'All we want to know is if you'd ever want to play a game where you might not wind up being the hero.' Always Sometimes Monsters is the recently released RPG from Vagabond Dog and published by Devolver Digital, the group who published Hotline Miami. Always Sometimes Monsters feels like a similar game to Hotline Miami - it's weird, it's haunting and it has retro graphics - and a similar game to the Sims. It's a game above life and love and, ultimately, choice. Who are you? Why are you this way? What would you do to change? What might you be forced to give up? Always Sometimes Monsters is the story of two people. The game opens with a party: you select your protagonist from a cast of diverse men and women and then you select their lover. They might be gay, they might be straight, they might even be trans. You are there to celebrate your new book deal with your publisher, Larry. A year later? Everything has gone wrong. You wind up in poor Dubstown, unable to finish the book, just about to wind up living on the street. And your girlfriend/boyfriend has left you. And then, one morning, you recieve an invitation - an invitation to their wedding. That is how your cross-country journey begins - at the bottom. You will make an odyssey across the country in order to find the person you once (or perhaps still do?) love. Are you looking for love again or forgiveness? Acceptance? Are you just hoping to put everything behind you and have a fresh start? But those aren't the only questions you'll answer. As you journey across the country, there are numerous flashback sequences that flesh out your life before this point. Why did they leave you? Who, in fact, dumped who? How did the two meet? How did you get to where you are today? There's bits and pieces of a lot of games here. It feels like Alter Ego and the Sims and Hotline Miami and Papers Please. It's a game where there is no black and white, but only shades of grey. It's a game where your choices can't possibly make everyone happy - maybe not even yourself. It's a game of unintended consequences and self-made hells. It's important to stress that there are good choices and good endings - this isn't a game where 'all roads lead to hell'. If you get a bad ending, it's the hell you made for yourself. And that's what makes Always Sometimes Monsters so powerful. That's why it is tagged as 'horror' on Steam. It's like an old school adventure game in the sense that it's not afraid to kill you for putting yourself in bad situations. It's not afraid to leave you hanging. It's not afraid to let you know the problems of the choices you made. Because of this, Always Sometimes Monsters has the honor of having the character I most dislike across any video game (Sam) and the most soul-crushing ending. I thought I had done everything right, I thought that everything would go fine. But in that final moment - in that final attempt to win her heart back - I realised that I had done everything wrong and that the situation I had created for myself was going to end no other way. If this was any other game, where the 'point' was that this was how things are, I would be a different kind of annoyed. But the possibility of a happy ending is what makes it work. And yet a brief look through the Steam discussion forums indicated that some players had been able to salvage what I had been unable to. I'll let the Steam page describe it in more detail. But for 8.99 USD and about seven hours of your time this game is definitely one to check out. However, be advised that this is a game that does deal with racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, mental health, sexual assault, child abuse, animal abuse, drug abuse, and suicide. However, it seems to deal with them fairly and carefully. Buy it from the Steam Store! quote:Out of money and out of luck you find yourself heart broken and on the verge of collapse. Your landlord's taken the key back, you can't finish your manuscript, and your beloved is marrying someone else. With no choice but to handle whatever life throws at you, you set out on the open road on a mission to win back the love of your life. The story from there is up to you. Can your life be salvaged, or are we always sometimes monsters? Milkfred E. Moore fucked around with this message at 02:04 on May 27, 2014 |
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May 27, 2014 01:25
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| # ? Apr 27, 2024 05:07 |
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It's Always Sometimes in Monsterdelphia.
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May 27, 2014 01:34
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Would it have killed you to put a link to the steam store in the op, op?
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May 27, 2014 01:44
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LordPants posted:Would it have killed you to put a link to the steam store in the op, op? The things I do for you, LordPants! http://store.steampowered.com/app/274310/
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May 27, 2014 01:48
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Great write-up, sounds like a must-buy. Retro graphics and interesting themes? Sign me the hell up.
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May 27, 2014 01:54
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Sounds awesome, totally bought.
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May 27, 2014 02:22
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If they ever make the Mac version I will totally grab this.
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May 27, 2014 02:54
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It won't let me scale up  E: fixed Those On My Left fucked around with this message at 12:58 on May 27, 2014 |
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May 27, 2014 12:40
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Milky Moor posted:I'll let the Steam page describe it in more detail. But for 8.99 USD and about seven hours of your time this game is definitely one to check out. However, be advised that this is a game that does deal with racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, mental health, sexual assault, child abuse, animal abuse, drug abuse, and suicide. However, it seems to deal with them fairly and carefully. Can anyone say if there's some actual truth to it because I see the line getting thrown around a lot, but it always seems like the person is trying to satisfy a checklist more than anything else.
