Developer: Radial Games
Publisher: Radial games
Platform: PC, Switch, PS4, iPhone, Android
Tested on: Switch
Monster Loves you! – Review
Monster Loves You! was released on PC in 2013 and was received very well. The game was later also released on the PS4, iPhone, Android and now also on the Switch. Monster Loves You! is a cute game that will let you live your life as a monster starting from your birth till elderhood. Your story will be served to you in a typical visual novel style where your choices influence how the story plays out. Monster Loves You! was developed and published by Radial Games and we got the chance to review the new Switch version. So readying our fangs and claws, we were ready to jump in and live our life as a monster!
Story
In Monster Loves You! you start out as slime in a great spawning vat. In this game, from the start, you begin writing your own story. You get to pick from different choices that will shape you as a “monster”. Even before you are born, you already get a choice of what monster you will yearn to be. From baby to adult or maybe even elder, you will go on a journey called “life”. There will be small moments of your life, where you can choose how to act. This will change how monsters view you.
It is quite fun to create your own story; you can end up in very different situations depending on what choice you pick. It is completely up to you, if you want to be an honest and sweet or a vengeful and cruel monster, everything is possible. The basic story is already written but since most of it, is up to you, you can have multiple playthroughs and still get shown different moments in your life.
Graphics
The Graphics in Monster Loves you! are pretty simple. Most of the game is made up out of static images. Some little images get repeated, like little logos and expressions the monster does in your storyline. However, for every state in your life, from baby to adult or elder, you get a new background image. A few of the adventures also have an “outside” background scene. All drawings are very colorful and have a cartoony/children’s book style. Depending on your playthrough, your monster will also look kind of different.
Sound
The music in Monster Loves You! is very calm and relaxing and fits in perfectly with the storytelling style of the game. There is no voice acting present in the game, which is a good thing, having every option readout seems a bit too much and not as relaxing. Sound effects mostly appear from you getting extra points for your stats or losing points. Other than that, there are a few random sound effects present.
Gameplay
Monster Loves you! is a casual simulation game where you live your life as a monster. You will be presented with a basic start story which you can already change by a few different choices. Your story will begin in the spawning vat where you will be born. At first, you just get a few scenarios which you can act differently too. Once you grow out of the spawning vat, you will be able to choose your own adventures from icons that give small hints about what the adventures are about.
Each period of your life, you get a limit of days that you can do these little adventures. One adventure equals one day in that period of your life. Doing these adventures will increase your stats and respect. Your stats consist of Ferocity, Bravery, Cleverness, Honesty, and Kindness. Not all your stats need to be used, as one stat could decrease by increasing another one with certain adventures. The stats will shape you as a monster, so later in the story, you will be able to tackle, for example, adventures that need a lot of Kindness or Bravery if you have enough points in those stats.
Respect is a totally different “stat” as it doesn’t belong with the others. You earn it from the other monsters. If you have a lot of respect, monsters will be more eager to listen to you and you will make more chance of becoming an elder when the time is ripe. When you are an adult and your days are finished; you get the choice to either turn into slime, in the spawning vat or become an elder. If you choose to become an elder, you will be tested on your stats. Then depending on your level of respect earned, you will become an elder and be able to shape the relationships between monsters and humans.
Monster Loves You! isn’t a really long game but it has a real replay value since you can get a different story every time, depending on your choices. When you finish one story, you will unlock a badge. Each unique “ending” has a different badge that you will be able to earn. Earning a badge will get trickier as you collect more since you will need to find the right choices to get a new ending.
Conclusion
Monster Loves You! is a game that is cute and fun to play when you just want something relaxing to play. It is a game that is fun for all ages and has a real replay value. The release on the Switch makes it the perfect game to bring everywhere, so you can play it when you are in need of some entertainment. Each little adventure will make you feel a different emotion when you read them. So if you want a relaxing and fun storytelling game then Monster Loves You! is surely for you.
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