Monster Train 2

Posted:  May 27, 2025
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Review

Monster Train 2 was provided by the publisher for review. Thank you!

Monster Train is a roguelike deck builder, and very few roguelike deck builders grabbed me like this game did. Unlike its predecessor, Monster Train 2, features more of a story, which can be a good thing for players who like a bit of storyline in the roguelike genre. If you're familiar with Monster Train, you'll see that you are actually working with some of the bosses that you fought in the first game, namely: Fel and Talos.

Monster Train 2

Fel is the champion for one of the new factions you can play in the game. This is because the big bad from the first game, Serif, didn't take his defeat at the hands of Hell very well and decided to cope by looking for even more powerful allies, namely the Titans. However, the Titans have now taken control of Heaven, corrupted Serif and whoever is left there, and are generally up to no good.

The story was more of a general framework in the first game, though there are some aspects that do have a bigger role in the sequel. I am genuinely curious if this story is something they had planned out ahead of time when they created Monster Train, or if this is just something they decided after the first one was so successful.

The art style is similar yet different, and the train stewards definitely look a lot cooler now than in the previous entry. I enjoyed the changes, and if you like the music in the original one, you're going to like it here too, because it's still that same epic orchestral electronic style and electric guitars.

As far as the gameplay and overall mechanics for Monster Train 2, the setup and loop are pretty similar to the first one, which is great. You'll progress through different pathways you choose to take, each having different shops, upgrades, and a battle. Before those battles, you'll have optional trials that you can accept if you want a little bit of a tougher challenge, with a nice extra reward if you complete it.

Monster Train 2 Battles

The backbone of the system, the card combat, is still very similar. You'll start with a basic deck and deploy troops onto each level of the train. At the top of the train is your pyre, which is basically your health pool. If the enemies reach it and attack it, it's game over. It can fight back, but once it loses all its health, the run ends. Winning battles and visiting shops will gain you more cards as well as upgrades, tweaks, and special abilities. Overall, I can say that jumping into this adventure really felt like home if you've already played Monster Train.

However, the new deck and combat mechanics add just the right amount of features to complement the foundations that were established in the first game. My personal new favorite addition is the room cards, where you can turn one floor of the train into a room that gives special effects. There's even a little animation and some decorations that pop up when you do it.

An example of these is the inferno room that does 50 damage to all units at the start of combat, which I got excited about. At first, I didn't read and ended up killing all of my units on that floor, but it became a useful tool once I knew about it and planned accordingly. There's a fight club room that gives all of your allied units on that floor 15 extra damage, and a room that shows some long overdue love to the train stewards, giving them extra attack, multi-strike, and other buffs.

Monster Train 2 gameplay

Monster Train 2 also features equipment cards that can be stacked onto a unit to add extra effects. For example, there was a dagger that I equipped on my hero, which gave them the "Quick" buff, meaning they attack before the enemies attack, which is always one of my favorite effects. There's also a new shopkeeper for rooms and equipment cards, and they can be upgraded just like spells in units, which can be very useful. My favorite was the upgrade for room cards that lets you use them during the deployment phase before the battle starts. At the shop, equipment can even be combined.

I combined my dagger, which gave the hero quick, along with another item that gave them an extra 20 damage. This is fantastic, and it just adds another nice extra layer of deployment level, deck management, and strategy. Another new mechanic is that the champions, in my case Fel and some other units, have activated abilities now with cooldowns. With Fel being the leader of the clan that has the valor mechanic, his activated ability that I selected was that he would automatically advance to the front of the line, get extra armor, valor, and some other buffs. This could be used to save some of my units that would have otherwise died if he weren't there to take the damage. His ability had a 3-turn cooldown, which I think is fair, and it also synergized with his movement buffs. So, every time that he would switch position or I would use that ability, he would also get the extra buffs from that. This is a great example of how it adds another nice twist, an extra mechanic, and a little more strategy. You can add to your deck and how you synergize and use your units and abilities together.

Anybody who has spent some time with Monster Train has had one of those runs where all of the synergies, all of the RNG, and all of the effects are just humming. It feels good to see it all come together, and your units working off of each other and just destroying the enemies. Now, at the end of my second run, I did reach Serif, and it didn't go as planned. But this is why you improve your runs and get back in battles.

Monster Train 2 clearing levels

On top of those, we also have 5 brand new clans to choose from that have their own bonuses. This plays into the alliance angle of the story, since we have a mix of heaven and hell available to us. The game allows you to play two of these clans, one that is an angel clan with Fel, and the other that is a Dragon clan. Just like the first game, the two clans will synergize into your deck, and you'll have to figure out how they work together best to make them efficient.

Also, like the first game, each clan has a very unique play style. For example, Fel and his clan are kind of movement-based with a valor mechanic that increases their attack and armor after combat. It can also be boosted by advanced cards, which take a unit and move it to the front of the line while giving it extra valor. This is a nice fresh mechanic that wasn't in the first game, and it makes these 5 clans something special.

Monster Train 2 the great abyss

Monster Train 2 also has all of the covenant levels, mutators, and fixings from the first one. However, new dimensional challenges are here, which are handcrafted challenges with brand-new mutators. There's also a customizable train, which is cool, but doesn't feel like a necessary feature since we hardly see it anyway. However, players who enjoy customization can personalize their train floors, with a decent selection of options available to choose from, all accessible via the Train Depot in the main hub. You can also unlock Pyre Hearts, which have different perks that can influence your run.

After our runs, we will head to the Outpost Hub, which is essentially the main hub where we will spend time between the train. Here, character interactions that advance the story unfold. After my failed run, there was a conversation between Fel, Talos, and the dragon from hell that was not too happy with them. While this is a cool feature, the story aspect is something that I feel will probably be a 50-50 split between players.

Monster Train 2 - Steam Deck Performance

MonsterTrain2Preview 2

Monster Train 2 runs at a steady 90 FPS, and I didn't have to change any of my settings. For power draw, it was close to 11-12W, which was fairly steady, and you can achieve good battery life with it. It would be easy to squeeze 4 hours of battery life or more, depending on whether you lock FPS to 60 or 30. However, I think the default settings and 90 FPS are great for playing and work well. Monster Train 2 on Steam Deck is a great experience, and it is a cozy way to clear battles and your runs.

Conclusion

Monster Train 2 remains true to its roots with a sequence that builds upon and improves its foundation. The roster of five all-new clans, each with their own strengths and gameplay mechanics to learn and master, complements the 200+ new cards, including powerful Room and Equipment cards, that give you more ways to strategize your runs. The different modes, ways to upgrade, and brand-new Dimensional challenges make it feel like there's always something to do, and it's just wonderful. The game is fluid, and the new mechanics make proper sense without changing what makes the core game so great.

Monster Train 2 is also a great time on the Steam Deck. With no changes, it plays comfortably at 90 FPS with relatively low battery drain, and the framerate can be lowered to 60 for some extra savings. This is a fantastic portable experience through and through.

Our review is based on the PC version of this game.

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SDHQ's Build Score Breakdown

Monster Train 2 doesn't break the mold that was created from the first game, making it a worthy sequel that runs wonderfully on the Steam Deck.

Content


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8

Build Score

Performance: 
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VISUALS: 
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Stability: 
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Controls: 
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Community Rating

2
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0
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Current Price: 
$24.99
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