Slay the Spire 2019

Is it still worth playing?

Mega Crit's roguelike deck builder, released in full in 2019 after early access from 2017, first for Windows, macOS and Linux. You pick one of four characters and climb a procedurally generated spire, and a loss restarts the run. Floors branch into regular and elite fights, campfires where you heal or upgrade a card, shops, chests and events, ending in a boss. Combat is turn based: you draw a new hand each turn and spend three energy on attack, skill and power cards, and enemies telegraph their next move. After a fight you pick one of three cards, cards can be removed at shops, and runs unlock cards and relics, with up to 20 Ascension difficulty levels. It is considered the game that popularized roguelike deck builders. Short runs where every choice of card or route changes the deck, and visible enemy intent turns every turn into a puzzle, keep it replayable today.