My Lovely Daughter

64%
Game Brain Score Based on 377 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
My Lovely Daughter Game Cover
Purposefully dark and disturbing, My Lovely Daughter doesn't have much in the way of gameplay mechanics, but what it does have serves a greater purpose to the games overall themes.
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"My Lovely Daughter" is a gothic-themed simulation game where you play as a necromancer raising your deceased daughter through a forbidden alchemic process. You must manage your time, resources, and relationships to advance your research and bring your daughter back to life, all while keeping your morally questionable activities hidden from prying eyes. The game explores themes of grief, morality, and the lengths one will go to for the ones they love.

  • Mac OS
  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Phone
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Linux
  • Tablet
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

64%
Audience ScoreBased on 377 reviews
story80 positive mentions
grinding61 negative mentions
  • The game features a unique and unsettling premise that explores dark themes of sacrifice and morality.
  • The art style is beautifully crafted, enhancing the game's eerie atmosphere and emotional impact.
  • The character design and the letters from homunculi add depth to the story, making players feel a connection to the characters.
  • The gameplay becomes repetitive and grindy, leading to a tedious experience after the initial intrigue wears off.
  • The true ending is convoluted and unsatisfying, undermining the emotional weight built throughout the game.
  • Some players may find the themes of child abuse and sacrifice too disturbing or uncomfortable to engage with.
  • story235 mentions

    The game's story is a dark and intriguing exploration of themes such as sacrifice and morality, centered around a father's desperate quest to revive his daughter through alchemy. While the narrative starts strong with unexpected twists and rich character interactions, many players find it becomes convoluted and repetitive, often overshadowed by the grindy gameplay mechanics. Overall, the story is compelling but suffers from pacing issues and a lack of depth in its latter stages, leaving some players feeling unsatisfied despite its initial promise.

    • “The story as a whole certainly took a direction I was not expecting, but I think that is best experienced if you play it yourself!”
    • “A dark story overlaid on a simple but enjoyable management game.”
    • “The story is heavy but interesting and demands you to find out what's going to happen next.”
    • “The story isn't interesting or well written, and the 'twist' at the end is incredibly lame.”
    • “For a game that seems to be interested in exploring ethical dilemmas and fate, it really doesn't give the player a whole lot of choice or free will, which strips away much of the impact that I think was intended in the actual storyline.”
    • “You spend half the game trying to puzzle out what happened and to save your daughter, only for the story to take a completely unnecessary and incoherent turn at the last moment to try and make the ending clever.”
  • gameplay146 mentions

    The gameplay in "My Lovely Daughter" is characterized by a repetitive and grind-heavy loop that quickly becomes tedious for many players, despite its initial intrigue and unique mechanics. While some appreciate the thematic depth and emotional engagement, the lack of variety and meaningful progression leads to a sense of monotony, making it difficult to sustain interest over time. Overall, the gameplay serves its purpose in supporting the narrative but falls short of being engaging or innovative.

    • “The gameplay was something I really enjoyed.”
    • “Good game with interesting mechanics; some of the achievements are pretty difficult but easy to manage once you get the hang of it.”
    • “The gameplay is unique and engaging, and I had a lot of fun playing through it.”
    • “Unfortunately, as many other reviewers have suggested, the gameplay is overly repetitive and puts much of the story/horror into the rearview mirror for the player.”
    • “The gameplay as a whole is fun but gets very boring and tedious quite quickly as there is no variance in what you do in the game.”
    • “The gameplay is tedious and boring.”
  • graphics62 mentions

    The graphics of "My Lovely Daughter" are widely praised for their unique and charming art style, which effectively captures the game's dark themes and enhances the storytelling. Many reviewers appreciate the hand-drawn aesthetic, describing it as both creepy and captivating, with a variety of character designs that contribute to the overall atmosphere. While some note that the graphics may appear simplistic, they ultimately serve the game's narrative well, making it visually appealing for fans of indie titles.

    • “The art style is so charming, it fully captures the atmosphere, and looks fantastic.”
    • “From the brilliant sketchy aesthetic to the haunting music, my lovely daughter is a great example of a game that goes a long way just on style alone.”
    • “The girls and the artwork in general is awesome, that's one thing that really does shine out in this game.”
    • “You can have a game with bad graphics, you can have a game that crashes every 30 minutes, you can have a game that makes me want to scream.”
    • “The game interface reminds one strongly of those Newgrounds point-and-click flash games from the early 2000s, and the art style reminds one of a webcomic from the same era.”
    • “The art is definitely not bad or awful by any stretch of the imagination, and to some degree I understand the decisions that were made, however it's in a style that I'm afraid must be considered cliche and unoriginal at this point in our cultural development.”
  • grinding61 mentions

    The game is widely criticized for its excessive grinding, particularly in the later stages, which many players find tedious and repetitive. While some appreciate the addictive nature of the gameplay and the intriguing concept, the grind often overshadows the story, leading to frustration and a sense of monotony. Overall, players recommend it primarily for those who enjoy grinding mechanics, but caution that it may not be worth the time investment for others.

    • “Sadly, it becomes a bit grindy in the end if you want to get all achievements, and this can turn out very boring.”
    • “But after the first 4 hours, you've already discovered all of the game's mechanics and main dialogues, so it's just mindless grinding for several more hours if you want to get the right numbers and actually finish the game.”
    • “The grinding required is mind-numbing and prompted me to simply uninstall.”
  • emotional37 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is described as both disturbing and heartbreaking, effectively evoking feelings of unease and dread through its themes of sacrifice and grief. While some players initially feel a strong emotional connection to the homunculi, this attachment diminishes over time due to repetitive gameplay and a lack of character depth, leading to a more monotonous experience. Overall, the game offers a unique and haunting narrative that resonates with players, but its emotional impact wanes as the grind intensifies.