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May 27, 2014 12:45
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Okay Milky, this is a weird game. Feels creepy.
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May 27, 2014 13:37
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poptart_fairy posted:Can anyone say if there's some actual truth to it because I see the line getting thrown around a lot, but it always seems like the person is trying to satisfy a checklist more than anything else. All I can say is that I'm fairly particular about those things being handled with care.
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May 27, 2014 16:32
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Yup, had to get this. It looked too great for me to wait for a better Steam sale. I started up my first game last night and love it so far. I really wanted to keep playing and see what happened, but as it got very late my RL partner kept nagging me to go to bed already. This might be getting a bit too meta.
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May 27, 2014 23:36
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Hi, I got this game the other day. I'm really struggling to get past what I assume is the tutorial (that worker guy won't let me pass). I can't see the Hotline Miami part, does it get better? Or if I am not enjoying it so far, is it likely that I won't like the rest of the game? Thanks for your time. Love, LSD
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May 28, 2014 11:01
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lonesomedwarf posted:Hi, I got this game the other day. I'm really struggling to get past what I assume is the tutorial (that worker guy won't let me pass). I can't see the Hotline Miami part, does it get better? Or if I am not enjoying it so far, is it likely that I won't like the rest of the game? Are you still in Dubstown? It sounds like you're looking for the Phoenix club and the first activity - it's down towards the south side (bottom) of the map. Grey square building. The Hotline Miami comparison comes from the weirdness, retro graphics, cool soundtrack and the aspect of the game speaking to the player as much as it is the character.
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May 28, 2014 11:15
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Milky Moor posted:Are you still in Dubstown? It sounds like you're looking for the Phoenix club and the first activity - it's down towards the south side (bottom) of the map. Grey square building. I am, yeah. I wasn't exactly stuck, I was just expecting more 'hitting guys in the head with various objects', I guess. I have played it a bit more and it's pretty good. Thanks!
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May 28, 2014 12:42
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lonesomedwarf posted:I am, yeah. I wasn't exactly stuck, I was just expecting more 'hitting guys in the head with various objects', I guess. There is at least one (1) opportunity to hit a guy in the head with an object that I found. 
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May 28, 2014 13:21
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A friend gifted me this a few days ago and it is a pretty neat game. I didn't actually understand that the opening scene was a character select but I ended up with the red haired lesbian woman so I've turned this game into a kind of unofficial Gone Home sequel starring Lonnie. Been playing as a good person that earns their money legit. I'm just kind of worried that the game gets really grindy though, because Steam reviews mention that the third town has very little missions aside from those really boring odd jobs. I'm at the second town right now. Accordion Man fucked around with this message at 13:32 on May 28, 2014 |
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May 28, 2014 13:28
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Accordion Man posted:A friend gifted me this a few days ago and it is a pretty neat game. I didn't actually understand that the opening scene was a character select but I ended up with the red haired lesbian woman so I've turned this game into a kind of unofficial Gone Home sequel starring Lonnie. Been playing as a good person that earns their money legit. My first attempt got me a blonde girl and a black man. I kind of like that part of the character select, but then I went with a playthrough that was as close to myself as possible. As for the third town... This isn't a major spoiler but it's the only way they make the dilemma in that town worth anything. It's temptation versus effort, that sort of thing. Even then, it's not a grind like the jobs are a grind. Milkfred E. Moore fucked around with this message at 13:45 on May 28, 2014 |
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May 28, 2014 13:42
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I've now made it to the second town, and whoops, I need to get out of tofu mode and slow down on the dialogue a bit, cause I just told Larry to go gently caress himself. He seems to roll with the punches, though. I just wish I wasn't stuck carrying this heroin around, I know that cannot possibly be good to still have in my inventory.
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May 28, 2014 13:48
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Bifauxnen posted:I've now made it to the second town, and whoops, I need to get out of tofu mode and slow down on the dialogue a bit, cause I just told Larry to go gently caress himself. He seems to roll with the punches, though. Have you tried the pawn shop? I never ended up with heroin, so  Yeah, one criticism I have is that - like with a lot of games - the 'skip dialogue' button is also the 'select' button.
