a feel for how it works it’s enjoyably addictive in the way only the very best video games are. The early access version isn’t cheap, but the original game can currently be downloaded for just £4.99 on Steam, so if you’re not convinced you can get a good idea for whether you’ll like the sequel from that.
They’re not exactly the same game by any means but Slay The Spire 2 is certainly a refinement rather than a revolution. Things might not seem quite that clear cut by the time the game exits early access, after which Mega Crit will have added more new features, but considering how long the first game took that might not happen until 2028.
Formats: PC
Price: £19.99
Publisher: Mega Crit
Developer: Mega Crit
Release Date: 5th March 2026
Age Rating: 7
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