Monster Train
- December 17, 2020
- Shiny Shoe
- 35h median play time
Monster Train Review – Delightfully Devious Deckbuilding
Get on Steam
Get on Xbox Games Store"Monster Train" is a roguelike deck-building game where you must protect the last pyre of hell from heaven's forces. With five clans to choose from, each with unique gameplay, players can strategize and build their own deck to fit their playstyle. The game features three vertical playfields for defense and numerous locations to power up, ensuring no two playthroughs are the same with over 220 cards available.
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Reviews
- gameplay1,517 mentions
- 39 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Monster Train" is characterized by its innovative blend of deck-building and tower defense mechanics, offering a unique experience compared to similar titles like "Slay the Spire." Players can mix and match cards from different factions, each with distinct mechanics, leading to a high degree of strategic depth and replayability. While the game is accessible for newcomers, it also presents a challenging learning curve that rewards mastery of its complex systems and synergies.
“The gameplay loop is simple, and you might think it'll get repetitive, but actually, the fact that you have 2 clans to choose cards from makes it more unique every time you do a run, and it's fun to play on random and see what kind of deck you'll end up with this time.”
“The mechanics are complex, but not overwhelming. The gameplay is fun and addicting, with a lot of unique mechanics that feel fresh and engaging.”
“The unique approach from developer Shiny Shoe mixing Slay the Spire-style gameplay with tower defense is everything you want from a modern deckbuilding-roguelite experience.”
“Unfortunately, I can't recommend this due to the simple fact that each faction is based on parasitic (non-mixable) mechanics.”
“There's nothing tying the mechanics together, and so your decks end up being 'playsets' of mechanics.”
“The gameplay loop is far too short for its own rogue-lite mechanics, the synergies too simple, and the map progression is over before it really gets a chance to shine.”
- replayability708 mentions
- 58 % positive mentions
- 41 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The game boasts exceptional replayability, with players praising its diverse clan combinations, unique mechanics, and a variety of challenges that keep each run fresh and engaging. Many reviewers highlight the dual-clan system and the extensive customization options as key factors contributing to its high replay value, often comparing it favorably to other roguelike deckbuilders like "Slay the Spire." While some note that the game can become repetitive over time, the overall consensus is that it offers a wealth of content and strategic depth that encourages repeated play.
“The daily challenges as well as the progression system itself keeps me going and despite sometimes feeling that runs are super hard to win – it’s a good game which has quite a bit of replayability which is very important for such games.”
“The sheer number of decks that you can come up with even between the same two clans selected multiple times over ensures amazing replayability.”
“The combination of little card text variation and few cards (there are not that many unlockable cards, either) make me worry that this game's replayability may suffer.”
“The replayability isn't quite there yet, but it's extremely promising, so keep an eye out for this one!”
“The degradation in replay value of the game happens once you won 2 or more runs; the builds are either overpowered or very useless in the final boss fight, not many game-winning decisions can be made without being repetitive.”
“The game feels very polished, and there's so much more replayability, but it really doesn't have the replayability that it boasts.”
- graphics561 mentions
- 48 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Monster Train" have received mixed feedback from players. While some appreciate the vibrant and charming art style, comparing it favorably to other games in the genre, others feel it resembles a mobile game with simplistic visuals. Overall, the game's aesthetic is often described as colorful and engaging, with many players noting that the graphics grow on them over time, complementing the solid gameplay and soundtrack.
“Visually, Monster Train is a feast for the eyes, with stunning artwork and fluid animations bringing its twisted world to life.”
“Each demon, each spell, and each infernal landscape is meticulously crafted, immersing players in a darkly beautiful aesthetic that perfectly complements the game's themes.”
“The presentation of Monster Train is exceptional, with gorgeous visuals, a fantastic soundtrack, and a dark and twisted art style that perfectly matches the game's tone.”
“The graphics aren't impressive, but the gameplay is top tier.”
“I dislike the art style; it comes off looking a bit like a cheap mobile game to me.”
“The graphics quickly grew on me, but I will say the graphics initially made me hesitant to buy this game... just wasn't for me.”
