School of Magic: Deck & Slash – Intriguing Foundation, Incomplete Execution

If you enjoy independent indie game coverage, consider supporting Indie-Games.eu on Patreon. It helps keep the site independent.

• DEVELOPER: PartTimeIndie
• PUBLISHER: PartTimeIndie
• PLATFORMS: PC
• GENRE: Deck-building / Hack & Slash
• RELEASE DATE: November 10, 2025
• STARTING PRICE: 19,50€
• REVIEWED VERSION: PC

School of Magic: Deck & Slash is an ambitious indie experiment that blends deckbuilding with real-time hack-and-slash action, and the result is immediately intriguing. Released into Early Access, it’s clear that some areas are still a work in progress, but the core mechanics already show strong potential and promise a unique twist on two popular genres. The game positions itself as “Diablo meets Slay the Spire,” and for the most part, it delivers on that bold comparison.

It’s also worth noting that AI plays a significant role in the game’s development. The 2D art was created using OpenAI tools, the narrator is powered by ElevenLabs, narrative assistance was provided by OpenAI, and coding was supported by various AI models, including OpenAI and Anthropic technologies. This might not be everyone’s cup of tea.

Clever Cards, Repetitive Fights

The game’s primary loop revolves around building a character’s deck of spells at the start of each run, then venturing into real-time combat. Unlike traditional class-based RPGs, you assemble a dynamic set of abilities, which evolve as the run progresses: one card is removed, the rest grow stronger, and three new cards are added. This mechanic creates an interesting, ever-changing skill tree where no two runs feel identical.

The deckbuilding itself is unique, and the choices carry meaningful weight, but the implementation is sometimes frustrating. The animations showing spell changes each turn are slow and intrusive; a static icon or quick summary would make the process smoother. Similarly, while you can modify spells, the options are limited, and leveling them rarely feels impactful. Boosts are minor, and occasional massive rewards, like a 100+% critical chance for the first level, feel unearned and break the balance.

Combat is real-time, requiring strategic planning, but it quickly becomes repetitive. Enemies charge, you cast spells, you move on. Even boss encounters, while visually distinct, rarely demand anything more than the same basic actions. The early game offers some tension, but the difficulty curve quickly flattens into a “power spiral.” The result is that fights rarely feel skill-based; surviving or succeeding often comes down to choosing the right stat boosts or spells rather than reflexes or clever play.

Map and level design add to these issues. Environments feel flat and featureless, with little incentive to explore. Landmark features often appear nonfunctional, giving the impression of unfinished content, and the minimap is poorly executed, sometimes hiding key connections or misrepresenting terrain. Its only helpful element is the player trail, which helps track recent movements. Exploration feels like a checklist rather than a meaningful adventure: you move from one encounter to another with little sense of discovery, and most battles are very similar to each other.

Intriguing Foundation, Incomplete Execution

Technical performance further undermines the experience. On my PC, the game suffered from constant FPS drops and freezing, making some areas unplayable despite the modest visuals. While the demo ran more smoothly, the full release made progression frustrating. These issues, combined with Early Access limitations, create a barrier to fully enjoying the game’s promising systems.

Still, there is potential here. The risk-and-reward system of deck evolution encourages experimentation, and unlocking new spells or story content between runs gives a sense of progression even through failure. For thise who enjoy both deckbuilding and action RPGs, the foundation is intriguing: each run offers a chance to experiment with builds and strategies in a way that few indie titles attempt.

At present, however, School of Magic: Deck & Slash is a mixed experience. The deckbuilding mechanics are clever, but combat and level design are flat, balance is inconsistent, and technical issues can prevent proper play. It offers the satisfaction of checking boxes off a task list, but lacks excitement in its core gameplay loop. For those willing to explore an Early Access title with strong ideas but incomplete execution, it’s worth a look. Those seeking polished, skill-driven combat or fully realized environments may want to wait.

Review copy provided by the publisher