Ever since Slay the Spire cracked the code of deckbuilding roguelikes have swarmed across the gaming landscape like a glittering plague, devouring poker, platformers, even carpentry sims. And yet, for all its saturation, the genre still makes a compelling case for just one more run.

If Monster Train 2 were the last roguelike deckbuilder you ever played, you might find yourself oddly at peace with that. Not because it reinvents the genre, but because it refines and evolves its predecessor’s formula with confidence.

What Is Monster Train 2?

Monster Train 2 is a sequel in the truest sense. It doesn’t scrap the original game’s premise, it builds on it with intelligent additions, cleaner systems, and a touch more narrative flair. Once again, you’re defending a hellbound locomotive carrying a sacred pyre, battling through waves of enemies across a multi-level train.

Where the first game focused on repelling angels to reclaim hell, this time around the angels and devils have teamed up. Now you’re fending off the godlike Titans, who’ve taken over heaven. The result? A new set of threats, but the same compulsively playable loop of battles, upgrades, and edge-case decision-making.

Gameplay

What sets Monster Train apart from other deck builder's and still does in this sequel, is its three-lane combat system, where each train floor functions like a mini tower-defense battleground. Enemies spawn on the bottom floor and work their way up, engaging in one round of auto-battle per level. Your goal? Stop them before they reach your pyre on the top floor.

You deploy unit cards to each floor and cast spells in between to tip the odds in your favor. The result is a constant juggling act: tank the first floor? Fortify the second? Save your points to drop a devastating spell on the boss next turn? Each wave of enemies throws a wrench in your plans, ranged attackers, spore swarms, or fast-moving bosses that dart between floors. The one-round-per-floor rule keeps you honest: no single tactic or bottleneck can win the day. You must adapt, innovate, and most importantly, break the damn game in beautiful ways.

New Mechanics & Additions

While Monster Train 2 sticks close to its roots, the sequel introduces a slew of new mechanics that flesh out the formula without bloating it. Some of the best include:

• Room Cards – Modify train floors with special properties. Create an arena that gives extra points, a planetarium that boosts magic, or even a burning room that damages every unit each turn (if you dare).
• New Pyres – Choose between different pyres at the start of each run, each offering unique bonuses and starting conditions.
• Equipment Cards – Attach to allies or enemies to cause status effects, trigger damage on movement, or synergize with health totals.
• Card Abilities – Many cards now come with active or passive abilities, such as copying your last spell or launching a free attack on summon.

The layers of tactical depth are immense but rarely overwhelming. Everything slots into place with clean UX, tight design, and a sense of playful experimentation.

Factions System

There are five clans in Monster Train 2, and each run asks you to pick a primary and secondary, which dictates your starting Champion and card pool. Each clan brings a wildly different playstyle and flavor. The joy lies in combining these clans into busted synergy machines. Stack spell multipliers, boost Conduit levels, summon back-to-back spells, whatever you do, the game dares you to go too far.

A Beautiful, Broken Game

The most satisfying moments in Monster Train 2 come when you discover a combo so broken it feels like the game is daring you to patch it out. Turn a frail witch like Ekka into a lunar-powered nuke machine. Cast spells that obliterate entire enemy floors in one turn. Turn movement damage and debuffs into a win condition.

But unlike some roguelikes where you feel cheated by RNG, here you feel like a genius alchemist. The systems interlock just enough to let smart players bend them into glorious, game-breaking shapes.

Visual and Design

Not everything shines. While the game is clear and readable, the visual design can feel bland. The UI is clean but color schemes are flat, and many characters, especially enemies, look like they were pulled from a digital card stockpile. It lacks the style or boldness of something like Balatro or Inscryption.

The writing is mostly light and humorous. There’s a "lobby town" where dragons complain about their spouses and sitcom-style storylets unfold. It's more charming than meaningful, and thankfully, never intrusive.

Replayability & Endgame Content

Like any great roguelike, Monster Train 2 offers endless replayability. Beat the campaign? Try puzzle-like challenge runs with unique modifiers. Still not enough? Jump into Endless Mode, where your deck’s synergy is tested across an infinite gauntlet.

Each run unlocks new cards, champions, and relics, fuel for your next perfect combo. It's the kind of progression that hooks into your brain and whispers: just one more.

At its best, Monster Train 2 is a math puzzle with an emotional arc. You begin with weak cards and impossible odds. You end as a mad warlock slinging 300-damage spells and watching enemies dissolve into glitter. Each run is a story of struggle, synergy, and satisfaction.

At its worst, it’s a flashy spreadsheet simulator with a gambler’s loop. But if you're already here, reading this, you're probably into that. And in that case, Monster Train 2 might be your new favorite obsession or your final escape before purging the genre from your hard drive entirely.

Score: 9/10