Slay the Spire 2 really is just more Slay the Spire, and that's why everyone loves it

If you've read any of my posts describing any run-based roguelite, you'll likely have seen this phrase appear: Slay the Spire-like map. It may be reductive in some cases, but it's also just the most accurate shorthand for the mechanic I'm trying to describe, and it's named after the granddaddy of the modern roguelite movement. Everyone knows Slay the Spire. Everyone thinks it rocks. And everyone was pumped for the sequel.

I love Slay the Spire. It taught me how to build a deck in a game like this – a skill that has served me well over the last decade. But I wanted to know what it was about Slay the Spire 2 that had people going truly nuts and breaking Steam records. So, I expensed a copy on the company dime (subscribe for more exclusive content and newsletters) and dove in to find out.

Well, reader, I have an answer for you: It's just more Slay the Spire.

"Whoa," I can hear you saying. "Now that's reductive." And no, it's not. "People love this game because it's more of one of the greatest and most influential games of the 21st century" is not some kind of diss. It's more Slay the Spire. Yes, there's more classes, new items, new cards, an updated art style, multiplayer, and new progression systems. But that moment-to-moment gameplay? It's like I never left.

There's something to be said about a sequel to a beloved game that just attempts to recreate the magic from the original without necessarily blowing the door wide open.