I usually don't review games, but this game ALMOST hits a lot of good notes. I just feel like it's themes fall a bit flat- either be a doormat whose passions are abandoned, or be entirely alone.
As a minor note, I, for some reason, did not get achievements my first time playing. Strange, but doesn't really impact my review.
Even then, for a game called "I'm Making a Monster," so little attention is given to the literal monster. I'd hoped that, after my "rational approach" of making time for loved ones without abandoning my passion project, my next playthrough in which I neglected everyone to focus on the monster, would have depth within that isolation- something to make me *feel* like I was alone and angry and miserable, rather than feeling like I was skipping content. Then, I follow up with a doormat playthrough where I neglect the work whenever possible, and there's genuinely no consequences! The monster is still finished on schedule, there's no reason to focus on it.
If there's no narrative benefit to ignoring others, even if the benefit is flawed and morose, there is no depth to your motives- it is self-destructive without even the flawed logic that makes isolation seem worth it to those suffering from it. Without that critical "but what about-" mindset, I CANNOT connect to the story because it is inconsistent with the constant promise of making the deal of The Monster versus Friendship, but in reality, you get the Monster regardless- it is just whether you give up your friends for no gain! I'd expect the monster to dilapidate with lack of progress as you go with friends more, or to maybe come out wrong through lack of love, or be damaged through your unhealthy mind when you're isolated, something! But it always comes out perfect, and always at the exact same time. And even if you do decide to connect to them and make all the time in the world for your friends, it doesn't matter if you decide to finish what you care about bringing into the world, because that's our "bad ending." And I do mean ending, singular, because your relation with others defines *nothing* about your relation with the monster, as far as I can tell. The rest of the endings in which you abandon the monster are subtly distinct, but its *very* subtle, to the point it feels lackluster. The themes are decent if you play the game once, but that makes for a good short story- not a visual novel intended to be replayed with new choices. As soon as you play again, you start to see how little your choices impact the end result, and overall story.
Maybe there's something to a metaphorical monster of the self through self-isolation that was meant to be given more gravitas than the literal monster, but there's almost no depth to that side of the novel, made even worse via the fact that the ending is basically the same regardless of your choices.
Additionally, regarding the setting, it seems to be very uncertain in whether it is a fantastical world or a mundane one with subtle supernatural elements that you are delving into- dedication to either or a better understanding of where it lies between would make the theme of what 'making a monster' means in this context a lot clearer.
If this were a free game, I'd see it more as more of a creative exercise, the studio sharing a more personal expression of the feelings at least some of the team had gone through. Given that it isn't, I see it more as a literary project with a fairly weak theme, setting, and weak character development, not to mention that, to me, it fails on the initial hook of the fantasy of "building a monster."
Would love to see the game expanded on or redone with a bit more solid planning before hand. As is, it feels very insubstantial in its content
I won't complain about the amount of content, though. It's short and sweet, which is perfectly fine if the content is meaningful and well-thought out.
If you have similar complaints, I'd suggest Choice of Robots. Text-based choose-your-own-adventure about creating a robot and trying to figure out your relation with it, while going much more in depth in how and why you're making it, with many of the themes you'd hope for in regards to what it means to have passion (or obsession) in a project, though it doesn't go into the topics of grief and isolation this game does. If that's what you're looking for, I sadly don't have a suggestion.
I look forwards to see what the studio does next, hopefully with a more solid foundation for their next game, because this game, sadly, would have done wonders with such.
