Monster Prom: XXL - Switch Review
The Monster Prom is coming up and you must find a date to avoid being the laughing stock of your fellow vampire and gorgon students. Sweet talk (or commit heinous atrocities) to impress your potential date and in multiplayer, talk up or shut down your fellow players’ progress. Going to prom alone is one thing, but having to go back to hell (home) alone is not how you want to end the night.
Gameplay
At the very start of Monster Prom: XXL, you are presented with a pop quiz that determines your stats. The fact that I had 9 Money and 0 Fun was concerning, but that’s my issue, not the game’s. It’s a nice and quirky way to get the game started and I genuinely found the results to be unpredictable… the first few times, after a few runs through I could tell which answers enhanced each stat and would play accordingly.
The game presents many unique twists on the sometimes mundane dating sim genre; most notably, each decision you make affects your stats throughout the six weeks leading up to prom.
Getting someone to actually say yes is very difficult, which is just… too real. It seems as though you have to get a near-perfect run to get a yes, which lead to an average of one yes for every eight run-throughs. Again, too real.
As the game is set in a school, you can choose different areas of the school to explore. This determines the interaction that you’re about to encounter on your turn, but doesn’t change too much in the grand scheme of things.
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In terms of Switch exclusive features, Monster Prom is void of any. No rumble; no touchscreen; no gyro (not sure why you’d need it, honestly). It’s fine for the type of game this is, but I was surprised about the game not having any touchscreen options at the very least.
Story
The story is simple: you are in a school of monsters trying to impress each other for dates to the prom. Set your sights on a potential date, woo them with all the wackiness that comes with being an angsty early 20s monsters and do whatever it takes to not show up to the prom alone.
The game is full of sexual innuendos that are not exactly subtle. Some quotes will honestly take you aback with how abrupt they can be and this over-confident approach makes for so much of the game’s engaging personality.
There are so many different endings that makes for incredible replayability. I found myself playing the game over and over for hours on end, with each playthrough providing more and more hilarity which helped ease the sting of rejection.
Graphics / Art Direction
The game’s art style resembles a cartoon Comic art style that is as colourful as the game’s humour. Just like its personality, Monster Prom’s aesthetic doesn’t take itself too seriously and everything is laid out in a simple and easy to digest manner.
Music / Sound Design
The soundtrack is upbeat and catchy, embracing a playful indie rock approach (surfer rock). It is a little odd sometimes when the music simply stops and all you’re left with is the characters’ one-liners, complete silence and the unnerving feeling of everyone waiting on you to finish reading so they can have their shot.
The voice acting is quite fun and enthusiastic, with lines rarely coming off as awkward or ill-timed. Considering that there is a lot of variety, I’m not surprised that every line isn’t voice acted, but I certainly did find myself wishing.
Final Score: 78%
Monster Prom: XXL is a hilarious horror highway that had me and my friends laughing and having a great time. It has great comedic variety and the jokes never fell flat. I did find that despite the game’s multiple endings, I felt somewhat unfulfilled and aimless after long play sessions, but the game is great in short bursts.
Thank you for checking out our Monster Prom: XXL Switch review, thank you to Those Awesome Guys for providing the review code and thank you to our $5 and up Patreon Backers for their ongoing support:
- Andrew Caluzzi (Inca Studios / Camped Out!)
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