Monster Train Review Summary

Highly praised roguelike deckbuilder: The game is frequently described as one of the best roguelike deckbuilders, combining elements of card games and roguelikes. It is recommended for fans of both genres and praised for its engaging and strategic gameplay.

Fun and enjoyable gameplay: Players find the game fun and entertaining, with many describing it as enjoyable and addicting. The gameplay is easy to learn and offers various ways to play, making it accessible and engaging.

Variety of combinations and strategies: The game offers a huge amount of possible combinations and strategies, providing players with diverse gameplay options. The variety in clan combinations and deck-building strategies adds depth and creativity to the game.

High replayability: The game offers high replay value, with players noting its addictive nature and the extensive playtime it provides. Daily challenges and multiplayer racing modes contribute to its replayability.

Beautiful artwork and graphics: The game is praised for its beautiful artwork and excellent graphics. Players appreciate the attractive and charming visuals, as well as the great art direction.

Excessive randomness affects gameplay: Many players feel that the game relies too heavily on randomness, leading to unfair outcomes and a lack of strategic depth. This includes complaints about too many junk cards and high dependence on luck.

High difficulty and reliance on luck: The game's high difficulty is often attributed to an over-reliance on luck rather than skill or strategy, making it frustrating for many players.

Repetitive and dull gameplay: Players find the gameplay repetitive and boring, lacking the depth and variety needed to keep it engaging over time.

Less balanced than Slay the Spire: Comparisons to Slay the Spire highlight that this game lacks the same level of balance and depth, making it feel inferior.

Balancing and difficulty issues: Players report weird balancing and difficulty scaling issues, which can make the game feel unfair and poorly designed.

Multiple clans with unique mechanics: The game features multiple clans, each with unique cards, skills, and passive abilities, allowing for varied strategies and playstyles.

Deck-building and combination mechanics: Players can build and manage decks, combining different cards and strategies for synergistic effects.

Hybrid tower defense and deckbuilding: The game combines tower defense mechanics with deckbuilding elements, creating a unique blend of strategic gameplay.

Progression and unlock systems: The game includes a progression system with meta-progression, unlockable cards, artifacts, and champions, enhancing replayability.

Vertical train combat system: Combat takes place on a vertical battlefield with multiple floors, adding a unique strategic element to the gameplay.

Game crashes and instability: Many players report frequent crashes, freezes, and instability issues, including the game hanging on startup or getting stuck on loading screens. This significantly impacts the gameplay experience.

Streaming and performance issues: Players have noted problems with streaming quality and overall game performance. Some users experience black screen issues and other graphical problems.

Steam Deck optimization needed: There are multiple requests for better optimization of the game for Steam Deck. Players have mentioned specific issues related to playing the game on this platform.

Frame rate and power limit: A few players have mentioned issues related to the game's frame rate being limited to 30fps and power limit settings affecting performance.

Worth buying, especially on discount: The game is considered worth buying, particularly when available at a discounted price. This makes it a good value purchase.

Recommended for Slay the Spire fans: This game is highly recommended for players who enjoy Slay the Spire and similar deck-building roguelikes. It offers a familiar yet unique experience that fans of the genre will appreciate.

Must-play for deck-building fans: Fans of deck-building and strategy games are strongly encouraged to try this game. It provides a rich and engaging experience tailored to their preferences.

Highly recommended game: The game comes highly recommended, especially for fans of strategic and exciting games. It is suggested to purchase it on sale for better value.

Unique and addictive gameplay: The game offers a unique and addictive gameplay experience, making it suitable for players looking for something innovative and challenging.

Community fair range: $1.50 - $3.00.

Game completion: 200.0h.

Session length: 2.0h.

Endgame: 100.0h.

Monster Train is fun immediately and becomes even more enjoyable as players unlock more content and understand the game mechanics better.

Friction: Steep learning curve for mastering complex faction interactions; Repetitive enemies; Occasionally steep learning curve.

Unlock drivers: Unlocking more cards and clans; Progression system; Gradual introduction of new concepts.

Deck-Building Strategist: Enjoys creating and experimenting with different deck combinations and strategies. Motivation: Strategic depth and variety in deck-building. Stance: buy.

Genre Newcomer: Learning and experimenting with basic deck-building mechanics. Motivation: Accessibility and ease of entry into the deck-building genre. Stance: sale.

Casual Relaxer: Plays for short, relaxing sessions without intense focus. Motivation: Relaxation and casual enjoyment. Stance: sale.

Steam Deck: The analysis of user feedback for the Steam Deck experience reveals several critical issues. Significant battery drain and stability issues, such as black screens and game launch problems, are the most severe concerns. Additionally, users have reported difficulties with small text size and a need for better optimization for the Steam Deck. These issues collectively impact the overall user experience negatively.

Monetization: The analysis of user reviews reveals several key themes related to the game's monetization and developer support. Notably, there is significant criticism regarding the developers abandoning the game after releasing a DLC, which is perceived as a cash grab. The DLC mechanics, which increase difficulty based on rewards, are also a point of contention. Additionally, there are complaints about the game being overpriced. However, there are also positive reviews highlighting the value added by the DLC, including new factions and mechanics.

Relaxing gameplay elements: Players found certain in-game items, such as dried fish and yogurt drink, to be relaxing.

DLC mentioned: A player mentioned the DLC, though no specific details or opinions were provided.

Mention of Humble Choice bundle: A player mentioned the Humble Choice bundle, possibly indicating how they acquired the game.

Reference to external content: A player referred to a YouTube channel for more reviews, suggesting they are looking for additional content or opinions about the game.