We’ve been streaming every now again on our Twitch.tv channel, SmartTwitches, and our focus is definitely, as Amanda put it, games with “Farmsteading and Smooching.” While Amanda has been in Florida this past week tending to a family emergency, my sons have asked if they could stream with me as they each coach me through playing some of their favorite games. So I’ve been playing Pokemon X with my 14 year old (badly), and this weekend my 12 year old will attempt (keyword: attempt) to teach me to play Minecraft.
And, hey, summer camp and leaving the house generally have been cancelled this year, and the dogs hate fireworks and we’re staying home to keep them company, so…why not play video games together, right?
In researching the potential for Farmsteading And/Or Smooching games for us to stream in the future, I’ve come across some REALLY INCREDIBLE options – but would love to hear your suggestions, too!
First: Dragon Age, All Varieties. I’ve played Dragon Age: Inquisition on the Xbox, and love the romance parts and the conversational quest parts more than I love the killing things parts, especially the part where I have to kill dragons.
I’ve started playing Dragon Age: Origins on Steam, and was very tempted to stream my playthrough when, on my first evening, I was attacked in my room and had to battle enemy soldiers wearing only my medieval tighty whities.
I’m playing as a male character solely because I wanted to romance Morrigan.
I mean, obviously.
Beyond that? I have to stab things a lot, even on “easy” mode, and I’d much rather get to the smooching. No farmsteading in the Dragon Age series, however. Smooching and sexxytimes, for sure, though!
Another game I may try out, possibly with my sons coaching me: Undertale. I’m going in knowing very very little about it, which I’m told is optimal, but I know about the very intriguing skeleton character. In a preview clip he wishes he had more pairs of legs so he could wear more pairs of hot pants, and I am here for it.
Chance of Farmsteading: low. Chance of smooching? Not sure! (Don’t spoil it, please. I want to go into the game knowing as little as possible. Even my sons refuse to spoil anything for me, but they both want me to play it already.)
Last game I want to mention (though this list could be very long!) Max Gentlemen Sexy Business. Get a load of this description:
The premier Victorian business tycoon and dating simulator. Your family business has been stolen from you! Forge sexy partnerships in the sheets while crushing rival companies in the streets to become England’s largest Monopoly and reclaim your family honor.
I sent to Amanda a screenshot of this character, who I’m 99% sure was entirely based on Amanda herself:
And was told, “…I backed it on Kickstarter and own it :P”
Figured. Amanda’s already talked about Dream Daddy, but I know she has some games to rec, too.
Amanda: I’ve been playing more chill games lately, where I get to craft and cultivate an area. Playing Minecraft with my brother has been so much fun with all the exploration. Our latest task has been making a brewing stand to make underwater breathing potions. So many shipwrecks to explore!
The only games I don’t play a lot of are first person shooters or any sort of competitive multiplayers.
Steam is having a big Summer Sale right now and I’ve picked up Outer Wilds and Oxenfree!
I also love a good, funny dating game like Monster Prom and I have Cinders waiting in my library. I’ve been really impressed with Steam’s growing selection of dating sims.
Like Sarah, I’m a Dragon Age fiend and am missing that plenty of RPG action, class customization, and romance. Anything that feels close to that would be welcome!
One thing I’ve been toying with is playing a tense or spooky game on our channel during nighttime. I watch a lot of horror game streamers on YouTube and Twitch, but I’d love to err on the side of atmosphere and puzzle, rather than overt action!
What about you? Any Farmsteading and/or Smooching games you recommend? And if you’re on Twitch, give us a follow and join us for our next livestream!
I have not played this (so take this rec with a grain of salt) but it keeps coming up in my Steam recommendations. It is a dating sim. It’s free on Steam. It’s called, “I Love You, Colonel Sanders.” And yes, it’s published by KFC.
Another game, with no romance, but there is a love story hidden in the background (told through letters and signs), is “Slime Rancher.” There is no killing, but there are adorable slimes. There is exploration and farming. And plorts! This one I did play and loved.
