Coincidentally, same. 'Thought I had already sold my soul (read - any spare time that I had that shouldn’t have been devoted to handheld games, that I might or might not have stolen from my dearest brother) to Rune Factory 4 and all of the Fire Emblem games, but SV is just the bee’s knees.
The developer is making a similar game but set in a witch academy, I believe.
I really want to try out SV since I am a big Bokumono fan. I’ll probably pick this game up once I have a PC or a Switch.
Anyone remember Always Remember Me? It’s this really ancient Winter Wolves game, but it wasn’t bad, 4 romances, all heterosexual though, female lead, sorry peeps.
But- a sequel has come out (Never Forget Me) and I’m going to give it a bash today.
I’m expecting some cringe (one plot point was literally 'MC and Shy-Stereotype-Husband haven’t done the do yet (which makes me go- IF HE’S A PERSON WHO DOESN’T DO THE DO, MC SHOULD HAVE BEEN MADE AWARE, THIS ISN’T FAIR TO BOTH OF THEM (yeah, I’m probs gonna be aggro on that route))), but that’s often half the fun.
Will type up my 20 cents on it later, otherwise what other new stuff…
XOXO Droplets full ver is out!
Did we mention that? I haven’t gotten the full ver yet, saving up, really want it, Bae is bae, and it’s got really good characters! The demo is great fun as is. Characters are all bitchy, but still likeable, and no stereotyping (Nate, for all his horribleness and ‘must be better’ is a total prude and MC is thirsty, so their dynamic is funny, and other such interesting things), while gameplay is cool. It’s got some statty gameplay, but nothing too hectic (I got prom queen first run through without cheats, just divide your attention with the cliques), and there are cheats for later playthroughs.
…hm what else…
Amplitude -Full game out, can’t say I really enjoyed it. I like the art style, I really like the art style, but that’s all I want to say in a more positive light. The story itself is…okay, but it’s confusing at times, and the fact that there is zero continuity makes it really really not fun (romance someone, it’s never recognized, there’s been a mass murder and you basically give up your soul to save your friend, next day everyone is in school, nobody talks about it), and there is no tutorial, I can’t, for the life of me, get all the items needed for the outfit for the ball thingie, but there’s no list of it anywhere, they say ‘get make-up’ but I don’t know what make-up, and you won’t have enough cash to buy out the whole store, and other various complaints.
Tailor Tales- Demo out. Was…eh. The outfit making is fun, but it gets repetitive, and…bleh. No full route out for the guys, het only, female lead.
I don’t have anything else so far, though I am looking.
Right, just finished Never Forget Me and I am…kinda blah about it? It’s okay, but nothing to write home about.
It’s unique in the sense that you’re showing married life, which I think could be played around with by more people (I suppose the main complaint would be that your MC is in an established relationship with someone you dislike, but I digress), but this was handled okay, since it’s a sequel, and you choose your prior partner. The main problem I have is that all of these show ‘marriages with problems’. YES, marriage takes work, understanding, honesty, all the good stuff, but these scenarios really feel like right back to part one of personal issues one has when romancing a character, and doesn’t feel like characters have grown.
Amy is still a self-concerned hopeless romantic.
Aaron is still the naive dad-and-ex-are-good-people person.
Hugh is still a…um. Well, flirt.
Eddy is still a workaholic with communication issues.
And Lawrence is still Lawrence. He was okay, but he was kinda bland.
Each route faces an issue that relationships do face, but none of them have enough cutesy play-house fluffiness that I wanted.
Aarons route deals with people in conflicting work industries (logical vs creative) having personality differences, and also social pressure from parental figures, and also an ex in the picture.
Hugh leads Amy to thinking less of her physical appearance and dealing with jealousy, thanks to his fashion industry career.
Eddy’s route deals with work taking priority over the relationship.
Lawrence’s route deals with intimacy problems.
While this is all well and good, I can’t help but feel these issues were addressed in the first game, and it’s just being dragged out? Like, we want new plot now. These tropes just feel so ‘trope-y’ and it’s frustrating.
