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I’ve always been a massive fan of card games and titles whose gameplay is even remotely similar to those like Slay the Spire, Balatro, and other incredible roguelike deck builders. I might not be very good at them, but I love them. Among them all, one of the ones that stood out the most to me was always Monster Train, a three-tiered deck-building battler that forced my hand over the game’s Stop button on Steam more than I’d like to admit. However, when Shiny Shoe and Big Fan Games asked me to check out what they’ve been working on with its sequel, Monster Train 2, over at their offices during GDC, how could I resist?
I jumped on a plane and headed over to San Francisco, where I met with the Shiny Shoe team to talk monsters, cards, features, and more. We might have also disclosed how terrible we are at some of these card games. But a promise is a promise, and that information will never leave that room! Here’s everything I learned about Monster Train 2!
Back and Better Than Ever
Jumping right into the game, Monster Train 2 expands on many of the awesome elements featured in the first game. Each addition feels thoughtfully woven into the experience, creating even more strategic depth than I encountered in the prequel. Before rolling along the tracks and choosing our first set of enemies to overwhelm, I was introduced to the beautiful, heaven-like overworld where Titans seized control and forced an alliance between former angels and demons. So, you can expect the gorgeous, 2D art style to be as prevalent as ever, with a luster that really accentuates battles.
As we looked through the different menus, maps, and screens, the team described the overall vibe to be similar to those of older Blizzard games, giving you a large map with various locations for you to click on and explore, focusing on the artistic beauty. Many areas on the map weren’t available to check out during the preview, which helped exude challenge and excitement.
You can tell that many of the features added were a result of the developers genuinely listening to what players were most interested in seeing. One of the most interesting features like this was of Travel the Trails, a mode that tests how long you can survive against your friends, sharing scores online. With an improved Logbook that includes way more information on enemies and collections and even allows you to compare them with your friends, this came as close as being able to play with others than I had hoped for (yeah, I asked, and there’s no chance of multiplayer being an option).
More Inviting and Still Challenging
I’ve likely mentioned this before in previous reviews and previews, but I play games aggressively and tend to jump into decisions I probably should have thought about more. Think of any Diablo game. I’m the one who runs ahead of the group to attack demons until I can’t anymore, prompting me to run back and bring the problem to my friends. This translates poorly to card games, resulting in my making decisions that I can’t take back… until now!
Featuring an Undo button, players can also undo card placements and decisions they just placed if they find their turn wasn’t beneficial. I can’t even begin to describe how many times I would have needed that in the first Monster Train. Something else I wish I would have had, which is being added to the sequel, are Room and Equipment cards, impressively boosting trains like never before. If you were satisfactorily overwhelmed by everything that was going on onscreen in the first game, then you’ll be pleased to know that things can get even more insane. It was impressive how quickly you’re motivated to jump back into runs because everything is so visually attractive.
You’re even able to equip enemies with various cards that could benefit them positively or negatively. If you’re strategic enough, you’ll find just how much to your benefit this can be.
New Depths Make Room for New Features
The first Monster Train was incredibly engaging and intuitive, forcing me to really consider how things might play out. Monster Trian 2 offers the same challenging experience and doubles it. There are five new clans with completely different strengths to help them overcome enemies and challenges like the Dimensional Challenges and Celestial Alcoves. There are even new challenges brought along by unlocking and customizing new parts of the train to fit your preferred style, creating both gorgeous and intense runs.
I would recommend Monster Train 2 to players of games like MtG Arena and Hearthstone, as I felt that the physical aesthetic was really similar. I was also incredibly interested in the verbiage written on the cards and being able to scour over every word before making a decision. Despite everything I said above, I still sometimes sit and read the cards! However, if you’re also a run-and-gun kind of player, there’s a lot of fun in seeing what works and undoing it if it doesn’t.
Monster Train 2 will be available on May 21, 2025 for PC, PlayStation, and Xbox.
