Line #86 Main/DatingSim


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4	[[quoteright:350:[[Literature/{{MM}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Ryuumaru_M_9586.jpg]]]]
5	[[caption-width-right:350:"Let's see; she's smiling, so option one should work -- unless that throwaway line of dialogue back in Chapter 2 was hinting that she was actually a {{Tsundere}} and so I should choose number two... [[GuideDangIt hold on while I check the FAQ]]."]]
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7	The Dating Sim is a type of game designed to set up goals, usually in the forms of schedules and stats corresponding to social skills, which must be achieved to discover a story focused entirely around the CharacterDevelopment of the player's chosen DATE, get [[HGame into their pants]], or both. This leads to MultipleEndings, though some Dating Sims make it possible to see several of these "endings" in a single playthrough.
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9	Some Sim Date games have been made into [[HaremGenre Harem]] anime, though the result is usually nothing special due to [[SelfCensoredRelease the removal of sex]] and the fact that the narrative can no longer focus on any single character.
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11	Because there is almost no market for true Dating Sim games outside of Japan, it's a frequent misunderstanding among western gamers that "Dating Sim" is the general term for all [[RomanceGame ren'ai (romantic love) games]]. In fact, many romance games are {{Visual Novel}}s, which is a much different game style. (See for example, the difference between the ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' series, which is very close to a VisualNovel style of gameplay, and the ''[[VideoGame/DeadOrAlive DOA]] Xtreme'' series, which is the closest thing to a true Dating Sim with mass-market appeal in the US.) If the game plays out like a {{Gamebook\|s}}, that's a VisualNovel. If it feels like you're playing an RPG, trying to keep track of everyone's feelings about you and giving out presents, that's a Dating Sim.
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13	In recent years, there have been many {{Role Playing Game}}s that incorporate dating sim elements. These dating sim elements are often referred to as {{Romance Sidequest}}s in the RPG genre. {{Life Simulation Game}}s and {{Farm Life Sim}}s also tend to feature dating sim elements.
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15	----
16
17	!!Examples:
18
19	[[index]]
20	* ''7 Sins'' - A French dating sim that revolves around you getting on top of the social ladder based on the Seven Sins. One of the ways to achieve this is of course by romancing girls to have sex with them. If you achieve this you can unlock some mini games. The game was only released in Europe and Brazil.
21	* ''VideoGame/AgarestSenki'' - Where the level of affection between the protagonist and the chosen heroine will affect the outcome of the next generation protagonist.
22	** ''VideoGame/AgarestSenkiZero''
23	** ''VideoGame/AgarestSenki2''
24	* ''VideoGame/AlwaysRememberMe''
25	* ''VideoGame/{{Amagami}}''
26	* ''VideoGame/{{Angelique\|KoeiTecmo}}''
27	* ''VisualNovel/AngelsWithScalyWings''
28	* ''VideoGame/{{Apostle}}'' - A cross with EasternRPG created by Kamichichi
29	* ''VideoGame/AzureDreams'' - The game alternated between DungeonCrawling / {{Roguelike}} gameplay and dating sim gameplay.
30	* ''VisualNovel/BackstagePass''
31	* ''VisualNovel/BeautyAndTheWarXPlayingPieces'' - Notably, there is the option of going through the game single or switching between suitors, so you aren't locked into any particular romantic routes.
32	* ''VideoGame/BestFriendForever'' - A cross between this and a VirtualPet game.
33	* ''VideoGame/BlackMatrix''
34	* ''VideoGame/BoyfriendDungeon'' — A dating sim/dungeon crawler mash-up.
35	* ''VideoGame/BraveSoul'' - A cross with the EasternRPG genres.
36	* ''VideoGame/BrooktownHigh'' - the Americanized ''VisualNovel/TokimekiMemorial''.
37	* ''VisualNovel/C14Dating''
38	* ''VisualNovel/ChopChopFruitSaladMysteryJamDokiDokiDatingSimTHingy'': A parody of the genre starring sentient fruit.
39	* ''VideoGame/ChronoDays''
40	* ''VisualNovel/ComicParty''
41	* ''VisualNovel/ComingOutOnTop'' - A {{Yaoi}} and borderline BaraGenre romance game for computers, released by Obscura Soft.
42	* ''VideoGame/CrushCrush'' - A cross with the IdleGame genre.