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May 28, 2014 14:03
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Does anyone know How I can save ad-exec Jack from offing himself?
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May 29, 2014 15:08
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Hipster Occultist posted:Does anyone know How I can save ad-exec Jack from offing himself? I think it may relate to the answers you give him during the pre-ceding conversation. In my first run-through, I think he took down three of the pages from the wall. How many did he take down for you, if any? This is, however, complicated by the game apparently also factoring random chance into certain situations.
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May 29, 2014 15:17
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Milky Moor posted:I think it may relate to the answers you give him during the pre-ceding conversation. In my first run-through, I think he took down three of the pages from the wall. How many did he take down for you, if any? This is, however, complicated by the game apparently also factoring random chance into certain situations. Yeah, he took down 3 for me as well. I'm not really sure why some answers worked and some didn't as I tried to stick to the same philosophy throughout his questions. Save-scumming until I get it right it is then. 
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May 29, 2014 22:42
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This is very unlike most of the games that I play, and while bits of it are really working for me I think overall it's just not lining up with my preferences. I have only just made it to the second town though, so there is probably a lot more to see yet, and I intend to stick with it for a while longer. Ultimately I am kinda playing in a permanent state of "fear of missing out", not quite sure if I am doing it right or whether I am going to blow a deadline, or whether it is like one of those old Sierra games where something you do early on paints you into a corner several hours later. The overall story and mood is quite good though. Much like Papers Please I feel quite invested in my decisions.
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May 30, 2014 16:15
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I just got done with the first day, and I had a question. Is it possible to get enough money to pay off your rent in one day?
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May 30, 2014 18:27
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So is this actually a game? Or is it another "art game" for shallow hipsters?
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May 30, 2014 18:31
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korrandark posted:I just got done with the first day, and I had a question. It's possible to get $500 on the first day. But that might not be enough. When the landlord confronted me in the morning I ran away with the key. When I came back that night he had changed the lock and wanted a $5000 security deposit. I don't know if handing in the key prevents that or if he finds another reason to lock you out.
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May 30, 2014 19:44
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The Runaway Five posted:It's possible to get $500 on the first day. If you hand in the key, it's just 500. quote:Ultimately I am kinda playing in a permanent state of "fear of missing out", not quite sure if I am doing it right or whether I am going to blow a deadline, or whether it is like one of those old Sierra games where something you do early on paints you into a corner several hours later. No, that's pretty much it. In many ways, the game is about hoping you've done the right thing.
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May 30, 2014 22:44
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So I just got my first ending! And then reloaded a few times to change stuff around at the last minute for more endings. Man, you weren't kidding Milky, gently caress Sam forever. Although I do really like this game and I think it's only going to get better as I compare different stuff that could've happened and different characters, the endgame frustrated me a bit. Maybe this isn't the only scenario, but- To be vague as possible, the big final drama I ended up in seemed to completely overshadow everything else up to that point. It's like it didn't really matter at all how good or how bad I'd been before, it all came down to the lovely choices right at the end. So even if I'd been really good, I'd end up looking like a giant poo poo if I picked a choice that didn't completely gently caress me over. It probably didn't help that I was completely over my PC's "true love" at that point. honestly, stay with Sam, like I give a poo poo, if he's that stupid they should stay together. I just want my loving money! 
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May 31, 2014 12:46
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So where do the monsters come in? I was told there would be monsters.
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May 31, 2014 13:52
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Bifauxnen posted:So I just got my first ending! And then reloaded a few times to change stuff around at the last minute for more endings. I think (vague spoilers relating to the above) that the conversations that take place in San Verdano and the place after that are the most important conversations since they define how the relationship broke up. See, I don't think you salvage a broken relationship but it's more you have one that is salvageable in the first place. And I think part of that is the point - no one really cares what good you did on the other side of the country if you're some jerk when you see them again, y'know? (More detailed, completed game spoilers: In my first run, the girlfriend broke up with me and I said it was because I had been putting too much of the relationship into the book. Casey confronted me, I said I had come all this way for love. I went to Sam's party, gave him my journal to save him, asked him to cancel the wedding. At the wedding, I told Larry what had happened. I objected, got shot down, and ended up in the back alley whereas Sam got the girl and the book deal. But seriously. gently caress Sam. Sure, the protagonist isn't the best person but Sam is like an anchor around their ankle. Let's see - he asks you to go ask someone out for him where you find her they think he's a stalker. He plagiarises your essay. He stalks you when you're on your date. He invites you to the wedding as a form of petty revenge and yet acts like you're still best friends. He practically extorts your journal from you and then refuses to be honest about it and his response to you saving his life is 'quit being so self-centered'.
