Having read the reviews, with a few 5-stars rating that looked so strange I wondered if they were AI-generated, I decided to try this game for myself.
So what to say?
The CGs are... ok I guess, standard AI but the girls look hot nonetheless, with more than enough variations in outfits and positions to be worth playing. The only downside here is how the artstyle can be somewhat inconsistent, making some CGs look weird.
On any other aspect of the game though? It's terrific. To the point I'm wondering if the dev even played his own game.
Let's see just two examples of terrible design that are so obvious that the dev should have noticed them
- in gallery mode, you cannot browse. You need to close the image, select the next one, then close it... it's a real pain, especially since you don't actually see the images during the game, you need to go to the gallery for that.
- when the date begins or end, we get the animation of doors opening/closing. A veeeeery slow animation. That you can't skip.
Story is nonexistent, yet it somehow manages to have a few inconsistencies.
Next is the gameplay. There shouldn't be much to say. A match 3 game is so simple that it usually deserves neither praise nor criticisms.
But actually, the dev managed to screw up even that!
Where to start?
- Just like in other games you have "powers" that you can activate, using a specific resource. However here the resource in question is... money. That you need to keep if you want to progress. Now it would be worth it in the end game IF you could use the money you stored. But no, it's only the money you gain during the actual match.
- The cost for using the powers is insane. The amount of money itself is way too big, but it also often consumes turns, your most precious resource.
- Did I mention each power has limited uses?
- The Charms : they are items you equip to the girls to get a permanent bonus for the dates with them. The amount you can get is very limited, and you cannot re-equip them. So every choice is definitive. And when the (powerful) final boss appears, you have no charm left, so you cannot get any help.
The amount of farming is a bit too much, still ok in my books, but the reward system is very poorly made. Basically you'll spend the first third of the game failing your dates and getting next to nothing from it, while the last third will be spent with your maxed out character slowly going through the last dates, gaining rewards you no longer need.
TLDR: Any other AI-game will have similar or better CGs. Any other Match-3 game will have better gameplay. This game is so poorly designed that it's actually impressive.
I honestly don't understand how anyone can think this is worth 5 stars. I mean, Huniepop is the only Match-3 game that would deserve more than 3 stars, and it had animations, voice actors, fun characters...
