Slay the Spire

At first it looked very similar to Heartstone to me. I was obviously wrong as it plays quite differently. You don't summon creatures but attack yourself using damage cards. The game is fun and has some interesting mechanics (e.g. pay to remove a card from deck). The biggest negative point is that the balancing needs some work. There are cards that are insanely better than others and you can only get them by luck (e.g. Ritual Dagger gets stronger with every kill). There are also bosses that counter certain decks and you barely have a chance if you didn't encounter them before (e.g. one that gets stronger every time you play a certain type of cards). All in all frustrating, fun and addictive.

Rivals FTL in it's replayability and design (another indie gem worth checking out) If you like the sound of a rogue-like game with a challenging difficulty curve, an interesting atmosphere and a 'just one more go' addictive quality - then this should tick all the right boxes for you. I'm writing this review partly to correct a misconception that I do see online sometimes and which a review here on GOG seems to fall into. I just want to make it clear though, I'm not judging you for this opinion because I too felt frustrated at first when playing StS and thought the same - it's very easy to feel like there's a overwhelming random quality to the game play, that RNG plays far too big a role. The reality is though, that with the right strategy you will win about 70% of the time. There are youtubers who specialize in streaming their StS runs (who share their thought process btw) and they will agree on this. And you can tally up the victories to run ratio yourself and it does check out. Here are some basic tips/tricks: -Each character has 3-4 key strategies that you have to mould your deck of cards/relics towards. For example 2 key strategies for the 2nd character with the ox head is poison specialty, or activating as many cards in a turn. Regarding the latter, there's a fairly common card available that does bonus damage for every card activated. Prioritize that card and any relics that give a bonus per activated card too. Find what a character is good at, and stack as many bonuses as you can to multiply that advantage. -Every run has 3 maps. The first map is the easiest (kinda obvious) but what this actually means is that you have a short amount of time to mould your deck/strategy as best as you can before the difficulty spikes in map 2. Prioritising relics therefore on the first map is a must. And getting some good cards in your deck, either through victories or the shop is also important. -You do NOT have to take a card every time they're available.

I don't have much experience with deck-building games, even though I always found the concept kind of interesting. But most of them came across as intimidating. What I have some experience with though are rogue-like games, which is why Slay the Spire piqued my interest when I first heard of it. I held out for quite a while on buying it due to the price tag - usually I only buy stuff during sales and mostly Indie titles that are cheap to begin with. 20€ seemed like quite the hefty price tag. It's worth every penny though. The four classes you can play with are varied enough to provide a unique experience, the enemy encounters are challenging but - at least on lower Ascensions - are not so challenging as to be intimidating. Some enemies require particular strategies which you have to keep in mind while building your deck and overall you have to manage your resources well and play smart to succeed. Couldn't recommend this game more.

2D Graphics. Turn based combat, roguelike, card game. Gameplay: You select one of three characters whom start with a different ability. You are given a starting deck based on your character. Start at one of (3-5) roots and make your way to the top. Each root has a different set of ecounters, ranging from normal combats, elite combats, rest sites, random events, and treasure chambers. Plan accordingly to reach the top with enough health to defeat the stage boss. After clearing a floor you get different rewards, like cards to add to your deck, relics (which usualy give you passive abilties), etc. Nowdays I don't really play, or like, any turn based combat, nor card games, even less roguelikes. Yet, this game is so fun, and worth it's price. Such a unexpected blend of genres yielded an amazing game loop. It's been a while since I played a game so unique. The ones that gave me such a feel like this game are Shadow of the Colossus, Furi, The Witness, League when it wasnt well known, and more recently Rimworld.

Sinergy is the name of game and when deck sinergies with your relic and itself it is such a rush. It is very much not mindless either. Every decision matter. Every single card is of the outmost important and removing cards is even more important than adding card for a tighter build and the games knows it. Randomness keeps the game on edge and the experience fresh and forces you to explore what the game is capable of instead for going for the winning frormula every time. Good time killer and I can't wait for the android port.