Love Thyself: A Horatio Story

About

Love Thyself: A Horatio Story is a single player casual simulation game. It was developed by AMPLITUDE Studios and was released on April 1, 2019. It received very positive reviews from players.

In a society where everyone is a clone of the Emperor, can you survive long enough to find out who you truly are? Try out the brand new visual novel set in the Endless Universe!

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Play Modes

Single-Player

Love Thyself: A Horatio Story screenshot

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93%

Audience ScoreBased on 470 reviews

story58 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

The game offers a unique and humorous exploration of the Horatio society, providing depth to a faction often seen as comic relief in the Endless Universe.
Visually appealing with colorful art and engaging music, the game creates an immersive experience despite its short length.
As a free visual novel, it provides a fun and entertaining narrative with multiple endings, making it accessible for both fans of the Endless series and newcomers.

The game is criticized for its lack of meaningful choices, with many decisions feeling arbitrary and not significantly impacting the story.
Some players found the pacing slow and the narrative lacking in depth, leading to a feeling of repetitiveness.
The game ends on a cliffhanger, leaving players wanting more content, which may be frustrating for those looking for a complete experience.

story
151 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
58%
4%
The story of "Love Thyself - A Horatio Story" is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating its unique premise and engaging narrative set in the Endless Universe, while others criticize it for being overly simplistic or lacking depth. Many reviews highlight the game's branching paths and multiple endings, which offer replay value, but some feel that the execution is flawed, leading to a disjointed experience. Overall, it presents an interesting exploration of clone society, though opinions vary widely on its effectiveness and entertainment value.
- “The story is solid, the characters are impressive, and the humor is hilarious.”
- “Love thyself - a horatio story is a game developed by Amplitude Studios and published by Sega. It provides several inter-weaved story arcs to follow, optional relationship-driven choices, as well as several possible endings.”
- “An amusing mini story game about dating yourself in very creepy ways. This VN about dating clones of Horatio provides great insight into Horatio society and it has a pretty nice story as well.”
- “The story reads like an essay; that’s how matter-of-fact, bare bones, and dry it is.”
- “Endless, dull, dry, boring exposition dumps bloat the game, lacking even an ounce of intrigue or storytelling craftsmanship.”
- “Walls upon walls of plain text with a few meaningless options spread far and between them to create the illusion of participating in the story.”
humor
52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
98%
6%
The humor in this game is widely praised, with many reviewers highlighting its hilarious moments, witty dialogue, and engaging storytelling that blends comedy with self-discovery and romance. While some jokes may lean towards the creepy side, the overall tone is lighthearted and entertaining, making it a fun experience for players. The game's unique premise and clever writing contribute to its charm, ensuring that players find both laughter and enjoyment throughout their playthroughs.
- “Humor and lightheartedness bring the world to life, with each playthrough offering fresh delight.”
- “With its stunning art, captivating narrative, and humor, Horatio's world is one you'll eagerly revisit, each playthrough revealing a new aspect of your true self.”
- “This game presents a genuine and humorous exploration of the way of life and multitudinous hierarchy of the Horatio, and was exactly what I hoped for.”
- “Dull and not funny; it took about 30 minutes to finish the game.”
- “The humor fell flat and failed to engage me.”
- “I expected more laughs, but the jokes were stale and uninspired.”
graphics
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
53%
9%
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their charming and creative art style, featuring a smooth, cartoonish aesthetic that enhances the overall experience. While some users noted that the visuals can be simplistic or lack detail, many appreciated the unique character designs and attention to detail, contributing to an enjoyable visual novel experience. Overall, the graphics are considered a strong point, with a pleasing combination of style and quality that captivates players.
- “The visuals are very creative and have a 2D cartoonish look, which makes the whole experience enjoyable and interesting.”
- “I must say, the artwork in this game impressed me and is definitely not like other visual novel games in terms of detail.”
- “Fantastic and low price even, high quality graphics, music/sound and effects, and 4 solid story arcs can be played in a single evening.”
- “I grew bored with the story and was unimpressed with the artwork.”
- “- not much detail or variation in visuals”
- “The art style is light while the subject matter can be quite dark - an apt metaphor for the world that you will be thrown into.”
music
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
64%
24%
12%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its atmospheric quality and thematic fit, particularly noting its connection to the Endless Space 2 soundtrack. While some players found the music charming and well-suited to the game's aesthetic, others criticized it for being sparse or inconsistent, leading to moments of silence that detracted from the experience. Overall, the soundtrack is generally regarded as a standout feature, enhancing the game's ambiance despite some technical shortcomings.
- “If you haven't played any of the big non-free endless games, you're likely to be blown away by the musical score.”
- “A charming visual novel with a compelling aesthetic and soothing music.”
- “The game lacks pretty hard in audio; some moments have music and effects, while others don't.”
- “Music's kind of screwed in between where it just randomly stops; I ended up muting the game and listening to my own because it was so annoying.”
- “The music and sounds are sometimes sparse, with a few moments of the story presented in silence, but overall it works well with the backgrounds and creates a good ambiance.”
gameplay
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
50%
30%
The gameplay of this visual/interactive novel is largely centered around decision-making and reading, with minimal interactivity beyond clicking through dialogue. While some players appreciate the creative ideas presented, many criticize the writing quality and find the overall gameplay experience lacking and unfulfilling.
