Sometimes Always Monsters
- April 2, 2020
- Vagabond Dog
Get on Steam"Sometimes Always Monsters" is a narrative-driven RPG where you play as a monster trying to make amends for past mistakes. Travel across continents, meet interesting characters, and make meaningful choices that affect the story. This emotional and introspective journey challenges you to consider the consequences of your actions and the power of forgiveness.
Reviews
- The game features a rich narrative with well-developed characters, allowing players to connect with the story and its themes.
- The graphics and art style have significantly improved from the previous game, enhancing the overall visual experience.
- The developers are responsive to player feedback and actively work on bug fixes and updates, showing their commitment to improving the game.
- The gameplay can feel tedious and repetitive, with an emphasis on mundane tasks like cooking and laundry that may detract from the overall experience.
- Many players feel that the choices in the game lack meaningful consequences, making the narrative feel less impactful compared to its predecessor.
- The main character's personality is diminished, leading to a disconnect between the player and the protagonist, which affects immersion.
- story139 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 79 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The story in "Sometimes Always Monsters" has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it lacking in depth and engagement compared to its predecessor. While the game offers a variety of choices and character interactions, the narrative is often described as linear, repetitive, and underdeveloped, leading to a sense of tedium. Despite some interesting moments and the potential for a compelling storyline, many players feel that the execution falls short, resulting in a plot that feels thin and unsatisfying.
“While, like its predecessor, it follows a central plot line, there are much more stories and arcs to explore.”
“Sometimes Always Monsters is a shockingly in-depth and story-driven game with a fantastic and dynamic narration.”
“The story feels 'real' and the characters are intriguing and interesting.”
“The story was trying to be complex and twisty; there was drama and politics that nobody was asking for.”
“The story itself had huge potential, following up immediately after the first game, but it just doesn’t deliver at all.”
“The plot is so weak, it's really disappointing.”
- gameplay53 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The gameplay has been widely criticized for being dull, repetitive, and lacking meaningful engagement, with many players feeling that the mechanics, such as cooking and self-care tasks, serve more as busywork than enriching gameplay elements. While some appreciate the updates and the potential for deeper interactions, the overall sentiment is that the game fails to deliver a cohesive and enjoyable experience, often feeling hollow and tedious. Despite its attempts at realism and life simulation, many players believe the gameplay detracts from the narrative and character development that made its predecessor more compelling.
“Thank you, Vagabond Dog, for the amazing gameplay experience.”
“A must play for fans of the first, great updates to gameplay, graphics, and character art.”
“Oh sweet Jesus, do I love the gameplay this time around.”
“Gameplay is boring, repetitive without any clear goal in mind.”
“The story can be pretty boring at times and the mechanics are too tedious.”
“I have to admit the story in this game had the potential to be interesting and decent but gameplay is so dull and boring.”
- music30 mentions
- 37 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some praising it as enjoyable and versatile, fitting the game's atmosphere well, while others feel it lacks the cohesion and iconic quality of the original game's soundtrack. Many users appreciate the soundtrack's ability to serve as good background music for various activities, though some express disappointment with certain tracks being grating or less memorable. Overall, the soundtrack is generally regarded as solid, but opinions vary on its effectiveness compared to the first game.
“I even bought the soundtrack, it's that nice.”
“It's a very different kind of soundtrack that I feel fits this game perfectly!”
“Overall, the soundtrack is really solid.”
“The music was horrendous and grating when it actually played.”
“Secondly, I wanted a more expansive in-game soundtrack.”
“It is a different song and dance, but still the same party.”
- graphics25 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game have received widespread praise for their detailed artwork and charming art style, with many reviewers noting significant improvements over previous installments. The new sprite work is described as gorgeous, enhancing the overall aesthetic and encouraging exploration of the environments. However, some players found the art style jarring compared to earlier versions, indicating a mixed reception regarding the visual changes.
“Awesome graphics, you can tell they spent a lot of time on details.”
“The art style is charming and the new sprite work is honestly gorgeous; I wish more games would adopt an aesthetic like this.”
“The concentrated details in the artwork alone keep up the desire to explore every environment carefully, just in case you miss something.”
