Monster Train , a 2020 indie collide with by Shiny Shoe , is getting a sequel . Monster Train 2is set to set up this year for PS5 , Xbox Series X / S , Nintendo Switch , and PC . Ahead of its reveal , Digital Trends went hands on with the sequel , taking its new clans for a spin .

Released in May 2020,Monster Trainis a cross between a roguelike , a deckbuilder , and tower defense secret plan that draws stirring fromSlay the Spire . In it , players protect a funeral pyre that ’s being deport to hell via a three - story gear by amassing a deck of cards of demons and using them to guard off invading foes . The gameplay loop is all about using visiting card strategically to fill up each flooring with monster that auto onrush at the close of a turn . Shiny Shoe be that up with 2024’sInkbound , but now it ’s reelect toMonster Trainfor a proper sequel .

Monster Train 2continues the first game ’s tarradiddle , delving into a new story in which angels and devil need to unite to stand off a new threat , Titans . All of that gives Shiny Shoe a near reason to create new clans , which contribute a good deal of monsters to the sequel . Only two were playable in the demo I tried , though there will be three more in the final version . Banished are fallen angels who have ally with Hell to reclaim Heaven from the Titans , while Pyreborn are fiery demons who take their powers from Dragon . When lead out on a tally , instrumentalist pluck both a primary kin group and an allied kin , allowing them to meld decks .

Those who have playedMonster Hunterwon’t find many surprises here , as the gameplay loop remains mostly unchanged . I ’m tossed into a roguelike campaign where I make up my deck between conflict . Fights have me strategically station unit on each train car , pay attention to how I order them to maximise terms when I cease my turn . I can help my odds by playing utility program bill of fare that either weaken enemies or furbish my stats . For instance , Just Cause move a unit to the front of the wrinkle while giving them two point of Valor and upping their armor in the summons .

While the gameplay is familiar , there are some new concepts to instruct . While Banished cards toy with Valor , many cards in the Pyreborn deck of cards are all about stacking Pyregel onto enemy . That ’s a subject matter which increase how much impairment an enemy consider per hatful . Other unit I ’ve seen include demons that sneeze Pyregel onto enemies and singing bird that utilise buffs to unit . Like the first game , cards can also be upgraded at rest stops to make some seriously muscular combination . In one running play , I was obliterating Titan - corrupted foe with a monolithic meteor that scarcely cost me any mana to play .

away from new cards and enemies , the changes to the normal seem minimal . The roguelike structure is identical to the first secret plan , using the same top down map between battles . There are still pit stops where I can muster in cards , upgrade my deck , and adjudicate brief account events . One standout moment had me meeting up with an engine driver who give me a few choice of how to retool my caravan machine . I picked an climb that made it so I could play cards for free in the middle string car . There seems to be more of a nidus on the train itself in general , as the demonstration included a locked Train Depot lineament , which will allow player to customize their wagon train .

Though it does feel a bit like a DLC expansion for the first game at the bit , Monster Train 2looks like it ’ll be a reliable sequel for fan of the first . Its new clans should add some more strategic potential to the mix and I ’m depend forward to seeing how much I can retool my train in the final version . As someone who fit through a pandemic obsession with the pilot in 2020 , I ’m quick to sit the same train again .

Monster Train 2launches subsequently this year for PS5 , Xbox Series X / S , Nintendo Switch , and personal computer .