Monster Train 2: Destiny of the Railforged

Luckily the Railforged and Wurmkin have expanded that facet of the base game. Out February 2, the package is a no-brainer at the respectful $10 price, and generously widens this moreish deckbuilder—the best in gaming. It'll hold that title for me until another deckbuilder lets me use mass-produced steampunk spiders, each wielding giant hammers that generate gold coins and armor every time they swing, to obliterate the corrupted mother of creation.

Overall I think that this DLC is perfect for who it’s designed for – the Monster Train devotee who’s ploughed countless hours honing their decks and perfecting their strategies, who needs a new challenge. You’re only getting this if you’ve got hundreds of hours invested, and in which case, you won’t be disappointed as this adds additional levels of detail and challenge to what is already an unforgiving game. I’m not totally convinced that this paid for extension is that much better than what we had for free in November, but getting a few more stops added to the devilish adventure that is Monster Train is no bad thing. And roll on Monster Train 3 I say…

While the new Soul Savior mode introduces some frustrating RNG elements that disrupt the usually tight pacing of a run, and Herzal desperately needs a balance patch, the sheer fun of playing as Heph and building an unstoppable factory of mechanical spiders more than makes up for it. If you own Monster Train 2, this DLC is not just recommended; it is mandatory.

Monster Train 2: Destiny of the Railforged is a great way to get a new experience out of what is already a fantastic roguelike. It’s tough, but fantastic new systems and the brilliant new Railforged clan make it so fun to experiment with. I can’t wait to see what else they can do.

But it’s the unexpected that makes this a winner. The Souls mechanic, an upgradeable new artifact system, is a peach. It makes Monster Train 2 more overblown and ludicrous than it was before, all while tempting us to replay over and over. More of this in Monster Train 3, if you please.

Easy to learn, hard to master, perhaps even more difficult to complete. It is a roguelite so even if you complete one run, you probably haven’t fully seen everything there is to see. The positive with this DLC is that while it is more of the same Monster Train 2 you’ve come to love, there’s more than enough to rejuvenate the game. Especially for those who love the challenge. The addition of a separate logbook and the ability to make sure that no one can get the story out of order would probably make this a perfect DLC. Perhaps in time these small tidbits will be added. Even without this, the DLC is well worth your time. If you’re a Monster Train 2 fan who has stepped away for a bit, now is the time to return.

We started playing the new Monster Train 2 DLC, Destiny of the Railforged, expecting something that probably wouldn't impress us that much, but we were surprised by how difficult it was to stop playing. And that's exactly what we've always loved about Monster Train. Of course, now we have to relearn a lot of things, because there are so many new features and so many new modes that it takes a while to digest everything. But it's a great feeling. For the price it's selling for, it's a real bargain, so try it for yourself.

Monster Train 2: Destiny of the Railforged brings something to the table to continue experimenting with the various mixes of factions, looking for the best combinations to bring home victory.