- “The game requires a lot of reading but does have very creative ideas to it and enjoyable gameplay.”
- “There isn’t much I could or have to say for the gameplay, since the game is a decision-based story game which only the player themselves can decide what will happen or what’s going to happen.”
- “As a visual/interactive novel, this doesn't feature any notable gameplay; it's just a lot of clicking through badly written dialogue that would never have been accepted or published in print, which poses the question, 'how did something this badly written end up on Steam?'”
- “There isn’t much I could or have to say for the gameplay, since the game is a decision-based story game where only the player can decide what will happen.”
- “Mechanically, it is just a visual novel.”
grinding
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
Users find the grinding aspect of certain games to be tedious and time-consuming, often comparing it to the frustration of reading a novel with delayed text progression. Many express boredom with the grinding process, leading them to seek shortcuts like farming achievements instead. Overall, grinding is viewed as a necessary but unenjoyable part of the gaming experience.
- “Honestly, I got bored soon enough and stopped playing the game and just went to farming for the achievements.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Free Steam achievements within 8 minutes of grinding.”
monetization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
The monetization aspect of the game has drawn criticism for its use of the "free" section on Steam to promote advertising material rather than offering genuine gameplay experiences. Reviewers express concern over unethical corporate practices that overshadow amateur developers, while noting the absence of microtransactions or season passes.
- “No microtransactions or season passes required.”
- “The game offers a fair monetization model that respects players' time and investment.”
- “I appreciate that all content is accessible without spending extra money.”
- “But this time it's different... instead of a badly written e-book fan-fiction about the author's imaginary girlfriend, this e-book is an advertisement for the Endless Legend series of games... yep, Sega have stooped so low they're abusing the 'free' section of Steam Direct to spam advertising material at gamers.”
- “I feel bad for the amateur developers who have to compete with all this unethical corporate advertising spam.”
- “It's impossible for me to recommend things to PC gamers that aren't really games, and I especially can't recommend advertising.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its immersive quality, with music that is atmospheric and complements the setting without being intrusive. Reviewers highlight the effective combination of a fantastic story and a well-crafted ambiance, particularly in relation to the unique Horatio species, enhancing the overall experience.
- “The music is very nice, atmospheric, and unintrusive, perfectly fitting the setting.”
- “The music was good and fit the atmosphere of most parts of the game.”
- “This visual novel has a fantastic story with a great atmosphere that sets a wonderful tone for one of the more eccentric species in the endless universe, the Horatio.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
100%
Players highlight that the game's choices significantly impact the narrative, enhancing its replayability as they uncover different facets of the story with each playthrough. Overall, the engaging storyline encourages multiple runs for a fuller experience.
- “Great game, great replayable story.”
- “Your choices do matter, and this gives the game replay value because you learn more about the full story.”
- “Once you've completed the game, there isn't much incentive to go back and play it again.”
- “The lack of significant changes in different playthroughs makes it feel repetitive after the first run.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The character development in the game is highly praised for its engaging dialogue and diverse character designs, which encourage replayability as players explore different narrative paths. The captivating artwork enhances the overall experience, making the characters visually appealing and contributing to the game's immersive storytelling. Overall, players express a strong desire for a more extensive version of the game, highlighting its impressive artistic and narrative qualities.
- “Captivating artwork, clever dialogue, and varied character designs kept me replaying for hours, always curious about what path a different choice would lead me down; whether or not you maintain the course of a 'true' Horatio is a decision that is yours to make.”
- “Not gonna lie, I don't know how I found this game or what Endless Space really is, but this visual novel was amazing from the art style, writing, character designs—everything was great. I'd definitely pay for a complete and longer version of this.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game exhibits some stability issues, with users reporting occasional visual glitches, particularly involving character portraits and background elements not disappearing promptly during transitions.
- “While playing, I encountered a few bugs; these primarily consisted of visual glitches when character portraits moved about the stage, or when the background changed, not all the background objects disappeared as quickly as they should have.”
- “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly impossible to progress without losing progress.”
- “I experienced several instances of lag and stuttering, which really detracted from the overall gameplay experience.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the game to be a unique blend of humor and emotional depth, creating an experience that is both entertaining and heartfelt. The combination of laughter and poignant moments resonates strongly, making it a memorable journey.
- “This game is all at once hilarious and touching.”

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2h Median play time

2h Average play time

2-2h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

Love Thyself: A Horatio Story is a casual simulation game.

Love Thyself: A Horatio Story is available on PC, Mac OS and Windows.

On average players spend around 2 hours playing Love Thyself: A Horatio Story.

Love Thyself: A Horatio Story was released on April 1, 2019.

Love Thyself: A Horatio Story was developed by AMPLITUDE Studios.

Love Thyself: A Horatio Story has received very positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its gameplay.

Love Thyself: A Horatio Story is a single player game.

Similar games include Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator, Seduce Me the Otome, The Crown of Leaves, Dysfunctional Systems: Learning to Manage Chaos, Trapped with Jester and others.

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