Try playing Tế Tử Đàn: Slay the Spire x Tower Defense?

Try playing Tế Tử Đàn – Usually, when we talk about the Vietnamese game market, we immediately think of… pay-to-win mobile games, or 'super casual' mobile games like Flappy Bird.

The reality is that very few Vietnamese studios make single-player games and release a product that is attractive enough to the tastes of global gamers ( HOA is one example). We mostly have sporadic horror or action 'platformer' games that gain popularity for a while and then… disappear.

As a Vietnamese citizen, I have always hoped that one day Vietnam could have a regular presence on the world gaming map, even if it's just a captivating indie game like Balatro , for example. And every time a 'made in Vietnam' game is released, regardless of genre or form, I feel a surge of hope.

Recently, the 'Steam community' has seen the emergence of Tế Tử Đàn , a Vietnamese game that the author feels is relatively promising lately due to its gameplay that blends elements from several popular game genres.

Join tipsplay.net on a journey into the enchanting world of Tế Tử Đàn and see if this game has the potential to become a surprise hit in the Vietnamese gaming scene this year!

I thought it was a horror game…

It's unclear why, but lately, most of the popular Vietnamese games on the domestic and international markets are horror games. We can count titles like The Scourge, The Death , and even Bad Parenting , etc. Therefore, when glancing at the homepage of Tế Tử Đàn (English name: Just A Shadow Game ), the writer immediately assumed it was just another first-person horror game.

Indeed, the writer had reason to think so. The trailer immediately presented gruesome images of monsters, but upon entering the game, the writer was greeted by two altars—one belonging to the enemy and one to the writer—along with. 5 cards? 3 'mana'?

The writer was genuinely surprised that the game played like a 'hybrid' between Slay the Spire and tower defense , with a touch of the traditional Vietnamese game of O An Quan!

More specifically, you will control an altar and use cards to build structures around it; a priest will walk around the altar and activate the structures.

The structures (actually, all the structures seem to be just… a platform with worshippers kneeling on top – Ed.) will consume a certain amount of mana, and some structures require 'sacrificing' other structures to build.

Each building will have a different function; some will 'spawn' more soldiers, others will fire spells at enemies, etc. Players will have to place buildings in appropriate positions and consider their mana to use them effectively. Additionally, because some buildings require sacrificing other buildings, players will have to carefully consider which buildings to 'sacrifice' and which to keep.

The key here is that the effects of the buildings will be activated when the 'priest' jumps to the building's location, so players need to choose positions that match the level's state, and also consider increasing the number of priests to activate the buildings quickly.

In summary, although the game has horror elements, its gameplay mechanics are relatively novel and unique, and will certainly appeal to gamers who enjoy tower defense strategy games or hardcore fans of the roguelike card game genre.

The plot is intriguing !

Regarding the storyline, the current demo of Tế Tử Đàn is not fully unlocked, so the author cannot give a comprehensive assessment – ​​after all, this is just an introduction to a new game!

Essentially, the player takes on the role of a person – or spirit – who awakens in a dark land and is guided by some entity through rather… arrogant dialogue.

The writer will traverse this land of darkness, making choices about the path they wish to take, such as visiting the Hungry Ghost to purchase new cards, exploring a deserted area to find rare cards, or venturing into the forest to battle the entity's soldiers.

The writer was quite impressed with the storytelling method of the Tế Tử Đàn demo ; the story is told through film-like scenes, with striking visuals and background music that creates a chilling and eerie atmosphere.

In particular, the demo version of Tế Tử Đàn also includes a small 'plot twist' that the writer activated once but couldn't activate again, further increasing curiosity about the final product of Tế Tử Đàn .

Personal opinion

I must say I was quite surprised by how captivating the Tế Tử Đàn demo was , especially the later stages, where I had to use all my skills and even… a bit of luck to get through.

Imagine your army is outnumbered by the enemy, and suddenly you stumble upon a magical crossbow, narrowly surviving, then gradually turning the tide and securing victory right from the brink of death.

Currently, the demo version of Tế Tử Đàn is incomplete, lacking quite a few cards, as well as the 'deck-building' mechanism (or perhaps the game doesn't have it at all?), resulting in some imbalances and a lack of diversity among cards, as well as a few minor bugs.

However, if this rogue-like mechanic combined with the goalkeeper mechanic is implemented more meticulously, the author is very much looking forward to owning the final version of the game – a refreshing new experience, and who knows, perhaps Vietnamese games will reach international standards?

4. When will it be released ?

Players can now experience the Tế Tử Đàn demo on Steam. The specific release date has not yet been announced by the game developer, only that it will be sometime in 2025.