43	** ''VideoGame/BlushBlush'' - Its SpearCounterpart.
44	** ''VisualNovel/HushHushOnlyYourLoveCanSaveThem'' - A full-fledged visual novel starring the cast of the previous two games.
45	* ''VideoGame/CuteKnight'' series:
46	** ''VideoGame/CuteKnight1''
47	** ''VideoGame/CuteKnightKingdom''
48	* ''VideoGame/{{Dandelion}} - Wishes Brought to You -''
49	* ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive "Xtreme Beach Volleyball"''
50	* ''VisualNovel/DokiDokiLiteratureClub'' - Presents itself as one of these, but quickly GenreShift[=s=] into horror.
51	* ''VisualNovel/{{Doukyusei}}'' - [[TropeMakers One of the first hugely popular and successful games in the category]], [[TropeCodifier paving the way for everything that came after]].
52	* ''VisualNovel/DontTakeItPersonallyIJustDontLikeYou''
53	* ''VisualNovel/DreamDaddy'' - where you, as a single father, date other single fathers.
54	* ''VideoGame/DreamCClub''
55	* ''VideoGame/{{Edelweiss}}'': A dating sim set in the universe of VideoGame/KaiserreichLegacyOfTheWeltkrieg, an AlternateHistory GameMod for grand strategy game VideoGame/HeartsOfIronIV (yes, you read that right).
56	* ''VideoGame/{{Eversoul}}'' - the game is primarily a combat-oriented IdleGame, but one of its notable features is the Bond system and the girls' personal Love Stories, which can end up being platonic or romantic.
57	* ''VisualNovel/FunbagFantasySeries''
58	** ''VisualNovel/FunbagFantasy''
59	*** ''VisualNovel/FunbagFantasySideboobStory''
60	*** ''VisualNovel/FunbagFantasySideboobStory2''
61	** ''VisualNovel/FunbagFantasy2''
62	** ''VisualNovel/FunbagFantasy3''
63	* ''VideoGame/GalaxyAngel'' gameverse - real-time strategy meets SpaceOpera HaremGenre
64	** ''VisualNovel/GalaxyAngelII''
65	* ''VideoGame/GateKeepers''
66	* ''VideoGame/GirlCafeGun''
67	* ''VideoGame/GrowingUp'', albeit [[RomanceSidequest romancing your classmates is optional]] as you can still get their good endings by staying friends with them
68	* ''VideoGame/HarukanaruTokiNoNakaDe''
69	* ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonNatsume''
70	* ''VideoGame/HarvestTown'' has a Dating system which allows the player to invite their bachelor/bachelorette of choice out on a date in various locations to unlock story cutscenes, increase their RelationshipValues and possibly get decoration rewards.
71	* ''VisualNovel/HatofulBoyfriend''A satire parody where you date birds[[spoiler: however, it ends up turning into horror in the hurtful route]] and the sequel Holiday Star [[spoiler: which also develops into horror at the end]]
72	* ''VideoGame/Heartache101SourIntoSweet''
73	* ''VisualNovel/HerJentleHiness'' While not the main objective of the game there are quite a lot of different characters, male, female and nonbinary, for Eorina to become romantically involved with.
74	* ''VideoGame/{{Herotome}}''
75	* ''VisualNovel/HookedOnYou'' - A ''VideoGame/DeadByDaylight'' spinoff
76	* ''VisualNovel/HowToDateAMagicalGirl''
77	* ''VideoGame/HuniePop'' combines this with a MatchThreeGame.
78	** ''VideoGame/HuniePop2''
79	* ''VisualNovel/HustleCat''
80	* ''VideoGame/IdolDays''
81	* ''VideoGame/TheIdolMaster'' games all include this, except ''Live For You'' and ''Shiny Festa''.
82	* ''VisualNovel/IJustWantToBeSingle!'' is an "anti-dating sim" where the socially-awkward, aromantic protagonist Aya has to convince her UnwantedHarem of eccentric schoolgirls she just wants to be friends. She has to keep her relationship levels high, [[DoWellButNotPerfect but no so high the other girls fall in love with her]].
83	* ''VisualNovel/ILoveYouColonelSanders''
84	* ''VideoGame/IslandSaga''
85	* ''VideOGame/IWasATeenageExocolonist'' includes tracking the RelationshipValues of your {{Love Interest}}s and boosting them by giving them gifts and bonding with them. However, dating them is optional since the flirt options are clearly marked so you can skip them while you can still [[EvolvingTitleScreen earn them on the title screen]] regardless by maxing out their heart meters.
