Video Gamers Podcast - Gaming Quick Takes - Monster Train

Episode Date: July 9, 2022

From gaming hosts Paul, Michael and Josh, we're bringing you even more content each week. Gaming Quick Takes will release every Saturday. Just another way we want to say thanks to our listeners for support this gaming podcast. Hope you enjoy!Thanks to our LEGENDARY supporters: Phelps, Michele B, Redletter, Nevo, Waynerman, TFolls, AceofShame, Jake, RangerMiller, and Ad Connect with the show: Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/multiplayerpodcast Join our Gaming Discord: https://discord.gg/Dsx2rgEEbz Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/multiplayerpod/ Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/MultiplayerPod Subscribe to us on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCU12YOMnAQwqFZEdfXv9c3Q Visit us on the web: multiplayerpodcast.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is brought to you by Samsung Galaxy. Ever captured a great night video only for it to be ruined by that one noisy talker? With Audio Erase on the new Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, you can reduce or remove unwanted noise and relive your favorite moments without the distractions. And that's not all. New Galaxy AI features like NowBrief will give you personalized insights based on your day schedule so that you're prepared no matter what. Buy the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra now at Samsung.com. Hey guys, welcome to this Quick Take episode. We're so excited to have you here with us. In the past, these Quick Take

episodes actually were only available to those who financially supported the show through Apple subscriptions and Patreon. But due to popular demand, we have decided to shake up the perks for our supporters and we'll be releasing these Quick Takes on Saturdays to everyone, giving you all some extra free content that was previously unavailable to the public. And these Quick Takes are a little more laid back and they're hosted by just one of us. So sit back, relax, and enjoy this quick take episode shazam boom

it's me josh and i am back with another exclusive bonus episode for you guys uh i think we are just officially calling these the Gaming Quick Takes. I kind of like it. It fits. But you guys know that I have taken to recommending some of my personal favorite games to you, ladies and gentlemen. And I've got another good one for you today. Maybe you haven't heard of this one. Hopefully not. I don't want to just recommend these super popular games. But this one that I am going to talk about today is a game by the name of Monster Train. All right. Now, you guys know that I love card-based games.

I love the strategy of building a deck or finding the synergy the various cards can have together. Slay the Spire took this genre to another level over the likes of the more traditional deck builders like Hearthstone, and it put a fresh, faster-paced spin on the gameplay, as well as encouraging single-player games in this genre. And then after Slay the Spire caught on, the genre kind of exploded. There were a lot of card-based games, some of them not so good some of them not so finished but then enter monster train so in this game you play as the minions of hell don't worry these are the much aligned bullied factions that are just trying to find a new home after the winged force them into exile so you know you're kind of the good guys even though you're the minions of hell i i don't

know how that works but you definitely feel like the good guys in this one so um gameplay follows the likes of games like slay the spire where you start with a minimal deck of cards and as you progress you obtain new card unlocks as well as additional cards to build a deck with during a run pretty simple in the uh kind of foundation there, but Monster Train definitely adds a lot to that that makes it stand out as fairly unique. So like most recent card games, Monster Train is a roguelite game,

so each run is going to be new and unique in a multitude of ways, but with a good bit of permanent progression mixed in, it doesn't grow stale quickly, which some games in this genre can do. And if the gameplay isn't fun in a roguelite, let's be honest, you're really not going to play it for that long anyway. So the unique aspect of Monster Train isn't just that there are five various factions that play very differently from one another, but the fact that you're on the defense side of things, protecting three levels of your train. Now, there is legit a train in this,

which is why it's called Monster Train. So you are trying to prevent the enemy winged, which are basically the minions of heaven, from progressing to the top level of your train and damaging your shard, which is the goal of each level. So you place troops via cards and you cast spells and abilities on the various levels of the train. This adds a good bit of strategy since you have to manage all three levels of the train at once. It's kind of a neat thing. Are you going to protect the ground level first? Are you going to put a lot in that

second level of the train? Hey, maybe you're going to really stack that top level because it's the level right before they get into the engine room and they can damage your shard. But don't worry, your shard can actually fight back and protect itself and do a lot of damage, but you really don't want to risk that. There are a lot of cool card combinations, as well as the fact that you pick both a primary faction as well as a secondary faction for each run, which lends itself to a ton of replayability, because with five different factions and having to pick two, there are just a ton of different combinations. And how the factions interact and the synergy that some of their cards have definitely changes depending on which two factions you decide to go with. Some factions, because of that combo system, work a little bit well

or better with each other than others, but it does add an interesting mix. There's solid graphics in this game. Great sound. Uh, there's neat music in the background that changes depending on the fight and the stage that you're on and stuff like that. So that's a really nice touch. It is a well-balanced game. Uh, there's not too many kind of cheap things or aspects in this, and you don't ever feel like you're kind of at a disadvantage. All of these things kind of combined make it one of my preferred go-to card games that I play, and I still honestly play Monster Train, if not weekly, at least every other week.

So what do I like and what don't I like about it? I like the faction system. I like that there are stages in between combat where you can kind of choose a path. And depending on which path you choose, you get to select new cards. Maybe you get to recruit a new unit, which is like a, you know, like a actual monster that you get to put in the train versus like a spell. Maybe you can duplicate a card that you have already buffed up, and so you get to add an extra copy of that card to your deck. You might get to improve them in a lot of different ways, and there's a lot of other little things you get to discover that make you stronger in each run and make each run feel unique. What don't I like? Well, there's not much, honestly, that I don't like about this. Otherwise, I wouldn't be recommending it to you. I guess if I had to

pick something, it's that some of the combinations of the factions just don't seem to work well together. Certain faction combos are definitely easier to win with than others. And I mean, I wish that they could fix that, but it's a minor complaint. And honestly, there's a part of me that says, hey, that adds to the challenge because I want to beat this game with these two factions, which kind of suck when they work together. But hey, you know, like I said, I enjoy a good challenge, too. So Monster Train is currently $24.99 on Steam. And if this is a genre that you enjoy, I think it's well worth the investment as it stands out amongst a crowded field as one of the more enjoyable deck builders out there.

If you've never dabbled in this genre, then definitely check out some of the gameplay to see what it's all about. Monster Train is a great entry point into the deck building genre. You don't have to know a whole lot about it. It's easy to pick up. It's easy to play. There is a decent bit of challenge, but they really ease you into that as well. There's a lot of replayability and a lot of the customization unlocks, challenges and stuff like that that you can do as well. I highly recommend it. Pick it up. Give it a try. Monster Train, I don't think you're going to be disappointed.

If you do pick it up, let me know what your thoughts are on it. If you've played it before and you love it, hey, let me know what you like about it. If you hate it and you think I'm crazy, that's okay. You can say that too. I don't mind. I'm thick-skinned, I promise. And I'll just tell you why you're wrong, and it's such a great game. But anyway, we hope you really enjoy these bonus episodes. Thank you very much for supporting the show.

We really couldn't do this without the support that you all provide, and we hope that these bonus episodes are a nice little perk for you. I will see you on the next one with another game recommendation thanks again for the support i will talk to you later