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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

Quotation forthcoming.

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