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matchmaker sims

mission: it's complicated (M/M, F/F, F/M, NB/F, NB/M, free)

• overall: A. enjoyment: S. mission: it's complicated is a superhero themed matchmaker sim. you send your chosen heroes on missions together to help them grow closer and explore their romances in VN segments (formatted to appear like a chatlog) -- all so you can save the world with the power of love! i don't cover many matchmaker sims, though i do love them. if you're only interested in games where you yourself are at the center of every romance, you probably won't. but its a fun game with high replay value, cute romances, good writing, and charming characters. definitely worth a play. Full Review

huniepop 2: double date (*/F, F/F, 18+)

• overall: A. enjoyment: B. huniepop is a dating sim/puzzle game combo. you woo girls by playing candy crush. in this sequel, you're trying to get them to have threesomes with you, often by getting them to crush on other cute girls they know. and you have no idea how much it infuriates me that this game is so good. compared to the first game, the art, writing, and characters have all massively improved. it's a well crafted and fun game. it's... still a self-aware raunchy comedy game, so if that's not your thing definitely don't try it out. it's also got a real problem with racism and creepy shit, including a sexual assault scene and incest for some reason? i can't in good faith recommend playing this game. if you do, do yourself a favor and skip through as much of the dialogue as you can. skip the first lola/aiba scene, at least. Full Review

fire emblem: three houses (M/F, M/M, F/M, F/F)

• overall: B. enjoyment: C+. is fire emblem a dating sim? three houses seems to be making the case that it should be. some significant gameplay changes putting supports heavily into the focus, story highlighting romance (your dad literally leaves you a wedding ring when he dies), and all the lords openly flirting with you pushes this one heavily into "man, i guess this counts, huh!" now, i will not be reviewing this as a fire emblem game, but as a dating sim. the art, voice acting, and gameplay are impeccable, though there are some gameplay features that don't mix as well. the romantic storylines are... hit or miss. some have very nice romantic buildup with byleth, and some definitely do not. the length of the game can be frustrating, since you must endure the common route again for each story you play. as a game, i had fun. but it doesn't make a very stand-out dating sim. Full Review