Slay the Spire is widely considered one of the best single-player experiences in the roguelike genre. What no one expected from the sequel, Slay the Spire 2, was a multiplayer mode that feels just as thoughtful and polished as the original game.
Mega Crit proves they’re far from a one-trick pony when it comes to game design. While I’ve spent roughly 50 hours playing STS2 this past week, I’m itching to hop back in as I write this. STS2 is simply fun, and multiplayer is no exception. I’ve currently played through 3 sessions of multiplayer, and the biggest complaint I can come up with about it is that I don’t have enough friends to play it with.
Settling Loot Disputes with Rock, Paper, Scissors
The moment I realized I was playing a masterpiece was when Bynx and I opened a treasure chest during my first co-op run, and there were 2 items. One item for both of us. There was a book of 5 rings ( Every 5 cards you add to your deck, you heal 15 hp) or a Whetstone (upgrade 2 random Attacks) in the chest.
I instantly stated that Bynx would “love” to have the book, and he should take it. He immediately retorted and insisted I should take it, as I was taking cards like a madman (this was not true). Well, in our disagreement, we decided to both pick the whetstone and see what would happen. In hindsight, I’m happy we disagreed because not only did I see that they have a solution for this problem, but I also ended up with the Whetstone.
The solution that Mega Crit came up for this is a simple solution that mankind has come to for similar problems. We fight it out, but we do so civilly with a game of rock, paper, scissors.
This was amazing. When you think that there’s no way they would have thought about something here, you have to realize that this company not only has been working on this game for years, but they even rebuilt it in a new engine when they disagreed with the previous one. It’s safe to say Mega Crit knows their stuff.
A Seamless, Democratic Co-Op Experience
Multiplayer offers a seamless playstyle where you can min-max damage by communicating in a call with up to 4 friends to discuss strategies on how to work together, or you can each do your own thing and see what happens. Everyone has equal input, and there’s no clear leader. Everyone gets a vote on where to go on the map, shops have different items, some events have different random options, and there are even multiplayer-specific cards that affect your teammates. It’s a game mode they didn’t half-ass, unlike many other developers. When you play multiplayer, you can really feel the soul of STS2, and in an industry where multiplayer is sometimes looked at as just fluff or an afterthought, that really shows how much love Mega Crit has for their product and community.
Global Ascension Scaling and Character Freedom
I’ve played through two co-op sessions with Bynx_plays, one 4-player session with some viewers in my chat, and I can’t wait to hop back in. Multiplayer also has the Ascension system, which ramps up with difficulty after every successful session of the previous ascension, just like in the main game. STS2 takes into account the lowest available Ascension of the group of players you play with for the session, but you can choose to go down a level if you like.
Unlike single player, where this is done specifically with each character, this is done globally, which adds a nice quality of life touch. You also get to freely choose your characters. Want to go in with the ladies, The Silent and The Necrobinder to dump doom and poison on your enemies? Or would you rather bring four Ironclads into the fray and destroy the spire with an overwhelming strength and vulnerable deck build? It’s all possible.
Surviving the Spire Together: Shared Damage and Synergies
Multiplayer feels like a classic party game of Mario Party back in the day. The only difference is that here we all have a common enemy, The Spire. The enemies are all the same from the single-player experience, but they have more health, and all their attacks are AOE (Area of Effect), which means they hit everyone. Everyone has to block and deal damage for themselves, but as mentioned earlier, there are special multiplayer interactions. That block potion that you have been hoarding for 20 floors can be tossed onto one of your friends rather than yourself, along with many other potions. You can choose to heal your friends at a bonfire instead of healing yourself, and certain characters can give character-specific abilities while in battle.
A few examples of this include the regent giving his sword to a friend or The Defect giving plasma orbs to allies as well. STS2 simply has an answer for anything, and I’m continuously finding new things after each playthrough.
Another Win for Indie Gamers
Slay the Spire 2 is available right now on Steam for the low price of $25.00 USD, which further pushes the humble narrative of Mega Crit. They’re giving us a great game for a great price, and the reception shows. I can’t wait to see what else Mega Crit has up their sleeve.