86	* ''VisualNovel/JohnCenasSexyHighSchoolAdventure''
87	* ''VisualNovel/JustDeserts'', an RPG combat game by Indonesian developer Vifth Floor.
88	* ''VisualNovel/KaichuTheKaijuDatingSim''
89	* ''VisualNovel/KatawaShoujo''
90	* ''VideoGame/{{Kimikiss}}''
91	* ''VideoGame/KingdomDays''
92	* ''VideoGame/LaCordaDOro''
93	* ''Literature/ListenToMeGirlsIAmYourFather''
94	* ''VideoGame/LivePowerfulProBaseball'' - The notable features of the Success and My Life modes where you date a girl for extra stat and morale boosts in the former, and build up for a marriage in the latter.
95	** ''VideoGame/MLBPowerPros'', the American ForeignRemake
96	** ''VideoGame/PowerProKunPocket1''
97	** ''VideoGame/PowerProKunPocket2''
98	** ''VideoGame/PowerProKunPocket3''
99	** ''VideoGame/PowerProKunPocket4''
100	** ''VideoGame/PowerProKunPocket5''
101	** ''VideoGame/PowerProKunPocket6''
102	** ''VideoGame/PowerProKunPocket7''
103	** ''VideoGame/PowerProKunPocket8''
104	** ''VideoGame/PawapokeDash''
105	** ''VideoGame/PowerProKunPocket9''
106	** ''VideoGame/PowerProKunPocket10''
107	** ''VideoGame/PowerProKunPocket11''
108	** ''VideoGame/PowerProKunPocket12''
109	** ''VideoGame/PowerProKunPocket13''
110	** ''VideoGame/PowerProKunPocket14''
111	** ''VideoGame/LivePowerfulProBaseballMobile''
112	* ''VideoGame/LoveAndSexSecondBase''
113	* ''VisualNovel/LovebrushChronicles''
114	* ''Manga/LoveHina Advance''
115	* ''VideoGame/LovePlus''
116	* ''VisualNovel/LoversOfAether''
117	* ''VisualNovel/LuckyRabbitReflex''
118	* ''VideoGame/LunarDays''
119	* ''VisualNovel/MagicalDiary''
120	* ''VisualNovel/MagicalWarriorDiamondHeart''
121	* ''VisualNovel/ManEnough''
122	* ''VideoGame/MatchesAndMatrimony'' - A ''Literature/PrideAndPrejudice'' Tale
123	* ''VideoGame/MeineLiebe''
124	* ''VideoGame/MemoryDays''
125	* ''VisualNovel/MinotaurHotel'' - Though there's only one LoveInterest.
126	* ''VideoGame/MitsumeteKnight''
127	* ''VisualNovel/MonsterProm'' - A competitive dating sim in which up to 4 players can work together so everyone get a date or compete for the same date for the school's prom. Has a few released and planned sequels, some of which depart from the original dating sim formula but all of which include some romance options:
128	** ''Monster Prom: Second Term'' (a [=DLC=] for the first game)
129	** ''Monster Prom 2: Monster Camp'' (a direct sequel)
130	** ''Monster Prom 3: Monster Roadtrip'' (a survival/resource management game)
131	** ''Monster Prom: Monster Retreat'' (announced, a strategy game)
132	** ''Monster Prom: Not Another Isekai'' (working title, announced)
133	** ''Monster Prom: Reverse'' (announced, a GaidenGame of the original reversing the roles of the playable and dateable characters)
134	* ''VideoGame/MrMassagy'' - A very strange and quirky tale of a guy trying to get a date on [[BlandNameProduct Linger]]
135	* ''Anime/MyHime (Unmei no Keitouju)''
136	* ''VideoGame/MyTimeAtPortia''
137	* ''VideoGame/MyTimeAtSandrock''
138	* ''VideoGame/NamcoHigh''
139	* ''VisualNovel/{{Nameless}}: The One Thing You Must Recall -''
140	* ''VisualNovel/{{Nicole}}''
141	* ''VideoGame/OperationDance''
142	* ''VisualNovel/{{Otomania}}''
143	* ''VisualNovel/OtometekiKoiKakumeiLoveRevo''
144	* ''VisualNovel/OurLovelyEscape''
145	* ''VideoGame/PalaisDeReine''
146	* ''VideoGame/Persona3'' - Fusion with standard EasternRPG, with RelationshipValues that [[LevelUpAtIntimacy5 aid]] in DungeonCrawling segments. And not every relationship is romantic.