1. I HOWLED at the underwear story
2. I enjoyed the stream I caught so much! It was super relaxing.
3. Yes to kinda spooky but more puzzle-y games!
4. Doesn’t have smooching or farming but I really want to see the chaos of Untitled Goose Game in your hands!
5. Smoochy: “dating historical men As anime vampires”!
I have Rose of Winter in me account, but haven’t played it yet, but it’s by the same people as Later Alligator, which is a huge point in its favor. (Also the heroine looks like me and I was like YAY BODY SHAPE AND SWORDS.) No farming in favor of knight stuff.
Skyrim has homesteading and marriage options (all marriageable characters are bi!), but (a) you have to play an awful lot of game to get to either and (b) the “romance” is more a product of your imagination than baked into the writing. If you headcanon your way through adventures, that may be preferable to some writer’s idea of what romance is; if you yearn for a scripted fireside baring of souls, it will probably be unsatisfying.
The Necs on the Beach house near Falkreath is my personal favorite homestead. Lovely lake view with necromancers for neighbors. A giant strolled through the yard and stole my cow, so that slight had to be avenged. (I’ve clocked almost 300 hours and never completed the main quest because I am busy finding ingredients for food and resources to make furniture, okay?)
Heads up, headcanon folks with a weakness for vaguely Scottish dudes calling you “lass”: Brynjolf already has a wife, so you’ll never be anything but a piece on the side (unless you use mods). Not a problem for anybody in my house because he’s a good time and marriage is overrated, but some may not want to get too emotionally invested in a man who can’t commit.
No mention of Nintendo’s Fire Emblem games? They are strategy games but building relationships and romances is a big part of the game too. For romance fans, the 3DS FE Awakening, Conquest, and Birthright are the most love-centric where you can pair almost every single character in the game together and then match up the children that result. The more recent Switch Three Houses is less overtly romantic but you can still have relationship building character conversations that lead to romance. The games aren’t the best for gay options though Three Houses has more possibilities than the others.
I’m not a gamer, but my husband recommended “Control” as something spooky and not gory.
I LOVE the Dragon Age franchise, specifically for their smooching possibilities.
Another one I love is My Time At Portia. Lots and lots of the townfolk are available for romance and smooching.
So glad you asked, I have lots of good games for PC to recommend. There are some great ones by the WinterWolves company: Loren the Amazon Princess, Cursed Lands, Planet Stronghold, and a bunch of others that look similar that I haven’t got to yet. There are gay, straight and bi romance options in all of these. If you like otome, Men of Yoshiwara is good. And for relaxing games where romance is not central but definitely present: Stardew Valley and My Time at Portia. Some people have mentioned Dragon Age, which is a great combo of adventure and romance–the company that made it, Bioware, also has some classic games with nice romance storylines, including Mass Effect and Knights of the Old Republic.
Not a romance game recommendation, but I wanted to thank everyone who recommended Animal Crossing on the Switch. It has been a lot of fun and very calming. I have been fishing and catching bugs to my heart’s content. I haven’t done as much decorating and designing as some people have, but there are no rules so I can do what I want. Apparently with the last update I can now go swimming too. So, thanks everyone for helping me find a new way to stay sane during our pandemic times.
Gone Home. It’s only about 2 hours long and it’s a different take on the haunted house story. There is no combat, just a beautiful queer love story and soundtrack with loads of Riot Girl bands.
I love the Dragon Age games, too, even though all the endings I’ve played to were HFN at best. The Witcher games are ultimately quite romantic, or can be, depending on your choices. I started playing Greedfall, which looks to have an unusual story and interesting characters, but I can’t cope with it at the moment – it’s all about colonialism and there’s a plague. I need escapism in my gaming. Skyrim with mods installed is my comfort game. Some of the followers created by modders have a lot more character-depth than the ones from the original game. If you download the Creation Kit you can even make your own followers, it’s not difficult and there are lots of tutorials online.
