If you’re a fan of locomotives and fiendish deck-building strategy roguelikes, you’ve probably long been in the grip of developer Shiny Shoe’s massively acclaimed Monster Train. So you’ll probably also be thrilled to hear its previously announced sequel finally has a release date – and is coming to PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch on 21st May.
The original Monster Train released back in 2020, plopping players onto an infernal locomotive destined for the heart of a frozen Hell. Here, they’d need to fend off Heaven’s forces – and, crucially, protect the train’s burning pyre – through strategic bounds of real-time card battling playing out across multiple floors of the train. And good stuff it was too, still sporting its ‘Overwhelmingly Positive’ Steam rating four years after its release.
Which brings us to Monster Train 2. This much expanded sequel this time sees the angel and demon folk forming a makeshift alliance to defeat the powerful Titans – in an adventure taking players through Heaven, Hell, and the mysterious Abyss. To aid in this quest, Monster Train 2 introduces five new clans, new units, new upgrade cards, and dangerous new enemies. That’s alongside the new Room and Equipment card types – the former providing special boosts to the train itself, and the latter provided bonuses to units when applied.
On top of that, there’s the new Covenant Outpost, which players can visit between runs. Here, they’ll experience character interactions as the story plays out, and gain access to different features. There are unlockable Pyre Hearts, for instance, each said to add unique functionality to gameplay, alongside train customisation and an improved Logbook.
Additionally, Monster Train 2’s story mode is complemented by Dimensional Challenges – featuring handcrafted challenges, new Mutators, and unique cosmetic rewards – as well as Daily Challenges, an Endless mode, plus the Celestial Alcoves where players can experience a “wide variety of random events with exciting gameplay and maybe even a few surprises from outside of the Monster Train universe.”
Monster Train 2 launches for Steam, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Switch on 21st May. And if you’re curious to see what’s new, a demo’s available now on Steam.