Sweetest Monster
A downloadable game for Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android
Available in English, Deutsch, Français, Español, 简体中文, 日本語, and Русский
Note: A sequel to this VN, Sweetest Monster Refrain, has been released. You can buy it on Itch.io for $7.99 here. The sequel will not be coming to Steam, as it was banned, so it will only be available on Itch.io at the moment.
"I love you for who you are. I've loved you from the moment I met you."
Robin Hawkins is down on his luck. His relationship with his wife, Sally, is stagnating, and his daughter, Melody, no longer speaks to him.
Stuck in an unsatisfying and draining job, Robin's life is one long, monotonous slog...
Until he meets the mysterious girl of his dreams in the middle of the night, Bell.
However, there is far more to Bell than meets the eye - and Robin's 'dreams' are fast in danger of becoming 'nightmares'.
- This VN is kinetic. It has no choices/branches.
- It's around 40k in length.
- It contains fanservice, sexual content/nudity, and some psychological horror elements readers might find disturbing.
- Features entirely custom art and OST.
- Written by the author of The Way We All Go, Strawberry Vinegar, and Emmeline Burns.
- Most importantly, contains a cute catgirl! ❤
Purchase
In order to download this game you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $5.99 USD. Your purchase comes with a Steam key. You will get access to the following files:
Development log
- Japanese translation added!Oct 07, 2023
- Spanish (Latin American) translation added + Android build uploadedJun 09, 2023
- Sweetest Monster Refrain releasedDec 04, 2022
Comments
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SO messed up. I loved it. Even though it's very different from Saya no Uta it gave me Saya no Uta vibes. Don't know what else to say about this one, it's just really good!!
I tried to ignore the 'disturbing' warning because I'm always ready to be surprised (no, I wasn't ready for that surprise). A very intriguing story with charming art and cute, uh, kitty catgirl. The grim prospect is this VN's interesting point, ebi did an amazing job in conveying the disturbing plot indeed.
Now I'm looking forward to reading the sequels! ^~^
Is there any hope of a Mac version? The sequel has one, but it says to play this first.
I've uploaded a Mac version (sorry for the delay), but Macs can be pretty difficult to develop with. I know that Ren'py games will function on some Mac OSes but not others, which makes me hesitant to provide Mac builds for my commercial VNs in case there are technical problems.
I think this Mac build should work, but I'm not 100% certain.
You're such a bad kitty, Bell.... Dark story with amazing atmospheric writing. Depressed protagonist who is doomed to ruin his life. Enigmatic catgirl toying with her prey. A young girl who is about to meet her misfortune. There will be no happy ending. You can only watch poor Robin making wrong choices without being given any chance to stop him. Bell's mesmerizing green eyes are always watching him. She will get what she wants. And we, the readers, are powerless against her demonic nature.
I saw the twist coming from nearly the begining so everything was twice as horrible. Felt like I was in a rapid car and going full speed towards a wall in the passenger seat.
I appreciat the author's note in your VN very much.
Well done.
That was the desired effect, yes!
It's nice to hear the story was successfully unsettling, as I've received a fair few comments from people over the years who seemed to find the story titillating instead haha
Thank you very much!
Well I am not a fan of young-looking girls sexualized in general so I supposed I'm not the public but... urk. I think as an author you've done everything against that, the rest is in their head :')
My review as posted on steam. 5/5
The protagonist, and by proxy the author, constantly spew on about responsibility and how they owe this and that to their wife and daughter unknowing that they can just.. simply not owe them anything. Letting the idea that you HAVE to do everything to try and repair your loveless marriage and your disappointing daughter possess you and dictate a majority of your actions is exactly what drove Robin away from them and towards Bell, and despite what the novel would have you believe, yes it's a good thing.
There's no need to stay in a sinking ship if you no longer wish to go down with the crew, you shouldn't feel compelled to sink with them and yet you also shouldn't feel compelled to hop ship at all costs, the game, and therefore the author, tried at every turn to demean Robin and the player for choosing Bell over Sally and Melody thinking you NEED to demean yourself for other people constantly, you can never do what you actually want to do just what other people expect from you and what you're doing is WRONG and you should NEVER cheat. Unsurprisingly, embracing the ability to do what you actually want to do isn't "wrong" and will never be "wrong". The author even attempts to throw in a final gotcha in the form of the ending twist to try and make you feel bad for wanting to be with Bell despite her proving to be the superior woman to Sally again and again.
Despite how the game tries to paint it, everyone was better for Bell in the end. Robin & Bell finally found somebody to love, Robin and Sally get their daughter back, and Melody gets to disappear just like she wanted to. If you're even slightly an open-minded person it's a very obvious happy ending and it's unfortunate that the author couldn't see that in their own visual novel.
Really liked this game. The music was reaslly nice and I really liked the twist in the end, even though it was pretty dark lol.
Solid 9/10 :)
My first VN was Saya No Uta and although not like it in many ways I enjoyed this just as much. Characters act like actual people with flaws and not generic turds. Didn't waste my time with dumbass fluff like beach scenes. Great art with a distinct style.
Only con sequel is not available yet.
Does the creator get more money if I buy the game here instead of Steam or does it not matter?
Thank you very much, I'm glad you enjoyed it!
I'm still working on the sequel, it's taking a bit of time. I'm hoping to have it released later this year, though.
And I get a little more money from itchio purchases over Steam ones, since Steam takes a cut of all the sales I make, but it's up to you which platform you'd rather buy my VNs on.
I've had my eye on this one for ages. Now that I've finally got around to reading it, I must say that it's an inspiring work of horror fiction that kept me guessing right up until the end.
Speaking of which; the inclusion of a post-credits scene means that this story technically has two endings. Each one has a very different emotional tone and yet both of them are canon. I have no idea how to feel about this, but it didn't detract from my enjoyment.
I am indeed disturbed.
I'm glad you enjoyed it! The story is, indeed, meant to be disturbing; I'm happy to know it hit the mark!
Finally got around to reading this, and I think it's your most mature VN I've read yet - both in subject and quality of the writing. The artist did a great job making Bell luring in every picture she's in. And that ending!
I also had a 'rough patch' with my wife and was confronted with temptation, so I can very much relate to Robin. Thankfully, my wife and worked things out... but I also wasn't pursued by a cute cat-girl, so who knows how things might have turned out different.
Thank you very much for leaving a comment! I appreciate it! >_<
And yes, this story is pretty grim! I think it has the oldest protagonist of all my stories (and a married one, no less!) so that might be why it feels more mature? I don't write characters like this very often, so it was fun to step out of my comfort zone a bit.
Maybe I should try writing something else with a slightly older cast of characters...
And I'm glad to hear that things were resolved between you and your wife! Fortunately, not many people are pursued by cute cat girls, so it shouldn't be an issue haha ;;
Aside from this being one of the most well-written VNs I've ever read (if not *the* most well-written), I also had to comment to say thank you for including your author's notes. I'm a writer as well, and was over the moon to get a glimpse into where you were coming from with this story, what you wanted to accomplish, etc. It was deeply satisfying to have most of my writer-y curiosities answered up front.
I love this story. I love it so much. I appreciate it for so many different reasons I can't even articulate them all. It's the height of the medium for me. Thank you, Ebi. <3
aah thank you that's really kind of you q_q
i'm glad you enjoyed the story! it means a lot to me!
there's a lot of vns out there i think are much better than mine though haha XD; fata morgana and umineko in particular are some of my all-time favourites!
I totally love this game, this and Ambre are amazing VNs, you are great dear dev, nice job :) :D
This is one of the most memorable visual novels i have ever played. Visual novels aren't really my type but im really glad i stopped by.
Pls give me a link to the rain bg sound it really helps with studying XD.
Thank you very much u///u
I don't think I can give a link to the rain effect individually, as I bought it in a pack of sound effects and I don't think the individual file can be distributed on its own... but there are a lot of ambient rain sound effects on youtube :>
Too Bad For Me That Most Of Your Novels Are Centered On Female POV's As I Am A Guy and really like self-inserting myself Heh cant help being drawn in. Are You Perhaps Familiar With The Anime ''My Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As I Expected''?
Thank you very much for your kind comments! I'm glad you liked the story this much! u///u
Yeah, I tend to write a lot of female protags, mostly because I feel more comfortable writing female characters... but I'm trying to branch out a bit more and try some different things >_> Hopefully it's working!
And no, I haven't seen that anime u_u
Well Whatever your writing if its you the story will come out fantastic your early works can attest to that!
It is...it is working heck i wont likely forget ''Sweetest monster''Anytime soon and if you ever do write another story with a guys point of view i'll be robbing a bank just to read it Haha.
You should check it out,You should really check it out...You'll really like the MC you wont find anyone like him i guarantee and maybe...Just maybe you might find some inspiration there..
Now Thank you very much for taking time to reply to my comment sincerest gratitude to you dear Author-Tan.
Lastly...Why shrimps?
I Have No Words To Say But Thank You,It Was Fantastic I Have Red A Lot Of Visual Novels But This...Now This Really Left Me With A Lasting Impression,A Scar If You May...
The Artstyle Was Hauntingly Beautiful Accompanied By The Music Was Quite Somber, Alien? Alluring? It Just Fits Perfectly Its As If I The Reader Am Helplessly Drowning In It
The Characters Felt Real...Too Real That It Achieved That Creepy Vibe As The Story Progressed,Poor Melody...Suffered Such A Tragic Fate.
Unlike The Others The Interactions Felt Natural,Everything Had A Reason,The Flirtation and uhm Well The Monologues And Such Weren't Painful To Read And Mostly No Matter How Short It Is(For Me Since Im A Very VERY Voracious Reader)It Didn't Feel Rushed It Felt Natural And Smooth.
The Ending...Got Absolutely Mindfucked And Really Hated Myself After That But Hey! I Got Some Sense Of Foreboding But It Was Too Late For Me Too Even Realize It Was Really Refreshing Though Others Might Deem It Disturbing I Think Nothing Of The Sort Fiction Is Fiction If People Cant Understand That They Should Sod Off Somewhere Far Away Censoring Art Is A Crime This In Particular Is A Work Of Art Truly Refreshing And Groundbreaking I'd Put It In The Same Place As "Katawa Shojou'' And "Yume Miru Kusuri"
And Lastly....I Really Like Hearing The Rain.
I Dont See Anything That Would Deduct Any Points So A Perfect 10 For me!
Please Do Continue Making Your Work And I Hope You Dont Change If not For The Better Shrimp Princess...Why Shrimps?
Created an account just to say that this is the first english-original novel I ever gave more than an 8 on vndb. And I gave it a 10. I've been reading VNs ever since the english translation scene was in its infancy, so I'm extremely well-versed in the many tropes and techniques of storytelling in this medium, but going blind into this story I was still completely blindsided by the last few chunks of the story.
The music and artwork flow perfectly with the story you have set up here. My main gripe with english-originals is that their low budget requirements lead them to looking lackluster and being stuck with the admittedly customizable but recognizably crude renpy engine, but this story averts that extremely effectively, even using it to its own advantage, to avoid spoiling things.
I really hope this game pans out for you and your group because I'm sure as hell going to keep an eye out for you in the future.
Ah, thank you so much u///u
I've been into VNs for 5 or 6 years I think, and I think there are a lot of repeated tropes even across JVNs - and a lot of EVNs like using some of the similar tropes, too. I thought it would be fun to try and write some stuff that is a little bit different u_u
The budget here is pretty low as well, but I tried to work it in the story's favour haha XD; Ren'py isn't too crude of an engine I think - there is actually quite a lot that can be done with it - but I'm not the best at coding. I try to make up for it with lots of panning of CGs and using transitions carefully.
I hope you like my other works! I experiment a lot with my writing style quite a bit, so my stories tend to appeal to different people >_>
I loved this Visual Novel.Even if I am not into the "Visual Novel" genre(I have played only 3),this particular novel caught my attention.The drawings are beautiful and the color palette that was used helped to build the atmosphere to each of the game's scenes.Also,the music succeeds in matching and expressing the emotions of the current scene.Furthermore,the plot had no "holes" in it and progressed neatly;I must admit though that the twist shocked me,even though I saw the signs.Last but not least,the writing was excellent;the characters were flawed and likeable at the same time.
Thank you very much! I'm glad you liked it!
The artists and composer also did a very good job! I'm happy with the whole project turned out u///u
'sweetest monster' was the first satisfying VN (though i haven't played much) i've played so far. couldn't stop to rest till the story ended! I'm not good at English(from Korea) but thank you anyway!
Thank you very much! I'm glad you liked it! u///u
Is there a way to get the OST besides Steam?
You can buy it from the composer's bandcamp here!