Review by Jon Donnis
Monster City: A Monster College Story is a weird, funny, and even at times a heartfelt ride through the world of moody vampires, sexy monster girls, and awkward supernatural university life. Built in the same universe as Monster College, this spin-off gives the spotlight to Adam Thorne, a young vampire with iffy powers, a dodgy family history, and an unfortunate knack for getting into trouble. He's not exactly the most traditional hero, but that's half the charm.
What starts as your typical first-day-at-monster-college scenario quickly becomes something more layered. There's humour, yes, but also some proper emotional weight as Adam tries to find his place in a world that doesn't quite know what to do with him. The writing doesn't take itself too seriously, but it knows when to slow down and let you connect with the characters. Most of them start off as exaggerated archetypes, the moody landlady, the misunderstood orc, the overconfident dragoness, but they're all given time to grow. Some of the surprises tucked away in their backstories are genuinely clever.
It's a Ren'py visual novel, so you know what to expect in terms of format. There's a lot of reading, clicking, and choosing your path through dialogue, but this one's packed with over 120,000 words and more than 6,000 HD images. It looks fantastic. Each character has a striking design and the backgrounds are rich with detail, even if the game doesn't go heavy on animation. Still images dominate here, which might not work for everyone. Some players might miss the fluidity found in other titles, but for a static VN, it pulls off atmosphere well with strong art direction and a decent soundtrack to back it up.
As for the story, it doesn't try to reinvent the genre, but it blends romance, supernatural drama, and comedy in a way that's easy to stick with. The dialogue feels natural, and the humour lands more often than not. Adam's sarcastic inner voice helps cut through some of the heavier scenes without undercutting them. There's also an optional sandbox element, though it's fairly light. You're not thrown into open-world chaos, but there's just enough exploration to keep things feeling varied between chapters.
The girls of Monster City are the main draw, and the game knows it. From invisible shy girls to nerdy dullahans and icy exchange students, there's a lot of variety in both design and personality. Relationships are handled well. They're not all about instant gratification, some routes take time to unlock, which gives the sense that your choices actually matter. There are multiple endings too, so there's reason to replay if you're the completionist type.
What holds it back a little is the lack of motion. With such high-quality images, it's a bit of a shame that more animation wasn't worked in. Some scenes could have used that extra visual flair. Also, depending on your tolerance for VN pacing, the sheer amount of text might wear thin if you're not in the right mood for it. But those are minor complaints in the bigger picture.
Monster City doesn't just coast on its looks. It delivers a story that's genuinely fun to read, backed by strong character writing and a good sense of place. If you liked Monster College, or if you're into supernatural romance with a bit of edge, it's a solid follow-up that doesn't take itself too seriously but still puts in the work.
Out on PC (Steam) from June 17th
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