Indie · May 21, 2014
Always Sometimes Monsters (2014)
Out of money and out of luck you find yourself heart broken and on the verge of collapse. Your landlord's taken the key back, you can't finish your manuscript, and your beloved is marrying someone else. With no choice but to handle whatever life throws at you, you set out on the open road on a mission to win back the love of your life. The story from there is up to you. Can your life be salvaged, or are we always sometimes monsters? Choice A story-driven experience focusing on relationships and emotional bonds rather than traditional RPG combat and adventuring. Indecision is your enemy and empathy is your weapon in a quest to earn one last chance to win back the love of your life. Circumstance Choose from characters of different gender, race, and sexual preference and live through the common experiences and unique hardships of each based on your selection. NPCs may treat you differently based on your gender, race, or sexual preference opening and closing different paths along the way. Consequence Each playthrough is filled with a staggering number of diverging paths that can be discovered through both overt actions and subtle choices in conversation. The journey you experience will be tailored to your personal ethical compass as your decisions both conscious and subconscious change your fate. Download the original Always Sometimes Monsters soundtrack by LASER DESTROYER TEAM featuring 15 remastered tracks from the game. Available on Bandcamp. Mature Content Warning Always Sometimes Monsters deals with serious stuff, depending on your choices. Including strong language, racist, homophobic, and transphobic language, drug / alcohol use, nudity, violence, and extreme subject matter.
Indie releases from 2014
27 Indie titles launched in 2014 — top 6 by review volume.
Community Tag Signals
Tag weights reflect how many Steam users voted each descriptor — larger pills = stronger consensus.
- Indie · 156
- RPG · 147
- RPGMaker · 131
- Story Rich · 87
- Pixel Graphics · 70
- Choices Matter · 61
- LGBTQ+ · 56
- Casual · 46
- Singleplayer · 43
- Walking Simulator · 38
- Great Soundtrack · 35
- Adventure · 31
- Romance · 29
- Female Protagonist · 16
- 2D · 14
Peer Indie titles
Comparable titles in the same genre and review-volume band — ranked by Steam positive percentage.
Position in Indie
| Metric | This title | Genre position |
|---|---|---|
| Review volume | 2.4k Steam reviews | Top 85% in Indie |
| Positive rating | 75% positive | Genre average: 87% — this title sits in top 90% |
| Metacritic | 73/100 | Genre average 77 — top 75% of Indie titles |
| Engagement hours | 4 h average | Top 88% for session depth among Indie |
Reception Metrics
Steam community
75%Mostly Positive · 2.4k reviews
1.8k positive · 607 negative
Metacritic
73/100 critic aggregate
Metacritic user score
7.1/10
Curator recommendations
1.4k
Press Quotes
“Always Sometimes Monsters deals in chaos and quantum theories – in every second of our lives, we make choices that forever impact our timelines going forward, dictating whether we keep or lose friends, maintain a job or succeed in our goals. We are the masters of our destinies, Always Sometimes Monsters says – but we can't control other people's lives. That's where it gets tricky.” 4/5 – Joystiq “It's an earnest look at life under tough economic pressure, at love…
Features & Capabilities
Community
- Steam Achievements
- Steam Trading Cards
- Steam Cloud
- Remote Play on TV
Input & Comfort
- Full controller support
Other
- Single-player
- Family Sharing
Engagement Profile
All-time avg
4h
brief (under 5 hours)
Median
2h
Typical completion time
Achievements
10
Steam unlocks available
Release & Availability
| Release date | May 21, 2014 |
|---|---|
| Developer | Vagabond Dog |
| Base price | $0.99 -90% |
| DLC / Add-ons | 1 released |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Estimated owners | 100k–1M |
| External links | Official site · Metacritic page · Support · [email protected] |
Content Notes
This game is a dramatic experience about the harsh realities living in a capitalistic society, and the contents of the game reflect the violence and prejudice inherent to modern life within such a system.
Editions & Packages
Buy Always Sometimes Monsters











