Five Dates is part of February’s Humble Choice.
“Five Dates is an interactive rom-com about the unpredictable world of digital dating. With five potential female matches, Vinny explores whether compatibility, chemistry and connection is still possible in a world where physical touch is no longer an option.”
I have had this game on my wishlist for a very long time already. Even thought it’s been on sales quite regularly, I never ended up buying it because I have too many other games I should be playing first. So, I was excited to see it as part of this month’s Humble Choice! Since the game costs 12,99 € and is currently on sale for 4,93 €, I would not advice to get Humble Choice if this is the only game that interests you!
The game is an FMV (full motion video) interactive story game with a focus on dating. You play as Vinnie, a character who chooses to go on virtual dates during Covid lockdown. There is also your best friend with whom you’re chatting in between these dates – all via video chats, of course! There is a total of five women to choose from, but you’re only allowed to go on virtual dates with three of them. You can make a few choices of what you say, ask or reply to the women during the dates and they react according to their personality. Your choices influence how well you match with the woman. There is a time limit when you’re asked to make a choice which can be disabled in the options. I did that because it gives a more relaxed experience!
After only 110 minutes of playtime, I am done with my first playthrough. Since it’s basically a story-based game, I count this as having it played through. Of course, I can replay it to experience dates with the two women I didn’t choose the first time. And maybe I will. But in general, when it comes to story games with choices, I like to stay with one playthrough and see it as “this was my story”.
I felt that the scenes with the best friend were just acting as fillers and I could have gone without them! Other than that, I approached the game like I would any roleplaying game. I decided what kind of guy Vinny would be and went with that whenever I had to make a choice. Vinny was basically a male version of me (or my husband as we’re very similar in opinions, things we like and dislike and so on…) and based my answers on that.
As I already said, it’s not an expensive game. And for the amount of money you pay (I take the 5 € as a basis because, again, it’s been on sale regularly), you get some good entertainment! I don’t regret the time I spent playing it and in fact, I would have liked it to be longer. Again, I’m basing this on the way I play such games which doesn’t usually include several playthroughs. But since I never gave two of the women a chance to meet them, I might actually start it again and see how that would work. And the women really do react to the answers you choose, so that’s really nice.
One word of advice: stay away from the Steam Community Hub. I saw so many awful comments about the supposed “ugly” actresses, it was really sad to read…
My verdict: If you’re thinking about getting this month’s Humble Bundle and you are interested in “Five Dates”, then I think it’s a good addition. But it’s not the reason for getting the bundle.
On Valentine’s Day, the sequel “Ten Dates” got released, by the way. They have a demo, so you can give it a try first!
Nerdy Bookahs 
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