14 DAY TRIAL // 
Monster Train feels like a Snowpiercer ripoff, but that only applies to the premise. You're traveling aboard a train that carries the final burning pyre, the only thing that can restore the inferno. The forces of heaven turned hell into a frozen wasteland and are now hunting the burning pyre, thus preventing the train from staying too long in the same place.
At its core, Monster Train is a card game that heavily draws inspiration from Slay the Spire. However, developer Shiny Shoe has further refined the formula to make Monster Train different enough for players to find joy in playing both games.
Unlike Slay the Spire, combat in Monster Train happens both on horizontal and vertical. Each battle consists of waves of enemies that attack the train's locomotive on three different levels. Players can place their units on any of the three levels in order to prevent enemy units from reaching the pyre at the top.
The addition of two more floors complicates the traditional formula but also makes room for some crazy strategies. Now, it's worth mentioning that while the game has 5 factions that you can play with, each offering a very different gameplay experience, you'll only be able to choose between two at the start.
Each “run” that you complete will add to the requirements needed to unlock the other three factions. Throughout a playthrough, you'll be able to upgrade not just your “hero,” but also the spells and abilities that are part of your initial deck.
Monster Train features more than 220 cards, which allows players to adopt different strategies that fit their playstyles. As you progress through your run, you'll continue to build your deck by adding new cards after each battle, removing those that you don't need, and upgrading those that you think are mandatory for your strategy.
To upgrade your cards, you'll be using the gold that you gain after each fight. Although you'll be making your fights tougher, I do recommend enabling the bonus effect the enemies will get at the start of the combat for extra money, at least for the early fights.
Monster Train might feel a bit intimidating at first, but by the time you finish your first run, you'll find that there's always a combination of strategy that could potentially break the game and make it much easier to beat. In fact, on higher difficulties, finding the perfect combination of units and abilities is the only way to win.
The game only gives you the reins, so you'll have to learn to ride it. Finding synergies between factions will enable you to execute amazing combos and completely overpower your enemies. Speaking of enemies, Monster Train features a limited amount of bosses, so after a handful of successful runs, you'll know what it takes to defeat them.
You won't be fighting all bosses in one run, so that's one way that developers managed to improve the replayability factor. It won't take too long to fight all over multiple runs, so the game might start to feel the same after a while. The good news is Monster Train is addictive enough to push you to find new ways to defeat the throngs of angels even if you're going to meet the same units and bosses over and over again.
One important gameplay mechanic that ensures that players remain entertained even if they fight the same bosses is the roguelike component. After fights, you are offered random artifacts to choose from and new cards that might or might not be suitable for your deck. Also, once you level up and unlock new factions, new types of decks and starting cards will become available to you for your next run. It's a great way to encourage players to finish multiple runs and build new decks.
The Good
- Complex gameplay mechanics leave room for a slew of strategies
- Addictive gameplay
- Charming visuals
- Easy to pick up, hard to master
- Innovative take on an established formula
- High replayability value
The Bad
- Needs more bosses and units
Conclusion
Although it might feel intimidating at the beginning, Monster Train is simple to understand but hard to master the deck-building game. It's nice to see a developer that takes a successful formula and refines it by adding interesting new gameplay mechanics that turn the final result into an even better experience.
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. Also, the fact that the RNG dictates who you fight and when makes it funnier. Monster Train is a fresh, new take on the deck-building card game genre that will be hard to outmatch.
