PockeDate! - Pocket Dating Simulator | Game Brain

PockeDate! - Pocket Dating Simulator Game Cover

About

PockeDate! – Your Pocket-Sized Dating Simulator! Every launch brings a new date with unique dialogues! Spend endless hours with your adorable, love-struck virtual girlfriend. Meet Akari – your virtual sweetheart, head over heels for you. But be careful not to let her down! You wouldn't want to make her sad, would you? PockeDate! isn’t just a fun game – it's also a training ground for real-…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

PockeDate! - Pocket Dating Simulator screenshot

96%

Audience ScoreBased on 254 reviews

music21 positive mentions

gameplay4 negative mentions

PockeDate! is a charming and engaging visual novel that cleverly subverts the dating sim genre, offering unexpected twists and a unique narrative experience.
The game features a stunning soundtrack and cute pixel art, enhancing the overall atmosphere and making it a joy to play.
Despite its short length, the game is packed with content, multiple endings, and clever references to other popular games, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of the genre.

The gameplay can become repetitive, especially when trying to achieve all endings, which may lead to some frustration for players.
Some players found the dialogue options limiting, making it difficult to navigate the affection meter and achieve desired outcomes.
While the game has a strong premise, some felt that it didn't fully capitalize on its potential, leaving certain plot points underdeveloped.

music
39 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
38%
8%
The music in the game is universally praised, with many reviewers highlighting its stunning quality and diverse styles, including 8-bit, phonk, and breakcore. The soundtrack is described as a standout feature, often referred to as "bangers" and "absolute fire," enhancing the overall experience and engagement with the game. Overall, the music significantly contributes to the game's appeal, making it a compelling reason to play.
- “The soundtrack is full of bangers and Akari herself is quite interesting.”
- “The music, art, and story are quite intriguing.”
- “The soundtrack absolutely bangs.”
- “The music goes hard, especially the breakcore parts.”
- “This game isn't doing anything new, but it's short enough that it doesn't outstay its welcome, and the soundtrack absolutely bangs.”
- “The OST is straight fire.”
story
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
36%
11%
The game's story is well-crafted and engaging, drawing comparisons to "Doki Doki Literature Club" while offering a more personal touch. Players appreciate the immersive narrative, intriguing plot twists, and the effective use of glitches and fourth-wall breaks, although some find the plot progression reliant on experimentation, which can lead to repetitiveness. Overall, the story is compelling and complemented by excellent music and art, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of visual novels.
- “The story and writing of this game is difficult to say much about without spoiling the game too much.”
- “This game’s story concept is very similar to Doki Doki, but feels just a little bit more personal.”
- “Now for the actual review: the game is short (took me two hours to finish 100% of it) but the story is engaging, the endings differ from each other and give a wide array of perspectives to the world and characters, each decision is impactful in its own way.”
- “The uncanny-ness as the game progresses, the random glitches, the 4th wall ventures, etc. The story, though, is pretty much what you'd expect: a dating simulator gone wrong.”
- “The art is very cute, but the horror did not work for me, and I found the plot quite derivative, unfortunately.”
- “I will say it would have benefited from better plot progression; it's so dependent on you experimenting with all the mechanics to get all 'memories' that the game can end up being repetitive if you are struggling to figure it out and do not want to look at a guide.”
graphics
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
42%
16%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their charming pixel art style, reminiscent of classic visual novels and early 1990s games, which effectively enhances the overall experience. Players appreciate the unique atmosphere created by the visuals, complemented by a fitting soundtrack, although some express mild disappointment with certain graphical effects in the finale. Overall, the art style is considered adorable and engaging, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.
- “Love the visuals.”
- “I thought that the graphics in this game looked great and they do a good job of invoking the style of a classic visual novel.”
- “It mostly sticks to stylized pixel artwork as if it were a game from the early 1990s with a limited color palette.”
- “After the rise of games pretending to be one thing and then turning out to be another following the success of Doki Doki Literature Club, I am now suspicious whenever I see cutesy art styles like this game has.”
- “The pixel art graphics and charming atmosphere create a unique experience, while interactions with the virtual girlfriend, Akari, add depth to the gameplay.”
gameplay
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
46%
31%
The gameplay is primarily visual novel-style, featuring unique mechanics and interactions with the character Akari that enhance the experience. While the charming pixel art and engaging soundtrack contribute positively, some players find the gameplay repetitive and reliant on experimentation, which can lead to frustration if plot progression is unclear. Overall, the game offers a fun and interesting experience, though it may benefit from improved pacing and clarity.
- “This should not be free as it contains interesting gameplay very close to DDLC, even with secrets I have yet to uncover, and the soundtrack is a monster.”
- “The pixel art graphics and charming atmosphere create a unique experience, while interactions with the virtual girlfriend, Akari, add depth to the gameplay.”
- “I’ve never seen mechanics and player interactions like this in any other game before.”
- “As mentioned above, this is mostly a visual novel-style game, so it is not so much about traditional gameplay.”
- “I will say it would have benefited from better plot progression; it's so dependent on you experimenting with all the mechanics to get all 'memories' that the game can end up being repetitive if you are struggling to figure it out and do not want to look at a guide.”
- “Certain gameplay mechanics were quite repetitive, but not to the extent of boredom, and the repetition was part of the game's overarching psychological horror theme anyway.”
emotional
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by its deep engagement and wholesome charm, evoking a range of feelings from players. Despite its simplicity and relatively short length, it successfully combines cute elements with a touch of horror, creating a cozy and enjoyable experience. Overall, players appreciate the heartfelt and endearing nature of the game.
- “May be simple, but it's deeply engaging and emotional.”
- “This is a very wholesome and cute dating game/visual novel.”
- “Very cute, made me feel all sorts of things.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is marked by a mix of intentional glitches and unexpected fourth-wall breaks, contributing to an uncanny atmosphere reminiscent of "Doki Doki Literature Club." While some users appreciate the seamless integration of these elements, others note that the experience can be jarring, though it ultimately enhances the narrative's uniqueness. Overall, the stability is described as effective, with glitches serving a purpose rather than detracting from gameplay.
- “The uncanny-ness as the game progresses, the random glitches, the 4th wall ventures, etc. The story though is pretty much what you'd expect, a dating simulator gone wrong.”
- “Glitches 10/10 flawlessly.”
- “Yeah, this really reminds me of Doki Doki Literature Club. This game feels like a love letter to DDLC; its concept is really similar, but the story is so good and manages to differentiate itself really well. I wouldn't say it's as scary or shocking as DDLC, but all the jumpscares and 'jumpscare glitches' are there.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is praised for its immersive quality, blending comedic elements with the complexities of dating, which players find both entertaining and thought-provoking. Notably, the unexpected twist of the final boss being a bullet hell game adds a layer of absurdity that enhances the overall comedic experience.
- “It's funny, it's immersive, and it's a game that somehow makes dating feel like an existential minefield.”
- “I found it very funny that the final boss is just a bullet hell game.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's pixel art graphics and charming atmosphere contribute to a unique experience, enhanced by meaningful interactions with the virtual girlfriend, Akari, which add depth to the gameplay.
- “The pixel art graphics and charming atmosphere create a unique experience, while interactions with the virtual girlfriend, Akari, add depth to the gameplay.”