Monster Train 2 review: This highly addictive roguelike deckbuilder is a worthy sequel

Monster Train 2 has pulled into the station, and I'm thrilled to be climbing aboard for the ride. Developed by San Francisco-based indie studio Shiny Shoe, this video game follows their incredibly popular and highly addictive roguelike deckbuilder released in 2020, which had players defend a train headed to reignite the extinguished heart of Hell.

The sequel has you boarding a hellish locomotive once more, defending the Pyre on top from waves of enemies across the vehicle's three vertical levels. However, rather than barreling down to the deepest circles of Hell, Monster Train 2 has you ascending toward Heaven. And rather than battling angelic armies, you're fighting alongside them to take on a new enemy: the otherworldly Titans.

I've played around 40 hours of Monster Train 2 on PC so far, and fully expect that number to increase at a socially unacceptable rate. As a fan of the original game, I was curious as to how Shiny Shoe would tackle its follow-up. The answer? Significant quality of life improvements, a fresh collection of varied clans, and new mechanics offering more gameplay possibilities.

Monster Train 2 is everything players loved about Monster Train, but dialled up to 11.

Monster Train 2 pulls up with new clans, features, and quality of life changes

Like Monster Train, Monster Train 2 engages players in runs of turn-based battles, playing cards to place units and cast spells across the train's three floors. Cards deplete the renewable resource Ember, which replenishes at the start of every turn. Each run begins by choosing to base your deck on any combination of two clans, which are card sets that share themes and mechanics. 

Between battles, players gradually accumulate more cards to strengthen their deck for the next fight, choosing between two train tracks with different shops and events. Combined with empowering artifacts and card upgrades players also gather along the journey, Monster Train 2 offers practically endless combinations that mean no two runs are the same.

Credit: Shiny Shoe

Rather than simply returning to Monster Train's familiar original clans, Monster Train 2 introduces five new ones: the angelic Banished, draconic Pyreborn, magical Luna Coven, mushroom-based Underlegion, and madly scientific Lazarus League. Not all are available at the outset, but are gradually unlocked as you play through runs and fulfil easily met criteria. Each clan has mechanics specific to them, which players can combine to discover powerful synergies.

It's deeply satisfying to find fresh strategies, exploring and experimenting with how these mechanics interact to stack up damage and efficiently dispatch your enemies. It's also deeply satisfying to simply find one great strategy and stick to it, repeatedly demolishing your enemies like a bulldozer aggressively reversing through a condemned building.

Personally, I love the Underlegion and their aptly named Funguy units. The clan's spawn mechanic  causes stacks of these mushrooms to pile on top of each other, creating a single gigantic unit. Arm it with equipment from the Lazarus League for an extra boost, and you can end up with an extremely powerful and functionally immortal large mushroom son.

Credit: Amanda Yeo / Mashable

Monster Train 2's changes also go far beyond new clans to play. The changes are immediately apparent from your first run, which starts with a new deployment phase during which you place your units before enemies arrive. 

The aforementioned equipment card types are a fun addition, typically played on your units to give them a boost such as additional attack power or multistrike. Room cards are another fresh element, applying an effect across an entire floor —  one of my favourites spawns a new Funguy whenever a unit dies. You can even unlock different Pyres with various effects; one may give units a random upgrade while another could let you restore your units' health once per battle, adding a new variant to consider when choosing your loadout at the start of a run. 

All of these additions add new strategy considerations and deckbuilding possibilities to Monster Train 2 without being overwhelming, enriching the original's already excellent gameplay. It's different enough to make the sequel worth picking up, while still offering the same engaging experience that hooked fans the first time around.

Credit: Shiny Shoe

Monster Train 2 further adds quality of life changes, the most significant of which is the ability to restart a battle. Previously, savvy players of the original Monster Train had to exit to the game's main menu if they wanted to start a botched battle again. Now, Shiny Shoe has turned this loophole into a much appreciated feature, adding a dedicated in-menu option to restart a fight if things aren't going your way. 

On top of this, Monster Train 2 has also added a button allowing you to only restart your turn, so you don't need to redo an entire battle if you accidentally equipped the wrong unit. It does take a tiny bit longer to load than I'd like, but it's still worlds better than having to start a battle all over again.

Monster Train 2 is derailed by plot

Credit: Amanda Yeo / Mashable

Though Monster Train 2 has many upgrades, sadly not all of its new additions are enhancements. 

Player's mileage may vary regarding the tie-ins to other popular indie games such as Cult of the Lamb, Balatro, and Inscryption. Characters from these games can show up in events throughout a run, which are fun Easter eggs for those familiar with these titles, but they do make the world of Monster Train 2 feel less coherent.

This leads into Monster Train 2's most glaring issue, which is the game's new attempt to focus on worldbuilding and plot. Unfortunately, it merely serves as an irritating distraction. Short, dull cutscenes in between runs slow the pace, utilising static card art to illustrate empty, exposition-filled conversations between the various clan leaders. The writing for these paper puppet scenes is sadly uninspiring, relying heavily on shallow cliché and contrived scenes in an attempt to conjure the thinnest illusion of substance. Fortunately, these segments are at least fairly infrequent and brief.

Monster Train's appeal has never been in its story. The scant plot merely served as transparent scaffolding to justify the gameplay, as actually thinking about it for more than two seconds would open up a plethora of issues. Despite this, Monster Train 2 insists on attempting to dive deeper into its shallow lore, unfortunately cracking its head against the pool floor. The game would be much better served if it forewent these plot elements altogether and focused on what it excels at: engaging gameplay.

Monster Train 2 is a delightful return for fans of the original

The plot and writing do Monster Train 2 a disappointing disservice. Still, at least one cutscene sets the stage for a thrilling moment servicing fans of the original Monster Train. 

Beware: Spoilers below.

Credit: Amanda Yeo / Mashable

Once you've reached certain requirements, a cutscene depicts the glorious return of the original clans from Monster Train, adding almost all cards from the first game to Monster Train 2. We're talking the demonic Hellhorned, plantlike Awoken, spellcasting Stygian Guard, gluttonous Umbra, and undying Melting Remnant. The gang's all here (which is also the name of the Steam achievement for unlocking them).

Well, almost the entire gang is here. The Wurmkin from Monster Train's Last Divinity DLC haven't shown up, though there's always the possibility that they'll make a fashionably late entrance in future content.

Nonetheless, it was undoubtedly exciting to see these familiar clans once more. Though I'm still working on unlocking everything, the clans appear to play exactly as they did in Monster Train, with exactly the same champions, cards, and mechanics. This opens up an enormous wealth of combinations and strategies to play with, bolstering Monster Train 2's already vast options. For example, the Luna Coven can boost the Stygian Guard's spell power, while stacking armour and attack power from the Banished works well with the rage-fuelled Hellhorned. 

It's a fantastic inclusion for fans of the original, and allows those less familiar with the franchise to try out Monster Train's clans and mechanics as well.

Credit: Shiny Shoe

Monster Train 2 is an engaging game for fans and newcomers alike, with plenty to dive into for everyone. Just like its predecessor, it’s easy to boot up a quick game — and also easy to lose hours playing just one more run. Overall, it's a fun, engaging game that's well worth picking up. Just consider skipping past the cutscenes.

Monster Train 2 is available now on Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC.