To quote Frank Ocean, “you made me lose my self-control.” No, I’m not talking about the now-live Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders. My wallet is safe from those (so far). I’m talking about my favorite character from satirical multiplayer dating sim Monster Prom. Oh, Zoe, the otherworldly high school nerd. I never purchased DLC so quickly in my life.
From the moment I learned about Zoe, I adored her. You see, Zoe is an eldritch god who turns into a purple school girl to go hang out in high school, thus becoming one of several dateable characters in the “Monster Prom: Second Term” DLC. Impulsively, I bought “Second Term” when I learned about Zoe’s backstory. I just had to experience her plot for myself. In my first “Second Term” run, I immediately aced Zoe’s route, landing the ending where you worship Zoe at a culty sleepover session. Swoon!
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Now, Zoe may be an adorable eldritch monstrosity, but it’s not her character design alone that caught my interest. Zoe is canonically a trans woman. More specifically, one of the official interpretations for Zoe’s character is that she is transgender. In 2018, the Monster Prom Twitter account confirmed that Zoe “is either trans or at least the fantastic/monsterish version of the concept that still works as a parallel.” Hence, I’m pumped to see her return for the latest release in the series, Monster Con. And I think her appearance will serve as a fantastic opportunity to represent degen NEET tgirl egirls like myself in video games.
‘Monster Con’ lets you follow your dreams: Dating a Trans Girl
Monster Con is the fourth entry in the Monster Prom series. Like the first and second games in the franchise, players compete against one another to secure the monster lover of their dreams, all while experiencing a turn-based visual novel story. Head to various locations to boost your character stats, meet up with your monster crush, and attempt to woo them by passing dialogue-based skill checks — which you can pass or fail by crafting your whole entire personality around getting your preferred date. It’s a great satire of the dating sim experience, something the game stresses through its tongue-in-cheek narrator. Just remember, if you’re playing with others, you may be vying for the same love interest!
This time around, Monster Con takes place at, well, a convention. A monster convention. Called Monster Con. Pretty on the nose, right? This enormous geek con is dedicated to everything from games to anime, as well as “more than a few paranormal activities.” Zoe, of course, returns as one of the five romanceable NPCs, along with the vampire Liam from the original Monster Prom. Newcomers include Nico Sharp the cosplaying mimic, a slime boy called Doug, and April the clown.
Excuse me, sorry, April the “sexy clown,” per developer Beautiful Glitch. You can also expect to meet “annoying streamers, famous authors, washed-up actors, networking game developers,” and many other kinds of con-oriented guests.
I love Zoe because she’s me
Zoe fits right in as one of Monster Con’s six love interests, as the original game depicted her as a nerdy geek girl with a soft spot for Naruto x Garfield fanfic (no, I’m not kidding, that’s literally canon). If you always wanted a chronically online eldritch babe to take to prom? Go for Zoe. But I love her for more than just her nerdy tendencies. Her transness is a fundamental part of her depiction in “Second Term.”
Zoe originally appeared in Monster Prom as an agender otherworldly god locked in a totem. If purchased, she could be unleashed upon the universe in her pre-transition form, causing mayhem and destruction. Or the player could take her to prom. But the truth is, Zoe never really enjoyed her life as a timeless god bent on annihilation. Life as a genocidal immortal, it turns out, is lonely and depressing. By the “Second Term” DLC, she has officially transitioned from apocalyptic deity to eldritch high schooler.
Now living among monsterkind, Zoe goes to school at Spooky High, where she finds a new lease on life. The game depicts Zoe adapting to everyday experiences among mortals — and how her transition changes her relationship with her cultists from her past life. Part of Zoe’s route involves helping her former worshipers come to terms with Zoe’s transition from eldritch destructive deity into, well, adorkable school girl. In the process, you play a pivotal role in affirming Zoe’s transitioning, showing those from her pre-transition days that they must accept Zoe for who she is. Even if it takes some getting used to.
I fell in love with Zoe’s story and design, not just because she’s a trans girl, but because she’s a nerdy monster trans girl. There’s more to her than just “a girl who transitions.” She’s a dork. She’s kind of a NEET. Even as a high school nerd, she still has the power to end the world, yet it’s no longer her life goal; now she just wants to vibe with her buddies. And the game goes to great lengths to show that Zoe’s transition brought her from a miserable and lonely existence into a loving one, a life surrounded by endless possibilities where new friends are always around the corner. A secret ending in “Second Term” even drives home the point; “IDENTITY” shows her thanking the player, saying “it gets hard… with some people being so hateful,” but “one minute here already feels better than countless millennia being a deity of despair.”
“I think… I think I’m living my best life,” she concludes. The game’s narrator then states “there’s always time to change and grow,” all while depicting Zoe surrounded by her new high school friends.
Just seeing that image of Zoe smiling in the “IDENTITY” ending, it brings tears to my eyes. Not because Zoe is a trans girl character, but because she’s a trans girl character like me: A nerdy, chronically online trans girl who’s loved because of who she is, not in spite of it. Yes, I transitioned in 2016, well before Monster Prom came out. But as a 20-something trans girl, there were no characters in video games like Zoe. Now, when I look at her, I see myself smiling back, reminded of how happy I am to see a girl like me in a goofy little party game.
Even if she’s into Naruto x Garfield fanfic. I suppose I can forgive her for that.
Monster Con is out now on Steam. You can grab it on sale for 10% off, or try the game’s free demo to get a taste for the full game.
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