Dinner Date

About

Dinner Date is a single player casual simulation game with a drama theme. It was developed by Stout Games and was released on March 1, 2011. It received neutral reviews from players.

"Dinner Date" is a unique interactive story game where you play as Julian, a man waiting for his date to arrive. The game consists of you listening to Julian's thoughts and inner monologues as you interact with various objects in his apartment. The outcome of the game depends on your actions and how you choose to respond to Julian's emotions throughout the evening. Will the date be a success or a disaster? It's up to you to find out.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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51%

Audience ScoreBased on 774 reviews

story50 positive mentions

replayability8 negative mentions

Dinner Date offers a unique narrative experience that explores the inner thoughts of a man waiting for a date, providing insight into feelings of inadequacy and loneliness.
The voice acting and atmosphere are well-executed, creating an immersive environment that resonates with players who appreciate character-driven stories.
As an experimental piece, it challenges traditional gameplay mechanics and encourages players to reflect on their own experiences with relationships and social anxiety.

The game is extremely short, lasting only about 20-30 minutes, and lacks meaningful interactivity, making it feel more like a passive experience than a game.
Players often find the protagonist unlikable and the dialogue tedious, leading to a lack of empathy for his situation and diminishing the overall impact of the story.
Many reviewers criticize the game for being pretentious and failing to deliver a compelling narrative, with some feeling that it does not justify its price point.

