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It really does not take a whole lot to win me over with games. Mechanically it has to be strong, and the game just has to be enjoyable enough in its respective genre for me to want to play it for long periods of time. Well, I've basically spent the first half of my weekend playing nothing but Monster Train. I'll tell you why - it's fun. Regardless of the difficulty or the learning curve pertaining to figuring out the combinations of cards that work the best, the game never stops being fun. It constantly makes me want to do another run, even after losing a tough run before. You know simultaneously that it's going to be fun, and it's going to be different enough to where you feel like you still stand a chance.

So far, I think I've done close to 20 runs, and no run has felt the same. Again, I reiterate that yes, a lot of the strategies feel the same, but the way you combine those strategies holds new challenges that don't show up in games too often. I've gotten to the final boss several times, but it's definitely one that's going to take practice. I've been consistently losing in the later half of the game though, which is good. A lot of the things I learned in Slay The Spire seem to work well here as well. But, there's so many unique strategies with Monster Train that there's still a pretty hefty learning curve. Basically, I feel like I do just a little bit better with each run. And the strategies get stronger and more intense as you learn more.

I'll make a quick note and tell you that the soundtrack to this game is great. Each track sets the tone for the level quite nicely, and honestly done perfectly, especially when dealing with the boss levels. Which brings me to my next point - the bosses. They work very uniquely but also very easy to figure out the more you fight them. I've gone in with just simply brutal strength, and it tends to work out. Filling up the field with strong monsters also helps out a lot, especially if you just unload perks into them before having to put them to work. That's usually done progressively from the beginning of the round though. Unless you get some nasty pulls. Like I said, lots of strategies to consider. The bosses can certainly be tough, but that's mostly due to their ridiculous HP at the start. Once you get some strong monsters though, they typically don't take too much to wipe them out.

I think I've definitely cemented it in my head that this is by far the best roguelike deck builder I've ever played. It's just got so many good things going for it, and it's gotten me addicted to doing run after run after run. Which, evidently is a good thing.