I’ve known about the “Dating Sim” game genre for some time, but I never played one until Boyfriend Dungeon back in 2022. This was a great starting point thanks to the added dungeon crawling elements. In Boyfriend Dungeon, players flirt with potential weapons (or boyfriends) which they can choose to take down to the dungeon for battle (or dates). I wrote about the game itself, followed by a post on the collector’s edition back in 2022.
There is currently a brand new dating sim on the market, which has caught my attention for some totally different reasons. My first glimpse of Date Everything! had me thinking that’s a silly game that I probably won’t ever play. A game where you interact and go on dates with furniture, appliances, and items all around your house? It just didn’t sound appealing to me — at first.
After discovering that Date Everything! was developed by a brand new studio, Sassy Chap Games — and that studio was headed by three prominent voices in games and animation (Robbie Daymond, Ray Chase, and Max Mittelman) my opinion flipped. Date Everything! is not just a silly game where you talk to your belongings, it’s a fully-voiced interactive story featuring over 100 different characters, all voiced by talented actors. The game also features plenty of hand-drawn illustrations. Between the character design and the unique performances, there are plenty of memorable date-a-bles within the game.
Real Actors & Artists
So, why did three voice actors come together to create a game studio and make a silly dating simulator where you get to go on various dates with every item in your home? I have a theory. Now, this is just a theory and I have yet to talk to any of the Sassy Chaps to prove my theory, but I’m going to put it out there…
Date Everything! is more than just a sexy dating sim with a goofy story and some “thirsty,” flirtatious creatures. It’s a very important statement at this moment in time for the games industry.
AI (Artificial Intelligence) is and will always be a part of video games. NPCs (non-player characters) are controlled by developer-made AI, which is how they are able to surprise players as they interact with the world around them. There is another side to AI that should not be part of our games (or any art), and that is when AI borrows (or basically steals) from artists and actors to create something “new” using bits and pieces from other previous projects. That could be in the form of graphics, voices, writing, and more.
We’ve seen the outrage from gamers when The Finals tried to use AI-voiced commentators, and more recently when The Alters had left some AI “placeholder art and text” in their finished game. 11 Bit Studios even had to release a full apology letter to make up for it, which may have led to some other problems.
When game makers use AI to create art or character voices, two things happen. First, it leads to a sloppy game with no soul. Anytime someone posts any AI-generated artwork online you can immediately see the cracks. There’s just something off about it, like seeing the long dead Peter Cushing as Grand Moff Tarkin in Rogue One. It was cool and looked just like him, but your brain knows something fishy is going on here. I’m not comparing that instance to the use of AI, just using it as an example for how your brain can recognize it when it sees it.
The second thing that happens is that this form of AI takes away jobs from artists, voice actors, and even writers by stealing from artists, voice actors, and writers. The main reason we’ve seen a rise in AI-generated content in our games is due to the people at the top trying to cut costs and cash in. Instead of spreading the money across the talent pool, they keep more money for themselves by releasing a soulless game.
Date Everything! feels like a swift kick to the balls of all of those greedy CEOs, CFOs, and suits at the top — I’m sure there are a few good ones up there. Also, I used “balls” in this situation for dramatic effect, but some of these shifty CEOs and suits can also be women. These three Sassy Chaps (Daymond, Chase, and Mittelman) are sending a message that you can create a fun, successful little game with a large cast and crew of talented workers that the audience will truly enjoy, and that’s exactly what they did with Date Everything!
Playing the Game
I’ve had such a lovely experience exploring this home and meeting all of the furniture, appliances, and objects. Let’s not forget about the talented writers, because these voices are bringing to life some hilarious writing. The cast of characters ranges from incredibly serious to insanely wild and way out there. It’s such a silly and delightful game.
I mostly play Date Everything! one or two days at a time, with a long-term goal of meeting the entire cast of date-a-ble characters. It’s been the perfect bedtime game, where I talk to a few date-a-ble characters before bed. It wasn’t until last week that I learned I actually have to meet everyone and continue talking to them in order to progress and upgrade my character. It’s not just a find-and-seek game, the relationships are very important.
If you are a fan of (or want to get into) voice acting, games writing, or even character art then Date Everything! should be on your list of games to play. I’m having a wonderful time as I attempt to guess who voices each character I meet. The Date-a-Dex in-game phone app even gives you that info — if you’re curious.
If you haven’t messed with dating sims in the past, I would recommend getting into Date Everything! — or first Boyfriend Dungeon if you need to ease your way in with some dungeon crawling. Date Everything! is currently available on PC and consoles.
*myVGBC.com was provided a review code for Date Everything! by the publisher.
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