♥︎ Date Everything! - Review ♥︎

From the perspective of an intermediate Otome game fan, I wanted to give my honest review on "Date Everything!", a new dating simulator that has exploded in popularity over a few weeks since its release, with more than 100 characters to interact with.

SYNOPSIS:

You were recently hired at corporation Valdivian, only to be fired and replaced (by AI) that same day. Later, you receive a mysterious text from an unknown messenger who mailed a pair of glasses dubbed the "Dateviators" (DATE standing for "Directly Acknowledge a Things Existence") which allow you to see gijinkas of inanimate objects. 

PROS:

Why I started: 

What really attracted me to the game was Timothy. I LOVE femboys, bishounen, and any character in the effeminate male spectrum (*¯ ³¯*)♡. Really, my type is princely bishies...which I was hoping to see in the game (so far none besides Timmy who isn't very princely, but adorable. I also like Mac)

I was also attracted to the game because of the mechanics. I'm used to VNs that are just advancing through text, but it was a nice change of pace to see how we kinda move around with the POV of the protagonist.

Character art and design:

The designs are so unique and colorful! Just by a character's silhouette, you can tell who they are, which is a great indicator for unique character design. Some examples of my favorite character designs are Diana, Mac, Keyes, Airyn, Beverly, Mitchell Linn, and more...I would be on this site for hours trying to list all my fav designs!!

Beginner-Friendly:

This is also a great game for beginners in dating sims, whether it be Otome, Galge, et cetera. Dating sims (VNs in general) require a bit of attention span, which can be hard for some people. People who are used to action-packed video games might have a hard time getting through even a route, since it's just text (no hate to VNs obviously, I love them). Most routes in a regular VN (from my experience) are around 5-8 hours, maybe more. Each "route" for each character is around less than an hour (at MOST), and some characters can be romanced with only one interaction (such as lux the light). Taking small steps with these small routes can prepare beginners for more text-heavy visual novels.

CONS:

 DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT HATE WESTERN GAMES 

I just dislike how the western market stereotypes VNs as just dating sims and ecchi 

if anybody quotes that "thing vs thing, Japan" image i swear to god

Support indie devs on itch btw

Poorly aged writing:

The problem with adding little internet memes/jokes/phrases is that eventually, they will die out, and the devs should have known better. Overall, the writing of the game isn't bad, and i'm having a pretty good time so far playing. Sometimes I do cringe at the writing, such as when Hank #5 talked about something relating to "rizz", or Telly saying he needed to "yeet" his career out the window or whatever (this game was conceived in 2018). The point of adding these little internet references is for a strong reaction such as laughs, shock, or embarrassment. Some parts of the writing feel tumblr-y ("hot mama give me those bazoomies!"). Overall the dialogue is pretty funny, but you can tell when they ran out of ideas.

Unlike how it advertises itself, barely a dating sim:

The game is just another ironic dating sim, which is unfortunately what gets the most attention in the western VN market. VNs are stereotyped as just eroge dating sims, and often seen in a negative light. On the surface, its a "haha ironic meta dating sim that isnt quite what it seems!!! haha its IRONIC guys!! its not like we're weirdos and ACTUALLY play games to date 2D characters!!" 

I don't really understand it. I know the devs aren't VN haters, and I don't think any dev of any ironic dating sim hates VNs. All of them put effort into creating the art, OST, script, etc. no VN hater would bother to do all that. 

It feels more like a socializing sim than a dating sim. It doesn't feel like the player is making a romantic connection with ANY of the characters. All the dialogue options are cheesy pickup lines/sexual comments which lead to the character either 1. blushing or 2. saying something even more sexual, and 10x more corny. Every date is like 80% sexual stuff, 20% romance. Overall, the characters are written in such a way it would be more fun to do the hate everything ending (in which you make each character hate you). 

Personal gripes (very much lighthearted, take this with a TABLESPOON of salt):

A lot of fans may come at me for this, so just know im not being completely serious. 

I'm not mad that they don't have my type!!!! I'm just expressing my opinion

From the wide cast of characters, it feels like its mostly catered to an audience of himbo lovers. Don't get me wrong, I like himbos, they're cool, but my personal favorites are PROUDLY bishounen. From the 46 I have discovered so far (not counting non binary characters, hence bi'shounen') I have found one, Timothy. I think Timmy is the closest to my favorite dating sim trope. I don't mind that there are other body types in the game, I actually like the diverse range of body types for all genders. I just wish there were more androgynous/androgynous-leaning pretty boys!!!!! I'm starving here...

I love the girls though, 90% of the girls are beautiful (especially lucinda....droolslslnj)

To be honest most of the characters are kinda visually unappealing...I think its an art style preference, which is why I put it in my personal gripes, but some characters I look at and it makes me ??? like wtf is rebels design??? 

Someone online criticized me for saying rebel was chopped cheese and apparently i hate her because "shes plus sized" yeah its obviously because shes plus sized and NOT BECAUSE ITS AN AMALGAMATION OF 80% DUCK 20% HUMAN WHO IS AN ABSOLUTE FREAK!!!

now I know some are gonna say "oh well god forbid conventionally unattractive characters exist!" YES GOD FORBID BRO...I know it seems shallow, but so are the characters personalities. Timothy is all about 'shhhedules' and timmys all about 'meow meow im the opposite of timothy!!' and thats it. Mateo is all adorable and likes animals but thats about it. Betty is all yearning and thats about it. If a dating sim character is gonna have the personality of a goldfish, they better not be chopped buddy!!!

OVERALL:

7.8/10 as a casual game, 4/10 as a dating sim 

I know I kind of went on a rant on the cons side, but its mainly directed to the state of the western VN game market, and the over-saturation of meta/parody dating sims. Date Everything IS a pretty fun game to play. 

As a casual game? Great. It's funnier when playing with friends, and makes me laugh.

As an actual Dating Sim? It's pretty bad, but its not a snoozefest, nor is it extremely painful to play. I would recommend this to beginners, but to anyone whos played a few VNs should probably skip it.

Thank you for reading!