Later Daters is a decision-based visual novel. The game was released on 16th April 2020 and is available to play on Nintendo Switch and PC. It was both developed and published by Bloom Digital Media. Bloom Digital Media are currently focusing on building narrative-driven games. On their website, they feature two games, Later Daters and LongStory. Both games are dating simulators focused around building relationships.
Not Too Late
Later Daters, as I have mentioned, is a decision-based visual novel. At the beginning of the game, you have a set of choices to make around the look and background of your character. You are then thrown into a retirement home with a bunch of horny old people. It is down to you to get to know people and choose who you want to spend the rest of your days with. Throughout the entire game, you will have several decisions to make, and this will determine how your story turns out. The dialogue options will also determine whether or not the other characters like you.
At the moment, the story for the game only has three chapters. These chapters are represented by the first three days of you being in the retirement home and are split by morning, afternoon and evening. It is up to you what you do with that time. I am very anxious to find out what will happen next when further chapters and days are released. I was a bit disappointed when I discovered that there were only three chapters so far. It really doesn’t take long to complete, so it feels like it is over before it has begun. With that being said, because the game is so short, it is extremely cheap to purchase.
Love Is Love Is Love
The great thing about Later Daters is the cast of characters. Each one is unique and creative in the way they look and in their personality. The game covers all types of people with every sexual preference included. This is great to see in a modern visual novel because it allows the player to get to know each individual character to the fullest. This also allows you to build an emotional connection to your character and the other characters. Because each character is so unique, not only will you be able to work through your character’s personal problems, but you will need to help others with theirs. If that is what you choose to do, of course.
Throughout the game, as I have mentioned, there are multiple options and choices to make. I was pleasantly surprised by the number of choices that there are. At the beginning of the game, there aren’t many options for how your character looks. After you have created your character, this is when the multiple choice and decision-making really kicks in. When it comes to dialogue and what you actually do with your time in the game, you will have a very impressive number of options.
Short-lived
I have already touched on some of the issues with Later Daters. The main issue is that the story is extremely short at the moment, but hopefully there is more to come. This is balanced out by the price of the game being so low. With that being said, some people may find that they don’t want to bother with a visual novel that can be completed within an hour and then have to wait for more. I think some players may end up waiting until the rest of the game has been released.
The other issue with the game is the amount of choice when it comes to how your character looks at the beginning of the game. There are three options on how your male or female character looks, three for their background story and three for their choice of pet. The options for the pets are fine because it covers your typical most popular pets, like cats and dogs, but the issue is more with the look of your character.
When the rest of the game is released, or at least more of the game is released, I am hopeful that more options for these features will be added. I would be more than happy to start the game from the beginning to choose from a wider variety of looks for my character.
Later Daters Overall
Later Daters offers players a great variety of choice after you have created your character with dialogue and how you choose to spend your time. The main issues of the game lie with the length and with the lack of choices when creating your character’s appearance. Even though the game has these issues, I would say that it is still worth playing. The greatest thing about the game is the creativity and uniqueness of the other characters and their stories. Even though you don’t get much time to play the game, it is extremely intriguing and leaves you feeling like you want more.
Developer: Bloom Digital Media
Publisher: Bloom Digital Media
Platform: Nintendo Switch, PC
Release Date: 16th April 2020
