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Despite how seriously gamers take their romance options (I still have scars from the Waifu Wars when Persona 5 dropped), there isn’t that much love given to the actual dating sim genre in the West. I’m making some sweeping statements, but games like Date Everything feel like they make fun of dating sim rather than embrace them.

This isn’t necessarily a dig at Date Everything, which is a very funny game. Making the exercise machine a Viking because it is a Nordic Trak (get it?) is genius. The game packs more puns into each interaction than should be legally allowed and I’m here for it. However, where it falls flat for me is when it comes to the actual dating mechanics. Apart from the occasional mini-game, it only takes consistent clicking to get the object of your heart’s desire to fall for you. More time went into writing the host of jokes than making the game fun.

And that is the rub for me, really. Most Western devs (not all – I’ll get to that in a minute) see dating sims as a joke genre that should be mocked. And I’ll admit that it is a genre that is oversaturated on Steam, which means that there are some really terrible games out there. This is probably why brands like Dead by Daylight and KFC don’t mind putting out dating sims that are shallow and boring – they trust that most fans won’t notice. It is something of a sore subject for me; my Steam library is bursting with dating sims, visual novels, and beautiful blends of the two that deserve respect.

Dating sims are a fantastic genre that goes back decades in Japan. You can see the mechanics of classic dating sim True Love embedded in the romance mechanics of Dragon Age and Mass Effect. You have conversations with your chosen partner, getting to know them and (sometimes slowly) winning their heart. When done well, there is weight and consequence to these interactions – you have to make choices about who to spend time with and who to ignore. Advance too far with one route can block off another one or create rivals for their affection. There is drama and uncertainty, which, unfortunately, Date Everything and other joke dating sims lack.

I’m not even saying that all dating sims have to be played seriously. One of my favorite games in the genre is Hatoful Boyfriend, where everyone you date is a pigeon. Or you could play Arcade Spirits, which has great dating mechanics within the visual novel format. Monster Prom is another example of a great dating sim with a gimmick, which is trying to get a beautiful monster to go to prom with you. All of them show that the developers know that a great dating sim needs to be about more than just the romance – they need to give you the chance to fail and for that to feel like a valid outcome rather than just a game over.

The difference is that these games aren’t ashamed of being dating sims. Instead, they embrace it and show that they love the genre as much as we’re supposed to love their characters. These are games that are clearly made by people who love dating sims, and you can’t subvert the tropes of a genre if you don’t understand them yourself. There is depth and love, which makes them stand out among Western-made dating sims.

Again, I don’t think Date Everything is a bad game. It is very funny with great artwork and writing and a voice cast that includes some of the best in the business. I do think that it treats the dating sim genre as a joke, though, which it didn’t need to. As much fun as I’ve had with it so far, I’m still left wanting. There isn’t enough drama or uncertainty to make it a great dating sim. Instead, it just feels like a really well-written joke book, which isn’t what I signed up for.

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