Monster Prom Critic Reviews

As someone who did not attend his own prom, something about Monster Prom just clicked and made me really invested into learning more about these monster young adults and their fates before the big dance. I found myself immediately starting a new session after a rejection in hopes of finally getting the monster of my dreams to finally say yes. The sheer amount of events and possible outcomes meant it would be hard for me to get bored.

I never would have imagined a multiplayer dating sim working, but boy, does Monster Prom work. It 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.

I loved these high schoolers so much, I want more flesh on their emaciated bones.

It fares a bit better as a multiplayer game than a single-player one, a standalone entry in a genre that is not known for catering to that demographic. For the lone Casanova, it is still most certainly worth giving a go, so long as you’re aware of its limitations going in.

Monster Prom is a dating sim that’s ready to scare away the competition with drop-dead gorgeous art, killer writing, and music that’s to die for.

It's fun, with great art and enjoyable characters, but lacks narrative depth and gets repetitive.

Monster Prom’s charm stems from its thematic elements. Fantastic interactions, its satirical narrative, and the monster theme offer a unique spin, even if it doesn’t deviate all that much from known formulas. But, it does bring a little more to the table, a party for daters who are in it more for the ride than the destination.

Truly hilarious, brilliant dialogues are not enough to compensate for random, grind-oriented gameplay.

It could be far more engaging with these premises, and the good cards that the game has could have been played in a better way.

As a singleplayer title, it seems to offer a wealth of content — the stories have a quirky kind of charm and each scenario has four possible outcomes, with a total of over twenty endings possible. Of course, playing with rivals adds a replay value of its own, but after a little time spent with it, I came away feeling that Monster Prom is only functional at best — despite the wealth of options, the scenarios become predictable and tired quickly. Even so, a group of friends turns it into a delightfully messy romp of the kind that my younger self would have loved, minus the cocaine.

Monster Prom had so much potential and so much to offer that I couldn't wait to tear into it. And on a superficial level, it's an interesting experiment that I thought I would love. Unfortunately, just like the monsters you're courting, once you get to know it it's only a great-looking shell with some fairly rotten insides.

It may take a few tries to discover how to land a date, but playing Monster Prom is some of the most fun you’ll have trying to figure out a game’s mechanics. By making the goal competitive in multiplayer, it challenges the dating sim genre in a wholly unique way, and its combinations of events and endings make every playthrough feel like it’s your first time (this is the part where I wink suggestively).