If you’re even mildly into roguelike deckbuilders, Monster Train 2 should be at the top of your list. This follow-up to one of the most beloved entries in the genre doesn’t just recapture the magic of the first—it amplifies it. Developer Shiny Shoe has doubled down on everything that made the original shine while bringing meaningful new mechanics and a fresh meta that longtime fans and newcomers alike will appreciate.
New Clans, New Powers, New Toys
The biggest update? Five brand-new clans with distinct identities and wildly different playstyles. Each brings their own mechanic—Vigor, Pyregel, Moon Phases, Propagation, and Reanimation—that unlock new synergies and challenges. The creativity on display here is truly exceptional. The Banished, for example, offers a thrilling mix of tank play and front-loaded aggression through Vigor. Meanwhile, the Lazarus League lets you experiment with death and resurrection in some of the most chaotic yet satisfying deck synergies I’ve ever seen.
Each run lets you pair two clans, and with 10 total in the full game (including returning favorites), the combinatorial possibilities are staggering. And they feel balanced. No one clan dominates the meta, and even the weird ones (looking at you, Underlegion) can be lethal in the right hands.
A Smarter, Sharper Train Ride
Structurally, Monster Train 2 sticks with the tried-and-true vertical three-floor defense setup. Your Pyre sits at the top. Enemies enter from the bottom and ascend floor by floor. You must stop them before they reach and damage your Pyre. That loop remains, but there are key upgrades that make it smoother and more tactical:
- Deployment Phase: You now place banner units before combat starts. This removes the RNG pain of early game draw luck.
- Room and Equipment Cards: You can now equip units and floors, offering passive buffs, active abilities, and build-defining options. It adds strategic weight without adding bloat.
- Active Abilities: Some units now have abilities you can trigger on demand. It adds a layer of tactical control that was sorely missing in the first game.
- Undo/Restart: Make a bad move? You can now rewind a turn or restart the battle entirely. It’s a great quality-of-life addition that lets you learn from your mistakes without having to restart the entire run.
More Than a Run-Based Game
One of the best additions is the Covenant Outpost, your central hub between runs. It’s where you customize trains, check your logbook (now with more enemy data and comparisons), and experience story progression through Pyre Hearts. The story lightly builds on the end of Monster Train 1, but it never gets in the way of gameplay.
There’s also:
- Dimensional Challenges: Custom mutator-based levels with leaderboard scoring and cosmetic rewards.
- Celestial Alcoves: A great way to inject unexpected events and cameo moments into your runs.
- Daily Challenges: Remixed rulesets and global scoring. If you’re a min-maxer, this is where you’ll prove your worth.
Visuals & Sound: Familiar but Enhanced
While the visuals haven’t changed drastically, Monster Train 2 offers slightly sharper animations, more vibrant color use, and a cleaner UI. It still looks like Monster Train—just more polished.
The soundtrack by Jordan Chin is, however, noticeably better. Tracks feel heavier, more epic, with the stakes now focused on battling Titans instead of just lighting a Pyre. This is war, and it sounds like it.
Room for Growth? Sure.
There are some areas where Monster Train 2 doesn’t push far enough:
- Visual Upgrade: It still feels like MT1.5 visually. For a sequel, more evolution in the art direction wouldn’t hurt.
- Boss Variety: You fight the same bosses in the same order every run. While their mutators vary, it could use more surprise.
- Color and Scale Overload: Some UI elements and effects feel too big or bright, making it hard to parse the board during intense turns.
These are nitpicks in an otherwise stellar package.
Should You Play or Buy?
If you liked Monster Train 1? This is an instant buy.
Are you new to the series? Monster Train 2 is 100% where you should start.
The sequel is more forgiving to learn, thanks to better tutorials, intuitive controls, and fewer edge-case mechanics. And for veterans, it offers deeper optimization, more creative build potential, and better tools for theorycrafting.
Monster Train 2: Monster Train 2 is a masterclass in sequel design. It retains the soul of its predecessor while expanding on every front—mechanics, content, and accessibility. It’s chaotic, strategic, and endlessly replayable. One of the greatest roguelike deckbuilders of all time just got even better. And yeah, Lazarus League for life, bay bee. – Obsidian
