‘Monster Prom: Second Term’ is a Great Experience for Both New and Returning Players – Game Review
High school is back in session, and you have six weeks to woo a monster for prom. If you haven’t yet read our first review of the base game Monster Prom, you can find it right here!
***MILD GAME SPOILERS AHEAD! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED***
Recently, the wonderful people at Awesome Glitch and Those Awesome Guys released downloadable content to supplement their already delightful game. Now named Monster Prom: Second Term, players get a chance to woo even more monsters (or get rejected by them…)! The game still starts the same way as the first rendition, with the player selecting certain stats via a questionnaire, and starting off with just who you might pursue; and you can still do multi-player if you’d like! The original six interests are still available, but the game has now included two more monsters that you can try to win over. The two newest additions are Zoe (voiced by Casey Mongillo) who was previously a secret date option, and Calculester Hewlett-Packard (voiced by Jacksepticeye aka Sean McLoughlin).
The mechanics of the game are pretty much the same as the first Monster Prom. The characters are full of distinct personalities, and if you’re like me, you’ll have a hell of a time trying to explore all the endings (secret and otherwise). So, I won’t spend too much time on how the game works but rather I’ll share my experience of playing Monster Prom: Second Term.
In my first run, I wanted to go to prom with one of the new characters: Zoe or Calculester. Now, admittedly, I am much more like Zoe: a fandom fanatic who probably spends a little too much time engrossed with fanfiction and all sorts of geekdom, falling in love with fictional characters…what am I talking about again? However, Calculester? Well, he stole my heart. Due to this, I aimed to win his mechanical heart. My computerized boy was just trying to learn what it’s like to be an organic form, to make friends with everyone, and to understand the meaning of life. It was endearing and sweet, and I loved his devotion to his plants. Not to mention he has the cutest names for them like Plantgelina Jolie and Buckaroo Bonsai! Remember: if you love him, you must also love his plants. That’s just how it goes.
Also, shout-out to the developers on this, but I love that the game breaks the fourth wall. It’s not done so often or in an overbearing manner, but I loved that Calculester occasionally would call me out for picking options that are clearly catered to win his affections, or that one of the minor character’s dialogue led to the developers’ secret message and affection towards their fans (P.S. we love you too).
But I continued my pursuits of Calculester, doing my best to ensure that I was a good friend by taking his side and suggesting ideas that I hoped he’d like. Sometimes I had to try and save Calculester’s beloved plants from being stolen or ripped apart by the other characters (unfortunately, I couldn’t save Plantgelina Jolie from marrying the Interdimensional Prince. I let down my boy.) After all, I just want Calculester to be happy! And so for six weeks, we talked, we chatted, we had some shenanigans, we went on a nerdy date together and it was fantastic!
Tremendous props to Jacksepticeye on his lines for Calculester. I was curious as to what sorts of dialogue the game was going to have for a computer monster, but I was definitely not disappointed. At one point, in a manner to express his affection, he verbally went “oo-woo,” as though to read out the face “owo.” Tell me now that he is not the most perfect robot monster ever.
For the first few weeks things were going well. Calculester and I were bonding, he was throwing me some hearts and things seemed hopeful. But then as it got closer to prom, I was picking answers he didn’t like and I began to panic that he wouldn’t want to go to prom with me. I’d spent all this time trying to get him to like me, but I would understand if I messed up my chance. Still, once prom finally rolled around, I knew I had to try to shoot my shot and so, I asked. And…we went to prom! However, I also happened to unlock a secret ending and I was way more excited about that! I’m happy to report that Calculester and I get to spend the rest of our days caring for his plants.
I’m already excited to play again, this time maybe to try to win the heart of another monster. But if you’re a new player or a returning one, the DLC really does give you some fresh material and a great experience for everyone!
If you loved the first game, be sure to check out Monster Prom: Second Term.
