We Slay Monsters

About

We Slay Monsters is a single player role playing game. It was developed by Furiously Inactive Games and was released on June 21, 2017. It received very positive reviews from players.

We Slay Monsters streamlines traditional roguelike RPG gameplay and introduces a unique poker-esque card based combat mechanic. Each class (Wizard, Rogue, Warrior) has a unique deck of cards; using this deck you will guide your hero through the dungeon. Each dungeon is designed to play in short bursts, with a single dungeon taking 15-25 minutes to complete (or even less if your hero dies).

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

+13

Skip User Reviews

92%

Audience ScoreBased on 75 reviews

story4 positive mentions

stability2 negative mentions

Unique card-based combat system using poker mechanics adds strategic depth and fun to battles.
Easy to pick up and casual-friendly roguelike with a lighthearted tone and charming, humorous art style.
Features multiple classes with distinct playstyles, upgradeable home base, and good replayability with randomized dungeons and many quests.

Frequent bugs and technical issues including crashes, softlocks, and achievement problems affect gameplay experience.
Graphics are simple and sometimes perceived as amateurish or outdated, which may deter some players.
Combat can feel repetitive and sometimes lacks meaningful tactical depth, with an overall easy difficulty and limited long-term progression.

story
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
82%
8%
The story is lighthearted, humorous, and filled with puns and unexpected twists, presented through brief narrative segments before and after quest dungeons. It follows a progression of restoring an academy and completing themed missions, with a clever difficulty curve that allows players to balance story advancement and side missions for upgrades. Although the mission variety is limited and somewhat repetitive, the engaging tone and integration of gameplay elements make the story a cheerful and accessible experience.
- “The story is funny and it has a lot of puns, even in the achievements.”
- “It also has some really unexpected plot twists!”
- “It has an appropriately light tone and an engaging story.”
- “I foolishly farmed secondary quests to get my new recruits totally prepared for the main quests, expending tons of gold leveling their skills, only to find the story progress didn’t justify the effort.”
- “The story altering the gameplay for just that chapter leaves the other chapters noticeably lacking due to the absence of meaningful story integration.”
- “Once work on the story started, I think the focus shifted to making it easier so people could get through the story without failing 50-75% of the time, which reduced the challenge and engagement.”
gameplay
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
53%
10%
The gameplay of "We Slay Monsters" centers on a unique poker-like card combat system that adds strategic depth to this roguelike. While the mechanics are solid, addictive, and approachable with a casual, relaxed style, some users find the progression and variation lacking, leading to repetitive gameplay over time. Overall, it offers fun, accessible combat but could benefit from more narrative depth, tooltips, and longer-term content to enhance engagement.
- “Solid fun gameplay for free... that's a winning hand everywhere you go!”
- “It is very addictive and the poker hands to cast spells is very unique and an awesome game mechanic.”
- “The use of the card mechanic with attacks puts another level of strategy into the proceedings.”
- “The developer chose not to do the job of a real game developer and create meaningful bespoke levels, narrative based gameplay progression and so on.”
- “The card-based gameplay works well, but does become repetitive quickly, and the game doesn't have enough longer-term progression or variation.”
- “My only gripe is the lack of tool tips and in-game encyclopedia as some game mechanics aren't explained all that well despite the presence of a tutorial.”
graphics
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
67%
11%
The graphics in the game are simple and somewhat amateurish, with a deliberately quirky, playful art style that some find charming and fitting for the roguelike tone, while others see it as crude or lacking polish. Character visuals show creativity through equipment upgrades, and the overall aesthetic is lighthearted but may not appeal to everyone. Despite mixed opinions on graphical quality, the art style's humor and personality are generally appreciated.
- “The graphics in We Slay Monsters are very simple, but with considerable personality.”
- “As you collect or upgrade your equipment, your character graphics change to reflect your new acquisition, both on the map screen and, sometimes rather comically, on the character screen as well.”
- “Each dungeon is a tile-based map and the tiles fit together well, but there's not a whole lot of variation in room shape or tile graphics.”
- “In terms of visuals, this features really godawful MS Paint-tier 'art' instead of real graphics.”
- “The deplorably bad visuals here come across as an insult to gamers.”
- “Graphically speaking, the visuals are amateurish.”
music
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The music features a nostalgic, minimal classical style with a quirky, playful tone that complements the game well. While it is repetitive, often featuring only one track, it serves as pleasant and fitting background music without feeling amateurish.
- “Music in the map and town are somehow very nostalgic.”
- “In any case, the music fits the game well, with a sort of minimal classical sound that's a bit quirky.”
- “Sometimes they sound a bit like the soundtrack to a slapstick comedy sketch, but that fits the game well, too.”
- “Repetitive music.”
- “I think I only heard one music track in the game, but I may be wrong.”
- “The music is minimalistic and quirky, but it can become monotonous over time.”
humor
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is praised for its clever puns, funny sound effects, and goofy characters, creating a lighthearted and enjoyable experience. While not groundbreaking, the witty writing and playful art style provide consistent laughs without being obnoxious, making the game charming and fun.
- “Right from reading the silly opening story to encountering the goofy characters, and then the funny sound effects, it's proving to be such a cheery romp it just might become a treasured gem in my library for beating the winter doldrums.”
- “The story is funny and it has a lot of puns, even in the achievements.”
- “The game has a lot of humor and feels like a mix of Dungeons of Dredmor (for the humor and the looks) and Rogue's Tale (which also first seems simple yet has so much under the hood).”
replayability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
20%
20%
Replayability is generally viewed positively, with many players appreciating the roguelike elements like random generation and card-based combat that encourage multiple playthroughs. While some wished for more content post-completion, most find the game offers plenty of reasons to keep playing, fueled by engaging mechanics and a "just one more dungeon" appeal.
- “It may be early access, but it's very solid and due to the roguelike nature of it (random generation, the use of cards in attacks etc) there will be plenty of reasons to go back with lots of replayability.”
- “But it's also still very very cheap, has a ton of content/replayability, has that "just one more dungeon" factor that really keeps you playing, and is still made by a totally rad dev who deserves your support.”
- “All in all though, there's a lot of replayability here.”
- “I actually beat it and was hoping for more replayability after it, but no such luck.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game exhibits some stability issues with occasional bugs, but these flaws do not detract significantly from its overall charm.
- “It's also a bit buggy.”
- “It's buggy, but has a certain charm.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in the game primarily involves completing numerous side dungeons to earn permanent unlocks, supplementing the 25 story-themed dungeons that mix set attributes with randomized content. This structure offers ample opportunities for repeated playthroughs to progress.
- “The game vaguely follows the Desktop Dungeons pattern of having 25 'story' dungeons (themed dungeons with certain preset attributes where everything inside is still randomized) and a whole load of side dungeons for grinding out permanent unlocks.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game’s monetization approach is notable for avoiding microtransactions, setting it apart from typical mobile games, though some users still compare its design to mobile titles. This absence of in-game purchases has been seen as a positive aspect by many players.
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is well-optimized, with users reporting smooth performance and no significant issues.
- “I didn't encounter any performance issues.”