I know what you're thinking : another deck building game! And you're… right. That being said, Monster Train is probably the first game of the genre that can seriously pretend to be the successor of the mighty Slay the Sprire, and here is why.
The Boneshaker is a massive train attempting to bring the last Pyre back to the frozen heart of hell, which has been conquered by heavens. Not an easy task since you'll have to progress through regions defended by angelic soldiers and champions. These enemies will assault your huge locomotive and climb its four floors to destroy the Pyre. Hopefully, you have your own minions and spells to stop them. Once victorious, you'll have to choose between two paths, each leading to various events and shops allowing to increase your power before moving on to the next region. In short, Monster Train brings some fresh air in the genre just by inverting the mechanics of its model. A good start. Yet, it is its depth that keeps it on track.
During combat, you'll have to manage 3 floors simultaneously, the fourth (the Pyre) being on auto-defense. The cards you draw at each turn allow you to cast spells or creatures, but you'll have to carefully use them. You need to think about the position (front unit block damages), the space available on each floor (creatures have a size), not forgetting that a spell only affects one floor and of course, the numerous synergies between cards. Five hellish clans are available, each with its own set of cards and relics that you'll progressively unlock. Hellhorned rely on physical strength, armor and offensive spells. Awoken are more defensive units, protecting themselves with thorns and healing spells. Stygian Guards are heavy on magic, buffing your spells and weakening enemies. Umbra reenforce themselves through cannibalism. Finally, Melting Remnants are strong but short-lived and must be kept alive as long as possible.
For each run, you'll pick two clans, the main one giving you a champion that can evolve in different ways. You call also improve every card with an open system of runes. For instance, you can give a creature more strength, more life, double attacks, but you can also reduce its cost or size, bring it back to your hand when it dies… And it's the same with spells. Between cards, relics and runes, the possibilities are just insane. Furthermore, you must adapt to very different types of enemies that, if not killed in one turn (save for the champions), will climb up to the next floor. They can be strong, have huge shields, skip floors, cast spells on you, gain or lose power… Sometimes, the champion comes and boosts them up, which also makes it vulnerable to your attacks before the final fight. Each angelic army has its own perks and you must constantly adapt.
Each victory unlocks alliance ranks, up to 25. Each rank imposes certain conditions (stronger enemies, useless cards, etc.), some random starting cards and a special power for the final boss. This turns each run into a puzzle you must solve, building your deck around unfamiliar cards or finding new synergies. A sheer pleasure of constant discovery that will make you come back again and again for one more run.
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All comments (4)
Commented on 2020-05-20 18:45:13
Commented on 2020-05-20 19:45:34 In reply to phillipstuerzl
Commented on 2020-05-20 20:30:38 In reply to Driftwood
Commented on 2020-05-21 22:35:55I went to Gamersyde's French side and saw a bit of the gameplay. The game looks very interesting with a unique premise. I'm not into card battlers, though the few I've played recently have all been very good. Maybe a game for a discount sales event.