Slay the Spire has inspired a great many games since its seminal 2019 release, and this review tackles Talespinner, the latest in a line of deckbuilding roguelites that have followed in its footsteps. But does the game manage to follow in the right direction, or will it lead players astray?
Comparisons between Talespinner and its clear inspiration are impossible to avoid. On first blush, this new deckbuilder from developer Flash Cat Games could well be a reskin of Slay the Spire as much as a new game.
Upon diving in, players will actually discover some notable differences, though the value proposition is very much the same. Engage in turn-based battles with fearsome enemies through the power of your deck of cards, and slowly add to that power with new cards, discovered bonuses, and more.
The Good:
- Talespinner is absolutely successful in delivering on a fun new deckbuilder adventure
- The game’s use of Japanese mythology runs deep and sets it apart from its peers
The Bad:
- It’s fundamentally very similar to the deckbuilders that have inspired it
Review Details:
- Reviewed on: PC
- Platforms available: PC
- Official release date: August 6, 2026
On the watch for yokai
As alluded to at the top of this review, anyone with even a passing familiarity with Slay the Spire and its many spawn will immediately feel right at home with Talespinner. Battles are fought in a familiar two-dimensional plane, with enemies facing down the chosen hero and exchanging turns back and forth.
Play is keyed around the use of a deck of cards, with each card representing varied abilities predominantly concerned with attack and defense, though some will affect the game in less direct ways. This deck can be improved through a variety of means; chiefly by adding new cards to it, but also by cutting weaker cards and upgrading existing cards.
There are other tools also at the player’s disposal. One way in which Talespinner does separate itself from competitors is through the addition of companions. These are little helpers who can provide a variety of special effects, some active and some passive, all of which benefit the player in their quest.
Talespinner also stands apart in how players move from one encounter to the next. Rather than charting their way along a branching map, Talespinner lays out a linear route for the player, then allows for a limited selection of event types to be applied to the set encounters. These events must be picked in a particular order.
It sounds more complicated than it is. In practice, it’s a relatively straightforward system that provides an additional element of strategy for players to consider.
In order to take advantage of bonuses on movement spaces, whether it’s the opportunity to upgrade a card or gain an additional companion, players must choose a combat encounter for that space. This means campfires and chance encounters must be meted out deliberately to separate, empty spaces. And again, they can only be accessed in a set order. Thus the added strategy.
So, do companions and these navigational considerations fundamentally alter the experience? Our review of Talespinner found that they did not. In fact, these differences will likely represent only minor portions of the broader gameplay players uncover.
But that really isn’t a big problem, because thankfully, Talespinner’s fundamental experience is delivered with verve. This is a challenging game that requires careful planning in order to succeed, and it should absolutely work to the approval of players looking for a new deckbuilding roguelite to sink their teeth into.
Styles make fights
Talespinner comes loaded with 15 different bosses, most of whom present a unique challenge. To reckon with these and other encounters, players have access to three heroes, and in our experience the three playable characters do stand well enough apart from each other to offer some real variety in play.
During our time with the game, Rinka and Himura were the highlights.
Rinka is a trickster archetype whose central gimmick is that each card played progresses her through a series of flowers, and each of those can apply a special ability to a chosen card. Hers is the most strategic gameplay, asking players to carefully sequence out their turns such that the right flowers can be attached to the right cards at the right time.
Himura seems the most fun character, both in their design as a warrior-snake duo, and in practice. The two combatants who make up this duo can slide back and forth on the battlefield, and manipulating which of them is positioned to absorb incoming attacks and the general sequence of actions between the two adds an interesting layer of strategy.
Gyokushin is the game’s meaty brawler, able to recycle his cards and convert them into a secondary resource. This can result in some pretty powerful turns when everything hits just right, but we didn’t find quite as much tactical complexity to the character in our time with him.
There are several different routes waiting to be tackled, with different final bosses waiting at the end of each, as well as modifiers available for unlocking that will further mix up play.
As the game’s visuals and names make clear, Talespinner takes its aesthetic inspiration from Japanese mythology. The material is well-represented throughout, brought to life neatly through the title’s crisp artwork. It may not be a selling point for everyone, but it does make the game stand out.
Talespinner isn’t a game that’s likely to change anyone’s opinion on the deckbuilding genre, and our review should make it clear enough that it’s not out to radically changing the playing field. What it does do, however, is execute its vision with aplomb, delivering a worthwhile experience that roguelite deckbuilder fans are almost certain to enjoy.
The Bottom Line: While it’s not breaking any new ground, Talespinner is a fun and challenging deckbuilding roguelite with a strong theme.
Score: 8.0/10
