Slay the Spire 2 is worth it just for the co-op

When you play Slay the Spire 2 for the first time, you'd be forgiven for thinking that you're just playing Slay the Spire. The vast majority of sequels bear some semblance of what came before, but this one really does invite déjà vu. I wouldn't say I was disappointed by this revelation - more of the best deckbuilder ever made can never be a letdown - but after months of hype, I found myself starving for a new experience. I've been sated by Slay the Spire 2's multiplayer mode.

I was distantly aware of custom multiplayer mods floating around for Slay the Spire, but like googly eyes and custom character skins, I didn't see much use for them. For me, card-battling roguelikes are a lonely affair that all but demand solo play. My runs in the original consisted of poring over cards, carefully calculating damage multipliers and hidden synergies. When a single misplay has the potential to torpedo an entire run, how could a friend peering over your shoulder ever be more than a hindrance?

It turns out, very easily. Slay the Spire 2's co-op isn't just feasible, it's highly intuitive. We hurl cards at enemies in tandem, familiar animations whizzing across our respective screens in quick succession. Our collective overview has been handled with a light touch. Health, energy, and current card draw are tucked neatly away in the top-left corner of the screen; when we hover over our cards, they appear as translucent ghosts above our heads. It's just enough information to work together without giving in to the temptation to backseat.

Knowledge isn't essential, but it certainly helps. Playing alongside the Ironclad might not mean much to a beginner, but to my co-op partner with over 700 hours in the first game, they know that I'm packing a starter card that can make enemies take more damage that turn. Our respective game sense informs our choices from the micro to the macro. We come to a consensus on class synergies (Necrobinder and Regent can be a painful duo), and how we can use two decks to respond to a wider variety of combat challenges than we would alone.

Admittedly, the muscle memory of playing solo can be difficult to ignore. "Stop, stop, stop, stop!" I shriek into my mic as my co-op partner unleashes the shock and awe of their Defect's orb synergies on the Ceremonial Beast. "I have Knockdown!" For the uninitiated, Knockdown doubles the damage dealt by other players that turn - but it's too late. Their carefully prepared play goes off without a hitch, robbing the boss of half its health in one fell swoop. It's impressive to watch. It would've been all the sweeter if we'd won instead.

Slay the Spire 2's multiplayer is an exercise in self-sacrifice. Traditionally, I've hoarded relics with draconic greed, looking on in satisfaction as they gradually occupy more of my screen over the course of a run. In multiplayer, I must curb the selfish instinct to snap up the overpowered relic and instead consider whether it would be better off in the hands of an ally. Cue a polite verbal dance: "Take it." "No, you can have it." "No, you need it more than me."

This altruism is encouraged elsewhere, in the soft glow of Slay the Spire 2's campfires. In one run, my Ironclad partner repeatedly gives up opportunities to train in favor of mending my health, putting my needs above their wants. Of course, this generosity can backfire. That particular run came to a premature end, both of us too underpowered to make it into the next act. Despite our losses, we find camaraderie in commiseration when we encounter bosses that we both hate. "This f***in' guy" becomes a regular refrain, especially when we're trapped in a stretch of early losses against the Vantom.

Still, there is some leeway to be found in multiplayer misplays. Once I've committed to my play, I end my turn with a decisive click, only to realize that I've left energy unspent or a card unplayed. Playing solo, I would have to accept my mistake and watch any consequences unfold during the enemy's turn. However, while my partner continues to deliberate their options, I can click again to resume my turn. It almost feels like cheating, and reminds me of the frantic shouts of "Wait, wait, I'm not actually done!" during a Magic: The Gathering Commander night.

We've all made silly mistakes in Slay the Spire, but in co-op, they're not so easily consigned to history. "Why would you do that?!" I howl after my partner admits to taking the Knowledge Demon's damage-over-time debuff, despite their meager collection of defensive cards. I throw a Block Potion at their head next turn, but it's no use. Thankfully, I'm a Necrobinder with the foresight to pick up Melancholy earlier in the run. Between the deaths of my co-op partner and my trusty minion, I can play it with no cost, blocking the Knowledge Demon's lethal damage. I scrape a narrow victory, dragging my co-op partner's revived corpse into the third act.

Slay the Spire 2's multiplayer doesn't include integrated voice chat, so we spend the majority of our runs on Discord. There's no way we could coordinate as effectively without it, but we still get some mileage out of in-game communication tools. Our route maps have been defaced many times by crude drawings of male genitalia, but also copious arrows that chart an optimal path through campfires and elites. Any disagreements about which path we take are generally worked out by scribbling out map icons until one of us relents. We could select different paths and let the game choose for us, but where's the fun in that?

If you'd told me before release that I'd have put more hours into Slay the Spire 2's multiplayer than its solo mode, I would have laughed. Co-op games aren't often my bag, but for players with hundreds of hours in the original, Slay the Spire 2's co-op presents a new terrain that's both expertly crafted and refreshing to explore. Hats off, Mega Crit. You've made this solitary deckbuilder into a social animal.