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Slay the Spire 2 is facing another wave of review bombing on Steam, pushing its user rating down to “Mixed” after previously launching with an “Overwhelmingly Positive” reception. The backlash appears to be tied largely to recent balance changes introduced during the game’s ongoing Early Access development period.
The sequel to one of the most influential roguelike deck-builders in recent years initially drew strong praise from players at launch, but sentiment has shifted following multiple updates that altered core strategies and card archetypes.
A Strong Launch Followed by Growing Community Friction
When Slay the Spire 2 first released in Early Access in March 2026, it quickly attracted attention for its expanded content offering and mechanical improvements over the original Slay the Spire. Players highlighted improvements such as refined balance systems, new playable characters, upgraded visuals, and the addition of four-player co-op multiplayer.
The game’s early popularity translated into impressive engagement metrics. At its peak, Slay the Spire 2 reached over 57,000 concurrent players on Steam—an unusually strong showing for a roguelike deck-builder and enough to set a new genre benchmark on the platform.
However, enthusiasm has gradually been tempered by frustration surrounding balance adjustments introduced through ongoing patches.
Latest Update Triggers Fresh Review Bombing Wave
The newest spike in negative user reviews followed the rollout of update 0.103.2, which consolidated multiple experimental changes previously tested in beta branches during March and April 2026.
Some players expressed strong dissatisfaction with the direction of the adjustments, particularly those affecting long-established card strategies and character archetypes. A noticeable portion of the negative feedback came from Simplified Chinese-language reviews, with reports indicating more than 8,000 negative posts appearing within a two-day window.
The intensity of the response reflects broader tensions that can emerge during Early Access development, especially when balance changes affect builds that players may have spent hundreds of hours mastering.
Developer Responds: “Trust the Process”
Developer Mega Crit addressed the situation in its patch overview, emphasizing that balance changes introduced during Early Access are not final. The studio encouraged players to remain patient while iteration continues and clarified that features transitioning from beta testing to the main build are still subject to revision.
According to Mega Crit, ongoing adjustments are part of the normal development process rather than permanent design decisions.
Even so, community patience appears to be wearing thin among some segments of the player base, particularly those who view the recent changes as reducing strategic flexibility rather than improving long-term balance.
A Familiar Challenge for Early Access Games
This is not the first time Slay the Spire 2 has encountered review bombing during its Early Access period. Previous balancing experiments earlier in 2026 also triggered negative user reactions before partial reversals helped restore confidence temporarily.
Situations like this highlight the challenges developers face when maintaining transparency and responsiveness while still making necessary systemic adjustments during active development. Roguelike deck-builders in particular rely heavily on evolving balance frameworks, which can make iterative tuning especially visible—and sometimes controversial.
Despite the backlash, Slay the Spire 2 remains content-rich even in its unfinished state and continues to expand on the formula that helped establish its predecessor as one of the defining deck-building roguelikes of the past decade.
