Always Sometimes Monsters Reviews
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.