- Publisher : Matagot
- Designer(s) : Gary Dworetsky, Anthony Giovannetti, Casey Yano
- Artist(s) : Bruce Brenneise, Jose David Lanza Cebrian, Anailis Dorta
- Players : 1–4
- Playing time : 30–150 Min
- Weight BGG : 2.92
What's this?
Slay the Spire is the cooperative board game adaptation of the popular roguelike video game. It’s a deck-building adventure where players embody one of four iconic heroes. Each game is a new expedition: you start with a simple deck that you gradually upgrade with cards, relics, and potions earned along the way.
How do you play?
The game round
Each combat round follows the same sequence:
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Start of turn : reset your energy to 3, draw 5 cards and resolve the start of turn abilities.
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Game phase : players play simultaneously, spending their energy on:
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attack enemies,
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defend to block damage,
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use permanent powers ,
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drink potions or activate relics .
Cooperation is essential: we discuss strategy to optimize attacks and distribute damage.
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End of turn : discard your hand, certain abilities are triggered, then move on to the enemies’ turn.
Enemy Tower
Opponents act according to their card: some follow a cycle, others are influenced by a die roll. They attack, strengthen themselves, or add parasitic cards (Status, Curses) to the players’ decks.
Progress on the map
After each fight, you earn rewards (new cards, relics, potions, gold). You then choose which path to take:
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Events for narrative choices,
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Merchant to buy or withdraw cards,
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Campfire to rest or upgrade a card,
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Chests to obtain relics,
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Elites and Bosses for more intense but very rewarding fights.
At the end of the Act, if the boss is defeated, the team decides: continue, save progress… or stop there.
Is it good?
The adaptation of Slay the Spire into a board game is a real success . We perfectly find the sensations of the video game: the construction of an evolving deck , the gradual increase in power, the excitement of unearthing powerful relics , and above all this mixture of tension and experimentation which makes us want to come back again and again. We find with pleasure the four heroes, their unique mechanics , the multitude of cards and events, as well as the Ascension system which guarantees a very good replayability . The cooperative aspect also adds an additional layer of strategy, forcing the players to communicate and agree on priorities.
But the game is not without its flaws. First, it is long and demanding : a full game can easily exceed three hours , requiring a significant investment of time. In addition, the rules are dense , with strong iconography and a lot of details to assimilate, which risks intimidating the less motivated. The game is therefore primarily aimed at experienced players or fans of the video game .
However, despite these points, the board game is an excellent cooperative deckbuilder , offering tactical depth and a wealth of content that makes it extremely addictive and places it among the best tabletop video game adaptations.
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Slay The Spire Review
Positives
- Great loyalty to the video game
- Four characters with varied styles
- Huge replayability (maps, relics, events, bosses)
- Strategic cooperation and ongoing discussions
- Feeling of progression and enjoyable combos
Negatives
- Long games (often 3 hours or more)
- Dense rules and busy iconography
- Steep learning curve
- The Repetitiveness of Roguelike
