If you have been playing Slay the Spire 2 in its current early access form, you have likely noticed that some of the visual assets look, to put it mildly, quite rough. According to Mega Crit co-founder Casey Yano, that "garbage" aesthetic is not an accident—it is a deliberate design choice for the game's early access period.

Speaking in an interview with GameSpot, Yano explained that the MS Paint-style placeholders serve a specific purpose: establishing transparency. "I wanted to set the precedent that some of the stuff is incomplete, and I wanted to make it obvious," Yano said. "I think things being obviously incomplete is actually pretty important for early access."

Setting Expectations for Early Access

Yano noted that while the art team likely would have preferred to be further along in the development process, he was aware from the start that they would be producing a significant amount of "garbage" art during the early access phase. By keeping the quality intentionally low, the team avoids the common pitfall of players assuming that near-finished art is the final product.

"If we use art that looks nearly complete, then people would think that that's going to be the final art," Yano added. "It has to look like shit. It's important that it looks like shit."

Why Mega Crit Rejects Generative AI

Beyond managing player expectations, the choice to use hand-drawn placeholders is rooted in a fundamental rejection of generative AI tools. Yano emphasized that the artistic process is about the journey of development, noting that anyone who has practiced art would likely feel a sense of sadness at the use of AI to mimic creative work.

"You don't see the path that somebody took to get better and develop their own style," Yano said. "You just see somebody who's like, 'I just want something in this style.'"

He further pointed out that since Slay the Spire 2 is already being built in the studio's own distinct visual style, there is little utility in using AI to replicate their own work. The stance is a firm one: Mega Crit remains uninterested in incorporating generative AI into their development pipeline, opting instead for a transparent, human-led approach—even when that means the screen is filled with placeholders that look like they were drawn in a basic painting program.

Quick Facts

  • Game: Slay the Spire 2
  • Release Status: Early Access (as of July 2026)
  • Platforms: PC, macOS, Linux
  • Developer Stance: Explicitly against using generative AI