game: Monster Train
developer: Shiny Shoe
genre: deck-builder
platform: PC
release date: May 21, 2020
star rating: five out of five

review by Patrick Madden

The Boneshaker moves forward, slowly at first, but quickly gaining speed. Wind wails past the cars as the acceleration moves the train forward, driving through the frozen Hellscape – once heated with the burning artifact known as The Pyre. After a hard-fought war with Heaven, the majority of the Pyre was destroyed, and the last remnant of that heat, a mere sliver, is what powers the train. There are those, however, who wish to completely snuff that final ember from existence. It is you, the player, who must ally with the forces of Hell and push through the frozen wastes to move upwards to the light.

Monster Train is another deck-builder, but this time, you must figure out not only which cards to play and when, but where you will place them. The replayability factor of this game is extremely high, and the satisfaction of completing a run – after you manage to beat one of the Seraphs – is greatly rewarding. There are five factions, and you can pick an ally faction to boost your deck. So, in total, there are 10 combinations at the bare minimum to play the game with after all the groups are unlocked.

The relics are reasonable, with a few notable exceptions that make the game rather broken (in the sense of making you overpowered), but that in no way takes away from the fun of the game. Meanwhile, the random events you can encounter make you ride the fine line between risk and reward. For example, will you take three cards that will take up room in your deck and have no real use for now, knowing that if you survive for long enough, those cards will be replaced with extremely strong cards? This one is a good buy in my opinion.