147	** ''VideoGame/Persona4'' - Same as ''Persona 3''.
148	** ''VideoGame/Persona5'' - Same as ''Persona 3'' and ''Persona 4'' .
149	* ''VisualNovel/PizzaGame'': An [[StylisticSuck intentionally subpar]] parody of the genre.
150	* ''VideoGame/ThePKGirl''
151	* ''VisualNovel/PrincessDebut''
152	* ''VisualNovel/REAlistair''
153	* ''VideoGame/{{Redshirt}}'' - contains Dating Sim elements amongst various other life simulator aspects.
154	* ''VideoGame/RivieraThePromisedLand'' contains some Dating Sim subplots.
155	* ''VideoGame/{{Roommates}}''
156	* ''VideoGame/RuneFactory'':
157	** ''VideoGame/RuneFactory1''
158	** ''VideoGame/RuneFactoryFrontier''
159	** ''VideoGame/RuneFactory2''
160	** ''VideoGame/RuneFactory3''
161	** ''VideoGame/RuneFactory4''
162	** ''VideoGame/RuneFactory5''
163	** ''VideoGame/RuneFactoryOceans''
164	* ''[[VisualNovel/SavetheDatePaperDino Save the Date]]''
165	* ''VideoGame/SakuraWars'' - contains a combination of Dating Sim elements and turn-based strategic mecha battles where RelationshipValues dictate your units' fighting ability
166	** ''VideoGame/SakuraWars1996''
167	** ''VideoGame/SakuraWars2ThouShaltNotDie''
168	** ''VideoGame/SakuraWars3IsParisBurning''
169	** ''VideoGame/SakuraWars4FallInLoveMaidens''
170	** ''VideoGame/SakuraWarsSoLongMyLove''
171	** ''VideoGame/SakuraWars2019''
172	* ''VideoGame/SentimentalGraffiti''
173	* ''VideoGame/ShiningResonance'' depends heavily on its dating aspect to unlock character traits for your party members and to unlock the game's multiple endings.
174	* ''VideoGame/ShiraOkaSecondChances''
175	* ''VideoGame/TheSims'' series - You can devote all, none, or some of your gameplay towards romance subplots.
176	** ''VideoGame/TheSims1''
177	** ''VideoGame/TheSims2''
178	** ''VideoGame/TheSims3''
179	** ''VideoGame/TheSims4''
180	* ''Literature/SisterPrincess'' is actually a series of LightNovels, but the way the story and characters are set up is very similar to typical dating sims. The series would later get an actual dating sim based on it for the Playstation.
181	* ''VisualNovel/SlayThePrincess'' - That is, if you decide not to slay her...
182	* ''VideoGame/SoulTide'' - Combined with DungeonCrawling EasternRPG elements. Dolls have a bond level that players can raise by giving them gifts and taking them on dates. In return, players gain bond stories and memory keys needed to "unlock" the girls' pasts that gives them stat boosts.
183	* ''VideoGame/StarOcean'' - A series of {{Eastern RPG}}s that include a relationship-building system similar to Dating Sims.
184	* ''VideoGame/StardewValley'' - Having Dating Sim subplots in the vein of ''Harvest Moon'', its direct inspiration.
185	* ''VisualNovel/StormLover''
186	* ''VideoGame/StoryOfSeasons'' games include Dating Sim subplots. These were formerly known as ''Harvest Moon.''
187	* ''VisualNovel/SuckerForLove'' - A dating sim where you romance Lovecraftian monsters, but a dating sim nevertheless
188	* ''VideoGame/SummertimeSaga''
189	* ''VideoGame/SummonNight''
190	** ''VideoGame/SummonNightSwordcraftStory''
191	** ''VideoGame/SummonNightSwordcraftStory2''
192	* ''VideoGame/{{Sweet33}}''
193	* ''VideoGame/SwooningOverStansAGrunkleDatingSimulator''- A fan made one for ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'', in which the player can date either Stan or Ford in a story taking place a year after the canon story’s end.
