Slay the Spire board game looks like a one-to-one adaptation of the video game
Features four playable characters.
The upcoming board game based on indie video game Slay the Spire is looking like a one-to-one adaptation.
Currently featured in a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign, Slay the Spire: The Board Game is a co-op title for one to four players that’s inspired by the original video game released in 2017. The Slay the Spire board game looks like it will directly translate most of the elements from the original, transforming the deckbuilding video game into a fully physical tabletop one.
A digital version of the prototype rulebook for the upcoming game can be downloaded from the Kickstarter page for Slay the Spire: The Board Game, which provides an overview of how the game works. Similarly to the video game, the Slay the Spire board game is a roguelike: meaning that whenever players’ characters die in the game, they will lose all of their progress and must start from the very beginning.
Players will be able to choose from four different playable characters, each one directly taken from the Slay the Spire video game. The Ironclad – a hardy warrior who can better withstand blows – and the Silent, a high damage dealer, are both easier characters for players to pick up, just like in the original, whilst the defensive Defect and Watcher, a character all about set-up, are more difficult options. Every character will have their own set of cards that are entirely unique to them, with players needing to utilise their abilities in order to progress.
As a deckbuilding game, Slay the Spire: The Board Game will have players gradually expanding their decks with newer and better cards, which they’ll gain as rewards for defeating enemies and moving up the titular spire. Similarly to the video game it’s based on, the Slay the Spire board game has players moving from room to room along branching paths, each one containing challenges of varying difficulties depending on how much players want to risk for reward. The more challenging rooms will provide greater rewards but will prove a more difficult battle.
Though players are working together, they’ll each have their own enemy line that they will need to face whenever they enter into an enemy encounter. Just like the video game, players will need to play cards from their hand in order to defeat the various enemies in their line, whilst trying to survive the onslaught of attacks. Whilst some cards are free to play, others require energy which they can obtain throughout encounters by playing the right combos of cards. Players win the game if they manage to defeat the final boss, with the option to stop at the end of each act or continue onwards.
Slay the Spire: The Board Game was co-created by Gary Dworetsky – who has previously designed the space board game Imperium: The Contention - Anthony Giovannetti and Casey Yano. Contention Games is the studio responsible for releasing Slay the Spire: The Board Game and is working with the developer behind the video game, Mega Crit.
The Kickstarter campaign for Slay the Spire: The Board Game is live until November 18th, with a pledge of $100 (£87) getting backers a copy of the game in December 2023.