Mega Crit has responded to a wave of negative reviews on Steam regarding the first balance patch for Slay the Spire 2. The studio reassured players that the Early Access roguelike will experience “constant changes” as it evolves toward the stability of its predecessor.
After the patch led to a significant number of negative reviews, Mega Crit acknowledged the community’s frustration. They encouraged players to adopt a long-term perspective on the balance adjustments. “This progress will not be linear, and no change is necessarily permanent,” the studio stated, presenting the patch as an initial step rather than a final decision.
This backlash mirrors a common scenario in Early Access card games. Players often feel betrayed when a favored combo gets nerfed, especially if they’ve built strategies around it. Mega Crit made their intentions clear: they want Slay the Spire 2 to achieve “as balanced of an experience as StS1 became.” That’s a tough goal, considering the original game spent years in Early Access before its full release in 2019 and earned over 500,000 Steam reviews with an “Overwhelmingly Positive” rating.
Slay the Spire 2 launched in Steam Early Access in 2025, and PC Gamer reports that Mega Crit characterized this first balance pass as “the first of many.” This indicates an ongoing approach to tuning, rather than sporadic and extensive overhauls. Fans of the original will recognize this rhythm, as the first game went through numerous balance patches between its 2017 Early Access debut and full release.
Review-bombing after balance patches has become a well-known issue in live-service and Early Access games. Developers from studios like Supergiant and Larian have encountered similar short-term backlash following patch announcements. Often, player sentiment shifts back to the positive once they adapt. Whether Mega Crit’s response will stabilize the game’s rating soon is uncertain. However, their willingness to engage openly — instead of remaining silent — reflects how they handled community relations during the first game’s development.
| Slay the Spire (original) Steam reviews | 500,000+ |
| Original game Steam rating | Overwhelmingly Positive |
| Original Early Access start | November 2017 |
| Original full release | January 2019 |
| StS2 status | Early Access (2025) |
Community reactions to Mega Crit’s statement have varied but are generally positive among long-time fans. GamesRadar highlights that one reviewer captured the sentiment of many: players are concerned that early nerfs indicate a set direction for the game rather than being an experimental phase. Nonetheless, veterans from the original’s Early Access period noted on Steam forums that Mega Crit adjusted or reversed several changes during StS1’s development when the data suggested those moves were necessary.
What To Watch
- Review score recovery: Keep an eye on whether Slay the Spire 2’s Steam rating stabilizes or continues to decline in the days after Mega Crit’s public response. That figure will reflect how well the studio’s communication resonated with players.
- Patch cadence: Mega Crit referred to this as “the first of many” balance passes. The speed of the next patch and whether it reverts any contentious changes will shape the studio’s credibility with its Early Access audience.
- Long-term precedent: If review-bombing effectively alters balance decisions, it could set a troubling precedent for how Mega Crit navigates the remainder of StS2’s Early Access period.
