Always Sometimes Monsters Reviews

Always Sometimes Monsters is ranked in the 51st percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Unscored
May 25, 2014

Always Sometimes Monsters isn't without problems, but like the characters in it they are simply part of a whole that you can still love despite their obvious flaws.

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86 / 100
Aug 18, 2014

Always Sometimes Monsters is as real as it gets, which is impressive for a traditional pixel RPG presentation. Many situational scenes can both be larger than life and still reflect it perfectly, all in an overall goal that can be befuddled by personal interests or sudden needs.

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80%
May 21, 2018

Always Sometimes Monsters is a hefty adventure in which you will spend around 10-12 hours before you can get to one of its endings. The good news for trophy hunters is that all trophies are unmissable and are awarded through story progression, so be sure to enjoy your time with the game since you don't have to worry at all about the trophy list. The bad news for trophy hunters is that this one does not have a Platinum trophy, but hopefully that is not a deal-breaker for you since you'd be missing out on a great journey.

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70 / 100
Jun 3, 2014

But the game's reliance on establishing such a personal connection in order to meet its noble goal of self-discovery does breed fragility. This becomes apparent in the game's multifaceted ending, which sees the game's creators striving to draw attention to the game's artificiality. Attention is drawn to the puppetry in order to take you out of the narrative and to reveal that your choices were futile.

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May 21, 2014

Always Sometimes Monsters is a fascinating, utterly engrossing morality play, delivered as a Game Maker adventure that constantly asks questions of the player. There have been games that deal with difficult decisions before, but perhaps none so deftly as this. Always Sometimes Monsters is a marvel.

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Digitally Downloaded
Matt S.
Top Critic
May 29, 2014

After a while these more awkward moments fall into the background, and Devolver Digital's broader vision and tale of humanity is one that truly works. This is a game that will make you care about what's going on, and I've got high hopes that this team will continue to refine this style with future games.

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Ofisil
Top Critic
8 / 10
Sep 30, 2014

The road to the final scene is filled with hundreds of crossroads where there usually isn't a right or wrong choice, with morality usually being in the eye of the beholder. The lack of modern visuals and extremely minimal sound might discourage people from trying it out, but those perceptive enough to do so will discover a game with a great replay value, especially when compared to its low price.

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PS4Blog.net
ThaRaven403
9 / 10
Oct 27, 2017

If you've played Vagabond Dog's hit on PC before, you won't find any new material in this release of Always Sometimes Monsters, as it's the exact same thing. But if you haven't played it , or if you want to give it another shot with maybe another way of tackling your decisions, it's the kind of game that gives a lot more to you than just “playing a game – it might even help someone if they're going through a similar situation. One thing's for sure, it's a game that's definitley worth playing.

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60 / 100
Jun 7, 2014

For all its insights and challenging moral dilemmas, Always Sometimes Monsters is a frustrating, confusing, sometimes agonizingly tedious jumble that's just a little bit too pleased with itself. It's a fascinating game to observe, but enjoyable? No, I think not.

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5 / 10.0
Jun 11, 2014

You can't fault its ambition, but ultimately due to pacing issues, hit-and-miss writing and story that is altogether too long, the game is never very enjoyable. If you've got the patience to put up with the occasional periods where nothing much happens, Always Sometimes Monsters will reward you with a memorable, if very uneven, experience.

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7.5 / 10.0
Jun 1, 2014

What Always Sometimes Monsters occasionally lacks in breadth and polish, it makes up for in concept and the way it challenges minds used common gaming formulas and tropes. It's a fascinating experiment, and whilst it might not be to everyone's taste, it's great to see games that are happy to challenge the status quo and dare to take us to task on our pre-conceptions.

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GameZone
Top Critic
7 / 10.0
Jun 1, 2014

The game is long enough -- clocking in at around ten hours -- that trimming some of the fat doesn't seem like a bad idea. It's a game brimming with potential, and I'd still recommend it if you don't mind some rough edges for the sake of fresh storytelling. It may be a pain sometimes, but my urge to see it through a second time despite that speaks volumes.

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NZGamer
Top Critic
5 / 10.0
May 29, 2014

Always Sometimes Monsters, like many of its indie brethren, makes up for its low budget with lofty goals that would be too risky for a big time studio. In some ways, it nails these absolutely spot on; when it's pushing forward, the story is captivating and the choices players are forced to make are complex and lifelike - a rarity in games. Despite this, though, poor pacing, clumsy scriptwriting, and an overall lack of polish (even by indie standards) make it all to easy to bow out before this monster can sink its claws into you.

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6 / 10
Jun 23, 2014

Always Sometimes Monsters again shows up that 'game' is a word whose time is done. There is nothing playful about this experience – it's a mixture of repetitive tasks that riddle your fingers with despair and increasingly-depressing plots. This then is a 'life failure' simulator, like Cliff Harris's sandbox Kudos 2. Like that, it's compelling, enlightening and moving – but hard to call 'fun'.

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7 / 10.0
May 23, 2014

Vagabond Dog has developed a title that, despite its rough edges, ends up offering an interesting look at a character coming to grips with themselves and their place in the world.

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7.5 / 10.0
Jun 17, 2014

For now we will say that Always Sometimes Monsters is best described more as an interactive story rather than a video game. There simply isn't very much video game about it. Instead you try to guide your character forward during the strangest and often darkest point of their entire life.

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3 / 5.0
May 29, 2014

I don't regret playing Always Sometimes Monsters. It gave me a bit of perspective on what it's like to live without some of my privileges, and also gave me cause to think about who I am, what I value, and where my life has gone so far.

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Unscored
Oct 22, 2017

Indie developer Vagabond Dog and edgy publisher Devolver Digital have put together a visually charming, audibly impressive, but otherwise unfulfilling little title that I doubt I would return to. The 9 hour journey from beginning to end is a tumultuous one, filled with depressive tendencies, impossible choices, monotonous repetition, and nary a decent character in sight.

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Unscored
May 29, 2014

"Always Sometimes Monsters" is as much of a mirror of the player as it is a looking glass to view the world through the eyes of the creators. It elicits thought about life philosophies. Any game that explores the existential crisis is a welcomed break from the tightly compartmentalized genres of contemporary gaming. Assigning a static review score to a game such as this seems silly. Play it and see where it takes you.

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9 / 10.0
May 27, 2014

As Johnny Cash once said, "I'll try to carry off a little darkness on my back." In Always Sometimes Monsters, you're already carrying that darkness. It's just a matter of how far you can go with that much weight on your shoulders.

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