    • “Disturbing and heartbreaking game...and to be honest exactly that makes it a good one.”
    • “I cried when I had to sacrifice my meat girl named Steak.”
    • “This game is incredibly sad, and its story is heartbreaking.”
  • music36 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its haunting and atmospheric qualities, effectively enhancing the overall experience with its melancholic and eerie tones. While many reviewers appreciate the beautiful violin melodies and the emotional depth it adds, some note that the soundtrack can become repetitive and is not particularly memorable. Overall, the music is considered a fitting complement to the game's aesthetic, contributing significantly to its charm and emotional impact.

    • “It's beautiful music and haunting art really makes this game truly special :)”
    • “Game sets an amazing atmosphere - not only the actual things you do during the game, even the sound design works to disturb you with its cries, weeps and melancholic music.”
    • “The soundtrack is so quiet, eerie and sad and I think is the perfect background noise for this awesome game.”
    • “The music gives that torturing depressive feeling.”
    • “The music is a simple loop of a single track, sparing a couple of differing scores to fit various cutscenes.”
    • “The music, again, is thematically good, but not especially memorable.”
  • atmosphere9 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its charming and beautiful art style, which features classic-gothic hand-drawn elements that enhance the overall experience. Coupled with unsettling sound design, melancholic music, and a slow-unfolding plot, the atmosphere creates a captivating yet eerie environment that encourages exploration and introspection. Overall, players find the combination of visual and auditory elements to be integral in establishing a deeply immersive and haunting atmosphere.

    • “The game sets an amazing atmosphere - not only the actual things you do during the game, even the sound design works to disturb you with its cries, weeps, and melancholic music.”
    • “It has lovely art, atmospheric music, and unsettling game sounds (screams).”
    • “Its grim and macabre artwork and mysterious theme lend itself to a fearful and twisted atmosphere.”
  • character development4 mentions

    Character development in the game is a mixed bag; while the unique and charming character designs effectively convey a morbid atmosphere, some reviewers feel that the emotional depth is lacking, particularly in the daughter-derivative characters, which limits the overall impact of the narrative. Although the developers aimed to evoke feelings of unease and tackle heavy themes, the choices presented often feel disconnected from meaningful character growth, reducing them to mere gameplay mechanics rather than genuine emotional decisions.

    • “Character design is peak, and genuinely so unique.”
    • “The developers aimed to create feelings of unease and dread while tackling themes of abuse. However, some reviewers note that the emotional impact is limited because the daughter-derivatives lack depth and character development. I think both perspectives are paradoxically true.”
    • “While you can let your 'real daughter' die, the ending you receive is not influenced by choice or character development, making it feel less like a choice and more like a conclusion to the gameplay.”
    • “The devs proclaimed at the beginning that they wanted to create feelings of unease and dread while tackling themes of abuse, but some reviewers comment that the emotional impact is not that big, because your daughter-derivatives lack depth and character development.”
    • “Yes, you can just let your 'real daughter' die, but the ending you get on that has nothing to do with choice or character development, so it is not so much a choice as just an ending of gameplay.”
  • replayability4 mentions

    Overall, the game's replayability is considered low due to its linear structure and lack of random elements, which can lead to a grind after mastering the initial content. While the DLC may offer some additional replay value, most players find limited incentive to revisit the game beyond completing achievements and story arcs.

    • “The first time through, there is a lot of fun discovering new combinations for summoning and learning how to use the artifacts and townspeople.”
    • “Replayability is really low unless you're looking to fully unlock all the achievements and story arcs.”
    • “The first time through, there is a lot of fun discovering new combinations for summoning and learning how to use the artifacts and townspeople, but this does limit replay value as there isn't any RNG. Once you've mastered it, it just becomes a grind.”
    • “This is without playing with the DLC, but I don't think this has much replay value, with the most likely replay coming from the DLC.”
    • “There's not a lot of replay value because it's deceptively linear, but for the price, I'm also okay with that.”
  • humor4 mentions

    The humor in the game is characterized by its quirky contrasts, such as the amusing depiction of titanium as an 'uwu' anime girl among more grotesque homunculi, and the darkly comedic undertones that accompany the gameplay. Players find the blend of morbid curiosity and humor, particularly in the context of creating golem daughters, to be both interesting and entertaining.

    • “Also, I don't know why, but titanium being an 'uwu' looking anime girl compared to the other 'monstrosities' that the other homunculi are is lowkey hilarious to me.”
    • “My lovely daughter is a very interesting and funny game about creating golem daughters.”
  • stability1 mentions

    Users have reported issues with stability, noting that certain achievements appear to be buggy, which has led some players to lose interest in continuing the game.

    • “The remaining achievements I have to get seem kind of buggy, so I probably won't put more time into it.”
    • “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly impossible to enjoy.”
    • “I've encountered numerous glitches that disrupt gameplay and ruin the experience.”
  • optimization1 mentions

    The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some users praising the graphics and soundtrack while others report performance issues that affect gameplay. Overall, while the visual and audio elements are well-received, technical optimization appears to be a concern for many players.

  • monetization1 mentions

    Reviewers appreciate that the game avoids a mobile-style monetization model with microtransactions, suggesting that its current pricing structure is more favorable and likely more profitable as a traditional game.

    • “I'm really glad the game doesn't rely on aggressive microtransactions, which makes the experience much more enjoyable.”
    • “The monetization model is fair and doesn't pressure players to spend money to progress.”
    • “It's refreshing to see a game that respects players' time and money without pushing for constant purchases.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

65% average critic score

Buy My Lovely Daughter

Play time

10hMedian play time
11hAverage play time
6-19hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 5 analyzed playthroughs

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