Monster the dating scene with Kaichu: The Kaiju Dating Sim

Edited 6/twenty/2022 12:06 PM to update some incorrect pronouns for the characters and fix small-scale typos

Sometimes a game jumps out at y’all because the premise itself is so wild or so unique that information technology doesn’t matter if it seems like something that wouldn’t usually exist upwardly your aisle. This was the case for me with Kaichu, a kaiju dating sim that was shown off during the contempo Wholesome Straight and which received a demo during the Steam Adjacent Fest. I’1000 not a big kaiju guy – I never watched Godzilla or annihilation like information technology growing up, and my experiences with games that feature kaiju-like monsters such every bit Into the Breach or 13 Sentinels has not been enough to grow a passion for kaiju within me. Simply the thought of a dating sim pairing these massive, subversive creatures together is a fun ane. How oftentimes practice you get to try to make Godzilla and Mothra kiss? Kaichu likewise seemed like a demo I could run on my laptop for times when my partner was using our main computer, so one evening while they were streaming I busted out Kaichu and got to smooching.

The premise of Kaichu is simple enough. You play equally Gigachu, a pinkish Godzilla-similar kaiju monster than lands on earth looking for beloved. You also choose Gigachu’s pronouns and honestly this is the most expansive pronoun list I’ve ever seen for a video game – usually you’re already doing pretty good if they/them is an option, but at that place were multiple sets of neo-pronouns included in Kaichu as well, and then while your look is gear up in stone your gender at least is quite customizable. The game is filtered through the lens of a news prove hilariously called World Breaking News which has two hosts, Lucky and Brevity. These ii characters sentinel the kaiju go along dates and convey their actions to the terrified public, serving as the mechanism through which you lot empathise the questions your kaiju partners are asking and providing the answer options.

In the demo, you’ve got six different monsters to choose from. During a particular run of the demo you can merely become on dates with 1 monster, but the dates are very brusk and information technology’s like shooting fish in a barrel to replay the demo to try out all six partners in a single sitting. You lot likewise cannot progress the game after the third date, then while y’all go some idea of what the interactions will be like you never become far enough in a specific relationship for things to get really serious. One time you choose a partner, y’all then can move with them forth the map to choose a location to have a date. All of the locations are major landmarks or buildings for yous to wreck, and outside of their aesthetic it seems like there’s non necessarily a large advantage to picking any detail location for any particular date. There are enough of options though – I call up I
just
managed to visit all of them in one case by playing the demo through six times, one for each bachelor partner.

On a appointment, your partner of choice volition inquire you lot questions which are interpreted to yous the actor via the news broadcasters. You lot select an option to betoken your answer to the question. The demo shows ii main question types: sentiment-based questions where y’all can respond in the positive, negative, or neutral, likewise equally multiple choice questions where you tin option option one, 2, or three. Your partner can have 1 of iii reactions to your answers: very positive, positive, and negative. Saying things your partner likes contributes to the devastation of the monument you are visiting and if you give plenty very positive answers, your partner will ask you a dealbreaker question that gives an opportunity for a significant boost in affection. Answer strongly to the dealbreaker question and the date ends in a satisfying smooch; a standard positive answer ends with a blown kiss from you to your partner, while a negative respond will cause the date to end in pelting and disappointment. While individual questions contribute to the overall vibe of a date, one bad answer can’t ruin a date unless information technology is the dealbreaker question, and only if the date ends desperately does your heartbreak meter increase instead of your dear meter.

Different partners have different expectations and adopt different answers to questions. In my playthrough I did my best to requite consistent answers every time to run into how different characters would react, and while my responses were well-received past the actress-terrestrial mushroom and the volcano woman, I didn’t really impress the muscular bird human being and even had a appointment that ended poorly with him. Generally speaking, the dealbreaker questions take very obvious responses you should choose simply the less important questions may not exist equally simple. Does Mossra, the plant-like moth beingness, like piercings for example? How does the scorpion-tailed turtle experience nigh information technology if y’all share a compliment virtually zir looks? You hope to be rewarded with devastation and havoc instead of awkward faces.

A big part of Kaichu’s appeal are the quippy remarks made by the commentators equally they broadcast the destruction on the news. They usually have a fun one-liner subsequently your responses to your partner, and the barrack between them during the scenes betwixt dates is both informational and silly. Whether it’s Lucky french-kissing everyone from his barista to his plumber or Brevity making a snide remark about Tephra’s ex when trying to woo the volcano queen, the game’south witty wordplay does a lot to add character and fun to the experience. For this reason – plus the fact that y’all get lightheaded animation moments such equally a pink dinosaur kissing a grassy green moth – I tin meet Kaichu beingness an excellent choice for a stream game on a night where you want to go along things calorie-free and fun. What the game lacks in mechanical complexity it makes up for in personality.

Kaichu doesn’t bring equally much to the table as other dating sims I’ve played in contempo years but it is neat for a few laughs with its goofy animations and clever writing. If you like the concept of kaiju dating and desire something short just pleasurable to swoop into for a bit, I think Kaichu certainly delivers on its premise. While it’s not a game I come across myself playing on my own time in one case the full version comes out, I retrieve folks who are more than passionate nearly dating sims or streamers who want something low-stakes and interesting to show off will find a lot to love in Kaichu.