Stardew Valley – Romance isn’t the main point of the game, but it’s definitely part of the story and overall gameplay. The gender you choose doesn’t restrict who you can romance. My favorite of the romanceable characters is probably Penny because she’s quiet, a little awkward, and likes books. It needs multiple content warnings, but I don’t know that I can remember them all: alcoholism, hints of homophobia from one of the elderly characters, the bathhouse assumes player avatars are either male or female, etc.
Animal Lover – A visual novel in which you find guys who were transformed into animals years, decades, or longer in the past and help them regain their human forms. Content warning for homophobic bullying and references to suicide.
Verdant Skies – In this end this didn’t really turn out to be my thing, but it’s kind of Stardew Valley in a sci-fi colony. It has poly relationship aspects, but I never got far enough into it to see how that was handled. The character profile images are really good-looking.
Hatoful Boyfriend – A sci-fi post-apocalyptic visual novel in which you are a human romancing literal birds. The game is kind enough to show you what the birds might look like if they were human, but only the first time you meet them. It was originally created as an April Fool’s joke and somehow ended up being amazing. Content warnings for murder and probably other stuff I’ve forgotten.
Blush Blush – A clicker game in which you befriend, flirt with, and eventually romance a variety of guys you accidentally transformed into animals. You can play as either male or female and change your gender whenever you feel like. The basic game is free. You’ll be tempted to spend money on jewels to make the game progress faster, but you can technically earn them just by playing.
Cattails: You play as a cat abandoned in the wilderness by your humans (the intro video is terrible – I still wish it were possible to get some vengeance on the people who decided abandoning a cat in the woods was a good idea). You learn how to hunt, catch insects, battle other cats for territory, etc. There are TONS of other cats to romance, and you can eventually marry a cat of your choice (even one in another territory) and have kittens.
Mystic Messenger – A real-time visual novel you play on your phone. I LOVE this game, but the real-time aspect is killer. Be prepared to wake up in the early AM or you’ll miss chats or phone calls from characters. You play as a woman and most of the romanceable options are male, but there is one route with a female character. She’s presented as a very close friend, but there’s no reason the relationship couldn’t be interpreted as romance.
Mermaid Splash! Passion Festival – A “pay what you want” lesbian romance visual novel. I have issues with most of the routes, but Maka the shark is wonderful.
The entire Robo-Tea series – Also “pay what you want.” A very sweet and chill visual novel series in which you are a robot romancing other robots.
@Laurel – I literally bought a Switch just so I could play Animal Crossing: New Horizons. It’s such a good game. I’m not much a decorator either, so my island is pretty boring, but I still really enjoy fishing, catching bugs, looking for fruit that isn’t pears and peaches (I feel like apples and cherries are forever out of my reach, lol), and now the new diving activity.
Came here to recommend Hatoful Boyfriend, so thank you to LG for bringing that up. I also like a lot of the stuff put out by Hanako Games. Many their games are available on Steam:
https://www.hanakogames.com
Some of my favorites are:
Magical Diary: Horse Hall. Live out a year in the life of a young witch at magical boarding school in this loving sendup of Harry Potter fan fiction tropes. It’s much more inclusive of marginalized genders and sexualities than Rowling’s original work – for example, the magical community uses the inclusive neopronoun e/eir/emself, and the game gives you several boys and girls as romance options. The sequel, Magical Diary: Wolf Hall, has many of the same characters and scenarios (and some new ones!), but follows a young wizard with a mysterious background.
The Confines of the Crown. A prince’s female bodyguard gets caught up in palace intrigue – and possible romance with several eligible princes, plus one scheming maid.
Long Live The Queen. 14-year-old princess suddenly inherits her royal mother’s throne. Will she live to see her coronation, or will she fall victim to the many foreign and domestic powers plotting her downfall? It’s up to YOU! Several romance/marriage options, not all of them happy. You can also make the princess a powerful magical girl – though that may not be enough to save her!
