2025 has been packed full of great games, with potential Game of the Year contenders coming out of unassuming development studios. masterful roguelike deckbuilder sequel is adding itself to that list with very strong review scores right out of the gate.

Shortly after its release on May 21, 2025, Monster Train 2 already reached a coveted score of 90 on Metacritic. This score is an aggregate from 14 different critics – if it stays at 90 or above with 15 or more reviews, Monster Train 2 will earn Metacritic's illustrious Must-Play badge. Developer Shiny Shoe's latest release is being praised as an improvement on the first game, which is already celebrated among the deckbuilding genre. It s Blue Prince and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 as critical darlings from smaller studios vying to be crowned 2025's best game.

Monster Train 2 Is Fantastic

A New Deckbuilding Classic

Monster Train 2 largely builds on its predecessor, and is getting its flowers for continuing the series' penchant for throwing wrenches into the typically methodical progression through a roguelike deckbuilder run. "Monster Train feels faster, more dynamic, and less incremental and methodically paced than its peers, and Monster Train 2 takes virtually every beloved element of the original and overflows it with more content," says our review here at Screen Rant.

It still has all the hallmarks of the genre, though. There's an overworld map you choose your path through, sprites facing each other from each side of the battle screen, and all manner of relics, items, and cards to find as you advance. It's a massive new deckbuilder hoping to steer you toward the "poggable moments" Shiny Shoe's CEO wants to provide. But it's also accessible to genre newcomers, with SR's review pointing out the wonderful addition of an undo button to retry a move and better tooltips that make the gameplay more clear.

Smaller Games Are In The Mix For GOTY

Indie & AA Games Are Dominating

Monster Train 2's 90 on Metacritic puts it behind just three other games: Split Fiction (91), Blue Prince (92), and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (92). Hazelight Studios' Split Fiction had some expectations of excellence after It Takes Two won The Game Awards GOTY in 2021, but Blue Prince and Expedition 33 have proven to be surprising masterpieces. Both are made by relatively small studios, and each are those studios' debut releases.

There's a noticeable lack of AAA blockbusters on Metacritic's best games of the year. If you don't consider Split Fiction a blockbuster, you have to go all the way down to number nine to find Monster Hunter Wilds with its aggregate of 88. There's still a lot of time left in 2025 – and Nintendo has some major games coming for the Switch 2 – but Monster Train 2 has quickly made a strong case for itself to be in the Game of the Year discussion.

Source: Metacritic