The Latest in Cozy Gaming: Date Everything!

Image C/O: GameRant

By Rowen Murphy
Entertainment Columnist 

Dating simulations are typically categorized as low-stakes, cozy video games that require direct player input. This allows you, as the main character, to get to know a multitude of ‘dateable’ characters through branching dialogue paths, which stick close to a nostalgic choose-your-own-adventure feel. With the wide variety of dating sims on the market, one in particular has piqued my interest. From developers Team 17 and Sassy Chap Games comes the sandbox dating sim, Date Everything! 

In the game Date Everything!, you play as the main character who has recently been replaced by AI in their customer service job for megacorporation Valdivian. This inciting event kicks off our story as a hacker sends the main character a mysterious package containing aviators or ‘Dateviators’ that have the ability to turn household objects into real people; all of whom you have the opportunity to befriend, romance, or antagonize.

With over a hundred fully voiced characters, each featuring a unique storyline, there is something for everyone to enjoy. There is a grand pirate’s quest for lost treasure, clothes hangers with golden retriever energy, a fake dating trope with a certain desk, a door whose main priority has always been to keep you safe, a nightmare to have surprisingly therapeutic conversations with, a wall to stare blankly into as you contemplate the ethics of romancing your personified Existential Dread and of course, so much more!

I am in awe of the art these developers have created and I genuinely feel honored to have had the opportunity to play this in August. Over the course of the game, I fell in love with the main character's home and the characters that inhabit it. I found that it was so easy to adore the characters because they felt real in a sense, not only due to the writing which was absolutely hilarious and downright unhinged at times, but also due to the voice actors who brought such depth to their roles. To add to this, several had storylines that explored events many of us have also experienced. While some of the topics were more sensitive in nature than others, the writing handled them beautifully and with grace.

Hearing about some of the struggles the characters underwent felt cathartic in a sense, as allowing them to tell the main character ensured that they were no longer alone in their thoughts or experiences. By the end of such conversations, Hector, the HVAC system, didn’t feel quite so ashamed about his looks. Rebel, the rubber duck, learned they didn’t need to push everyone away in order to be safe. River, the personification of water, stopped asking others which version of her they preferred and started asking which version she prefers. Barry, the makeup collection, stopped beating himself up over forgetting conversations and instead learned neurodiverse friendly strategies to help him remember the most important moments. Dorian, the household doors, learned the quiet faith that comes with entrusting his heart to someone following a particularly difficult breakup.

The stories that mean something and the ones that hit closest to home are often the ones that most accurately reflect humanity. While these characters started out as household objects, they have come to embody the most positive attributes a human being can aspire to.

As a whole, Date Everything! has a profound amount of heart. In playing the game, you can feel how much care was put into its creation; the soundtrack, the voice acting, the hand-drawn character designs, the witty writing, the incredibly engaging storylines and the home itself. All of this comes together to tell the story of a shut-in who crafted the courage to speak up for themselves with a little help from a cast of truly delightful characters.

Date Everything! is available to play on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, Steam and PC.
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