The current game itself:
I liked Hugh’s route best. His personality (bubbly and humorous) is the type I tend to go for, and his issues were handled well. There were also two nicely handled good endings- Amy focusing on her husband only, and Amy loving her husband, but also craving his respect for her own fashion career. (I preferred the first good ending tbh). There was the ‘rando who is into you for no clear reason’ trope, but I really like that Amy was able to push him away, and Hugh recognized that and protected Amy, rather than the over done ‘jealousy and no communication’ where he would have thought she was cheating on him.
Amy can also choose how to respond with her own jealousy, and Hugh acknowledges her jealousy, and handles it brilliantly. But he still has faults, he can be an airhead, and a little insensitive at times.
Aaron’s route was my least favorite. It didn’t feel cute or romantic, they felt like roommates, and the bad ending was referencing that a lot. Aaron just doesn’t understand Amy’s creative needs, Amy doesn’t have patience to deal with his problems, and he doesn’t respect her discomfort around his father, or his ex, nor does he recognize how his ex is trying to get between them. (Especially considering how she tried to fake being with him when he lost memories last game, and he still thinks Amy is nuts for disliking her). It felt a little fake, and I don’t really see any connection between the characters. All they seem to do is argue, and they don’t really communicate.
Eddy’s route was meh. He’s always working, Amy feels unloved, unwinds with her friends, he thinks she’s cheating, and not much else to say. It was okay, I guess. I kept getting the neutral one for this until I looked up a walkthrough. DON’T LET YOUR HUSBAND SLEEP IF YOU WANT A HAPPY MARRIAGE. (Apparently, I dunno.)
Lawrence’s route was interesting, story wise at least. I was really anxious about this one, because the issue was Amy and him not having done the do, and she was feeling he wasn’t attracted to her, while he was ashamed and scared. His issue was realistic- childhood trauma- and it was handled sensitively and I’m really glad a good ending didn’t come from Amy being forceful or pushy.
Otherwise, that’s all to say. The art was pretty, the music was…blah, and I pretty much ignored the stat mini-game halfway through my first playthrough, even though it’s supposed to lead to extra scenes because it was tedious as all hell.
For anyone who plays Stardew Valley, who’s your spouse?
Haley for me. If there is a hard candy coating I will always gnaw on it to get to the creamy center.
Next playthrough I might have a girl farmer and woo FabioElliott
In my current playthrough, I’m planning on marrying Shane. I love my sad chicken man very much, he is near and dear to my heart.
Has anyone recommended Sweet Fuse: At Your Side? I think that’s a wonderful game
One of my favorites. I almost forgot about this and I can’t seem to remember where I put my PSP copy. XD
So I just played Butterfly Soup by Brianna Lei-
Took me a while to get to it, it looked a bit meh on first glance, but I gave it a bash when it hit the top of the itch listing.
Lesbian only, revolving MC.
This is easily one of the most amazing games I’ve played in a long time.
Dating sims are an opportunity to talk about things people experience in relationships, and the problems- but this is often taboo, due to a target market increasingly afraid of making their problems heard, for fear of hurting others.
While I understand that sentiment, I honestly believe that talking about it and increasing awareness is far more helpful than ignoring it all.
There are multiple issues addressed in this game- racism, lesbian stereotypes, homophobia, self-identity, and feminine stereotypes. And it’s handled beautifully.
The characters are all unique, and boast a largely non-caucasian cast (but still multiple races), which is a breath of fresh air, due to the ‘tokenism’ found in the average dating sim of today, and the humor is epic. (Period jokes. Harry Potter references. Hell, there was a Baccano reference!)
The issues are real, the romance isn’t forced, the personalities are adorable, and the plot isn’t a generic twee ‘we can’t be together, all these people are fighting it’. No, it’s about friendship, people appreciating one another, and childhood love.
And it’s bloody adorable.
Will be some trigger warnings though- racism, homophobia (not from main cast), and domestic abuse.
Nothing too hectic, but enough to make you really get where everyone is coming from. All the characters have problems, and they all make sense contextually, yet all the characters are good people, regardless.
I feel that this is a real stepping stone for the genre, as it shows we can talk about scary, hurtful topics in a sensitive manner, while it is still tasteful, and meaningful.
Even if you aren’t into yuri, (and it’s not hardcore at all), give this a go for the story. It doesn’t have to be about you being a girl who is into girls. It’s about your friends, and their problems. And they care about you too. 