“While the graphics have improved and the interface has been tweaked a wee bit, the game still looks and plays the same.”
“I say on its own, as after finishing my desired playthrough, going into this seemed jarring, as the tone and change in art style took me off guard.”
“The art style in this game is just plain ugly.”
- humor13 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its crude and outlandish style, often featuring tongue-in-cheek parody and amusing interactions among a diverse cast of characters, including authors with distinct personalities. Players can experience funny moments through dialogue choices and unexpected scenarios, such as being humorously harmed by NPCs during conversations. Overall, the writing is praised for its wit, contributing to a lighthearted and entertaining experience.
“Pro-tip: bring Ruth and Pedro, they have a hilarious scene together.”
“The story writing is largely at a young adult level with a focus on tongue-in-cheek parody and an airy, fun sense of humor.”
“It was funny to see how my character and other authors interacted with each other and how they created dramas while living in the tour bus; I got a mix of different personalities in my group, some authors are gentle and kind, but some are snobby and have big attitudes.”
- grinding8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspects of the game to be tedious and unfulfilling, with many expressing frustration over repetitive life simulation tasks that lack engagement. Despite some improvements made by developers to enhance accessibility, the core mechanics still feel laborious and detract from the overall enjoyment of the game. Overall, while the story has its moments, the grinding elements are often seen as a significant drawback.
“The life sim aspects can get tedious but aren't really fulfilling at the same time, but still a solid game.”
“Go watch a movie, work out, take a shower, do a class, none of it was of any interest to me and reminded me hugely of the tedious work sections from the first game, so I avoided them wherever I could.”
“But wow, that was tedious and grindy as f***.”
- emotional7 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players report a deep emotional investment in the game, highlighting the authenticity of character relationships and the impact of realistic themes such as love, violence, and addiction. The combination of engaging dialogues and varied emotional tones—from dread to pleasantness—creates a profound experience that resonates with players, making them feel anxious yet deeply connected to the narrative. Overall, the game is praised for its ability to evoke strong emotional reactions and provide a refreshing departure from more traditional heartwarming stories.
“Personally, I had my doubts about the sincerity and durability of the relationship with the characters, but the small dialogues, phone calls, and dates actually made me feel like these two characters are together because they want to be rather than just following the 'good ending' path.”
“You really do get emotionally invested.”
“Suffice to say, the game gave me a profound emotional experience.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Replayability is somewhat limited, primarily appealing to those interested in experiencing different character perspectives and choices that affect the story. While there are multiple choices and interactions available, some players feel that the lack of clear changes in activities after the first playthrough diminishes the incentive to replay.
“The replay value isn't overly high, but you can experience the story from two different characters' perspectives, which changes the context of the narrative.”
“Despite the replayability offered by the multitude of choices and characters, I didn't get a good sense of what activities could change after my first playthrough.”
“Replayability is strong; just like in ASM, there are so many things left to explore and interact with.”
“The replay value isn't overly high; it's really only if you want to experience the point of view from two different characters. The story and what is going on surrounding the book actually does change depending on who you are.”
“Despite the replayability offered by the multitude of choices and characters, I didn’t get a good sense of what activities could change once I finished my first playthrough, so I pretty much uninstalled the game once I finished playing.”
“Replayability: just like in ASM, there are so many things left to explore and interact with.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, players report a stable experience with minimal bugs or glitches, particularly after the latest update. However, some users have noted persistent grammatical and spelling errors that detract from the overall polish of the game.
“While the game appears way less buggy than at the time of my original review, I noticed grammatical and spelling errors, such as a remarkably consistent and amateur-level grammatical error during the reading of Ruth's book.”
- character development1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Character development is highlighted through unique town designs that reflect distinct personalities, complemented by simple yet effective character design and soundtrack choices. This approach creates a cohesive and immersive experience, enhancing the overall narrative.
“The character design, soundtrack, and overall town designs were simple but always different, with each town having a personality behind it.”
“The depth of character development really made me feel connected to the story and the choices I made.”
“Each character's growth throughout the game was incredibly rewarding, making their journeys feel personal and impactful.”