194	* ''VideoGame/ThousandArms''
195	* ''VideoGame/TinyLife'' Like with The Sims, you can devote all, none, or some of your gameplay towards romance subplots.
196	* ''VisualNovel/TodayImHarvestingYou''
197	* ''VisualNovel/TokimekiMemorial'' - One of the first truly successful "family-friendly" Dating Sims, proving that the genre didn't have to rely on porngraphic material, but could indeed court a more mainstream audience, [[TropeCodifier thus parving the way for a wave of]] TamerAndChaster entries into the genre (plus some of the older examples getting released in [[SelfCensoredRelease cleaner versions]]).
198	** ''VisualNovel/TokimekiMemorialGirlsSide'' is its otome variant.
199	* ''Anime/TokyoMajin''
200	* ''VisualNovel/TrueLoveJunaiMonogatari''
201	* ''VisualNovel/ValiDateStrugglingSinglesInYourArea''
202	* ''VisualNovel/War13thDay'' - You have to go through each boy's RomanceArc to unravel the mind-boggling mystery of this trippy VisualNovel.
203	* ''VisualNovel/WitchesXWarlocks'' - a fantasy dating sim where the protagonist tries to find love all while studying for their finals coming up in seven days.
204	* ''VideoGame/WonderlandDays''
205	* ''VideoGame/WorldsDawn''
206	* ''VideoGame/YoakeMaeYoriRuriiroNa''
207	* ''VisualNovel/ZodiacAxis''
208	[[/index]]
209
210	!!Parodies
211	* The genre in some forms is OlderThanTheyThink, as are parodies of it: the UrExample in commercial games, ''Softporn Adventure'' (released on the Platform/AppleII in 1981 by [[Creator/{{Sierra}} Sierra On-Line]]) went far in [[{{Deconstruction}} deconstructing]] the nascent genre even as it was [[UnbuiltTrope setting the stage for it]]. The game was later remade in an ActionAdventure style as the first game in the infamous ''VideoGame/LeisureSuitLarry'' franchise, which took the satirical elements even further. Despite this, it is unlikely that those games significantly impacted the style's evolution in Japan, which developed independently of them, and remains a rare Western example of the type.
212	* Season 3 of ''Anime/{{Aggretsuko}}'' opens up with Retsuko playing a dating sim called ''Heartthrob! Virtual Boyfriend'', featuring a handsome {{bishonen}} unicorn named Seiya, to cope with a recent breakup. She ends up going into debt due to blowing all her money on buying items for her virtual boyfriend.
213	* Done as a joke at a comicon in Japan, where Studio Pierrot showed a redubbed set of ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' clips meant to be an advertisement for an upcoming dating sim.
214	* ''VisualNovel/ClassOf09'' advertises itself as a "reverse dating sim" where instead of playing an average joe looking to date a bunch of cute girls players assume the role of a hot girl who only strings guys along for her own personal gain. As stated by the game itself:
215	-->It's not a dating sim. It's a '''rejection sim.'''
216	* ''Literature/DateALive'' plays this straight with the twist that the protagonist doesn't make the decision making part. Rather, it's his ''sister'' and the Ratatoskr crew aboard the [[CoolShip Fraxinus]] who makes the decision making part.
217	* The JournalComic [[http://doodlediaries.comicgenesis.com/d/20110325.html Doodle Diaries]] featured a short parody of dating sims, starring the three main characters as the love interests.
218	* ''Anime/ExcelSaga'', naturally, did an episode parodying these. In a RunningGag, the male characters suddenly find themselves in a game with several options, the last generally being "Put It In." Il Palazzo, playing the game, gets a bad ending by killing the PatientChildhoodLoveInterest who wakes him up in the game, before even leaving for school.
219	** In the last two episodes, Watanabe gets the dating sim option popup when he encounters Hyatt. He almost gets the good ending, too, but Excel interrupts.
220	* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' has an ongoing [[SatireParodyPastiche pastiche]] of one, which leads to dating one of four characters (one of which is TheLancer and [[GayOption extremely male]]) at a minor scene later on. Interestingly, all of them contain some character and plot development - Aerith's scene foreshadows Cloud's TomatoInTheMirror moment later on, Tifa's serves as proof that she CannotSpitItOut, Yuffie's is the only one in which Cloud [[ChasteHero actually gets a kiss]], and Barret's is part non-sequitur rant, part self-parodying HoYay, and culminates in Cloud being (bizarrely) accused of being a paedophile. Cloud's relationships with other characters also affect several other scenes, including one near the end of the game that may imply a [[OptionalSexualEncounter sexual encounter]] with Tifa if her RelationshipValues with Cloud are high enough.