- music470 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 32 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many players praising its exceptional quality and ability to enhance the overall experience. The soundtrack is described as diverse, engaging, and fitting for the game's themes, often leading players to purchase it separately. While some users noted that the music can become repetitive over extended play sessions, the majority found it to be a standout feature that significantly contributes to the game's immersive atmosphere.
“The soundtrack fits the rest of the game and the art style just goes well with all the monsters and champions of the game.”
“The music is fantastic, and I like the intricacies of the ruleset.”
“The music is superb, the sound effects are nice, and the graphics are awesome.”
“The music is fair enough, some soundtracks are actually awesome, but the graphics are unappealing to me.”
“I find the music and sound effects grating enough that I turn them off.”
“The music gets annoying after a while, but what music doesn't?”
- story171 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The story in "Monster Train" is generally viewed as simplistic and underdeveloped, serving primarily as a backdrop for the gameplay rather than a focal point. While some players appreciate the lore embedded in card descriptions and the overall theme of a train journey through hell, many express a desire for a more fleshed-out narrative and campaign mode. Overall, the game is praised for its engaging mechanics and replayability, but the story leaves much to be desired, often feeling like an afterthought.
“The game's story is also surprisingly engaging, with a variety of interesting characters and a well-crafted world that will keep you hooked from start to finish.”
“The story premise is simple: hell has frozen over, and you, playing as factions from hell, try to reignite the fires.”
“Admittedly, the story isn't particularly fleshed out, but the subtle references that underpin the card descriptions, enemy encounters, and random events truly spark the world to life.”
“If I had to pick areas for improvement, I'd say the story could be expanded on more; it leaves me wanting more, because all we really get is tidbits in events, the logbook, and character bubbles.”
“Major downside: it has zero story, no ending cutscene, not even lore, nothing.”
“The story is laid out in the very beginning, so all that's left is level progression and card collection.”
- grinding66 mentions
- 3 % positive mentions
- 8 % neutral mentions
- 89 % negative mentions
The reviews indicate that while "Monster Train" involves a significant amount of grinding, it is often perceived as less tedious than similar games in the genre, such as "Slay the Spire." Players appreciate the variety and depth of gameplay, which can mitigate the repetitiveness of grinding, although some still find the higher covenant ranks and certain deck archetypes to be overly grindy and frustrating. Overall, the game strikes a balance between rewarding progression and the potential for tedious repetition, depending on player preferences and play styles.
“There are no tedious filler animations to wait through.”
“Extreme grinding.”
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“The repetitive grinding without changes is just too massive to be fun.”
“Unfortunately, it gets boring rather fast and the difficulty added by the 25 covenant ranks is just tedious rather than fun.”
- humor39 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised for its clever execution, blending irony and absurdity within a dark setting. Players find the characters, speech bubbles, and art style to be consistently entertaining, often leading to hilarious moments during gameplay. The combination of cheeky humor and strategic depth enhances the overall experience, making it a standout feature that adds to the game's replayability.
“Humor is executed well for such a seemingly dark setting.”
“The characters are hilarious, and the little speech bubbles make me laugh.”
“Great mix of deckbuilding tropes, humor, and art!”
- monetization23 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game is largely praised for its absence of microtransactions, which many reviewers appreciate as it allows for a more enjoyable and self-contained experience. Players highlight that the game avoids the pitfalls of exploitative monetization commonly found in mobile games, instead offering good replay value without locking progress behind paywalls. Overall, the game is seen as a refreshing alternative to cash grab titles, focusing on gameplay rather than monetization.
“As a former Hearthstone addict, Monster Train scratches the right itches without hooking you on a monetization treadmill.”
“Has good replay value without locking progress behind gameplay time or microtransactions.”
“Very good single player game with cards and zero microtransactions.”
“At first I thought this was some kind of cash grab mobile game; after all, there seems to be a wave of idle monster training mobile games coming to PC that's unreal.”
“Reminds me of an app store game without the exploitative microtransactions.”
“And without the extortionate monetization that destroyed that game.”
- atmosphere23 mentions
- 70 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and captivating environment, enhanced by colorful graphics and a well-composed soundtrack. Players appreciate the engaging ambiance that complements the gameplay, creating a rich and enjoyable experience. Overall, the combination of art style, sound design, and thematic elements contributes significantly to the game's appeal.
