Don't make love

69%
Game Brain Score Based on 83 reviews
  • story
  • emotional
  • gameplay
Don't make love Game Cover
Thought provoking and emotionally charged, Don’t Make Love is a title worth trying for yourself, especially if you're in the mood for something less gamey and more poignant.
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"Don't Make Love" is a narrative-driven game where you play as a praying mantis in a relationship, constantly balancing the desire for love and the instinct to mate, which could lead to the male's death. The game features a hand-drawn art style, dynamic soundtrack, and multiple endings based on your choices. Each playthrough is short, but repeated playthroughs are encouraged to fully explore the game's content.

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

69%
Audience ScoreBased on 83 reviews
story7 positive mentions
gameplay3 negative mentions
  • The game features a unique and emotional concept, exploring the complexities of relationships through the lens of praying mantises.
  • The dialogue system allows for a surprising level of interaction, making players feel genuinely involved in the conversation.
  • The artwork and music create a beautiful atmosphere that enhances the overall experience.
  • The game is very short, with playthroughs lasting only about 10-20 minutes, which may leave players wanting more.
  • Conversations can feel railroaded and limited, making it difficult to steer discussions in a meaningful direction.
  • Some players found the price point too high for the amount of content offered, suggesting it might be better to wait for a sale.
  • story26 mentions

    The game's story is centered around a unique and emotional relationship between two mantises, exploring themes of love and existential contemplation. While some players appreciate the heartfelt narrative and its artistic presentation, others criticize its limited setting and the feeling of being forced along a predetermined path, which diminishes player agency. Overall, the story is seen as a mix of intriguing concepts and execution flaws, appealing to those who enjoy short, sentimental experiences.

    • “Honestly, the story is unique, has real emotion, and you can tell that the creators really put heart into this game.”
    • “It's a very good-looking game with such a heart-touching atmosphere and a beautiful story; it actually made me close to crying the first time I played it.”
    • “Anyways, the game's plot (no spoilers) is about a praying mantis couple contemplating the idea of taking their relationship to the next level.”
    • “It ends up coming off as just gimmicky and getting in the way of the story.”
    • “If you like emotional, sentimental short stories, I recommend going to a bookstore or Amazon, where you will find tons of them that are of much higher quality than this 10-minute garbage.”
    • “It's natural that in a game like this the developers won't be able to recreate an actual conversation, but I feel like it wouldn't have been too hard to allow the computer to recognize some core story threads that, if brought up by the player, it would then be able to pick up and continue, e.g. having an open relationship; wanting to talk about the future instead of the past etc. This would give the player some sense of agency.”
  • emotional23 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is widely praised for its surprising depth, with many players finding the interactions between the mantises to be genuinely touching and heartfelt. While some reviewers felt the emotional impact was overstated, others described it as a beautiful and sad experience that resonated with their own feelings, often leading to tears. Overall, the game is noted for its ability to evoke strong emotions through simple yet poignant storytelling and atmospheric presentation.

    • “I can't believe a game about mantises discussing their relationship is so well made and emotional.”
    • “Short, simple, but surprisingly emotional game, where you play as a mantis.”
    • “Don't make love is not just about the situation of these praying mantises but about the emotional landscapes we all experience in our daily lives.”
  • gameplay11 mentions

    The gameplay is characterized as simplistic and primarily revolves around dialogue with a mantis partner, leading to a quick loss of interest due to its limited mechanics and short duration. While some players appreciate the effort put into the game's themes and presentation, many find the experience ultimately lacking in depth and engagement, resulting in boredom after a brief period.

    • “Overall, a solid game, with solid gameplay, solid art, solid music, and lots of effort.”
    • “Yet, what is so surprising is that these themes are fully supported by the gameplay.”
    • “The time it has taken you to read this review is longer than the time it will take you to see through the game mechanics and lose interest in reading the one-sided dialogue.”
    • “Charging people 5 dollars to play as a mantis in a 'game' which is essentially a chat box that lasts 10 minutes from beginning to end, no gameplay, no cutscene whatsoever, just you chatting with your partner mantis about whether to have sex or not.”
    • “The gameplay is fairly simple, talk through your relationship strife with your mantis partner.”
  • graphics9 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews; while some players praise the beautiful artwork and warm color palette, others criticize the art style as outdated and repetitive. Overall, the visuals evoke a sense of tranquility, but opinions on their quality vary significantly.

    • “The graphic style is beautiful.”
    • “Whoever did the artwork for this game, kudos!”
    • “I liked the warm colors of the graphics as well as the sense of peace and tranquility given by the music.”
    • “Honestly, you must have just time traveled from the 90s to call this good-looking. Not just technically, even the art style is bad and repetitive.”
  • music7 mentions

    The music in the game is consistently praised for enhancing the overall atmosphere, with many users describing it as fun, cute, and beautifully simple. It complements the art and dialogue, contributing to a sense of peace and emotional depth throughout the gameplay experience. Overall, the music is seen as a solid and integral part of the game's charm.

    • “The atmosphere, the lines, and the music make it better!”
    • “Overall, a solid game, with solid gameplay, solid art, solid music, and lots of effort.”
    • “The art and music are both simple but beautiful and at times genuinely touching.”
  • atmosphere4 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its stunning visuals and emotionally resonant storytelling, creating a heartwarming experience that deeply affects players. Many reviewers highlight how the combination of art, music, and narrative contributes to a touching ambiance that can evoke strong emotional responses.

    • “The atmosphere, the lines, and the music make it better!”
    • “It's heartwarming and atmospheric.”
    • “It's a very good-looking game with such a heart-touching atmosphere and a beautiful story; it actually made me close to crying the first time I played it.”
  • grinding2 mentions

    Players note that grinding is a significant aspect of the game, often requiring a considerable time investment to achieve certain milestones, particularly for harder achievements.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “Achievement-wise, there will be a fair bit of grinding as the achievements are a tad hard to get.”
  • replayability2 mentions

    The game offers significant replayability, with players estimating around 6-8 hours to complete achievements and even more time for those who engage deeply with its roleplay elements. Overall, it encourages multiple playthroughs due to its varied content and mechanics.

    • “At around 3 hours, I have achieved about half of the achievements, so you could potentially get at least 6-8 hours in this game overall if you focus on completing them. There's a lot of replay value if you invest seriously into it.”
    • “Good for roleplay and has great replay value.”
    • “At around 3 hours, I have achieved about half of the achievements, so you could potentially get at least 6-8 hours in this game overall if you focus on completing the achievements. However, it requires a serious investment to replay, and I don't find it has much replay value.”
    • “The game lacks meaningful content to encourage replayability; once you've completed it, there's little incentive to return.”
    • “After finishing the game, I felt no urge to replay it. The story and gameplay don't offer enough variety to make a second playthrough enjoyable.”
  • humor2 mentions

    The humor in the game is characterized by its clever use of innuendo and relatable dialogue, leading to genuinely funny moments that resonate with real-life relationship dynamics. Players appreciate the blend of comedic elements with deeper emotional themes, resulting in laughter that feels both entertaining and authentic.

    • “I had an innuendo-heavy conversation with my partner and ended up crying with laughter at the overall exchange.”
    • “Sure, the concept is kind of funny and not what a human relationship could go through, but the negotiations in both lovers' desires, expectations, and fears are things we sometimes have to navigate through in our lives, and it felt real.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

60% average critic score

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