Part 2 (May 2024) · #7 of 13 in that tierWatch the moment (0:01:50)
Alina of the Arena
- Developed by
- PINIX
- Published by
- PINIX, IndieArk
$14.99
A roguelike deckbuilding tactics game that combines elements from 'Slay the Spire' and 'Into the Breach'. Play as a gladiator to survive. With roguelike deckbuilding and hex-based tactics, no longer bound by simple attack and defense. Make use of dodges and knockbacks to stay alive!
Consensus
B74.6/100
Steam players91.5% positiveVery Positive3,971 reviews
Metacritic ↗76/100
OpenCritic ↗75/100
VG Insights estimate ↗≈119K copies · ≈$1.2M gross
What creators say
Ranked Jul 2026 · #1 of 9 in that tierWatch the moment (0:24:50)
Ranked Jun 2023 · #6 of 14 in that tierWatch the moment (0:47:25)
What players say
A hex-grid roguelike deckbuilder by PINIX where you play a gladiator and use cards, dual-wielded weapons, dodges and knockbacks in a Slay the Spire meets Into the Breach tactics system.
Players like it a lot: Steam shows Very Positive (about 91.5 percent of roughly 3,970 reviews) and many call it their favourite Slay the Spire-style game because hex positioning adds real depth. Critics are warmer than lukewarm but thin on the ground: Metacritic lists 76 (about 11 critic reviews across platforms, 6 on Switch) and OpenCritic has a 75 top-critic average from 8 reviews, with only 50-57 percent recommending. It began in Early Access in January 2022 and went 1.0 on Steam in October 2022, then reached consoles in November 2023. Recurring complaints are limited content, samey classes, and a thin presentation. Some reviewers say the developer has stopped updating it, though it remains a well-priced, well-balanced tactics deckbuilder.
Players love
- Hex movement is central: pushing enemies, dodging and positioning make fights feel like tactical puzzles, which reviewers say gives it more depth than Slay the Spire's simple block
- Dual-wield equipment system (daggers, sword and shield, two-handed weapons) with card colours tied to each hand adds build identity
- Soundtrack widely praised, with the Act 2 boss track singled out by a 100 percent completion reviewer
- Pixel art, crunchy sound effects and animations feel polished and run smoothly, including on controller
- Balanced and challenging but fair; difficulty can be set per run without losing unlock progress, and high difficulty and max-stage challenges extend play
- Card synergies and cursed weapons enable satisfying combo turns and occasionally broken runs
- Free demo, and a low price (often about 7 USD on sale) that reviewers call good value
- Free-action tossing of rocks and dropped weapons from the ground is an appreciated small tactical layer
Common complaints
- Card and effect descriptions are vague (burn, focus, stacking wounds), so you cannot make informed decisions and regret picks
- Limited content: small card pool, few bosses (about 7 major), and build-defining cards become obvious within a few runs
- Classes are similar, sharing card pools with thin differences; starting class Strike/Defend cards are just renamed with the class name
- Event encounters are text only, often just trade money for an item, with no illustrations or aftermath images
- Almost no story or worldbuilding until the ending
- Console reviewers cite awkward controls, weak UI and a small dim sprites problem on Switch; no touch support
- Some players call the developer inactive and the game effectively abandoned; Steam Workshop is listed but content is thin
Can feel tedious
- Long runs: normal runs reportedly take 1 to 1.5 hours and some up to 2 hours
- Early game can be punishing because you start with few movement cards and depend on drawing them
- Colour-switching and control schemes are confusing for newcomers, especially on a gamepad
- Repeated fights and bosses feel repetitive after the first several runs
What's unique
- Explicit fusion of deckbuilding with Into the Breach-style tactical grid movement, including knockbacks and dodges instead of simple attack/defend
- Hand-coloured cards: equipment in left and right hands and colour switching shape what cards do
- Classes styled like Dark Souls starting builds (Pyromancer, Deprived, Slave and others), encouraging themed builds
- Dropping and throwing ground objects as a free action
- Static arena with no map RNG, so all variation comes from cards, enemies and events
- Per-run difficulty selection that keeps unlock progress
Players want
- Write precise, numeric card and status text (for example deals 1 per stack per turn)
- Add illustrated events with outcomes and a bit more narrative framing, such as intros or boss VS screens
- Give each class distinct starting cards and names, and widen the card pool and viable builds
- Add more content: bosses, enemy variety, arenas (there is only one board type) and more Workshop/mod content
- Improve tutorial coverage and onboarding for the colour-switching and movement rules
- Rebalance weapons (katana reported strong, ranged and heavy weapons weak) and make higher difficulties add mechanics, not just stat bumps
Summarised from Steam reviews and community discussion.
Steam tags
Roguelike DeckbuilderRogue-likeTurn-Based TacticsHex GridCard GameRogue-liteStrategyDifficultFemale ProtagonistTurn-Based Strategy
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Tier list Part 2 (2024)
Alina of the Arena is a deck-building roguelike where cards are used to move and attack on a tactical board, blending Slay the Spire style deckbuilding with Into the Breach style positioning. He discovered it through a stream viewer's recommendation and fell in love with it after 10-15 hours. He feels the board gimmick is strong enough to stop it from being a Slay the Spire clone while staying close to its familiar structure. He places it in A tier and thinks it could grow with more content.
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