You Think Writing For An Otome Game Is Easy…

We’ve been spoiled by the good otome games. Aksys’ localization of Hakuoki and Sweet Fuse are so well done, that I’m sure many new otome fans think all games are that way.

Even Harvest Moon, Rune Factory, Fire Emblem Awakening, and smaller games like The Royal Trap, 1931: Scheherazade at the Library of Pergamum and RE: Alistair++ give off the impression that there’s a certain level of quality one can expect from these dating sims for girls. While really, there are more Hatoful Boyfriend-style traps out there, only without Hatoful‘s exemplary charms.

I present to you, as a prime example, the Shall We Date? series of Android and iOS games.

I recently purchased a few of the base games because, well, I’m a bit of a video game masochist. Sometimes I love playing terrible games, just so I can mock them. So, I present to you, an assortment of Shall We Date? screenshots, taken from Shall We Date?: Ninja Love, Shall We Date?: Destiny Ninja, Shall We Date?: Konkatsu for Marriage and Shall We Date?: My Sweet Prince.

If these images have lured you in, beware! The Shall We Date? series is a teensy bit shady. You’ll think you’re getting the full game for the $4-$5 price tag, but really you’re only getting the stories for 3-4 of the guys, and would have to pay an additional $6.99 for packs that contain two extra bachelors each.

For example, Shall We Date?: Konkatsu for Marriage has two of these packs, making the price for the full game $18.31. The only one that doesn’t have that pricing structure is the freemium Shall We Date?: Destiny Ninja, but it has other ways of opening people’s wallets…