9/10 (would have loved more CGs, and character establishment beyond the background of Diya and Min)
In other news, checking out Dream Saviour Gakuem- ReDraw.
GxB/ BxB
If I like it, I’ll type something up.
Hope everyone is having a great day!
Does anyone know about Sweet Elite? It’s still in the works and will be a browser game with action points which you get every day (not everyone is a fan of that, I know) but it looks very promising. The art looks gorgeous, there are 10 datable and/or befriendable characters: 5 girls and 5 boys, you can play as male or female, LGBT relationship options and you can choose your own department to join. I am so hyped for this game!
I’m heteronormative trash who only likes romancing men, but you’ve sold me on checking out Butterfly Soup.
Let us know how Dream Savior Gakuen is. It looks pretty, but none of the ROs seem that appealing to me.
I’ve just played through “Dream Daddy” and “Heirs and Graces”, and I really enjoy them. Please recommend me some good games like these 
And some of my opinions about two games.
Dream Daddy
Great graphic, nice soundtrack, but humour is the part I adore most. It’s so hilarious that I can’t stop laughing.
And come on, Naruto and Sasuke fanfic, oh boy, here, take my money.
Only its amusing scenes are enough to win me over. However, the romance is not quite good like I expected. That’s fine, but I look for something… more romantic.
Anyway, I like route of Robert and Craig because they are the two most funny route (in my opinion of course).
Heirs and Graces
Plot is interesting, romance is great, Eloy is my favorite. All four romance options are so adorable that say “no” to one of them make me fell repentant. However, the triggers jealous kind of amuse me.
But there are little choices in game. I can only choose how to react to ROs; I can’t decide what to do in sensitive and important scenes, which annoys me because sometimes I disagree on the way Marcel thinks.
Dunno if it’s been mentioned, but My Candy Love is a thing:
Honestly, it’s a bit trite, I enjoyed it when I was younger because character choices and nice customization, but now, as I am older, and it’s more than just about pretty art, I’ve become rather disappointed. It’s gxb only, the characters are one dimensional, and it’s a move based game, where you only get a certain number of turns per day.
The art is pretty solid though, so if you’re willing to deal with the rest, and a mediocre storyline, go for it. Also, if it’s a plus for you, the original version is in french. (I’m considering getting back into it just for the french version, because I have to take the subject soon)
Otherwise, it’s pretty, but I’m not big on the characters. The main character also falls into a lot of stereotypical scenarios that I’d love to rant about, but that would get spoilery pretty quickly.
I played like 20 minutes of DSG. It did not capture me at all. The art is kind of okay, but nothing amazing or unique, the story was weird, and the characters I did interact with weren’t interesting at all, tbh. 
Got bored, closed it, haven’t had the urge to try it since.
I recently found this game on Tumblr! The game is called, “Akash: Path of the Five” and it have not been released. However, the examples they have given on their own website and youtube, I really… love the graphic and the voice actors/actress.
I like My Candy Love (or My Sweet Crush which is the UK version.)
I admit the story isn’t deep but it’s nice for people who like slice-of-life or I think shoujo manga in general.
The game takes it time for you to get to know the cast and then choose a guy for your boyfriend.
If you want something more serious from Beemov you could try Eldarya. It takes place in a fantasy setting and the world is kinda in danger. LOL
Their newest game is Henri’s Secret. This game is purely flash. I tried to get into it but I hate the UI. 
I seriously couldn’t get past the first episode…
Beemov is now working on a new game called Moonlight Lovers featuring vampire RO’s. There’s not much information out yet though.
Make It Last- Almost a kinetic novel (almost, not truly), but easily one of the cutest things I’ve seen recently. Interracial bxb, they have a little girl, and it’s cute af y’all, I cried. DX
Give it a whirl, it’s free, took me around half an hour to get through, the graphics are kinda meh, but they make up for it with animations, and the writing is good.
Underbliss confirmed release date for Ebon Light- 17th Jan! http://underbliss.com/
Sonnet is releasing Bahadur’s route on Friday!
I may have said it before, but Aloners is what really inspired me to dabble in game writing and I loved Ran’s route. So, Merry Christmas to meee!