Slay the Spire dev thinks some imitators of its roguelike deck builder don't go far enough: "We showed you why this was best"

Nov. 10, 2023

“Sometimes I see a decision to change something in a way that I think is going backwards”

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Slay the Spire is, without a doubt, one of the best roguelike deck builders that money can buy. It sees you attempt to ascend through a series of procedurally generated floors, developing effective strategies to overcome increasingly dangerous opponents. It’s the perfect blend of strategic card-based battles and choice-based dungeon crawling, and naturally, many other developers have attempted to use its winning formula in their own games.

In an interview withRock Paper Shotgun, design lead Anthony Giovannetti has been asked how he feels about Slay the Spire’s mechanics being used as a blueprint for other titles.

“It’s surreal,” Giovannetti says. “It’s nothing I could have expected. I’m happy about it, but it always hits kinda weird, I still haven’t gotten used to it. I don’t want it to go to my head and be insufferable.” The developer adds that he likes to experience these games for himself. “I try to play most of them,” he says.

As they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and Giovannetti is undoubtedly flattered. Still, with some of these games, he can’t help but feel the studio didn’t borrow heavily enough from Slay the Spire. “Sometimes I see a decision to change something in a way that I think is going backward from what we did in Spire,” he explains, “And I’m like, ‘Why? We showed you why this was best!’

Giovannetti adds that even while he may not necessarily agree with some of the design decisions, “it’s always interesting to see how things evolve.”

Last month, followingUnity’s pricing policy debacle, Slay the Spire developer MegaCrit revealed it wouldswitch engines unless the changes were reversed. It’s now moved to Godot, and in an effort to “explore the engine,” it’s put together adisco-themed deck builder dubbed Dancing Duelists.

See where Slay the Spire ranks in our pick of thebest roguelikes.

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