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Roguelikes have seemingly invaded almost every genre across gaming. From Poker to even Hockey, and the various twists on the standard action game, there is likely a genre that could catch your eye. However, card roguelikes have garnered a passionate fanbase throughout the years, especially with the likes of Slay the Spire, Inscryption, and Hand of Fate 2, among countless others. Monster Train 2, which is a sequel to its 2020 debut, is yet another that is set to punch your ticket, and travel alongside you into the wee hours of the night.
While Monster Train 2 is an extremely captivating roguelike, developer Shiny Shoe hasn't managed to keep the title fully engaging from start to finish. Its narrative and presentation of its story is immediately forgettable, but it's very apparent that story isn't the main draw here. Sure, the concept of invading heaven is a neat idea, but the visual novel aesthetics are basic at best with cliche dialogue that is presented with stereotypical offerings from its cast. Again, it's not the focus of the game, but if a Monster Train 3 ever pulls into the station, it best be a focus in some capacity.
Still, what Monster Train 2 does right is tenfold and aplenty. Each run has you choosing from one of two clans, at least initially, as you'll unlock more as you progress through the story. You can mix and match your deck as you carry on. Each run will feel unique as you upgrade cards, be awarded new ones, and add equipment and room cards to the mix. While there is a set path of the bosses you'll face, the preparation you take on with your deck will be wildly different from the last run.
As you lead your clans in a fight against heaven, against the Titans of old, the story places you in an uneasy alliance between the Banished Clan and the Pyreborn Clan, a faction of dragons who were once your enemy. Each clan has its own playstyle, with the Banished Clan focusing on Valor and the Pyreborn focused more on Pyregel, a debuff that forces additional damage on your foes. Each run has you picking a main Clan with a secondary one as backup.
At the start, you'll only have these two, but with several more to unlock, such as the extremely powerful mushroom folk in the Underlegion, the spell-focused Luna Coven, to the potion-wielding Lazarus League, who, while they can be effective, were not terribly easy to master. I'll leave the remaining few to discover as while they can be engaging to work alongside other clans, the rest are easily the weakest clans the game offers. Mostly, I kept the Underlegion and the Banished as my mains and tinkered around with the Luna Coven when I wanted some variety after a few runs.
As you leave the station in the titular Monster Train, combat begins immediately. You'll have three levels of the train to place units, with a fourth level that houses your Pyre, the lifeblood of the train. If enemies break through your defenses and attack the Pyre and deplete its health, that run is over. After each turn, enemies will ascend each level of the train, so it is in your best interest to prevent that. While the Pyre can defend itself, you'll eventually earn different Pyres that have different abilities and capabilities.
Combat plays out very similarly to a Tower Defense game mixed with a Deck builder. Hell, it reminded me a lot of Unicorn Overlord, where you set your pieces in motion and watch the battle play out. You'll have some injection of your own as you use card abilities and place equipment cards on your troops, but the battles themselves take place automatically. And with a speed slider to adjust the pace of the match, you can blitz through runs in no time.
Cards vary in their purpose. Some deal direct damage buffs to your team, apply weakness to your foe, or are simply units you place on the field. Each unit has an Ember cost as well as a room cost, which dictates how many units can occupy each level of the train car. There are also room cards that can grant certain things if conditions are met, like bonus gold if either friend or foe perishes in battle.
Each battle has you placing cards down that consume Ember. If you start with three Ember, then you could place down three units that cost one Ember each or a mix of a stronger unit that uses two and one that only costs one. There are ways to start with more Ember or even reduce the cost of a card’s Ember cost. I would make my stronger cards cost less, as I would find the stops between my run where I could purchase that perk, as well as cloning my strongest cards for a run that worked out in my favor.
Various cards will affect the flow of battle. You'll have some that can cast quick to speed things up, or abilities that grant shields to your units to prevent damage. There are also strategies where you may not want to place your strongest cards at the bottom and save them for the final push that enemies make against your Pyre. And, as you upgrade cards and add secondary skills to them, your strategy will change from run to run.
Between runs, you'll have a choice between two sets of tracks to pick a side based on your faction. From upgrading or cloning your units, applying more health or valor to some, or little bite-sized story moments that result in a new card or two, some paths will also heal your Pyre. You'll need to choose one path over the other, so this also plays a role in your strategy for that run.
Alongside the campaign, you'll have over 20 Dimensional Challenges. These are preset combinations of clan scenarios that are hand-crafted to make you rethink certain synergies and reward you for the trouble. These are unlocked once you unlock two new Pyres to add to your train. From new Pyres to unlock to customizable elements to the train itself, they are certainly worth the time and give you a bit more to do than the standard Daily challenges you’ll have access to from the start.
From the train to the locations you'll upgrade your team, to the monsters and allies that make up each faction, Monster Train 2 is visually fun and makes for the perfect Steam Deck game. Having played through the title on Steam Deck and starting again on Xbox via Game Pass, there is a wildly addictive game here that has some great presentation, again, aside from its lacking story.
Monster Train 2’s variety and content does wonders for repeated runs, even back to back to back until you've lost track of time. The upgrades, equipment cards, and the synergies between the clans make for a very entertaining game, despite the forgettable story and character moments. Still, the core of the game is fantastic and is a fantastic addition to the greats of this genre.
Developer - Shiny Shoe. Publisher - Big Fan Games. Released - May 21st, 2025. Available On - Xbox Series X/S, PS5, Nintendo Switch, GeForce Now, Windows. Rated - (E 10+) Alcohol Reference, Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood, Mild Language. Platform Reviewed - Steam Deck/Xbox Series X. Review Access - Review code was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.
Jeff is the original founder of Analog Stick Gaming. His favorite games include The Witcher III, the Mass Effect Trilogy, Hi-Fi Rush, Stellar Blade, Hellbade: Senua’s Sacrifice, and the Legend of Heroes series, especially Trails of Cold Steel III & IV.