Black Closet: Student council president solves procedurally-generated mysteries at her elite all-girl boarding school and unravels a conspiracy – all with the help of her fellow councilors/minions. One of whom is secretly working for the conspiracy. Several friendship/lesbian romance options.
Oh, and here are some pro-tips for Stardew Valley:
-Don’t fuss too much about getting stuff done efficiently. There’s always next year!
-You can leave storage boxes outside of your farm! Put one at the entrance to the mines so you can stash stuff you don’t need before delving in.
-Lighting rods make the best fences! They don’t decay like the actual fences, and they generate batteries during lightning storms – which you can use to build late-game items or sell for CASH MONEY, BABY.
-Get Caroline’s 2-heart event (in her greenhouse off the general store’s kitchen) to unlock tea plants. Tea plants generate tea leaves on the last 7 days of each month except Winter (unless you plant them in an indoor pot). The leaves can be put in kegs to create green tea. They also make good fences.
-Get Shane’s 8-heart event to unlock blue chickens. They are much easier to find in tall grass than regular chickens and have fancy curly tails! So cute!
-Most profitable crops: starfruit (Summer), ancient fruit (Spring through Fall). Most profitable animal: Pig.
-Process your crops into goods (oil, wine, cheese press, preserves, etc.) to make them MORE VALUABLE.
I’m very fond of Femshep and Liara’s romance in the Mass Effect trilogy!
Re: dating sims, I remember really enjoying Love is Strange and Love on the Peacock Express.
@Mrs. Obed Marsh – OMG, you can use lightning rods as fences?? My mind is blown. And I didn’t even know the game had tea plants – I don’t think I’ve ever tried to befriend Carol.
Have been scouring stores every time I venture outside to find a Switch, mostly to play Animal Crossing. Nothing yet. Sigh.
In the meantime, I’ve enjoyed Coffee Talk so far. It’s on PC (I got it via Steam). It’s basically… like… a graphic novel with very mild puzzle elements. Your never-seen character is a barista, and they chat with all of the people who drift in with all their personal dramas. It takes place in a modern fantasy version of Seattle, so most of them are werewolves and faeries and such. It’s extra relaxing. I think there are no branching dialogue options, but apparently the drinks you make have an effect on the story?? Replay value unclear. Still, so far so good.
About a month ago I tried “Regency Love”, which is a dating simulation app set in Jane Austen times (hetero options only). I played it through 3x over 2 weeks. Your character is basically set (young female coming out of mourning for her father, lives with her mother) but through multiple-choice conversation options you can choose your personality—essentially, think of how each Bennett sister might engage in conversation and those are your options. The bachelor characters vary, but if you are consistent with your conversation choices, you basically tread a path towards one character. I would have liked more nuanced options. For instance, there appear to be definite “dealbreakers” for certain male characters based on rigid rules of propriety. The first time through I played as an Elizabeth Bennett type, and enjoyed it immensely. The next time I tried to be a little more reserved and bookish, but was rejected by the bachelor I was angling for (hence the third round of play!). In order to progress through the game you need to accumulate points through short quizzes that do get repetitive
Despite the limitations, it’s a relaxing game (I liked the artwork/design) and it was fun to be immersed in the world of regency gentlemen. From what I can tell there is more to explore so I will probably try it again, but I’m taking a break for now. Oh, and first time playing a dating game like this, so I really can’t compare it to others.
Kudos to many already named: Cinders, Hatoful Boyfriend, Confines of the Crown, Long Live the Queen.
I just got Undertale & Max Gentleman is on wishlist & on sale, hmm.
Not mentioned: Regency Solitaire, story with your yummy neighbor Henry & forced betrothral while playing solitaire. My Lady: a young woman has a penchant for her butler (short). The Grand Ball, negotiate intrigue at court. I died frequently. Sometimes you end up in bed with someone (sometimes good, sometimes you’re jailed for it). If you’re okay with explicit: the yaoi My Burning Heart. You’re a street boy chosen to be in the sultan’s male harem. Couple of options, the sultan, fellow harem boy or evil vizier.
