Monster Prom
Monster Prom is a simulation role-playing visual novel game developed by Beautiful Glitch, a studio based in Barcelona and founded by Julián Quijano, and published by Those Awesome Guys. The game was released for Windows, macOS and Linux on 27 April 2018 and was distributed on Steam. A Nintendo Switch release was launched on 21 May 2020. Monster Prom was written by Julián Quijano, Cory O’Brien and Maggie Herskowitz, illustrated by Arthur Tien, and programmed by Elías Pereiras. Players assume the role of a student at Spooky High, a high school populated by monsters, as they attempt to find a date to prom.
An expansion to the game, titled Monster Prom: Second Term, was released on the 14th of February, 2019.
Gameplay
Monster Prom is a 2D narrative dating sim that features both a singleplayer mode as well as a multiplayer competitive mode of up to four players. The player assumes the role of one of four pre-set characters, all of whom students at Spooky High, and can choose between six different monsters they can try to date. Players can play as any gender and pronouns with the game allowing for straight, gay, and lesbian dating options.The game randomizes the story every time it is played. Each turn, players must decide how they will spend their time over the course of three weeks leading up to prom, going through various events in one of several map locations at Spooky High in order to gain stats that affect the way their love interest perceives them. Throughout the game, players will be presented with various choices which may affect their relationship with other characters, as well as which events and endings they experience. The players’ actions will decide whether their love interest agrees to take them to prom or not. It features multiple endings, mini-games, and limited voice acting. The game also includes a shop where players can purchase items that can trigger new events as well as special endings.
The Second Term expansion included additional content such as new endings and two newly-dateable characters.
Plot
The players are presented as students within Spooky High, a high school in a world inhabited by monsters. They are given a time limit of three weeks in order to convince their chosen love interest to take them to prom. The game's plot changes with each new playthrough, giving players a unique sequence of events, dialogue and endings, depending on their choices. The four player characters are Oz, the personification of fear; Amira Rashid, a fire djinn; Brian Yu, a zombie; and Vicky Schmidt, a Frankenstein's monster. The six monsters available to romance are Scott Howl, a werewolf; Liam de Lioncourt, a vampire; Vera Oberlin, a gorgon; Damien LaVey, a fire demon; Polly Geist, a ghost; and Miranda Vanderbilt, a mermaid. Second Term introduces two new monsters to romance: Zoe, an monster; and Calculester Hewlett-Packard, a computer robot.The majority of the game's humor is very Western-influenced, consisting of many pop culture references, banter-based dialogue, self-referential commentary on monster fiction, and light satirical themes. The game has over 1,300 possible events and 47 secret endings.
Development
On 25 November 2016 the game successfully completed a Kickstarter campaign raising funds through 1,592 backers. The campaign raised just over €32,000, quadruple the intended goal of €8,000. The additional funding allowed for more content such as endings, items, and characters. A roster of notable voice actors was assembled to portray the cast, including Arin Hanson, Dan Avidan, Nathan Sharp, Cristina Valenzuela, Sarah Anne Williams, Christine Marie Cabanos, Danielle McRae, Erika Ishii and others. On 14 February 2018 the developers announced the game's release via a teaser trailer, and the game was released on 27 April 2017 on Steam for Windows, Mac OS, and Linux. The Second Term expansion DLC, which was a stretch goal of the Kickstarter campaign, was released on 14 February 2019, adding additional voice work from Felicia Day, Casey Mongillo, Jacksepticeye, Ross O'Donovan, and Brizzy. Language support for Simplified Chinese was added on 23 January 2020.On 27 April 2020, to celebrate the 2nd Anniversary of the game's initial release, Beautiful Glitch announced Monster Prom: XXL, which consists of the original game, the Second Term DLC, as well as all seasonal content released throughout the game’s lifespan. It was released on the Nintendo Switch on 21 May 2020.
Sequel
On May 8 2019, Beautiful Glitch announced a sequel titled Monster Prom 2: Holiday Season and launched another Kickstarter campaign with a playable demo. The sequel will feature the same characters from Monster Prom in three minigames: Summer Camp, a dating simulation similar to the original game; Winter Retreat, a strategy game featuring Vera and Miranda; and Roadtrip, an adventure survival game featuring Scott and Polly. The campaign proved successful and raised over €535,000 from almost 9,000 backers within a month, surpassing their goal of €32,000. The sequel is currently in development and is scheduled to be released in October 2020.Thanks to the extra funding on Kickstarter, additional content was announced in the form of a future DLC titled Monster Prom: Not another isekai! and an additional sequel titled Monster Prom: REVERSE, in which the playable characters from the first game can be romanced.
Reception
The PC version of the game received a score of 73 on the review aggregator Metacritic, indicating "mixed or average reviews", while the Nintendo Switch version received a score of 81, indicating "generally favorable reviews". The game was mainly praised for its writing, humor and character art. Jeff Ramos and Allegra Frank of Polygon praised "how genuinely funny Monster Prom is. Considering almost every line in the game is a punchline, it’s an achievement that the humor never felt labored or forced." Many critics also praised the game's multiplayer mode, many of whom declared it stronger than the singleplayer version. Tony Cocking of Twinfinite notes that the game "fares better as a multiplayer game than a single-player one" as it "can grow repetitive, particularly when played alone." Rebekah Valentine of App Trigger had a more favorable view of both game modes, stating that the game "rests on a framework of superb character art and hilarious scenario writing, then goes several steps further to offer a challenging competitive experience and an addictive solo one."Publications also praised the amount of content the game offers, with Alyse Stanley of Rock, Paper, Shotgun stating that "its combinations of events and endings make every playthrough feel like it’s your first time." Stan Yeung of Gaming Age adds that "the sheer amount of events and possible outcomes meant it would be hard for me to get bored." However, some critics noted that despite the game's strengths, its mechanics often stagnated which made it difficult to find much in the way of replayability. CD-Action states that the "hilarious, brilliant dialogues are not enough to compensate for random, grind-oriented gameplay." Similarly, in a mixed review, Eugene Sax of Game Critics notes that "despite the wealth of options, the scenarios become predictable and tired quickly."
Regarding the Nintendo Switch version, Neal Ronaghan of Nintendo World Report had a favorable review and wrote that while "not a game for everyone... Monster Prom is a riotously good time" thanks to its humor and ability to "take a visual novel and dating sim and transforms it into a party game."
Accolades
The game was nominated for the "Matthew Crump Cultural Innovation Award" and for "Most Fulfilling Community-Funded Game" at the SXSW Gaming Awards.| Year | Award | Category | Result | Ref |
| 2017 | Casual Connect Asia | Best Narrative | ||
| 2017 | BIC Fest | Narrative Award | ||
| 2017 | BIC Fest | Gameplay Award | ||
| 2017 | MomoCon | Best Indie Game | ||
| 2019 | MomoCon | Best Indie Game | ||
| 2019 | SXSW Gaming Awards | Cultural Innovation Award | ||
| 2019 | SXSW Gaming Awards | Most Fulfilling Community-Funded Game |