221	* Week 6 of ''VideoGame/FridayNightFunkin'' is set inside of a [[{{Retraux}} 16-bit]] Dating Sim set in a stereotypical Japanese high school, whose protagonist is in love with [[LoveInterest the Girlfriend]]. This week introduces visual novel-style dialogue boxes to provide cutscenes before each song. [[spoiler:By the third song, it's revealed that the Senpai is actually [[TrappedInTVLand someone who was imprisoned within the dating sim]] by Girlfriend's Father, and he wants to steal the Boyfriend's body to escape and get revenge.]]
222	* In ''Literature/FullMetalPanic'', Sousuke's classmates attempt to prepare him for a date by having him play a Dating Sim. His military-wired mind causes him to be blatantly honest to the girl, upsetting her and losing the game, much to his consternation.
223	* In ''Manga/{{Genshiken}}'', shameless {{Otaku}} Madarame spends almost a whole episode in a room alone with DungeonMastersGirlfriend Saki, trying to work up the courage to talk to her. This is emphasised by dream sequences in which he imagines her as a character in a Dating Sim, complete with ArtShift - and repeatedly ends up clicking 'Do nothing'. He bemoans in his internal monologue how real life has more choices than just three, and how it's [[ButThouMust not always obvious which one to make]].
224	* Parodied in ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' with Giffany, a perky AI from a Japanese dating sim [[AIIsACrapshoot which gained sentience]] and became a psychotic {{yandere}} towards anyone who plays her game.
225	* In ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'', Korea asks if China likes him. China is about to respond with no, but stops when he sees a little box above Korea that says that any response will lead to sex. Which is somewhat awkward considering the two are brothers.
226	-->'''Yes:''' "Than it's alright if I XXX than?"\
227	'''No:''' [[BlackComedyRape "If you don't like me, I'll just XXX you!"]]
228	* In the Strong Bad email [[http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail81.html date]], Strong Bad creates the “WebAnimation/HomestarRunner and Marzipan Extra Real Dating Sim XR” to simulate what he imagines what Homestar and Marzipan actually do on a date. It's mostly just them saying "Duh", occasionally pausing to talk about how awesome Strong Bad is.
229	* ''VideoGame/LaMulana'', upon acquiring certain {{Platform/MSX}} [=ROMs=], lets you play what at first appears to be an MSX knockoff of ''VisualNovel/TokimekiMemorial'', and the heroine, Shiori, is talking about how she'd like to take her friendship with Taihei (your character) to the next level until [[spoiler:she comments that she had a toothache since this morning. Taihei then discovers a piece of fake skin on the ground, and Shiori then [[ReplicantSnatching reveals herself to be a]] VisualNovel/{{Snatcher}}. After satirical dialogue on women in dating sims, you're thrown into a battle against Shiori while being careful not to shoot the "game mascot", Gyonin (A.K.A. Metal Fish [=MSX3=] Turbo R Plus)]]. After the whole ordeal is over, another girl named Nijino runs up... [[spoiler:only to reveal herself as a Snatcher as well.]] And the whole thing starts all '''Syntax error in 1220'''
230	* Likewise, one episode of ''Anime/MagicalShoppingArcadeAbenobashi'' featured a world that partially functioned as a Dating Sim (with an all-girl cast and drawn in a {{Moe}} style), to the point of Sasshi requesting a replay so he could end up with a different girl.
231	* ''[[http://jamespatton.itch.io/masques-and-murder Masques and Murder]]'' is a vicious GenreDeconstruction: your three "suitors" are detestable scumbags who murdered your father and brother and you work at improving your skills and impressing them not to find true love with them, but to make them let down their guard enough for you to kill them in revenge.
232	* There's two 'dates' in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPeaceWalker'', where you can go to the beach with either Paz or [[GayOption Kaz]]. You speak to them using the Co-Op battle cries, and then (if they like you) you can invite them into the cardboard box for [[SexyDiscretionShot quality time]]. They're parody, but both Paz and Kaz have different personalities which come out during the dates (Paz likes being complimented and treated gently, Kaz likes being punched and Big Boss staring at his crotch with the binoculars). Hilariously, you have to successfully seduce both to get the HundredPercentCompletion conversation.
