Game Gush Gamer

You’ve caught me riding on a train. Chugga chugga chugga, toot toot! Except somehow I have found myself not on an ordinary train. I look outside and winter’s breath has kissed the land down under. Hell hath literally frozen over! Heaven’s forces relentlessly charge to snuff out the eternal flaming pyre of the last steampunk chassis on wheels. Switch the steam engine into full speed ahead with the determination to reignite Hell once more in this card-based video game, Monster Train.

Switch to Full Steam Ahead on the Monster Train Game!

Do you know what I have been in the mood to play? Roguelike deckbuilders like Slay the Spire and the upcoming Shattered Heaven. Monster Train is just that! To explain further, Monster Train is a strategic deck-building card game. It uses rogue-like elements and a tower defense system with three levels of playfields. Each standard rogue-like run gives Hell a chance to rise again. Collect cards to beef your steam deck, earn artifacts to provide passive bonuses, and switch clans to kick the angelic monsters off your train!

Roguelike deckbuilder games like Monster Train get me so excited. I have to be careful with these kind of card games that exercise my brain. You know, you may not find me for a few days. I will be sitting alone in the dark. One eye twitching, mumbling, “Must defeat Heaven. Collect more cards. I need this card. Just one more card. Hell will rise again, you hear me!” The addiction is consuming.

Monster Train Clans

The clans of Hell may have been withered after Armageddon, but they still have some fight left! Hellhorned and Awoken are both automatically unlocked on the Monster Train. The player must complete certain requirements across all runs to unlock the other clans. The Hellhorned are aggressive demons and value strength above all other stats. Awoken are plant-like nurturers who are defenders and healers at their core.

Hornbreaker Prince

Everything kind of fell in to place for me on my second ever run. Most often, strength is the most vital stat in the beginning stages of card games. That’s why I chose the Hornbreaker Prince of Hellhorned as my champion for my second run. As I predicted, the Monster Train was pleased with my decision. I also got pretty lucky with card pickups. Steelworker is a hellhorned faction card who buffs the team with armor at the end of a round. Applying armor and boosting damage with rage was a nasty combo. Rage is an effect that will boost creature’s attack strength and then deplete each round. I also gained an artifact where my rage would not deplete at all once applied.

The entire run took about an hour to complete from start to finish. Nine rings of hell were ignited before coming face to face with the angel, Seraph the Chaste. Seraph and other bosses are able to maneuver between the 3 playing fields at will. I’m not exactly sure how I managed to pull this next combo off. By the end of the run, I was able to draw like 8 cards every turn. Most cards were between 0-2 embers (mana points). Let’s just say although Seraph could switch between fields, he was sorely prepared for the Monster Train’s onslaught.

Monster Train is Hell on Wheels

Completing a run now allows me to start mastering cards plus ramp up to the next difficulty. Higher difficulty levels that go up to Covenant rank 25. Yay for progression! So far, I really enjoy the art and visual direction. Monster Train gives me Snowpiercer but in Hell vibes. One reason many card games end up so good is because each card is typically designed for a specific purpose. Combining different effects and learning the meta builds of a card game is, in its own way, putting together a puzzle. And I quite simply love puzzles.