“Brilliant game, there's so many strategies and builds, combined with the three-floored system, tons of artifacts, and an excellent atmosphere. This is an absolute blast.”
“It has a real momentum and weight to the action tracks, with the ambient tracks having a nice mix of strings and older instruments that keep an engaging atmosphere.”
“You don't need to follow the story, but if you do, you realize there's a rich atmosphere here, which takes it to the next level.”
“All in all (story, monsters, cards, atmosphere) don't feel as dense.”
“A fair comparison would be Slay the Spire (which is also a good game), and Monster Train does everything better except for maybe the atmosphere.”
“The game is technically very smooth and engaging, and I love the art style, sound, and general atmosphere of the game.”
- optimization23 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is generally praised, with many players reporting smooth performance and minimal issues, even on average hardware. However, some critiques highlight that certain DLC content lacks proper optimization, negatively impacting gameplay balance and deck management. While the core game is well-optimized for short play sessions, there are calls for improvements in specific areas to enhance the overall experience.
“The game is optimized for small 30-minute runs.”
“Monster Train is a magnificently balanced and optimized piece of art, that allows us to put googly eyes on it.”
“You are bound to come close to success a few times, but to truly beat your final boss, you must maximize your deck synergy and keep your card pool optimized.”
“The DLC added a much needed challenge, but was poorly optimized around the base game, rendering several of the hero units as not only worthless, but actively harmful to your deck because you can't remove them and always start with them in your starting hand, effectively making you play with -1 card at the start.”
“Whereas with this game, all event drops, upgrades, and card combos can be much better optimized.”
“Each decision is full of short and long term optimizations.”
- stability18 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The stability of the game is highly inconsistent, with many users reporting frequent freezes and crashes, particularly on launch and during gameplay. While some players have experienced smooth performance, especially on platforms like the Steam Deck, others have found the game unplayable due to persistent bugs and glitches. Overall, the game's stability appears to vary significantly among users, leading to a mixed reception.
“Runs great on Steam Deck.”
“Currently bug free (for me at least), polished, and free DLC in the works; highly recommend if you enjoy deckbuilders.”
“That being said, the game is enjoyable and bug free, and the builds that do work do so very well.”
“The game completely freezes, as reported by many users.”
“Game is now unplayable; it goes to a black screen every time I try to load it and freezes every input on my rig.”
“The game now freezes on the first turn of any run I start, thereby soft locking me from playing the game any further. I've uninstalled, reinstalled, deleted, and rebooted everything I could think of.”
- character development13 mentions
- 62 % positive mentions
- 15 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
Overall, the character development in the game is praised for its polished and charming designs, with many reviewers noting the high-quality animations and creative originality. While some initially found the art style overwhelming, they eventually appreciated the unique character designs and the effective integration of world-building elements. The combination of engaging visuals, a captivating soundtrack, and a variety of gameplay mechanics enhances the overall character experience.
“The character design is original and excellent.”
“Amazing creative character design, plenty of ways to spice up the gameplay such as the clan system and the champion upgrade system!”
“Great animations, character designs, and a banging soundtrack!”
“The visuals are a bit 'crappy mobile game', but there is a lot of world-building delivered similar to STS, neat character designs, and that subtle mysterious lore.”
“To be honest, I was initially put off by the super hi-fi art style packed with detail and colors and whatnot (it's pretty freakin' dense and intense with the graphics), but I've come to like a lot of the character designs and the fact that characters animate their attacks a little.”
“The art style really works with the hellish theme with character designs.”
- emotional7 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the emotional experience in "Monster Train" to be impactful, with moments of satisfaction from victories and a touch of heartbreak from losses, though not as intense as in "Slay the Spire." The game evokes a sense of connection and encourages players to share their experiences, highlighting the emotional weight of choices made throughout the gameplay. Overall, it balances fun and emotional engagement effectively.
“I cried a little and carried on.”
“Wins are satisfying, losses can be heartbreaking, and most of the time, your choices completely determine the outcome.”
“It's a game that, similar to Slay the Spire, made me feel like I should be recording my runs to share with people later, yet I never do.”