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May 31, 2014 14:20
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Okay, I doubt I'm going to finish this. I cannot be hosed with any more of these jobs. Also, Milky Moor posted:Yeah, one criticism I have is that - like with a lot of games - the 'skip dialogue' button is also the 'select' button. This is a real problem. This game has me invested in the decisions that I make, but I have hosed up several of these decisions by accidentally going to skip dialogue that had already finished. Like, I didn't want to agree to rig the election but, whoops, I did. Not the sort of game I saw myself rage-quitting, but I kind of have. Maybe I'll watch some Let's Plays or read about it, I'm just not sure I can really deal with the grind of it any more.
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May 31, 2014 14:29
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Sounds like I picked similar stuff to you at the end, there. I just wish there was an ending where the PC can finally get over their SO. Although Sam is the worst, the fact that the SO could buy any of Sam's bullshit for one second, let alone want to get married to them within a year pretty much ruined my opinion of them. There's all this buildup about whether the PC is "worthy" of their love or not, and then it turns out they're just a gullible dipshit. I picked that they broke up with me, and said I was selfish, but it just got me more fed up. "why aren't you putting ME first instead of this book you're contractually bound to finish, which will be the basis for your whole career, by the way I still love that we're living in my parent's house!" Haha, no wonder he fell for Sam then, I bet she paid way more attention to him than the book! I wish there was an option to just run off with Morgan instead. Bifauxnen fucked around with this message at 14:40 on May 31, 2014 |
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May 31, 2014 14:33
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If you want to skip dialouge you should use ctrl, that won't select anything.
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Jun 2, 2014 17:03
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I'm starting another game now with different characters, and it's fun to see some of the things I missed last time. This time I worked at the ad agency instead of the newspaper, so I got to see Jack's workmates talk about him, and get more of the whole picture of what was going on when I dropped off his stuff. I was surprised to find this route actually made him less sympathetic. Once I finish stuffing around and comparing events though, I'm going to play again and go for a maximum goody-goody run while making a fortune in savescummed sandwich futures. Sam is going down!
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Jun 4, 2014 00:03
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Choice is so hard to do in games. I enjoyed this game for the most part, aside from some occasional grinding. What bothers me is that rather than affecting the ending, as far as I can tell (LATE GAME/END GAME SPOILERS) it all just comes down to what Casey thinks of you. Thanks for judging me after reading my personal journal, you rear end in a top hat. I wouldn't mind doing another playthrough, but by reloading my save I saw three different variations of the ending and (SPOILERS AHOY) there's not much variation. I let Sam abandon me, where he ended up with Yuriko but then divorced. I then let Sam die, which just ended up with me alone. And then I let Sam live but told him to come clean about the journal, and he was a prick about it. I held my tongue at the wedding though. I tried to be nice but it's clear I made some decisions the game frowned upon (although it seemed like I had no choice) might play through again as a lesbian couple for some variety but I don't see me playing through again and again.
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Jun 8, 2014 08:44
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MysticalMachineGun posted:Choice is so hard to do in games. I enjoyed this game for the most part, aside from some occasional grinding. That's not the only variable, actually. But it is one of the big ones. There's 3 or 4 things that need to happen, based on what I've read.
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Jun 8, 2014 11:53
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I'm skipping pretty much almost all of the posts to avoid spoilers but there's one thing I'd love to know.. is there a good way to restore stamina besides expensive as hell crabs from the market? They're blowing away what little money I have and they don't restore that much stamina.
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Jun 10, 2014 06:34
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Blackray Jack posted:I'm skipping pretty much almost all of the posts to avoid spoilers but there's one thing I'd love to know.. is there a good way to restore stamina besides expensive as hell crabs from the market? They're blowing away what little money I have and they don't restore that much stamina. I never worried about stamina and I'm not sure it affects anything except sleeping outside.
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Jun 10, 2014 06:35
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Finally got the best ending. Suck it, Sam! The victory felt a bit hollow though, after I savescummed my way to fortune. But it was fun to dress up my new character, the hoodie dude. He cleans up real nice, and I was delighted to see that yes, he will wear also wear a custom dress if you buy him one.
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Jun 10, 2014 10:03
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