HuniePop

So upfront Huniepop is exactly what it appears to be. A match 3 game mixed with some dating sim elements. Now I just have to figure out if it is a good game as well. If taken seriously the story in this game would be pretty bad but it has a humorous tint that I rather enjoyed for the first few hours. It stars a down on his luck dude/lady that has been chosen by the love fairy Kyu who plans on making him/her into a stud. To do this he/she will have to learn how to say the right thing along with being able to become a expert at playing a match 3 game.

The puzzle portion of the game is slightly more complicated than matching a bunch of icons till you win. You will only get a limited amount of turns to compete each date and if you don't get enough points it'll end with a failure. Each girl also has different icons that she likes more which means they'll be worth more points if you match them. To aid you in winning their love you will get heart icons that multiply the point values you earn or diamond icons that give you access to power ups that could clean part of the board. Typing this out made me realize that the puzzle part of this game is really good and it was fun to play.

One other thing that links both sections of the game together is a upgrade tree that makes pieces in the puzzle game worth more or less in case of the heartbreak icon. To upgrade this tree the player will need to sweet talk at least one of the 8 different dateble girls. The choices are presented in a multiple choice format and picking the wrong option only hinders the player slightly by giving him less upgrade points. The dating sim part of this game has the best and the most boring parts of the game. The introductions of all the characters were easily the best story moments in this game. Their interactions with the other girls is silly and is more interesting than when they talk to the player. Every choice the player has when talking just comes down to a multiple choice answer that either requires remembering a generic trait of the girl or choosing the answer that fits with her personality. With zero unique events it becomes rather bland after a while.

So I expect a bit more from a visual novel/dating sim game. At minimum I expect to see a conclusion to a story arc or even multiple endings if they are feeling ambitious. Unfortunately this game has none of them in lieu of boobs. Who needs basic storytelling when you have such a trump card huh. Maybe I'm expecting a bit much from a puzzle game but that side of the game was such a disappointment. They may not have tried very hard on that part but it is a really good puzzle game. As Jeff Gerstmann has noted many times over the years it is fun to see the numbers continue to go up. Which this game has in spades especially if you become good at puzzling out bigger combos. Overall I rather enjoyed my time playing this game. Yet is it a game I could recommend to someone? I'm going with I don't know.. It is a good time-waster game to play for a while to relax. Just know what you're getting into if you do decide to check it out.