Dating sim-type games with actual gameplay ?

[atomsk25]

Once upon a time (2004) there was a game called Kakyūsei 2.
You picked a girl to win over, walked around a map to find where she was going after school so you could talk to her and get close, asked her out on a date after some time, decided if she was ready for a goodbye kiss after a few dates (and eventually more), and have a happy ending. You know, some actual gameplay with some choices.

I can't seem to find games like this nowadays. They are few and far between.
Most "love" types are basically 3-4 choices to set you on a route and then it's sit back and watch every scene unfold with the girl you picked, until the end.

How about a game in the same vein as Kakyūsei 2, with such elements as:
- affection meters for the girls (to show your progress; I don't remember Kakyūsei 2 had those but it's nice to have)
- likes / dislikes to discover (eg. maybe she likes the beach but not the theme park for a date, maybe she prefers green over pink when she asks your help choosing an outfit)
- challenges/minigames like maybe you need to practice your "math" level so that she'll notice you at first, maybe she's the sporty type or nerdy type... I remember playing Tokimeki Memorial on PS1 and it had that sort of thing.


Any recommendations ? It doesn't need everything I listed, they are just examples of game mechanics I'm looking for.

Slight rant: either I don't know what ADV means, or it's getchu: I don't consider a game that is basically a rollercoaster (1-2 choices max, sometimes zero: a lot don't even offer the courtesy to ask if you want to cum inside or outside) to be an "adventure". What are other players using these 100 save slots for, I wonder ?

This post was written out of frustration as I've had free time to go over my backlog of eroge lately. After spending time reading the translated "story" section over of games on getchu, I now realize how much substance abuse is rampant in Japan. :P

 

[kzel]

Dating sims used to be an actual style of games, with all the elements you mention. Now they are reduced to barely a few choices, with helpful (read: obvious) hints like heroine portraits to help the lost player decide. What use are those 1000s of save slots is a mystery to me too, maybe bookmark specific voiced lines? ADV refers to a particular presentation (VN with text box on the bottom) rather than a type of game, so you can have everything from no-choices kinetic novels to the opposite in the same category, not very useful.

Anyway, you forgot one important mention in your request : do you understand Japanese? I would assume so if you played 下級生 since I don't think it had a translation but it helps narrow down games if you don't. Assuming you do, you may want to give a try to :

Hibiki-Works xCation series (apart from the latest Re CATION) : You have stats to improve, girls each love a particular set of talents, you need to pay attention to dialog to know what to get to unlock special events, and the item collection can sometimes be a mini-game in itself with hidden combos and such. Some entries are better than others, Lovely x Cation can be difficult to accept due to its protagonist (avoid Yuni and you should be fine), Pretty x Cation is more generic and 新妻LOVELY×CATION while overall the best introduces random elements to its mechanics that can be frustrating if you aim for 100%.

Alice Soft games usually have rather complex (needlessly obscure sometimes) gameplay elements, just be careful what game you end up trying as there are all sorts of things not for the faint of heart (NTR and rape being the most usual culprits, usually avoidable but not always, especially if you're not following a guide). Try Tsumamigui, Heartful Maman or Haha Ranman for starters.

Some Chuable Soft also tended to have decent gameplay, I remember Sugar+Spice and 私が好きなら「好き」って言って！ being pretty good in that regard. Noteworthy is the ability on new game+ to unlock new events and even entirely different version of the routes.

Veering away from simulation games but if you like mini-games and lots of choices, maybe give Key titles a try? The gameplay portions usually aren't related to heroine affection and tend to be more of a omake but they can be fun and the stories are worth it (if you like Nakiges). Angel Beats!, Little Busters! in particular.

And I can't really think of anything else off the top of my mind that isn't more than 10 years old. If you're fine with older titles then I can go on.

 

[Sansome]

love plus?

 

[atomsk25]

Thanks for the recommendations, I checked and I happen to have LOVELY×CATION, LOVELY×CATION 2 and PRETTY×CATION2 on my list so I'll give that a whirl next !
I also have 私が好きなら「好き」って言って！ from 2015, still sitting untested...

Alice Soft games can indeed be complex sometimes, I keep them for when I really have time to invest. ;) FYI I took 2 years of Japanese in uni but that was 15 years ago so it's a bit rusty... still, I manage to translate the important stuff if the game is good enough for me to put in the effort.

I'll check your other recommendations if I have them or can find them still. That's the problem with older titles (like you say, > 10 years old), they might not be available anymore (even to buy legitimately; a lot of companies have gone belly up and digital distribution wasn't a thing back then).

I think I have a few from as far as 2011 on a hard drive, so I'll check if I'm lucky to have some older Chuable or Key titles.

Speaking of simulation, I do love myself some good SLG. Nowadays it's all 3d stuff (I don't know if Teatime still exists, but Kiss with Custom Order Maid and Illusion games), which isn't bad, but I'd certainly enjoy it if Kiss did another customizable girlfriend 2d SLG game. Gimme some more ××な彼女のつくりかた !

Thanks again ! It saddens me that it's no longer a popular genre. There might be dating sims on Japanese playstation that never make it to the west but I doubt they'd be eroge. Maybe the genre will be reborn in the future... or are people too lazy for the gameplay nowadays, or maybe it's just a lot cheaper to produce games without complex game mechanics, just art and an engine for displaying images and text with some effects...

love plus?

Could you elaborate a bit ? Which game company makes it ? Or vndb/getchu link(s)... Thanks