Monster Train 2

If you loved Monster Train, you’ll really love Monster Train 2. And, if you don't, Monster Train 2 won't successfully change your mind. However, you should consider these games as load-bearing pillars of modern deckbuilders, somehow both accessible and complex, welcoming and daunting, easy and reactive to play but hard and satisfying to master. Monster Train 2 is massive, monstrous, sharp as all hell, and smoother than ever. All aboard!

It may take a while for the true depths that Monster Train 2 holds to become apparent, but once you really dig into the minutiae of each deck, the options that present themselves in front of you seem almost limitless, and that’s my impression having only spent a substantial amount of time with two of Shiny Shoe’s fantastic new decks. For fans of the original, or newcomers who didn’t stamp their ticket for the first trip aboard the Monster Train, climb aboard Monster Train 2 right now. And, get comfy as I suspect you won’t be disembarking for a while.

Monster Train 2 is a masterpiece. It is a unique concept, brilliantly executed, and something anyone interested in the genre should play. It is designed in a way that lets the player do incredibly strange and powerful things while still providing a challenge. It is packed with so much content that the 25-dollar price tag feels like a prank. If you played the first game, you will love the new cards, mechanics, and keywords. If you never played the first, the sequel is better in almost every way and is a perfect place to start. Monster Train 2 is a must-play game.

I didn't come to Monster Train 2 for an engaging story. I came for tense, strategic combat, hours of upgrading and optimizing spells and units, and that uniquely roguelike power fantasy of starting with scraps and blazing your way to the top. The realm of indie roguelikes is competitive and crowded, but despite years of tough competition, Monster Train 2 has strongly reasserted its series as one of the leaders of the pack. In other words, many games are good; few are as good as Hell.

An all-time great deckbuilder gets a sequel worth risking God’s wrath for.

Monster Train 2 is a strong sequel that expands on the original with five new clans, more artifacts, rooms, and Pyre Hearts, offering a huge variety of strategic combinations. The game is notably more difficult, but victory feels especially rewarding, and progression becomes easier as you master each clan. While the unit design and challenge variety are excellent, the interface suffers from an unadjustable camera and oversized UI elements. The story doesn't add much, but the rewarding progression system and a surprise for returning players keep the experience engaging.

Monster Train 2 is pretty much everything a sequel should be: bigger, better, more refined, and more fun to play. Some of the mechanical changes are more akin to sideways upgrades, but even then, I preferred the new way once I got used to it. There's so much genuine enjoyment to be had with the game that I could barely put it down and stop playing. If I didn't have other titles to move on to, I would probably still be playing Monster Train 2. Fans of the original or fans of roguelike deck-builders will find a lot to love, and it's easily a must-play for fans of the genre.

No matter your preferred playstyle, the myriad gimmicks and game plans provided by Monster Train 2 will keep things fresh as you fight your way through the legions of Heaven. While I enjoyed my time with the original, Monster Train 2 is an improvement in every imaginable way. I can't wait to see what the Shiny Shoe team ends up adding as they continue to support the game. They've officially put themselves on my radar as a talented indie team to keep an eye on.

Monster Train 2 will be the new obsession for all of you deck building fans, with so many build options and limitless replayability.

Monster Train 2 is a roguelike deckbuilder par excellence. Its design makes it clear that developer Shiny Shoe has a deep understanding and love of what is so enthralling about this particular subgenre and doubles down. It’s carriage after carriage of big numbers, satisfying combos, dizzying synergies and new tactical possibilities that have kept me tied to the tracks for dozens of hours already, and will likely haul away dozens more in my future.

Monster Train 2 capably builds on the original game and improves on it immensely. It leaves the station and only picks up more speed as it goes, so get on board or get out of the way.

I love Monster Train 2 now, and I suspect I’ll love it even more after putting 50 to 100 hours into it. Shiny Shoe did a fantastic job of keeping everything important in Monster Train, not disrespecting the original experience in any way, and implementing new Clans, card types, encounters, and mechanics that keep it challenging in a manageable way. Even the addition of a story is fascinating, considering the original only featured hints at the series’ lore. I love what the team did here, and Monster Train 2 ended up becoming as essential an entry in an roguelike library as the original.

Let's hope the conductor doesn't come through because Monster Train 2 is a truly first class ride through deckbuilder roguelike heaven. I'm already going off the rails with all the possibilities these smart evolutions to the rules and cards on offer bring, each run teasing me to chase new ways to to master the rails. I'm well and truly on board.

Monster Train 2 is a fantastic upgrade for what was already one of the best deckbuilding roguelites out there. Its new Equipment cards layer on even more ways to build a team of super-powerful monsters, and its five new clans of delightfully weird characters are every bit as ripe for experimentation and unexpected results as the original cast. You can play it dozens of times and not take the same approach twice – and even if you choose the same starting options you have to adapt and think on your feet to make the most of what fate decides to give you. I can easily say right now that its endless challenge and the pleasant surprises I’m still discovering within it will keep me coming back for hundreds of hours.

