Always Sometimes Monsters

Always Sometimes Monsters is a 2014 role-playing video game developed by Canadian studio Vagabond Dog and published by Devolver Digital for Microsoft Windows. A later update using the MonoGame framework brought the game to OS X and Linux on 8 January 2015, iOS and Android on 28 May 2015 and PlayStation 4 on 10 October 2017. After Vagabond Dog acquired the publishing rights to the game, a port to the Nintendo Switch were released.

Always Sometimes Monsters
Developer(s)	Vagabond Dog
Publisher(s)	Devolver Digital Vagabond Dog (Switch)
Designer(s)	Justin Amirkhani
Programmer(s)	Jake Reardon
Artist(s)	Sarah Dario Kelvin Put Jessica Alves Victor Cueva Rodriguez Donovan Liu Luis Emilio Aceves Amaya
Writer(s)	Justin Amirkhani
Composer(s)	Laser Destroyer Team
Engine	RPG Maker VX Ace
Platform(s)	Android iOS Linux Microsoft Windows OS X PlayStation 4 Nintendo Switch
Release	Windows 21 May 2014 OS X, Linux 8 January 2015 iOS, Android 28 May 2015 PlayStation 4 10 October 2017[1] Nintendo Switch 8 April 2021
Genre(s)	Role-playing
Mode(s)	Single-player

The game puts players in the role of an author who receives notice that the love of their life is marrying someone else across the country within a month. After being evicted from their apartment on the east coast, players then head to the west coast in order to intercept the wedding and win back the love they lost.^[2]

Gameplay

As the game starts, players are introduced to their character through a narrative sequence that allows the selection of their character and love interest. The player's relationship with their love interest can be both straight or gay, depending on their choice.^[3] From there, the game begins its narrative, told through text windows supported by character portraits. Players make choices in dialogue and in action to alter the course of the story and change the fate of their protagonist.^[4]

Players can walk around to explore city environments, interact with NPCs, and find the means to earn money so they may progress to the next location. This often means taking repetitive odd jobs for low pay, or compromising a concept of morality.^[5]

The game plays out over a span of 30 in-game days,^[6] with time progressing through morning, day, and night as activities and events are completed. Choosing how to spend time during the journey is a key component of the game, as some options disable others.^[7]

Reception

Aggregate score

Aggregator	Score
Metacritic	(PS4) 80/100[8] (PC) 73/100[9] (iOS) 60/100[10]

Review scores

Publication	Score
Eurogamer	(PC) 9/10[11]
GameRevolution	(PC) 9/10[12]
GameSpot	(PC) 5/10[13]
Gamezebo	(PC) [7]
GameZone	(PC) 7/10[14]
Hardcore Gamer	(PC) 3/5[15]
Joystiq	(PC) [16]
PC Gamer (UK)	80%[17]
Polygon	(PC) 8/10[18]
RPGamer	(PC) 3/5[19]
TouchArcade	(iOS) [20]

Reception

The PlayStation 4 version received "favourable" reviews, while the PC and iOS versions received "mixed or average reviews" according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.^[8][9][10]

Sequel

A sequel, Sometimes Always Monsters, was announced on 13 August 2015.^[21] Although announced for 2016, it was eventually released on 2 April 2020 for Windows.^[22]