I’ve actually downloaded visual novel software to play with it, wondering if I couldn’t write a visual novel game (I have a resident artist). So many twists & branches to consider!
I can cover some Japanese and Korean Otome Dating sim suggestions. Most of these are for sale during the Steam Summer sale.
These are reverse harem dating sims where you start out with multiple possible romances and eventually go down one route with one male. Multiple endings both good and bad can happen. Think Choose your Own adventure.
Hakuoki Kyoto Winds (Part 1) (Shinsengumi – samurais 1863-69 with paranormal elements Japan)(Love this series)
Hakuoki Edo Blossoms (Part 2)
Amnesia: Memories (Modern Japan, alternate timelines)
Nightshade (Ninjas)
7’sclaret (Japan)
London Detective Mysteria (19th Century London)
Ozmafia (Fairy tale characters as mafia members!) The art is so pretty
Psychedelica of the Ashen Hawk
Psychedelica of the Black Butterfly
Men of Yoshiwara series — Male Courtesan and female lead
Japanese 18+ Adult content
Steam Prison – I haven’t played this yet but it does have a sexual content warning
Fashioning Little Miss Lonesome — sexual content, two male leads one a sadist the other is a masochist. There is also a 3-p ending. Trigger Warnings apply. Haven’t played this one yet but I own it.
Korean:
Dandelion – Wishes Brought to you — Stat raising otome game, cats turning into humans
Nameless – The One Thing you Must Recall — Dolls turning into humans
Both of the above games are made by the maker of the cell phone romance game Mystic Messenger that LG mentioned.
Nintendo Switch:
Code Realize series — Steampunk Victorian London + literature characters. I adore this series it is also available on the PS4.
Collar X Malice — Modern mystery series, terrorists etc
There are also cell phone games that have been adapted for the Switch as well. These are generally not voiced in Japanese like the ones above.
More is coming out for the Switch this fall including a mafia based one and a cafe with mythical creatures.
Many of the Japanese ones have anime series as well of varying quality.
Important note: You can find reviews of all these games online so you can see if they have any triggers that may bother you. I enjoyed Amnesia Memories but the Toma character is definitely problematic and I suggest reading first if you want to pursue that route. These are all Japanese or Korean games as such the female lead will not be proactive like an American character might be written. Generally otome leads are bland in order to allow more players to self-insert. Cardia from Code Realize is an exception.
My character expectations shift depending on the origin of what I’m reading, watching, or playing but I realize that isn’t the case for all.
I love otome games since I’ve discovered them and since it’s such a niche sub-genre I buy all those translated into English hence my large to be played pile. Feel free to ask me questions.
@Pre-Successful Indie: I got my Switch by haunting the Best Buy website. I had to try three times – the first two times, Switches were listed as available but were gone by the time I tried to get them in my shopping cart and buy them. And I had to get the Switch Lite, even though I really wanted the regular Switch (and then I discovered that my hands are delicate flowers that can’t handle a Switch Lite for long without horrible pain, ugh, so I paid for a couple different ergonomic cases before finding one that worked for me).
Not romance but a recommendation for anyone with kids. Years ago Disney had a subscription game called Toontown. My son and I played together along with some nephews. Disney discontinued the game but kids that had played it grew up to be programers and have revived the game and Disney has let them, in large part because they don’t make any money on it and they have maintained all the same safety protocols for kids. Anyone can play using a PC or Mac (no tablets) with an email. If anyone has young kids or even older (I still play) this is a very safe way for them to socialize online. With 2 emails and 2 devices you could even play with your child. In the game you create a toon choosing species, sex and color, name it and then venture out into the playgrounds and streets. Doing tasks and defeating the cogs (think managers – Bossbots, financial bigwigs -Cashbots etc.) by using gags on them because they can’t take a joke. Lots of cooperation makes the game easier. They even have speed chat and so younger kids can communicate (one nephew learned to read so he could better communicate).
