Monster Girl Dungeon is a lewd “life sim / breeding game” featuring assorted monster girls.
Adult Content?
(FxM) sexual content.
Censorship?
No. Woot! Woot!
Hours of Gameplay?
Fifteen minutes
Patch Available?
Not necessary.
Foreword: published November 25th, 2021
A member of Sclavus (the team behind Monster Girl Dungeon), DaDawg911 reached out to me on the 29th of October.
They wrote, “I’ve updated the game; it’s still quite raw, but please give it another try and let me know what you think of this newest and updated version.”
Well, it’s about a month later, but hey better late than never. I was blown away by how much the game has changed since I last reviewed it!
Gameplay: published November 25th, 2021 (1/5★)
Once you choose up to five characters from the “pet shop”, you may watch them scamper about an empty room — if you choose at least one “Human?” character, you may witness a sexual animation every once in a while. Unfortunately, that’s the extent of interactivity Monster Girl Dungeon has to offer (and no, there isn’t a dungeon anywhere in this game!) There appears a set of unfinished hunger, sleep and “lust” mechanics (indicated by an assortment of colored gauges). It’s unclear what any of them mean, but your pets will periodically visit the provided food and water dishes. There is no way to save or dispose of your companions; whenever the game is closed, all “progress” is reset. It’s clear Monster Girl Dungeon is but a crude “tech demo”.
If I had to wager a guess, Sclavus likely plans on adding run-of-the-mill virtual pet mechanics, such as unlockable decorations or restocking supplies. I’m unsure how they’ll implement a currency system (if any), but if it were based on breeding it’d offer a strong incentive for players to engage in as much sexual content as possible. I’m curious how Sclavus would implement “child” monsters. Most games simply skip “growing up”, but the “Saigo” character suggests Sclavus isn’t leery of loli-like interaction. Monster Girl Garden seems to be the closest example I could find of what Monster Girl Dungeon wants to be (albeit more mechanically heavy).
Sexual Content: published November 25th, 2021 (2/5★)
Each monster girl has a single animation to spare (provided you have at least one “Human?” monster). Animations play automatically, and there is no way to control or interact with them or your pets. Clipping and floating models are rampant, an inexcusable visual bug considering the lack of customizability. The models aren’t great, but it’s refreshing to see a mix of monster-girls that aren’t all bipedal. Though I find the less human characters the most uncanny, it’s great to see the creativity behind the “caterpillar girl” and “snail girl”. As I fought the awful camera controls, I found it difficult to get a good view of any given animation before it expired. There are no cum-effects or animated climaxes — once your “Human?” is finished, he and his partner will suddenly reset as if nothing ever happened.
Story: published November 25th, 2021 (1/5★)
When viewing pets in the “pet shop”, each of them offers a single-sentence of background and preferences. It’s nice that Sclavus tried, but it’d be nice if they actually played a part in dialogue or gameplay. I don’t need to know Saigo likes catnip if I can’t give her catnip!
Sound: published November 25th, 2021 (1/5★)
The music is okay — it’s what I’d expect from a charming, low-budget pet game. Strangely, the player “home” is the only screen without music. If any screen should have music, it’s the one with all of the gameplay! Whenever a sexual animation is played, a jarring “punch” sound effect is played (which would be more appropriate for a combat animation). It genuinely spooked me whenever I heard it! If I heard this sound whenever I wanted to watch porn, I might have passed No Nut November!
Visuals: published November 25th, 2021 (1/5★)
Credit where it’s due, the Sclavus dramatically overhauled the female cast. I still have my reservations for the models, but they are a big improvement over the originals. Unfortunately, that’s the only good thing I have to say about the graphics. Overall, they are well below average — but they aren’t the only eyesore Monster Girl Dungeon has to offer!
Navigation is a nightmare! I don’t understand how Sclavus managed to fuck up something as basic and necessary as navigation. There are no “pause” or “settings” menus. If you need to adjust the game, you’re shit out of luck. The application can’t be closed or muted without external aid. The camera controls are slippery, making it difficult to view your pets (or sexual content). Whenever you want to purchase new pets, you have to click through them one at a time. There is no menu or “back” button — you’re forced to reboot!
The title-screen lets you know that the “H” key may be used to hide the menu — but it doesn’t work anywhere else. It’d be nice if I could enjoy my “pets” without the cluttered tutorial. Why is this an option? It’d make sense if the background was interactive — or if it showed gameplay (such as unlocked content). I could accept the “H” bind if the background was really pretty (but I can’t say I’ve ever wanted to watch an oversized critter carrier). Sclavus has managed to code the most useless hideaway interface I’ve ever seen.
Verdict: published November 25th, 2021 (1/5★)
Sclavus, please don’t ask me to re-review such unfinished content, I’m not a fucking bug tester. I know y’all are busting ass, but if you can’t find the time to complete a full-fledged game. . . maybe don’t? Maybe modding is more up your ally; using pre-existing infrastructure, you can spend more time focusing on animation and models. I’d love to have slime girls in my Skyrim! Alternatively, maybe y’all should consider sticking to animation; quality animation is a great way to gain exposure and funding for something bigger (like a game!) The original Monster Girl Dungeon was essentially an overcomplicated visual novel — despite its flaws, I don’t understand what possessed Sclavus to scrap the code for what they call a “life sim”. I think visual novel-style gameplay is the best fit for a team clearly spread too thin. Though a “life sim” may offer more replay value, a linear story seems to be their best bet to get anything worthwhile done. If you’re interested in a decent game with monster-girls as pets, I recommend checking out Monster Girl Garden. As long as you can look past the comparably (below average) graphics, you’ll may enjoy the wide variety of mechanics that game has to offer. There’s combat, farming, and fucking! As for Monster Girl Dungeon, I wonder what game it’ll try to be next year?
