For those who have weird fantasies about a partner and for dates, I may have found the right game for you. Sucker For Love: First Date is a visual novel with a mixture of dating sim and horror gameplay. Developed by an indie developer named AkaBaka and published by Dread XP, it is one of the most unnerving games out there. However, it comes with some erotic content if you are into that type of thing.

Compatible with Microsoft Windows, it is an easy-to-play game reminiscent of Lovecraft’s works. It originated from a collection of short games released in 2020 and falls under the parody genre because that is essentially what it is. It is a satirical take on visual novels and puts a Lovecraft spin on it. The game was released in 2022 and is available for $9.99.

Unique Take On Visual Novel Gameplay

Your character is a young lovesick male who is obsessed with Eldritch gods. He gets his hands on a powerful book that serves as a guide for dating Ln’eta, the main character. The gameplay involves preparing the location of a date with her and commanding powerful rituals and spells to make her happy. In return for making her happy, you get a big smooch. Although the character is supposed to be a guy with insatiable lust, he hardly ever comes through with that insistent energy and settles for mere smooches. It turns out that smooch is not a euphemism for anything more, which was a disappointment.

As you go through the game, you date three goddesses: Ln’enta, the main character, Estir, and Nyanlathotep (or Nyanla). The game opens up as you progress, and you can attempt to romance two of the goddesses simultaneously, but lying to a god comes with brutal consequences. The game is incredibly graphic, to say the least, as your character may lose and gain different body parts while enticing these otherworldly creatures.

It will help if you knew a little about the Cthulhu Mythos before playing this game. Secondly, you need basic background knowledge of visual novels and dating sim tropes. Lastly, you will need a stomach that can handle gore, as this game contains a considerable measure of it. Although they are not prerequisites, these three criteria will help you enjoy this game to the maximum. Also, note that the writing is somewhat strange and requires a level of interest to follow through, but it works.

The Three Chapters

The first chapter is about a dating experience with Ln’eta, who is a gender-swapped Cthulhu with the face of an octopus. Before introducing you to your next two lovers, you must secure her affections. Your second date takes place in chapter 2 with Estir, a gender-swapped Hastur based on The King In Yellow. You can tell from her tone that she is effortlessly arrogant. One of my favourite scenes is in this chapter, where you make rituals for Estir.

Chapter 3 is built around your date with Nyanla, based on the god Nyarlathotep. To access this third chapter, you must uncover three secrets from the two preceding episodes. You can quickly achieve this by bookmarking and skipping the two episodes. The third chapter is a subtle change of pace from the first two, where you were trying to please your eldritch date. This chapter has only one objective: survival. If you lose, you are thrown back to chapter one or dismembered in very graphic ways. The issue with the third chapter is the length. I think it was too short to know or understand the character properly.

Classic Visual Novel Graphics 

Sucker For Love: First Date delivers on the old retro anime look that visual novels are known for. The colour scheme sticks to the genre with heavy use of pink and pastel blues. The main character is pretty cool and charming, like the standard visual novel protagonist.

As you draw closer to the more terrifying bits, the graphic language turns for the worse and opts for deeper shades of blue to intensify the fear factor. You can’t skip the horror scenes, so you have to sit through them and watch a sweet little game spoil your snack time.

Cute Upbeat Music And Scary Songs

There is a combination of the sweet cute score during the dating process and the heinous scary sounds for when your date gets out of hand. This switch can sometimes be jarring for many players. The tone shifts noticeably in the third chapter and takes a turn for true horror. 

The characters are well written and are voiced by great voice actors who make the gameplay compelling.

Highly Enjoyable And Interactive

The game is incredibly short. As nice as that is, I think players need more time to know the characters well beyond the progression of rituals. The third date especially felt rushed, and that was unsettling. That aside, Sucker for Love: First Date stands out for its clever writing, narrative tone, and eccentric gameplay.

I noticed that the game keeps it very PG for a hypersexualized theme. There are a few lewd jokes here and there, but there are few or no raunchy scenes. So if you go in expecting any such scenes, you will be sorely disappointed. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, Sucker For Love: First Date is a great game that delivers highly enjoyable and hilarious content, and it is short and sweet, which leaves you waiting for a sequel. It may not measure up to the high-quality graphics obtainable in big-budget games, but it delivers incredibly as an indie game developed with limited resources.

You may experience one or two sweet moments, but don’t get it twisted. Sucker For Love: First Date still stands as one of the weirdest games out there, making me wonder if you would pay $10 for it.