Love and Deepspace combines romancing hot male characters with unexpected sci-fi combat
On January 18, Singapore-based Infoldgames released the romance simulation game Love and Deepspace on iOS and Android. In Love and Deepspace, you can flirt with and date various gorgeous men – as you would expect from the average Otome game/dating sim aimed at women. However, Love and Deepspace also features “Battle stages” that have drawn attention from Japanese players for being a surprisingly good yet unexpected tone shift. “Dating sim meets combat in a sci-fi setting” is not something that has been attempted often (Although different in its approach, the Mass Effect series is the only vaguely similar combination that comes to mind). Love and Deepspace is available in English, Chinese, Japanese and Korean.
Composer Haruki Neru’s post on X (formally Twitter) drew attention to the battles in Love and Deepspace. In the gameplay video she posted, the female main character and her attractive male companion come face to face with a fire-breathing dragon, which is not something you expect in a dating game. The stylish battle that unfolds is more like something out of Dragon’s Dogma or even a FromSoftware title. The player seemed surprised to find herself in such a combat situation.
Surprisingly, the game’s combat elements are not mentioned in the game’s descriptions on mobile storefronts or in the trailers. This is true of the English language “Official PV” trailer too, which focuses on the handsome male characters and dating elements. Therefore, it’s likely that most people who downloaded Love and Deepspace only found out about the combat system upon playing the game. Searching for “Love and Deepspace combat” in Japanese on X shows that most players are enjoying it, even if they are confused by the unexpected battles.
The combat system is surprisingly fleshed out for an unadvertised portion of the game. As Haruki Neru highlights in her video post below, there are four weapons with different characteristics that you can choose between. Furthermore, there is a customization system for the male characters in which you can equip “Memory cards” (that can be upgraded with EXP) and change their outfits in order to increase their attributes and modify skills. In the heat of battle, you can issue action commands such as “Attack,” “Dodge,” or utilize two different types of skill. Those who are not used to action games can take advantage of the quest difficulty change or auto-control options. This allows everyone from action game newbies to hardened veterans to enjoy Love and Deepspace’s combat sections.
But what are enemies like dragons doing in a romantic dating sim? This is connected to Love and Deepspace’s sci-fi setting. Love and Deepspace takes place on Earth in 2034. In this version of the future, humanity has received a message from beyond the cosmos for the first time and society has undergone major developments. At the same time, aliens called Wanderers are attacking the Earth and threatening humankind. The main character is a member of the Hunter’s Association and teams up with the male character to fight these Wanderers, with the previously mentioned dragon being one of the forms that these aliens take. While you are battling away, your handsome partner will help shield you and show concern when you take damage, reminding you that this is an Otome game.
Love and Deepspace was created by Singapore-based Infoldgames and China-based Papergames. Papergames has experience in working on a variety of game genres, such as the romance simulation Mr. Love: Queen’s Choice and the dress-up RPG game series Love Nikki. They are currently developing the open-world adventure Infinity Nikki, as well as a Sekiro-like action game called Project: The Perceiver, and this varied experience probably informed the creation of Love and Deepspace’s 3D combat elements. The developers explained that they included battles to reflect modern values of equality in romantic relationships. The element of “fighting alongside your boyfriend” was also intended to add a unique dynamic to the romance and create feelings towards the male characters (Source: 4Gamer interview).
The game also includes romantic, daily life sections where you can enjoy dating and romancing the male characters. The game uses the first-person perspective to add intimacy to these scenes. Fully fledged combat action in a sci-fi setting and softly lit Otome game-style romance makes for an unusual combination. Those who are interested should check it out as it is free to play.
The base version of Love and Deepspace is free to play on iOS and Android (with in-app purchases).
Written by. Verity Townsend based on the original Japanese article (original article’s publication date: 2024-01-23 20:12 JST)
