It's telling that most people describe this as a roguelike first and a deck-builder second. "Roguelike", as a concept, has a tendency to dominate whatever core gameplay loop it provides for - and this is no exception. I really liked working out my deck and watching it play out in practice, but the game's insistence on taking my cards away from me every time I made a single serious mistake was, in short, a real fucking pain in the arse.

Really proud of a deck that allows you to summon ten zero-cost swords that stack multiplied damage on top of each other? Too bad, because you came up against the hard counter to that deck and now you are back at square one and must spend twenty minutes gambling your way back to whatever new build the algorithm's dice deem probable for you. Frustrating, time-consuming, and ultimately mindless in a way that invites "one more go" addiction rather than thoughtful pondering of cards. It's a wonder that no one has harnessed roguelikes and real-money gambling yet...

Wouldn't it be more fun to experience the failure of a hard deck-counter and then spend time reconstructing your cards in a way that allows you to overcome that specific scenario, rather than forgetting about the loss and moving on to something else entirely? That's the fundamental fatal flaw with roguelikes, I think - you rarely have to reflect on losses or challenges because your next run is going to go a totally different way. You're passing time until you get the right sword with the right boon against the right enemy.

I beat this after a dozen or so tries - not because I gained mastery of its systems, but simply because I eventually rolled a deterministic environment where I had good cards and the enemy did not have the right skills to counter those cards. No reflection or growth necessary! I would love a version of Slay the Spire that actually disciplined players into learning its intricacies - even a simple stone-set RPG of intentional design would probably trump the computed 52-card pickup that the game offers at the moment. Despite my natural inclination against the nature of traditional RPGs, I still want an overworld and towns and dungeons that I can use to explore Spire's cards and their interplay... They are so well-crafted, but the game offers surprisingly few incentives or avenues for exploring their depth. Let's break free from the roguelike legacy!!

I am what many would consider a cock-loving homosexual. Ergo, many of my close friends were were initially confused when they saw me playing this game. It makes sense, none of these women do anything for me in the ways intended.

However, let me ask you this: Have you ever taken a human life? For most, I assume the answer is no. In fact, the very idea of it is absolutely revolting. And yet, you've likely spent hundreds, if not thousands, of hours doing just that in the context of a video game. Can the same not be done for dating women, even if I myself have only and likely will only ever date men? I think so.

Anyway, while the terms "dating sim" and "visual novel" are often used interchangeably within English-speaking audiences, I feel HuniePop is a prime example of how the former can exist without the latter. Much of the actual dialog is just surface-level smalltalk with the girls, with the occasional pep-talk/racist remark from your rizz fairy companion. If you're looking for a complex story, character development, worldbuilding, etc., you're in the wrong timezone, like how did you even think this was the place to find that?

The writing itself is fine, for the most part. Each girl definitely feels distinct enough to where you won't mix them up, at the very least, although I do admit I would have liked a bit more interactions between the girls. The aforementioned rizz fairy, Kyu, is who you'll end up getting to know the most, since she's the mascot/companion, which is somewhat unfortunate considering a lot of her dialog sounds like an edgy high schooler in the mid-2010s. It's not awful, but as someone who was an edgy high schooler in the 2010s, it takes me back to a time I'm more than happy to forget.

Speaking of, there's an undeniable dash of 2010s racist humor that, while not abhorrent or even seemingly coming from a place of hate, definitely caught me off guard. Stuff like Kyu referring to "yellow fever" and "chocolate" when you first encounter the Japanese and black girls, along with the Latina and Japanese girls's "unique gifts" being things like a sombrero and samurai helmet, respectively. (Word of advise: If you value your life and wellbeing, do NOT, under ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, give an athletic Latina you just met maracas). They're at least self-aware enough to have the Japanese girl acknowledge it, but yeah, definitely worth noting.

The gameplay is where it really gets interesting, though. The combination of Match-3 puzzles, time management, etc. is actually really engaging, and is why I actually saw this game through to the end. I'm just a sucker for these kinda games, I guess. While I personally found myself playing as an emotionless sociopath, purely seeking the optimal outcome of each encounter, I could definitely see how someone might be able to enjoy this game casually. While the endgame may be a bit of a slog and a grind, made even worse by the menus used to track things not being easily cycled through, I doubt many interested in this game are seeking 100%, so I guess it's a more personal complaint.

Overall, I enjoyed the game for what it was. I'm sure actually being attracted to the girls would elevate the experience, but it's not as critical as it seems.