Bite-Sized games: Monster Train.

The silver lining to the current covid situation has been, that for many, it has given a lot more time for gaming.

However as we gradually come off lockdown and return to normal life, that free time is drained away by the mundane tasks of daily life..... and work.

For gamers working and being a parent doesn't leave much time to sit down for the marathon gaming sessions we used to enjoy in our carefree youth.

So in this new blog series I'm going to take a look at some of the very best games to dip in and out of when you can snatch moments of free time.

Be it on the commute, while the baby takes a nap or even while you pass your morning motion!

The first game I highly recommend is "Monster Train".

This game is available currently for PC via Steam where it has had an overwhelmingly positive response from players.

The premise of this game is that, the unthinkable happened and hell froze over. The forces of heaven extinguished all of the pyres of hell, except for one. You have been tasked with returning that last pyre back to hell to reignite the flames.

If you are familiar with the game "slay the spire" you will instantly be able to pick up and play this. There are so many similarities between this and spire that people have complained that it's a "rip off". While I really love spire, I have to admit I prefer Monster Train a little bit more.

It's a rogue-like card game but with a few twists.

Firstly the game is played over 4 floors within the train. The uppermost floor contains the pyre that you are trying to return to hell and must protect at all costs.

You can add your units to the first three floors of the train in order to try and stop the forces of heaven from reaching your pyre. For the most part when you place a unit on a floor they remain on that floor until the end of the game or their destruction.

The forces of heaven meanwhile, will start their attack from the first floor. Any you do not kill in the first turn will then run up to the second floor and then the third floor, single-mindedly continuing on their way until they reach their goal.

It's unlikely you will be successful in your first go, however each new game you play you get a little further, unlock more cards, more upgrades and more units for subsequent games.

Each game is made slightly different by random encounters and different artifacts that act as buffs for a single game's duration.

Discovering new synergies between cards, spells, abilities and units is what keeps you coming back time after time. If fate deals you a good hand, these synergies and the resulting combos feel incredibly satisfying.

In all honesty is very difficult to just play one game and then craic on with the day. But, if you have the willpower and self-discipline, a single playthrough will take you anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes.

While currently only being available on PC makes "portability" a factor, it's one of the few games that plays really well on mobile via the steam link app.

It is reportedly coming to PS4, Xbox and also Nintendo Switch (which would honestly be the perfect platform for this game). But as yet there are no release dates available.