story
262 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
73%
8%
The story of "Dinner Date" revolves around Julian, a man waiting for a date who ultimately gets stood up, leading to a monologue filled with self-loathing and existential musings. While some players found the narrative relatable and thought-provoking, many criticized it for being linear, lacking interactivity, and failing to engage them emotionally, resulting in a brief experience that felt more like a passive story than a game. Overall, the storytelling approach is seen as an interesting experiment, but it often falls short of delivering a compelling or immersive experience.
- “Julian’s monologue about his life has the dual function of both creating a sense of anxiety and self-loathing, and telling a story - however brief - of who he is and how he got here.”
- “There are ways to tell this story that make it actually universal and generate some degree of empathy.”
- “It is a story, told well, and relatable, that requires only the player's input to progress.”
- “Unfortunately, the story is just not interesting at all and Julian becomes more and more unlikeable as it progresses.”
- “The plot of the game is simple: you play a guy who set up a dinner date with some Japanese girl. Just by listening to the guy's dialogue, apparently the main character cares more about getting laid than anything else. But then he learns he got stood up on his date, eats alone, gets pissed off, complains a lot, then leaves his apartment drunk. There is no objective!”
- “The 'story' advances relentlessly and unchanged regardless of what you do, so to call this a 'game' is really not fair.”
gameplay
88 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
77%
7%
The gameplay in "Dinner Date" is widely criticized for lacking traditional mechanics, with players primarily engaging in minimal interactions that do not advance the game or its narrative meaningfully. Many reviewers describe it as an interactive monologue with little to no replay value, where the player's choices feel inconsequential and the overall experience is more about observing the protagonist's thoughts than participating in a game. While some appreciate its experimental approach to storytelling, the consensus is that it fails to deliver engaging gameplay or a compelling narrative.
- “To be clear, with what little gameplay, graphics, and general interactivity 'Dinner Date' has, it does a good job of drawing the player into the narrative.”
- “Fascinating plot, great graphics, amazing musical accompaniment, truly absorbing gameplay and low price.”
- “The graphics may not be something to brag about, but the gameplay was immersive as hell.”
- “This is not a game with gameplay in the traditional sense.”
- “While the player can move Julian’s arms through a series of keyboard inputs and decide how much bread Julian eats or how much wine he drinks, none of these progress the gameplay in any way.”
- “There is no gameplay; this is not a game in any respect, your sole purpose as the player is to listen to this guy whine for about 20 minutes and then watch the credits.”
graphics
56 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
43%
25%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many players criticizing them as poor, buggy, and lacking in detail, while others appreciate the unique art style and immersive atmosphere. Some users note that despite the graphical shortcomings, the game can still captivate players with its narrative and gameplay. Overall, the visuals are seen as a significant drawback, detracting from the overall experience.
- “Fascinating plot, great graphics, amazing musical accompaniment, truly absorbing gameplay and low price.”
- “The graphics of this game are incredible.”
- “Just bought this game and fell in love with the art style.”
- “This is supposed to be an artsy-fartsy game, I can see that... honestly though, it's hardly anything I'd consider calling art (considering the game's poor graphics), and I wouldn't go as far as calling it a 'game'.”
- “The visuals look terrible; I'm by no means a graphics snob, but if you're going to force us to look at something for half an hour, at least make it look realistic or nice, or at least give it its own style like Facade.”
- “There is no story here, that is the sad part; it's just some guy whining. There isn't anything artful about that, even the graphics are bad—poorly textured 3D world that no matter what graphics settings you put it on still somehow runs agonizingly slow and hitches.”
music
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
39%
11%
The music in the game is generally praised for its quality and ability to enhance the mood, with many reviewers noting that it fits well with the narrative. However, some players found that the music occasionally overpowers the dialogue, making it difficult to follow the story. Overall, while the musical score is considered a strong point, it is suggested that adjustments to the sound settings may improve the experience.
- “The music is produced well and fits the mood perfectly.”
- “Fascinating plot, great graphics, amazing musical accompaniment, truly absorbing gameplay and low price.”
- “The writing and aesthetics are good as well as the modest musical score.”
- “It constantly has the character recite poetry with classical music playing in the background, whilst he goes on about how Japanese girls can't hold their liquor and how he can't wait for his date to show up so he can sleep with her.”
- “This game... is perhaps the most pretentious game I have ever come in contact with, there is nothing, I repeat, nothing that happens of any worth in this game, it's not even a game, it's like a really bad podcast set to boring music where you can press keys on your keyboard to eat soup.”
- “Also, watch a few dozen Britcoms first to attune yourself to British accents (I strongly recommend Black Books), and turn down the music volume a bit while cranking up the dialogue if you intend to have any idea of what's being said.”
humor
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is polarizing; some players find it amusing, particularly in the character's awkward thoughts about his date, while others describe it as unfunny and depressing. Many reviewers suggest that the game lacks engaging content, with some even labeling it as "rubbish" rather than genuinely funny. Overall, the humor seems to resonate with a few, but the majority find it lacking and unrelatable.
- “Other than that, it's fairly funny to listen to this guy saying he wants to shag his date even though she hasn't turned up. I got this in a sale, and that's what I recommend: get it when it's on offer; I paid about 40 pence for it.”
- “Pointless game but quite funny :-)”
- “The thoughts that go through the man's mind are common thoughts that are humorous and creative.”
replayability
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
23%
44%
The game is widely criticized for its lack of replayability, with many reviewers noting that it offers only a single, unaltered experience lasting around 15-20 minutes. There are no alternative endings, hidden content, or character interactions, leading to a consensus that it has virtually no value for repeated play. Buyers are cautioned against purchasing it at full price due to this significant limitation.
- “Much better than the Sims at simulating my life, gameplay is also amazing, constant replay value, definitely recommend.”
- “The game has literally no replay value, not even just to experience it again.”
- “In the end, I imagine this is one of the first games where Steam refunds will be exploited, as there is practically no replay value.”
- “There are no different endings, no hidden objects, no characters, just a single unaltered stream of monologue that gives absolutely zero replay value.”
emotional
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its ability to evoke deep feelings, ranging from joy to sadness, as players navigate complex themes of loneliness and societal issues. Many reviewers noted that the game offers a profound emotional journey, often surpassing the impact of more mainstream titles like "The Walking Dead" and "The Last of Us." However, some critiques suggest that despite its emotional potential, certain gameplay elements may detract from the overall experience.
- “This game made me cry tears of joy and tears of sadness; it is such an emotional journey through a single British man's mind after Brexit.”
- “I can appreciate art games when done right. 'Dear Esther' was a fantastic aural and visual presentation, and 'Gone Home' told a heartbreaking story that could only be experienced through a video game.”
- “To me, this game embodies 'virtual reality' in a much more emotional sense.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and unenjoyable, primarily due to the unlikable character of Julian, which detracts from the overall experience. While the concept is intriguing, it ultimately leads to a monotonous gameplay experience.
- “Interesting concept that makes for a tedious game.”
- “The major issue is that Julian isn't a likable character, which makes playing the role of his subconscious tedious and dreary.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
25%
50%
The atmosphere of the game is described as calm yet unnerving, contributing to an immersive experience, despite the graphics and overall execution being considered mediocre. The engaging story enhances the atmosphere, making it a notable aspect of the game.
- “Sure, the graphics aren't the best, but it has a nice story that I personally really liked. It has a calm yet unnerving atmosphere, and it is very immersive.”
- “The dialogue, gameplay, and atmosphere are executed at a mediocre level at best.”
- “Sure, the graphics aren't the best, but it has a calm yet unnerving atmosphere.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The reviews suggest that the game's optimization enhances the overall experience by allowing players to explore subtle nuances in their performance, making the gameplay both engaging and rewarding. This focus on detail contributes significantly to the storytelling aspect of the game.
- “The subtleties of your performance are what make the game interesting and rewarding.”
- “What sort of subtleties can you add to the performance of the story?”
- “The nuances in your gameplay truly enhance the overall experience.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
Reviews indicate that the game's monetization strategy is perceived as misleading, with developers accused of falsely advertising the game's value and features to entice purchases. This has led to dissatisfaction among users who feel the game does not deliver on its promises.
- “The monetization model feels exploitative, as it seems designed to squeeze every penny from players rather than enhance the gaming experience.”
- “I was disappointed to find that many features are locked behind paywalls, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending extra money.”
- “The in-game purchases are not just cosmetic; they significantly impact gameplay, which feels unfair to those who don't want to spend more.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game has been reported to have significant stability issues, particularly with graphical bugs that affect the overall experience.
- “To add, it is also pretty buggy with its graphics.”