Many anime and games have spawned off of each other. TheCastlevaniagames got an anime adaptation and popular anime likeDragon Ball Zhave gotten tons of video games. In the niche gaming world of dating sims,anime adaptations also exist.
The dating sim subgenre of video games that have existedsince the 90s. What makes a game a dating sim is that traditionally the end goal of the story is to end up in a romantic relationship with another character that the player can choose from the cast. Presently,the most successful RPGshave taken on a bit of dating sim elements and blending them intoaction-adventure games.
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When it comes to pure dating sim games though, they are known to be tailored more towards Japanese gamers and are considered niche to international audiences. In fact, international audiences may be aware of the anime, but not the dating sim games that inspired them in the first place.
Updated on August 19th, 2021, by Allison Stalberg:Dating sims are getting a tiny bit more popular. This can be part of an increase in human isolation, from just more word-of-mouth on the internet, or a combination of the two. Some would consider dating sims to be a guilty pleasure, but that stigma is getting old as dating sim games became more internationally normalized. After all, some of the most popular video games are those that include romancing someone out of a selection of characters (like Mass Effect or Fire Emblem).
The anime inspired by these games also played a role in making these titles more popular and less internationally obscure.
12Hakuoki
Technically,Hakuokiis an otome game. Otome is a bit of a subgenre of dating sim games, as it always has a female lead who chooses a male character to form a strong bond with (and the bond is not always necessarily romantic). Not only is this title an otome game, but it also is historical fantasy. The game inspired an anime that lasted for three seasons. Not only that, but it got two movies.
The story follows a girl among the Shinsengumi (a special police force during Japan’s Bakumatsu period). Various characters have an affection meter and how the game ends partly depends on where the meter is at.
11Sakura Wars
Sakura Warsis a steampunk dating sim owned by Sega. While its first game was released in the ’90s, the latest entry came out in 2019. The anime and games feature women with magical abilities and steam-powered mechs that they use to fight supernatural enemies. There are five titles to the main series and plenty of spin-off games as well.
The anime has 25 episodes and has a very different story than the games.
10Prince Of Stride
This dating sim combines sports and romance. The sport in question is called “Stride,” which is a lotlike parkour. The sport has teams that consist of six people that run through town. The main character is Nana Sakurai (though players can change her name), and she becomes the leader of her own team and must prepare herself and them for the tournament.
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The game came out for the PS Vita in 2015 and got a 12 episode anime just a year later.
9Amnesia
This trilogy wasfor the PS Vitafrom 2011 to 2013. It is another otome game and contains five different storylines. The player chooses a card deck symbol between Heart, Spade, Clover, Diamond, and Joker, each standing for one story route with a specific male character. Each route is in a parallel world. As the game title hints at, the main character has amnesia. Depending on the route, the protagonist also gets amnesia in different ways.
The anime series got 12 episodes and was released in 2013.
8La Storia Della Arcana Famiglia
The Italian title for this game translates to “The Story of the Arcane Family.” It was released in 2011 for the PSP and has its foot in several genres from reverse-harem to adventure and romance. The story is about a powerful organization that makes contracts with Arcana cards that give them various powers. The leader of the organization decides to retire and holds a contest for who will be the new boss. Whoever is the new boss will also win his daughter’s hand-in-marriage.
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The leader’s daughter, Felicità, is not happy about this and joins the tournament herself to decide which of the contestants she truly loves.
7Photo Kano
Released in 2012, this PSP game is about a second-year high school student named Kazuya Maeda. He likes to do photography and meets girls at his school through that passion. An anime series based onPhoto Kanocame out in 2013 with 13 episodes. The game was popular enough to get an enhanced version for the PS Vita in the same year as the anime release.
While players are given options as to which girl to date, the most well-known one is on the game’s cover, Haruka Niimi. She is Kazuya’s childhood friend.
6Galaxy Angel
This sci-fi strategy dating sim has multiple games which could be played on the PS2, Xbox, and PC. There is an original trilogy as well as a sequel trilogy. Those who watch the anime and those who play the games might know the characters as different people though, as their personalities are altered depending on the media. The storyline is pretty different as well.
The protagonist is Commander Takuto Meyers, and he can pick one of the Galaxy Angels to romance.
5Doki Doki Literature Club
Doki Doki Literature Clubis a psychological horror story dressed as a dating sim, and that is part of what makes it famous. It deconstructs the genre in a way that is surprisingly impactful in its plot twists. It has won awards, which is not very typical of dating sims, and it dives into themes such as depression and grief. It is certainly not a title for the light-hearted.
The anime version is far less known. It is directed by Takashi Watanabe, who has also directedSpace Pirate Mito, Boogiepop Phantom, Slayers,andDemon King Daimao.
4Girl Friend Beta
Released only in Japanin 2012, the firstGirl Friend Betagame is actually for iOS and Android. Later in 2015, it got its own console game for the PS Vita. The anime series came out in 2014 with 12 episodes.
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The games are not known for their plot, as they mostly come down to interacting with virtual female characters and trying to get their intimacy meter up. Players have a ton of choices since there are over a hundred female characters, each with a unique voice actress.
3Comic Party
Sometimes abbreviated to “Comipa,” this dating sim was actually inspired by a real convention called “Comiket” that occurred in Tokyo twice a year.Comic Partywas released in 1999 for Windows, Dreamcast, and PSP. A manga and anime adaptation for the game came out around the same time in 2001. The anime got a sequel calledComic Party Revolution.
The story’s protagonist is Kazuki Sendō and he is at a monthly Comic Party convention. The player’s choices both influence how many copies of his work he can sell as well as which woman at the convention he can date.
