As far as deckbuilders go, Monster Train is fantastic. The general strategy and the quirks of fighting on a multi-leveled train make it stand out as its own sort of unique puzzle that rewards players for cleverness. The runs are fast, it’s easy to learn, and the challenge modes give it plenty of depth and replay. Get on board before it leaves the station!

Between the three factions to unlock in addition to the two starting ones and the generous number of faction cards available to unlock- not to mention the ability to make and share custom challenges online- this is a game that’s easy to come back to time and time again. And you will want to come back. While it’s easy to cast aside a game that takes inspiration from another as too derivative, it’s hard to complain when the results are this fun. Monster Train proves that, sometimes, it’s good to be bad.

Successfully blending genres is a tough task, but Monster Train makes it look easy. Addictive rouge-like card-based gameplay with a presentation that is second-to-none.

Do you like Slay The Spire? If so, you should absolutely try Monster Train's more tactical spin on the deck-building roguelike, which literally layers on new ideas and has every bit as much depth and variety.

Simply put, Monster Train is really good. It’s fun, there are a nigh-on-infinite number of things you can change and mess around with for each run, and it’s difficult, but not soul-crushingly so. It’s got a nice look to it, some very good music, and the card-customisation and cloning is an excellent idea. I’m really looking forward to seeing more people with their hands on it, and I think Monster Train deserves to be huge.

Monster Train is without doubt one of the best deck builders on the market.

I was surprised to realize that I’d already played Monster Train for 15 hours before I began to write this review, and I wasn’t even halfway finished with unlocking everything. The randomization of the relics, cards, and other elements of the game keep it fresh and fun long after you’ve beaten the game a few (dozen) times. If you are a fan of card battlers, this is a must have.

While Monster Train provides a premiere deck building experience, it isn’t perfect by any means. Some cards and encounters aren’t explained particularly well. I found at times I had to experiment with how some things worked, simply because you may find that certain enemies aren’t what you thought they were, and some cards or encounters don’t fulfill the expectations you had for them. The streak system, banking on how many concurrent wins you had is a nice addition, but it becomes frustrating as, sometimes, you just don’t have the cards in your deck to win. It would have been nice to have a reward system, to bring over at least one card from the previous run so that you can build on your past success. Still, even with these perceptual issues or missed opportunities, Monster Train still has me returning for more. Monster Train is definitely an unexpected hidden gem.

It would be easy to dismiss a game like Monster Train as nothing more than yet another entry into the ever-increasing deck-building genre upon first glance, but after just a short while playing it, its various complexities begin to reveal themselves, making for deep gameplay that keeps you coming back for just one more run. Much like the best puzzle or strategy games, Monster Train excels in being insanely addictive, all while being easy to learn yet hard to master. Shiny Shoe should be commended on this labor of love, an absolute gem where controlling the forces of Hell feels like a blast of heavenly fun.

Monster Train is a pleasant, mind-blowingly addictive exercise that’s well worth your time, especially if you’re a fan of roguelikes, card games, and deck-building fare. Hours of entertainment await, often chained back-to-back like a crazy card combo.

If there was any concept that the card battler genre had completely tapped out with Slay The Spire, Monster Train proves that assumption wrong. Combining scaling difficulty, combo troops and cards, and an amazing amount of replayability under the hood, this is a game that can easily devour hours of your time pursuing "just one more run."

As addictive as any card builder on the market, Monster Train absolutely nails the dopamine drip of fast-paced matches, the promise of increasing power, and enough variety in its gameplay that it will take dozens of hours before the game starts to feel repetitive. A well written story and crisper graphics would elevate the title to another level, but what is here is fantastic and endlessly entertaining.

If Slay the Spire was the roguelike deck-builder genre’s promising first impression, Monster Train feels like the genre really hitting its stride. In some regards, Monster Train feels like a full-on sequel to Slay the Spire, but it also changes things up enough to stand firm all on its own.

A staggering amount of content, variety and tactical depth makes Monster Train a must-play for fans of the deck-building genre, despite it struggling to explain its dense collection of mechanics and often lacklustre presentation.

For those who are into card games, Monster Train is a must-play title. It's better and more complex than Slay the Spire, although I would have liked to see more bosses throughout my several playthroughs, the RNG dictates who you fight and when. Monster Train is a fresh, new take on the deck-building card game genre that will be hard to be outmatched.

Although it's nothing revolutionary, Monster Train has certainly cemented itself as a champion of the deckbuilding RPG sub-genre. I foresee myself playing this for at least another 100 hours. Finding synergies between decks and cards within each deck is an absolute pleasure, and I predict additions will come at some point in the future. I just wish this style of game could find decent storytelling. If you're itching for a tale, there's no shortage of gripping and emotional yarns out there. If stats and cards woven together through complex decision-making is more your scene, then hop aboard and have your ticket ready.

This is one of the biggest surprises of the year for us. The combination of cards and tower defense works great, and even though there are some small flaws, overall it is a game we’ve really enjoyed.

Both accessible and merciless at the same time, this is by far one the best roguelike deckbuilders since Slay the Spire.

This is a smart, savvy evolution of the "Spire" formula, one you suspect Mega Crit, flattery be damned, would have been happy to put its name to. [Issue#348, p.105]

Monster Train is a great experience for those who are fans of both deck-building games and roguelike adventures. While there may not seem to be as much content as other titles in the genre, there are random elements and unlockables that allow for a lot of replayability. Monster Train's game mechanics offer a neat spin on the deck-building genre and it will be interesting to see how the game evolves in the future.

Whilst unashamedly similar to Slay the Spire, Monster Train has enough of its own ideas to deliver its own blend of deep, addictive fun.

On the bright side, there is an incredible amount of replayability in Monster Train. There are five factions to play with, and you have to choose two to combine at the beginning of each run. Of course, it isn’t without escalating difficulty levels for those who manage to beat the game consistently, and even a multiplayer race format as well. Lastly, one of my favourite things about digital card games is that the devs have lots of ways to continue patching it. My gripes with the game are pretty minor, and who knows how this game will look in a few months? This are just release days, after all. If you are a fan of Slay the Spire or any other deckbuilding roguelites, you should definitely check this one out.

I’ve found it hard to recommend deck builders recently because I’ve either thought they were clones of other games, not all that exciting or they have too much going on, however, in Monster Train they have managed to balance replayability and creativity. If you’re a fan of deck builders or are new to the genre, I feel comfortable saying you will love Shiny Shoe’s unique take. It brought back my love for deck builders, has a soundtrack that you will be humming daily, and a creative art style. It’s definitely, in my opinion, well deserving of the overwhelmingly positive review scores it has received on Steam.

Quotation forthcoming.

Monster Train is a very unique take on the Slay the Spire formula, with great writing and art direction and gameplay that invites you back for many more rides.

A nice deck-building game that capitalizes on the basic ideas seen in Slay the Spire and adds tower-defense to them, creating a unique mix.

A deckbuilder that will have you doing hit point calculations and liking it.