Date Everything! [Review]
Date Everything! is a dating simulator with a unique premise: you date 100 anthropomorphized inanimate objects. If you've been hesitant about visual novels due to extensive dialogue, you'll be pleased to know that Date Everything! is fully voice-acted. Almost every character has a unique voice actor, totaling nearly a hundred. Featuring talents like Felicia Day (Skylar), Johnny Yong Bosch (Dirk/Clarence), Roger Craig Smith (Tony), and Troy Baker (Kristoff), the voice acting truly enhances the experience.
My favorite aspect of this game is the incredible creativity evident in the character designs. Each character truly looks like a humanized version of their respective object, making it possible to guess what they are just from their appearance. Even with 100 characters and designs, they all feel and look distinct from one another.
The gameplay is classic dating sim fare, primarily consisting of dialogue with player interactions that guide the date in either a positive or negative direction. While some characters require more dates than others, you will eventually reach a "status" with each one: Hate, Friends, or Love. Achieving a status boosts your player stats (S.P.E.C.S.), allowing you to choose higher-level options on subsequent dates. Certain characters are more challenging to romance and necessitate higher stats for successful dates.
I did encounter a few issues with the "Date-a-dex." Playing on the Switch 2, I frequently experienced lag when scrolling through it. When viewing a character profile, I was sometimes unable to scroll, which occasionally resolved by backing out and re-entering, but it became annoying. While not a bug, the scrolling noise also proved quite aggravating. Unfortunately, these combined factors made the Date-a-dex difficult to use and are the sole reason I'm not rating this game a perfect 10/10.
Date Everything! is a fantastic game. With over 100 characters to interact with, there truly is something for everyone. It's a game that needs to be experienced firsthand; the sheer fun of talking to so many unique characters daily is immense. There are also many hidden characters that require a bit more dedication to unlock. I personally give Date Everything! a 9/10! It is currently available on Switch, PS5, Xbox Series S|X, and PC.
