Game Thoughts - Find Love Or Die Trying by Auden Cho-Wong

Note: This is a repost from our WordPress, which we don't update anymore.

I got rather bored by Overlord, for some reason, so I decided to play another game instead. And what do you know? I wasn't disappointed.

I thought it would be just another dating sim (in a way, it is, but not in the purely traditional sense) but it gave me much more than what I expected. Because of that, I can say that I was very satisfied. - Muu

What's It All About?

You are a man who wakes up in a private plane on an island, being woken up by someone named Kat. She says that you're going to be part of a dating reality TV show, but with a twist, and that is by the end of it, if the girl you propose to rejects you, you will die.

And you can't tell them that. Or they'll die.

So, will you find love, or die trying?

Writing

What struck me the most about this game was that the world has a larger impact on you and the other characters than what is first revealed. In any case, I would say that this is what sets this game apart from most other dating sims.

You see, dating sims are very character-oriented, and the world around them usually doesn't matter too much. But here, you're not quite as isolated, and try as some of the characters may, you're not quite as sheltered, either. The production team is constantly monitoring you, and you're apparently part of a show that instills fear onto a general population ruled by a tyrannical world government.

In line with this, you're given "choices", but it's soon revealed that you don't have real choices, and the ringleaders of the show are the ones in charge of your fate, at least in the show. Not like in your typical dating sim, where one choice would change how things go along the way.

But it is interesting to note that right after you overthrow the one in power, you get a choice that actually matters, and it's up to you to grab the opportunity and find love in the end.

What I also find great in this game is that while you ultimately only choose one girl to propose to, your good relationship with the other girls is rewarded, and they're not left out in the story at all. And if you think about it, it also ensures your survival throughout the whole ordeal.

Art

The art is nice and crisp, and the characters can be distinguished from one another, although what I really loved the most was the title screen design. Or maybe I just wanted Persona 5 and didn't really know until now.

Audio

The title screen music got me from the get-go, reminding me of one of those game shows, which is the initial premise of the whole thing. I say initial, since it's actually not what it seems to be, and the music is apt for those situations as well.

Gameplay

Gameplay is your typical dating sim/visual novel, where there is a lot of dialogue, and you pick responses from a list of choices.

But as I said earlier, you don't actually have much of a choice, and a lot of the choices are somewhat moot. At least, not until the very end of it.

Overall

It is an interesting take on the dating sim genre, where most of your choices are but an illusion, but at the same time, those few choices that are important have an incredible weight. There's not much risk to getting it and playing it for yourself, as it is currently free on Itch.io and Steam.