Oh boy, where do I even begin with Monster Train 2? It’s a roguelite deckbuilding sequel brought to us by the geniuses at Big Fan Games, Devolver Digital, and Shiny Shoe. Now, if I sound a bit overexcited, it’s because—well, I totally am. Played it on PS5, and let me tell you, it’s a trip. Like, seriously, I thought I’d be doing something productive, but no, I lost hours to this game and barely noticed. Anyway—wait, am I rambling? I do that.
So, yeah, the game. It picks up after the original Monster Train. Heaven and hell are at it again, only this time, they decide to hold hands or whatever to take on some Titans. It’s a whole thing. There’s this unholy alliance—literally. New clans, more cards, the whole shebang. Imagine trying to juggle all that while also managing to keep some semblance of strategy. Spoiler: I couldn’t, but maybe you’re better at multitasking. Who knows?
I gotta say, the whole concept of heaven messing up big time and then having to deal with Titans crashing their gates is wild. There’s like a train, and heavenly demons? Demon trains? Man, now I’m getting confused. You get to bring units from two clans together to try and resolve this cosmic mess. I think? Or maybe that’s just how my brain interpreted it after 3 AM.
Oh! And if you thought you could just wing it because you played the first one—ha, not so fast. Five new clans come stomping in, each with its quirks. More cards, too. I’m talking room cards, equipment cards; my brain’s still trying to figure out which card does what. Ever thought spells could give you a headache? Now you know.
Story’s beefed up, too, with cutscenes and character interactions at this Covenant place. Like a sitcom, but with more… trains. And maybe angels? Unraveling it felt a bit like chasing my cat in a thunderstorm—chaotic but kind of thrilling. You’re also unlocking these Pyre Hearts, each with its twist. Feels like collecting Pokémon, but with more strategy and less cuteness.
Roguelikes are known for random runs and risking it all. This one? It’s like playing chess with cards and demons and—wait, what was I saying? Oh! Combat! Right. You protect your train’s precious Pyre. If the enemies reach it, it’s kaboom. Kind of stressful. But hey, it keeps you on your toes. And those unit cards—man, they’re the backbone. Ember is like energy, and you need it to do pretty much anything. Reminds me of coffee.
Unit stats, revenge abilities, some multistrike thing. If my gym routine had that kind of complexity, I’d probably be, I don’t know, some human titan? Not sure. You play these cards, watch them do their thing while you cross fingers they don’t all get wrecked. Pro tip: Don’t get too attached. You will lose them. Often.
Did I mention spell cards too? Imagine balancing your Ember like pocket money and deciding whether to cast some fiery spell or place more units. Firestarter spell, anyone? Sounds cool but does, like, 1 point of damage. Talk about underwhelming. Just Cause spell moves units around and buffs them. Sounds tactical, right?
Enemies are relentless. They just invade, moving up levels to attack the Pyre. Beat them down before they reach it. Simple but not simple, ya know? Sometimes, you just mess up a strategy and it’s game over. It happens. Not speaking from experience or anything…
Finish a battle, grab coins, get new cards. You’d think by this point, I’d have a grip on the card choices—but I was just winging it most times. Still fun, like solving a puzzle while on a rollercoaster, maybe?
Oh, the trophy hunters are gonna love this. Loads of trophies, and there’s a Platinum one, too. But it’s a long ride. Train ride? Some of the requirements are kind of hilarious. “Win a run without upgrading any cards.” Yeah, good luck with that.
To wrap this up—if that’s even possible—Monster Train 2’s a wild sequel worth a go on PlayStation 5. It’s almost like heaven and hell (the places, not the metaphor) shook hands and said, “We got this.”
I could go on, but then I’d just—oh right, Endless Mode! Take on a beefed-up train challenge, test your skills, and probably get destroyed if you’re as disorganized as me. You’re going to have a blast or a meltdown. Or both. Maybe that’s the magic here.
Anyway, it’s out now. You’ll either love it or stare at the screen in bemusement. Or both possibly.