I thought of a few more recommendations:
Alchemy Story – I found this one on my quest to scratch my Stardew Valley itch without actually replaying Stardew Valley. It’s cute and charming (you can literally pet animals to renew your energy), but a bit simplistic and linear. There are several characters you can romance, although it takes a while to unlock them all. I haven’t gotten far enough in to learn what happens when you settle on one particular NPC, but flirting with them is fun.
XOXO Droplets – A visual novel in which you play an extremely thick-skinned and somewhat shallow high school girl who is perfectly fine with dating guys or dumping them and just being on her own. She’s put in a group with several terrible guys (or supposedly terrible – honestly, I found that their quirks made them seem more three-dimensional than some other dating sim guys) and can potentially romance any of them. The humor is fabulous, and if the stat-raising aspect bothers you (like it did me), the game has a built-in cheat code feature that makes those aspects easier. The free version of the game lets you romance three of the guys, and if you pay for the game all options up. Nate is part of the free version, and he’s the Best Boy. (Okay, I can’t say that for sure, but I did love him,
My Time at Portia – I third the recommendation for this, with the caveat that I eventually stopped playing because it does require combat, and the boss battles got to be too much for my not-really-an-action-gamer self. However, the various romanceable NPC options were great.
Hashihime of the Old Book Town – An explicit m/m visual novel with no choices beyond the ones that open up after each playthrough to allow you to play the other routes. This recommendation comes with the caveat that I’ve only fully played the first couple routes (28 hours of playing time, with several more routes to go), and this game requires major content warnings for suicide, murder, and, if I remember right, moments of dubious consent. The first route was amazing but incredibly emotionally draining, while the romance aspect in the second route didn’t work for me nearly as much.
The trailer for Max Gentlemen made me howl and hit that Add to Cart.
I also adore Dragon Age and want the next installment NOW.
The Witcher 3 has some interesting sexy times, though it take some work to get there.
Echoing the Mass Effect rec for those who like Dragon Age – Garrus is my perfect space boyfriend, and I am physically incapable of romancing anyone else in that game.
Cinders is an amazing version of the Cinderella myth, highly recommended as well.
I played the MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic for a while, and those have romances, some better than others. I’m told the recent expansions are even better, but I haven’t played in a while.
FYI, Steam has a Summer Sale now through July 9 at 10 am PST. Not everything is on sale, but I found Kyoto Winds and Edo Blossoms for 70% off.
@Patricia 23
I can’t believe I wrote that whole thing and forgot to give the name of the new game. Although if you googled Toontown you should get it at the top. Toontown Rewritten is the name. You will need to agree not to hold Disney accountable and then you are on your way.
Two more, Staxel and Littlewood. I’ve got 180 hours into Staxel but that’s more building than friendship. Not sure how much they’ve developed the friendship into romance yet. It’s still WIP.
Littlewood is awesome, Sean is a 1-man developer, very responsive. New updates every other week. I’ve been working on wooing Ash. Gameplay is by action, not timed. only 25 hours here.
Mass Effect, if played through 1-3 with a consistent love interest, is a pretty great romance. There are queer love interest options as well. I prefer to play as Fem Shep and romance Liara, it feels like the most well developed romance, with both the player’s and Liara’s emotional growth as a focus.
Seconding a recomendation further up the thread I really enjoyed Amnesia Memories (I 100% completed it). Most of the routes are completely sweet and tame baring the Toma route (which definitely comes out of nowhere if you don’t know of it. Apparently he’s the most popular character in Japan though so your mileage may vary) and arguably the true route.
Beyond Eden is one of the best dating sims i’ve played on steam but it’s very NSFW and very adult in theme as well as content. Think ‘Count of Monte Cristo’. If you love a villain protagonist; it’s a fun ride. Trigger warnings aplenty and mentioned on the steam page.
Cupid is a free to play visual novel with beautiful artwork and an enthralling story. A gothic romance set in 18th Century France themed around love and revenge. Good endings and bad endings.