233	* ''Manga/MonthlyGirlsNozakiKun'' had a story where Mikoshiba convinced Nozaki to try a dating sim in order to try and understand girls better. After a false start[[note]]Nozaki decides to role-play the male lead from his manga ''Let's Fall in Love'', which results in him telling all the girls in the game to leave him alone, justifying it by saying that the character already has a LoveInterest[[/note]], they end up getting emotionally invested in the main character's best friend Tomoda and decide to write a {{Doujin}} to address the fact that he ended the game without a girlfriend. However, the only character with whom Tomoda has any meaningful interaction is the main character himself, which results in the doujin unintentionally becoming BoysLove.
234	* ''Manga/MyBrideIsAMermaid'' has an episode where San's Dad, Lunar's Dad, Shark Fujishiro, and Masa played one of these games in an attempt to understand girls' feelings so they can better relate to San and Lunar. It ends up failing in an epic fashion.
235	* ''Manga/NoMatterHowILookAtItItsYouGuysFaultImNotPopular'' also makes focus on Dating Sim tactics (particularly of the ''Otome'' variety), but unlike the above example it gets played in a CringeComedy setting akin to ''Anime/WelcomeToTheNHK''.
236	* ''Literature/NyarukoCrawlingWithLove'':
237	** The fourth episode of the Haiyoru! Nyarani short flash animation. Nyarko is seen playing ''[[Creator/HPLovecraft Lovecraft]] [[VideoGame/LovePlus Plus]]''. It's an {{Inverted\|Trope}} Dating Sim, the character has [[SanityMeter SAN]] among the [[TabletopGame/CallOfCthulhu character's stats]], which measure your resistance to the {{Yandere}}s [[StalkerWithACrush who are after you]]. Lose enough SAN and you end up with her forever, wallowing in your mutual insanity.
238	** The eighth episode of the television anime has the cast [[TrappedInTVLand stuck in a cursed dating sim]], and they will only escape once Mahiro declares his love for one of them. [[{{Tsundere}} He is reluctant to do so]], so it works out as an inversion as above. The episode parodies or references plenty of romance game/anime clichés (starting with ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'').
239	* ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario'' parodies the genre in a pre-BossBattle cutscene. When the boss, a geeky chameleon named Francis, meets Princess Peach, the game turns into a dating sim with Francis playing it and the player providing her responses. Princess Peach quickly becomes annoyed at the concept, and sics Boomer on the [=Nerr2Babe=] Interface - which has the side effect of nuking Francis' video card. Cue the BossBattle, folks.
240	* ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'':
241	** Flirting with Papyrus during your battle with him unlocks an optional dating sidequest. As Papyrus's never dated before, he consults a guidebook on what to do and ends up believing that you're ''madly'' in love with him even if you spend the entire date insulting him. Not only that, but his LargeHam personality leads to him treating the date as more like a competition to see who has the most "Dating Power". At the end of the date, he admits that he doesn't like you in that way and would prefer to just be friends.
242	** The True Pacifist route includes a similar comedic "date" with Alphys at the local garbage dump. Being a bit GenreSavvy, she brings gifts intended to increase your RelationshipValues with her, but they're all obviously intended for a different person, namely Undyne, who [[LoveLetterLunacy actually wrote the love letter Alphys mistakes you as the author of]]. The date turns into more of a pep talk session that's then unceremoniously interrupted by Undyne.
243	* ''Manga/TheWorldGodOnlyKnows'' takes this to {{metafiction}}al levels, featuring a Dating Sim {{otaku}} who captures escaped spirits by applying his knowledge of dating sims and their sub-genres.
244	* A ''Manga/Yuria100Shiki'' omake features the Yuria 100 Shiki {{eroge}}. The first options all immediately lead to a sex scene except for the youngest female character, which immediately leads to the player getting arrested as a pedophile.
245
246	!Special Mentions
247	* Dating Sim elements are sometimes present in Western [=RPGs=], especially when the player has some control and customization over the PlayerCharacter.
248	* Flash games: a number of English-speaking fans have created stat-driven dating simulations using Flash. The "sim date" games emphasize gameplay over story or characterization. There are a number of games which use original characters and settings, both for male and female audiences. Others are based on popular series, such as Naruto.
