Slay the Horde

Slay the Horde is a horde survival game that combines roguelike and deckbuilding elements. The player takes the role of a wizard in a deliberately generic fantasy setting and is attacked by large numbers of enemies, including goblins, ogres and progressively larger goblins as a run continues. The game describes its own premise with a self-aware tone, presenting its familiar fantasy elements as an intentional feature rather than hiding them.

Survival depends on moving out of danger and defeating thousands of enemies over the course of a run. Spells are found randomly along the way, and the player assembles a build from these spells alongside perks, upgrades and elemental effects. The game uses cards and a mana system, and includes elemental status effects and roguelike upgrades. Spells can stack with one another, which the developer notes can lead to strong combinations and unbalanced results.

Examples of available actions include casting a fireball, freezing a goblin, summoning undead minions, and building spell effects into chain reactions. The developer states that the balance is intentionally loose, allowing players to construct builds that become very powerful by the later stages of a run.