Five Dates

Five Dates

released on Nov 17, 2020

Five Dates

released on Nov 17, 2020

Five Dates is an exploration of the unpredictable modern online dating experience. A live action romantic comedy with 5 potential matches and over 7 hours of filmed footage.


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This one's very much a product of its time. It feels and looks really really cheap for obvious reasons, as they were all on lockdown.

There is some innate charm here. The women are all lovely and interesting. Your friend is a little annoying. I didn't really feel an urge to explore each route. I picked the hipster one and I felt satisfied with the outcome.

It's cute and small scale, but it didn't really stick too much. Just kinda went through the motions here.

this was actually pretty fun with realistic dialogues, getting to know each of the characters was enjoyable

It's ok. This was clearly all filmed during lockdown, so in that respect, it was better than most other things where people filmed themselves acting at home. There was too much dead air when selecting choices. I would select a choice then it would just be awkward for a bit until the choice video started. That could have been much better streamlined. If you aren't going to fill the air, at least pause the videos.

It almost feels impossible to review this without leaning into Letterboxd shitposting so really I'm not sure I should try.

That said, I played this game because of the allure of both:
1) getting the opportunity to date my favourite character from the last Doctor Who run
2) and to ironically indulge in the cringe.

Honestly, by the end, it wasn't entirely all cringe. The acting, at times, is a little immersion breaking, and one date in particular was too caricature to be believable, but for the most part I actually immersed myself in the running threads and genuinely began to feel things as my dates reduced to one. I was hurt when Shaina dug me out for being a "leftie", and when Grace dropped her hardened shell in our second date I regretted writing her off in her first.

I went for the girl I wanted and, unlike more horny games of the genre, didn't receive some big pay off for my time; I just got a relatively earnest look at back at what it was like trying to forge connection in a time when you couldn't leave your house, and empathising with my own experiences a little more than I ever had done. I went back for a couple more dates after that, laughed at some of the cringe, yes, but also asked myself: I wonder what that third date with Grace looks like. I imagine I will find out.