One Step From Eden

A frantic indie darling that evolves the deckbuilder

I was obsessed with Mega Man Battle Network as a kid. Mega Man satisfied the frenetic whimsy of my attention at an early age. The series was filled with games that were fast, fun, stylish — and most importantly, cool. My brother and I lost countless hours on the ultra-hard difficulty of the Mega Man games. Instead of giving up when we encountered impossible bosses, instant death spikes, and maddening levels, we pushed onward, the delicious prospect of victory a reward we demanded above all else.

When Mega Man Battle Network released, it did so with mixed reviews. A strange mash-up of the Mega Man formula and the RPG genre, Battle Network also introduced a deckbuilder aspect — battle chips, a way to construct a deck filled with recurring skills and abilities that would refresh at the onset of every new battle. This curious customization awarded limitless opportunities for how each battle would play out and spurred a new obsession. Combined with a local multiplayer that allowed my brother, my friend, and I to pit our best decks against each other, Mega Man Battle Network was the summer game for six years…and a game that would eventually fade into obscurity.

Last summer, Slay the Spire released on the Nintendo Switch. A unique indie RPG, Slay the Spire combined the best…