Monster Train 2 is a well-crafted roguelike deck-building game that, even at launch, already provides a solid foundation for delivering the kind of gameplay fantasy most players are looking for. While the genre might not appeal to everyone and could be challenging for some, the game boasts an impressive level of polish and quality.

Monster Train 2 builds on the first game's inventive blend of turn-based card battles and tower defense, introducing a wealth of new content and mechanics that make the experience feel both familiar and fresh. With five new clans each substantial in depth and the ability to mix them with the original five, the game offers a long-lasting and highly replayable experience.

Monster Train 2 is excellent. It takes everything I loved about the first game and makes it just a little better. The looks, music, and strategy will have me playing this one for years to come.

Monster Train 2 is more Monster Train – but it’s more in the most considered, intelligent possible way. Highly recommended.

Monster Train 2 is a successful follow-up to a very good game. The aim is not to take risks and try to remake the card-focused combat experience but to find ways to make it more engrossing for fans. The variety, which starts with clans and hero upgrade paths and extends to cards, upgrades, and artifacts, will keep players coming back to craft new strategies and fashion their unique way of taking the Titans down. The limited narrative and the uneven presentation might make it hard for newcomers to enjoy the combat. Even genre veterans will be surprised by some of the milestones they have to hit to unlock all the content. Still, Monster Train 2 creates engaging and fun runs and will reward players who are willing to invest their time and attention.

Monster Train 2 can end your social life in an instant because it is so fun, challenging and addictive. The many new features may not be particularly innovative, but they still manage to make this sequel a must-have roguelike deckbuilder for any fan of the genre.

Monster Train 2 builds upon the winning formula of its predecessor, enriching it with new factions, mechanics, and game modes that expand the content of the original title. Without radically changing anything, it delivers a deep and highly replayable experience, featuring a rewarding progression system and a steadily increasing difficulty curve that encourages dedication, learning, and experimentation. Unfortunately, the random element plays a significant role in high-difficulty matches, but that's both the charm and the challenge of roguelite deckbuilders.

Monster Train 2 is a great expansion for the ideas and mechanics of the previous game, with tons of replayability baked in to provide hours upon hours of fun. It’s worth going off the rails on this crazy train.

As sequels go, this is what I hoped to see after playing a lot of Monster Train on my Switch and PC- more Monster Train. And the devs really proved their creativity in this game, coming up with some truly mind-bending card combinations, and a fun story that holds the chaos together. I’ve played quite a bit of the game, and I can tell that I still have tons of cards to unlock. I anticipate that Monster Train 2 stays in my rotation for a good long time.

There is nothing like this game out there. The roguelite elements are accompanied by components from the deckbuilder and tower defense genres in a combination that really shouldn’t work as well as it does. The story, while slightly formulaic, is filled with charm and great designs that will keep you engaged from beginning to end. If you aren’t engaged by the narrative, you will certainly be hooked by the gameplay with its exciting encounters and great opportunity for experimentation with different strategies while working towards unlocking more factions, units, and spell cards.

So while Monster Train 2 can initially seem more like an expansion than a sequel, it favours potency over a reimagining of the basics, using trusted design as a basis for even more excessive combat creations. It's all about bigger, weirder kinds of damage. If, that is, you're prepared to think like a mad scientist. [Issue#412, p.118]

Monster Train 2 is a truly enjoyable experience that feels like the developers have successfully built upon it upon its predecessor’s foundation. Even though it took me a few runs to really get a handle on all the systems at play, once I did I was ‘full-steam ahead’ (these train puns doing it for you?). The new clans, strategic depth, and progression system are all a reason for any fan of the rogue-like deck-builders to try this game. Not to mention the banging soundtrack, some bright and colorful art for the cards and enemies and Monster Train 2 feels like a perfectly blended match made in heaven.

If you’re not really a fan of deckbuilders, this game is not going to change your mind. But if you like them but often find them kind of disappointing, I think Monster Train 2 is going to be a real winner. It doesn’t do anything I’ve never seen before, but all the things it does that I have seen before are things it does really well. And that’s worthy of praise.

Monster Train 2 is a solid sequel that expands on the original’s mechanics with new features like equipment cards, train cores, and extra game modes, adding tactical variety without overhauling the core formula. The combat remains engaging and strategic, emphasizing card management, positioning, and synergies. However, the game’s steep difficulty and reliance on advanced mechanics may deter casual players. While offering a robust experience for dedicated fans, it often feels more like an ambitious expansion than a true evolution of the series.

Like a well-tuned train, Monster Train 2 doesn't deviate from the tracks it laid in the first game. The experience of the sequel is familiar to those who already know the franchise, but the new mechanics and new game modes translate into (another) hundreds more hours of fun.