3 new turn-based games for May
Can't go wrong with double decker deckbuilding
Coming Soon is a forward-looking series about new turn-based games, released monthly. It also coincides with my favourite day of the week: #TurnBasedThursdays, a weekly community list of game devs showcasing their turn-based games. Give them a follow on BlueSky and keep up-to-date on new turn-based games alongside my LFG: Learning from Games and Science Shorts series!
Hello JOMT Reader!
In just a few short months, summer will be upon us and with it, this year’s version of Steam’s Summer Next Fest and Summer Sale. I’m personally looking forward to some big releases (Death Stranding 2 anyone?). But you needn’t wait until summer to grab these awesome turn-based games!
Monster Train 2
🔗 Steam page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2742830/Monster_Train_2/
📅 Release date: May 21, 2025
🖥️ Developer: Shiny Shoe
📢 Publisher: Big Fan Games
🕹️ Platform: PC (Steam), Xbox, Playstation, Nintendo Switch
🎮️ The game
This is a sequel to the critically acclaimed game Monster Train, in which you deploy units to defend the train from being overrun by baddies. The original game was a Heaven vs. Hell theme; in this one, a new threat called the Titans threatens both Heaven and Hell. So demons and angels have to work together so that they can (presumably) go back to fighting each other.
At the core, it’s a deckbuilding game with roguelite elements. After each run, you'll get a chance to customize your deck and train, which provide different effects and bonuses as you fight your way through the Titans.
🎯 Who it's for
You're comfortable with making incremental advances (i.e., you might die a lot)
You appreciate awesome character designs
You enjoy optimizing everything
‼️ What I'm excited about
If I can get over the mental hurdle of repetition through a linear path, I could spend hours just admiring all the different character designs. The collector part of me just wants to unlock them all just so I can admire them.
Beyond that, I'm still trying to wrap my head around how best to deploy my units on the different levels of the train. But the optimization nerd in me is itching to figure out the best combinations of cards, the order to play them, as well as when and where to deploy the units. And then, do it all over again as I get further into the game and unlock more cards!
As We Descend
🔗 Steam page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1769830/As_We_Descend/
📅 Release date: May 28, 2025
🖥️ Developer: Box Dragon
📢 Publisher: Coffee Stain Publishing
🕹️ Platform: PC (Steam)
🎮️ The game
The official description is a strategy roguelike deckbuilder, but it’s more like a double deckbuilding worker placement and single-wave tower defense game (try saying that 10x fast). Both the worker placement and tower defense part of the game have their own decks that you can build. The worker placement portion advances the story and unlocks cards, items, and events that you can add to either deck. The tower defense part will have you play cards as you fend off one wave of attacking forces at a time. The video below is me fighting off a kraken miniboss — it shows off some of deckbuilding components as well as the excellent battle music that adds to the stress of fighting a flying octopus.
🎯 Who it's for
You like thinking very deeply about mechanics and optimizing order of cards played
You like Darkest Dungeon style graphics but wished it was 3D-ish
You enjoy tense, gruelling combat
‼️ What I'm excited about
I'm excited about the story and the game play loop after spending some more time in the demo. There’s a lot to do and discover in the game, making it feel like no two runs will ever go the same way. That kind of non-linear discovery and progression (replayability) is something I look for in the games I am excited about.
Fretless: The Wrath of Riffson
🔗 Steam page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2429050/Fretless__The_Wrath_of_Riffson/
📅 Release date: May 22, 2025
🖥️ Developer: Ritual Studios
📢 Publisher: Playdigious Originals
🕹️ Platform: PC (Steam)
🎮️ The game
Rob, an aspiring musician, is thrust into a world of adventure armed only with his guitar, riffs, and wits. You'll square off against creatures and other guitar-wielding baddies who want to take over the world...through music. You can help Rob wield his guitars and shred his enemies with perfectly (rhythmically) timed button presses.
Combat is played out on riffs (cards) in your deck that you can customize. There are synergies between riffs so creating your own deck for battle is a must in this game. The upgrades for your guitar also add to those synergies, so there's a lot to consider.
🎯 Who it's for
You're into deckbuilding "melodies of mighty musical riffs" in a whimsical setting
You love pixel art
You want a more interactive turn-based game
‼️ What I'm excited about
There's so much to be excited about in this game. First, the world is alive with details: the flowers will jingle as you brush past them and spiders will retreat to the beats, which all adds to the background music. And, if you were wondering, you can also pet the dog!
As horrible as I am with quick time events, I love that devs are exploring ways to make turn-based games even more interactive. It works really well in this game as the button presses have to be timed to the music, and I can’t wait to see what other riffs and combinations can be unlocked in the full game!
If you liked what you read, please consider giving this post a like! What games are you most looking forward to? Let me know below!