My rapidly blossoming relationship with the Necrobinder – or, more specifically, Osty, the lovely little minion she summons – made me experience Slay the Spire 2 in a very different way than the original.
I haven’t confessed my feelings yet, but I know in my guts that he will reciprocate. (Unlike Osty, I have some.) His actions in my runs already show undying devotion and getting things right, and I’m sure we’d make a great couple.
The Necrobinder’s Minion Makes the Game More Fun
Each Slay the Spire 2 character makes you play the game in a different way, and while the returning cast has been slightly adjusted and retuned between the two titles, their core identity remains the same – but the small changes combined go a long way nevertheless. If anything, the fragility of the Silent (my previous favorite) in the early portions of a StS2 run made me sour on her a little, but it’s more the strong competition from the Necrobinder that turned me unfaithful.
Well, not the Necrobinder herself, but her minion: Osty, who does double-duty as a living blocker and a damage-dealer depending on your build. You can either enjoy turning the dead hand into a jolly joker or have a clear delineation between a minion defending and you yourself attacking.
It’s also just nice on a theming level. After a whole game (and hundreds of hours) of braving the Spire alone in the original, with repeated 1vX combat scenarios, it feels great not to be alone in a fight. The occasional lighthearted card theming, like High Five, also helps with that. This is why I’m so sure the feeling is mutual! It's as if he'd die for me or something.
This clarity, coupled with the build-defining options it brings, makes the Necrobinder my new favorite character.
The Osty Build and its Gameplay are Right Up My Alley
I’ve also been enjoying the build more than most other options available in Slay the Spire 2. The core elements remain the same as with other characters, but I like how it makes you reuse and multiply certain resources in a unique way.
Stacking HP on Osty has a quasi-permanence that doesn’t usually apply to Block (yes, Barricade and Blur exist, but those are exceptions, while it’s a core Necrobinder mechanic), which greatly increases the feel-good factor to me. It makes me feel like I’m not just “wasting” energy to protect my HP at the cost of progressing the fight, but I’m actively building up the total on a nice little friend who will proceed to help me out later down the line.
And Squeeze is by far the most fun finisher for me in the game, especially when I get to Clone it at a Rest Site. It’s a straightforward bomb that directly synergizes with the playstyle I enjoy the most, with, admittedly, little thought required in its execution. Spamming free Flattens also feels fantastic to me.
While Slay the Spire 2 is all about planning and information-gathering, playing around with Osty also reminds me of merrily manipulating NPCs to do my bidding in titles like The Sims and Hitman. It feels cozy, or as much as the unforgiving Spire can feel like that.
All this, and more, make this a relationship for the ages. Or maybe I just happen to have a thing for bony hands. Don’t judge me!
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