249	* The ''Dawnguard'' DLC for ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'' has shades of this in the form of [[FriendlyNeighborhoodVampire Serana]]. Throughout the questline, when her past and lineage are slowly revealed, you can be polite and understanding in your dialogue, or you can be forceful and rude. While you can't marry her, if you're polite enough, [[spoiler:you can convince her to cure herself of vampirism if you ally with the Dawnguard]].
250	* The awkward dialogue of [[http://www.funny-games.biz/festival-days-sim-date.html Festival Days]] must be seen to be believed.
251	* ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'':
252	** Oddly enough, ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV'' has this as a feature, complete with different places to go, activities to play, and different opinions with each and every girl. You can even meet them online on the internet and eventually have "hot coffee" with them. Your clothes, vehicle, driving skills, calling time, and amount of calling (if you call too much you're a stalker, but too little and they'd think you'd forgotten them) all count in to how they view you. They remember what you have and where you go to. Each girl also has a totally different personality and interest, along with benefits if they like you enough -- dating the lawyer Kiki, for instance, will allow you to [[GetOutOfJailFreeCard get out of a wanted level]] of up to three stars.\
253	\
254	A similar system is even used with some of the male characters. Although their activities are strictly of the guy friend variety, like drinking or going to a strip club, it's still the same basic feature, and you can get similar bonuses from being friends with them -- your cousin Roman offers free cab rides, Little Jacob offers discounted weapons, etc. They also implement this feature directly into the storyline several times; you have two canonical girlfriends over the course of the game, while the ending you choose results in [[spoiler:the death of either your dear cousin or your already mentally scarred girlfriend]].
255	** ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas'' also had this feature, albeit a stripped down earlier version. It doesn't tie too much into the story aside from stealing an access card from one of your girlfriends, though you do receive rewards like special outfits and access to their cars.
256	* ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'' held a temporary, [[GameWithinAGame client-based instance of this]] called ''Spirit Bonds'' during their 2020 "Spirit Blossom" lore event, centering around a FeaturelessProtagonist [[TrappedInAnotherWorld getting stuck the]] SpiritWorld of the game's mythology and encountering [[AlternateSelf alternate versions of several playable champions]] on varying paths, most of them with a hint of romantic subtext. In order to advance the stories (and earn the in-game rewards for doing so), players would need to complete missions for the characters in the proper ''League'' game, including killing enough monsters, dealing tons of damage, avoiding death, etc.
257	* ''VisualNovel/ManEnough'' is a 1994 FMV game that involves exchanging cheesy pick-up lines with beautiful women.
258	* ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'': Legion, a robot, purchased a dating sim based on a blockbuster romance film between two different aliens. His score is 15 (hopeless), humorously contrasted with the rest of his game scores (that consist of a million sniper kills on a generic FPS, et cetera).
259	* ''VideoGame/MountAndBlade'' is mainly a StrategyRPG, but it does have a rather complex courtship system that allows you to woo and possibly marry various ladies. Each lady has a certain personality that affects her opinion on certain matters (your character's Honor and Renown, tournament dedication, various bits of poetry you can recite, etc.). Of course, since the game takes place in a medieval setting, there's [[ArrangedMarriage more to it]] than just winning ''her'' favor most of the time...
260	* The happiness level in some versions of ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' has more than a shade of this, with your Pokémon reacting well to "gifts" like Potions and Stat Ups and badly to failures in your cooperative battles.
261	* ''VideoGame/SleepingDogs2012'' has four women that you can go on a dating sidequest with. The reward for completing them is that collectibles will show up on your mini-map. The dates are all treated as flings rather than anything serious and [[spoiler:two of the girls you date end up calling Wei out for his philandering ways]].
262	* ''VideoGame/YandereSimulator'' plays like an inverted Dating Sim. Instead of trying to woo "Senpai" (because the main character's CutenessProximity prevents her from even talking to the guy), she instead has to kill or otherwise sabotage her rivals to prevent them from successfully dating Senpai. However, you ''do'' get to play more straightforward Dating Sim minigames if you decide to matchmake your rivals with other boys to keep them away from Senpai as the matchmaking process involves you coaching these boys on what to say and give to the rivals to win their heart.

Context Main / DatingSim