Chess of Blades is much lighter and fluffier than the other options listed about but no less compelling. You are Florian, the son of a powerful lord and this is your first time away from home at a grand ball. When a guest is murdered you are drawn into a web of intrigue. Choice of 4 romance partners, NSFW scenes.
Thanks, all, for the great suggestions.
I’ll Nth recommend Stardew Valley. The only content note I’ll add to the list is: I think I remember some characters using gender essentialism insults (like calling a guy a girl as an insult).
Iif you’ve seen a ton of anime and would enjoy a spoof, do try “Hatoful Boyfriend.” This does range over a number of genres including horror…. which I forgot when I recommended it to a horror-averse friend, and she razzes me about it to this day. So fair warning. 🙂
I also loved the Dragon Age games when they came out. Storywise, my favorite is still the first one.
…And, I’ve been playing way way way too much Animal Crossing New Horizons. Happy to share tree fruit with any in need. 🙂
I recommend “Undertale,” too, but with qualifications. FYI, your character doesn’t romance anyone, but you’ll see love blossom between some NPCs depending on how you play. My warnings are: (1) for those with dexterity issues, some unavoidable battles require quick-response clicking. (2) One twist in the game REALLY didn’t sit well with me, and it is hard to describe without spoiling…. so I’ll say: if you have ever gotten really upset at a story not because of a distressing narrative but because a dramatic downturn felt manipulative or even abusive of you the audience, maybe skip this one. Sorry I’m having trouble describing this. Please feel free to ask for more detail.
Overcooked is THE BEST. Overcooked 2 is even better.
The Choice of Games label is great for romance games! Of the many, MANY available, the best (imo) is the Wayhaven Chronicles. It’s got an initial book and a sequel, and there’s several more planned. It’s very much a chose-your-own-adventure type game, but it’s explicitly romance focused and very replayable. The author is a huge Dragon Age fan and it definitely shows.
The Heart of the House is another Choice of Games. That one’s more in the horror vein, but it’s also lovely, and similarly replayable.
Other more visual novel-y ones include Code: Realize, which is really fantastic and has multiple sequels/expansions, all of which are (I believe?) available on switch. Someone above mentioned Dandelion: Wishes Brought To You, and while that it is fantastic, it is surprisingly difficult, and one of the routes (the black cat) is FILLED with trigger warnings, so beware.
Seduce Me and its sequel is another visual novel, also available on steam, and it’s entertaining. Writing is uneven, but I enjoyed it.
Fallen London is a browser game, free to play, and has a lot of romance to it. The same studio also did Sunless Sea and Sunless Skies, and both of those have some small romance parts to them, along with rogue-like gameplay if that’s your thing. The art in all three is *beautiful*
Thank you for all these great recs! I love this community!
Is it too late to add a rec??!! The Room is a slightly spooky, atmospheric escape the room puzzle game. No farming or smooching unfortunately, it is 100% just looking at a very beautiful artisanal puzzle box. The vibe is like when you’re alone in a room of the house you don’t go in often and you slowly start to think, “maybe there is a ghost here? nah…but maybe?” It might be good to stream because it’s just poking at a thing, it’s very chill so there’s room to talk about other things or the puzzle itself but it might be bad because there isn’t so much a story as hints and the concept’s leanness (only solve the puzzle) might be too lean for a group watch. BUT as a just a game to play – it is really fun and satisfying and I recommend it highly! It’s also low risk, I believe the first installment is ~$10 on Steam and it took me about 5 hours to complete it. The sound design is very satisfying (clicks and clacks of latches and buttons, wood paneling softly sliding open, etc) and the puzzles are difficult but not impossible. There are also hints that don’t give too much away which is nice because I hate the feeling when it’s just handed to me. The next two installments require you to move between rooms sometimes which is a little annoying but in exchange you get a little more info on the other two characters (would really like to know more about what happened to Maggie…) and the last one actually requires you replay it to get the best ending (you skip almost the entire game to the part where paths fork though).
Meanwhile…I am bookmarking this page – there are so many interesting games here!