Customer Reviews (100)

Andrew McCain • 2025-03-24T10:59:26.840Z

This game offers a ton of replayability. I absolutely love it.

M House • 2025-03-24T01:33:26.277Z

Greatest deckbuilder game ever. Endless repkayability. Don't question it. Buy and try it. Easy to understand, difficult to master, but you'll have fun winning or dying. Find "synergies" (or strategies) between cards, relics, potions, and special events to create some crazy effects.

Jayson Hill • 2025-03-23T22:43:46.891Z

beautiful game, highly addictive. once you're in it is hard to put it down

Summary of Key Insights

Slay the Spire is generally well-received for its engaging gameplay, replayability, and deck-building mechanics. The core game is considered excellent, but the mobile port suffers from UI/UX issues, particularly regarding small text, touch controls, and cloud save functionality. There are also complaints about Chromebook compatibility and device-specific issues. While many praise the game's addictive nature and depth, the technical flaws detract from the overall experience for a significant portion of users.

The overall sentiment is positive, but the negative reviews highlight critical areas needing improvement. The score distribution shows a strong positive bias, with 48% giving 5-star ratings, but a substantial 18% giving 1-star ratings, indicating significant usability problems for some users. The distribution percentages are: 1-star (18%), 2-star (7%), 3-star (16%), 4-star (11%), 5-star (48%).

Data & Methodology Overview

  • Data Sample Size: 100 reviews
  • Time Frame: Reviews span from the past few years to recent times.
  • Analysis Methods: Sentiment analysis (categorizing reviews as positive, negative, or neutral based on language used), keyword extraction (identifying frequently mentioned terms and phrases), and thematic analysis (grouping reviews based on common themes and issues).

Key User Pain Points

  • Small Text/UI: Many users complain about the text and UI elements being too small, even with the larger font option selected, making the game difficult to play, especially for those with visual impairments.
  • Touch Controls: Frustrations with touch controls are common, including misclicks, difficulty selecting cards, and accidental card plays. Specific devices like the Samsung S25 Ultra with the S Pen are mentioned as having particularly bad control experiences.
  • Cloud Save Issues: A significant number of users report problems with cloud saving, leading to lost progress when switching devices or reinstalling the game. The Google Play Games sync is unreliable.
  • Chromebook Compatibility: The game is frequently reported as unplayable on Chromebooks due to issues with the name entry screen. This problem has persisted for a long time.
  • Aspect Ratio/Device-Specific Issues: Users on devices with non-standard aspect ratios (e.g., Samsung Z Flip 4, Google Fold) experience UI elements being cut off or misaligned.
  • Bugs & Freezing: Some users report freezing issues and other bugs that make the game unplayable.
  • Lack of Controller Support: Several users explicitly request controller support for the Android version.
  • Loss of Ascension Progress: Some users have reported losing ascension progress for unknown reasons.

Frequently Requested Features

  • Larger Font Size Options: An even bigger font size option is highly requested.
  • Controller Support: Implementing controller support for Android devices.
  • Improved Touch Controls: A better and more intuitive touch control scheme.
  • Reliable Cloud Saves: Functional and dependable cloud save system.
  • UI Customization: Options to customize the UI, such as vertical card display.
  • Fix Chromebook Compatibility: Resolving the name entry screen issue on Chromebooks.

Strengths and Positive Aspects

  • Engaging Gameplay: The core deck-building and roguelike mechanics are highly praised.
  • Replayability: Users appreciate the game's high replayability due to the dynamic deck building and ever-changing spire.
  • Addictive Nature: Many users find the game highly addictive and difficult to put down.
  • Depth and Strategy: The strategic depth and the need to find synergies between cards and relics are appreciated.
  • Challenging Difficulty: The challenging difficulty, particularly at higher ascension levels, is seen as a positive.

Prioritized Action Recommendations

High Priority:

  • Fix Cloud Save Issues: Implement a reliable cloud save system using either Google Drive or a dedicated server. This is critical for user retention and satisfaction.
  • Address Small Text/UI: Provide larger font size options and improve the overall UI scaling to make the game more accessible on various devices.
  • Improve Touch Controls: Refine the touch controls to reduce misclicks and improve card selection accuracy. Consider implementing a confirmation step for card plays.
  • Resolve Chromebook Compatibility Issues: Fix the persistent name entry screen issue on Chromebooks to make the game playable on these devices.

Medium Priority:

  • Implement Controller Support: Add controller support to the Android version to cater to users who prefer this input method.
  • Address Aspect Ratio Issues: Ensure the UI scales correctly on devices with non-standard aspect ratios.
  • Investigate and Fix Freezing Issues: Address the reported freezing issues to improve game stability.
  • Add Confirmation for Card Selection/Duplication: Implement a confirmation button for card selection in events like the library event and on the duplicate card screen.

Low Priority:

  • More Character Animations: Add more character animations during attacks and defense.
  • Deck Building Improvements: Explore options for pre-run deck building or card unlocking.

Opportunities for Startup Ideas

  • Mobile Game UI/UX Optimization Service: A service that helps developers optimize their mobile game UIs for different screen sizes and input methods.
  • Cloud Save Management Solution: A platform that provides reliable and cross-platform cloud save functionality for mobile games.
  • Accessibility Enhancement Tools for Mobile Games: A suite of tools that make mobile games more accessible to players with visual impairments, including customizable font sizes, color contrast options, and screen reader compatibility.

Trends and Observations

  • Device-Specific Issues: Many issues are tied to specific devices, highlighting the need for thorough testing on a wide range of Android devices.
  • Persistence of Old Bugs: The persistence of bugs like the Chromebook name entry issue indicates a lack of ongoing maintenance and bug fixing.
  • Comparison to PC Version: Users frequently compare the mobile version to the PC version, often unfavorably in terms of UI/UX.

Conclusion

Slay the Spire on Android has the potential to be a top-tier mobile game, but it's currently held back by technical issues, particularly related to UI/UX and cloud saves. Addressing these issues should be the top priority for the developers. By improving the usability and reliability of the game, they can significantly enhance the user experience and increase overall satisfaction.

Overall Recommendation: While the core gameplay is excellent, the mobile port needs significant improvements to address UI/UX issues, cloud save problems, and device-specific bugs. Prioritize these fixes to improve user satisfaction and realize the game's full potential on mobile.

Original App Link

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.humble.SlayTheSpire