After close to 140 hours with it, I think Slay the Spire 2 feels more like a sequel than a DLC, even if Megacrit was forced to make it
Slay the Spire 2 has sparked debate within the gaming community about whether it constitutes a true sequel or is more akin to a substantial expansion. After nearly 140 hours of playtime, one critic argues the game succeeds as a proper sequel, having achieved Ascension 10 victories on most of the game’s characters.
The discussion began when another reviewer suggested the game felt more like a remake than a sequel, describing it as “a really impressive late expansion pack” after completing a run with an eight-year-old deck from the original Slay the Spire. This characterization highlighted concerns that Megacrit was retreading familiar ground rather than innovating significantly.
However, extended playtime reveals a different picture. The author reports having a substantially better experience climbing difficulty ranks in Slay the Spire 2 compared to the original game, with meaningful challenges remaining across multiple characters still to conquer, including the Necrobinder and Defect. This continued engagement and sense of fresh progression indicate the sequel offers sufficient depth and variation to justify its standalone status rather than serving as mere downloadable content. The debate reflects the original Slay the Spire’s immense legacy and high expectations for how much the sequel needed to innovate to be considered a true successor.