Slay the Spire 2 Proves Great Sequels Don’t Need to Reinvent the Wheel
Slay the Spire 2 happens to be having a generational run while still in Early Access, showing that games don't need to fully transform a game for the sequel.
Whenever a video game sequel rolls around, people expect it to bring something new. People often expect a sequel to change a mechanic to make the game special; however, Slay the Spire 2 takes the opposite approach. A sequel does not have to reinvent an amazing formula.
Slay the Spire 2 has been in Early Access since 5 March 2026 and costs $24.99. It preserves the original game while bringing back all the nostalgic feelings of playing the original Slay the Spire. The original gameplay remains, with three floors, ascension levels, branching paths, treacherous fights, and rewards from cards, potions, and relics.
Three characters return, so veteran players immediately feel at home with the Ironclad, Silent, and Defect. The game once again starts with the Ironclad, and players jump into their first run, ready to unlock everything the game has to offer. Is this similarity a downfall, given how well the original performed?
I have to say absolutely not. Mega Crit, the developers of both Slay the Spire and Slay the Spire 2, bring back nostalgic characters and the deckbuilder formula while also adding new content. The biggest addition is multiplayer runs, which alone brings players together and will inevitably boost the game's popularity.
I have had friends get StS2 despite not playing the first, simply because they saw how much fun multiplayer runs were. We still talk about moments from our previous runs months ago. This game also has great replay value. Every run has something fresh, and we have never left a run bored.
Mega Crit also added two new characters, Regent and Necrobinder, keeping the game fresh and expansive. Finally, even returning characters have new card rewards, potions, and crazier events at question mark rooms.
Naturally, some people think that the game is too similar. PC Gamer notes that veterans can use strategies very similar to those they used in the original game. That is the great challenge that Mega Crit faces, though. If you don’t change enough of the material, then critics will say it’s just a repurposed StS.
If you change too much, lovers of the original game will feel disappointed that it doesn't feel close enough to home. Mega Crit successfully sprinkled in new content without changing a formula that works.
With 92% of 77,000 English reviews being positive, what could go wrong, you may ask? When you dig deeper into all of the reviews, StS2 sits at a mixed level, clocking in at 61%.
A quick look shows you that StS2 is performing well in every single language except two: Chinese (Simplified) and Chinese (Traditional), sitting at Mostly Negative (37%) and Mixed (47%), respectively.
This may make you ask... What is Mega Crit doing wrong in the Chinese versions that isn't landing with the community? Well, Mega Crit dropped a beta patch that nerfed infinite builds and made the game harder to win. Players felt that Reddit was the only place Mega Crit was listening, so to get their point across, negative Chinese reviews started flooding in.
Mega Crit listened, for the most part, saying the game is still in Early Access Beta and that more changes will happen as they tweak and balance it. I agree the game should keep getting balanced, but with over 7.1 million copies sold, you have to listen to the people, too.
All in all, though, StS2 has hit the nail on the head with this Early Access game thus far. The game and its community seem to be thriving and enjoying everything Mega Crit has produced so far, and there's only more to come.
Sequels will always face the challenge of adding new content while staying true to their original identity. Mega Crit mostly gets this right with the game. One lesson to take away from StS2? Don’t fix something that isn’t broken.
Image: Mega Crit