Valve veteran and acclaimed writer Erik Wolpaw, known for his work on Portal and Half-Life 2, is currently pouring his time into Slay the Spire 2, despite recent community concerns regarding the game’s balance.
Trusting the Process Amidst Mixed Reviews
While Slay the Spire 2 recently faced a dip to 66% positive lifetime reviews on Steam following a major update, Wolpaw remains undeterred. Speaking to PC Gamer, the writer revealed he is playing the sequel almost exclusively, often in co-op mode with his son. Addressing the current state of the game, he admitted, “Like most of it, it may not be perfectly balanced yet.”
Wolpaw noted that the two-player experience currently feels the most unbalanced, with difficulty scaling shifting noticeably at three and four players. However, he maintains strong faith in developer Mega Crit. “It’s not as balanced as Slay the Spire 1 yet,” Wolpaw explained. “But it’s also exciting because I trust them, because they balanced Slay the Spire 1 as well as any card game has ever been balanced. I trust that they’ll do it here.”
The Perfect Cognitive Challenge
For Wolpaw, the appeal of the series lies in its precise level of strategic depth. He describes both games as offering the “exact, perfect level of decision making and cognitive load” for his brain. While titles like Crusader Kings feel overwhelming, the Slay the Spire franchise provides a consistent stream of interesting tactical decisions that keep him engaged.
His dedication to the original game is staggering. Wolpaw identifies the first Slay the Spire as his all-time favorite, boasting a massive 1,500 hours of playtime on Steam. To put that into perspective, his next most-played titles are Dark Souls 3 at 571 hours and Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen at 450 hours—both dwarfed significantly by his commitment to the spire.
Looking Toward the Future
Despite the current focus on balancing, the community continues to look ahead at potential features. While the developers have confirmed that Slay the Spire 2 will not include an official endless mode, the creator has hinted that the modding community might eventually step in to bridge that gap.
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