Roommates
- October 15, 2014
- Winter Wolves
- 2h median play time
Roommates is a decent, lighthearted game that satisfies for a visual novel but fails to distinguish itself.
Get on Steam"Roommates" is a single-player erotic role-playing game featuring an ingenious and humorous story. As a dorm resident, guide Anne or Max through their first year of college, choosing classes, jobs, and potentially romantic encounters with Dominic, Rakesh, Isabella, Sally, or Anne herself. With life simulation gameplay and witty dialogue, the game provides a lighthearted and entertaining experience.
Mac OS
Nintendo Switch
PC
Playstation 4
Playstation 5
Windows
Xbox One
Xbox Series X|S
Linux
PlayStation
Playstation Vita
Xbox
Reviews
- The game features a variety of characters with unique personalities, providing engaging interactions and humor.
- The scheduling and stat management system adds a layer of strategy to the gameplay, making it more than just a simple visual novel.
- The game offers multiple romance paths and the ability to play as either a male or female protagonist, enhancing replayability.
- The characters can be annoying and stereotypical, which detracts from the overall experience.
- The stat management system can feel tedious and overly complicated, leading to frustration when trying to achieve desired endings.
- The game is considered overpriced for the content it offers, with many players feeling it doesn't provide enough value for the cost.
- story37 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The story of the game is generally perceived as simple and lacking depth, with many reviewers noting its basic plot and limited character development. While some players appreciate the charming and humorous aspects of the college setting and the engaging interactions, others find it unsatisfying and not worth the price, especially when compared to other visual novels with richer narratives. Overall, it appeals to those looking for lighthearted fun rather than a complex or compelling storyline.
“A very fun, charming story about college, friendship, first serious relationships, drunk parties, and many awkward situations for everyone, including you.”
“The story is good with a lot of comedic moments and the characters are all well made.”
“Good visuals, good story so far.”
“Other games similar to this come much cheaper and have better storylines and characters.”
“The story flat out skips the last two weeks of the semester, and the scenes before that are not very good.”
“If you're looking for deep characters or story, don't bother.”
- humor16 mentions
- 94 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The game's humor is a mix of juvenile and clever, with many players appreciating the lively dialogue and funny character interactions. While some scenes may feel uncomfortable or clichéd, the overall writing is well-received, blending humor with emotional and romantic moments effectively. Players find the comedic elements enjoyable, contributing to a fun and engaging experience that resonates with themes of friendship and family.
“A lot of the humor is really good - especially with how the characters' expressions change throughout scenes.”
“I did really enjoy the funny scenes and dialogue.”
“The writing is hilarious at points and 'Roommates' has a good rock soundtrack.”
“They're just creepy and uncomfortable - not funny.”
- music15 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising the catchy soundtrack and memorable themes, while others find it repetitive and occasionally mismatched with the game's atmosphere. Several users noted that certain tracks can become overwhelming or annoying when played on loop, and there are moments of silence that detract from the experience. Overall, while the music has its highlights, it may not appeal to everyone, leading some to suggest playing with alternative background music.
“The soundtrack is surprisingly good and satisfying!”
“The music in the game is good and catchy (at least a couple of tracks I would listen to for fun outside of the game), although there were a few oddly silent parts that I wish had some music.”
“The writing is hilarious at points and the game has a good rock soundtrack.”
“The music was boring, and some of the backdrops used didn't really suit the game; a wedding table when it should have been a rave party.”
“Shallow, cheesy characters, lazy music choice, waste of money - plenty of free games that are more engaging than this.”
“I think it's a song that's too loud and overwhelming to be playing on loop during some of the scenes.”
- graphics9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the cute animations and overall aesthetic appeal, while others criticize certain character designs and the limited art style. Although the artwork shows improvement and contributes positively to the narrative experience, players feel that the gameplay can detract from the enjoyment of the visuals due to excessive stat grinding and poorly defined objectives.
“I also adore the artwork.”
“+ The animation is very cute and the game is aesthetically pleasing overall.”
“The artwork is a major improvement; the dialogue and plot alter slightly depending on who you romance. It's funny, has good music, and features moments that just made me want to 'squee'.”
“It quickly becomes a chore; the artwork is limited and objectives are poorly defined or outright hidden.”
“The art style in some CGs is not aesthetically pleasing.”
“The art style in some CGs is not aesthetically pleasing.”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, often feeling that the goals set by the game are misleading and require excessive repetition to achieve desired outcomes. The need to meticulously manage schedules and save frequently adds to the grind, making the experience feel more like a chore than an enjoyable challenge. Overall, the grinding for stats and romance events detracts from the overall enjoyment and narrative satisfaction.
“I hit the goals given with plenty of time to spare, and so I started to focus on other things just for variety's sake, only for the game to end and tell me that the goals they gave me were essentially 'make believe' goals, and I needed to keep grinding out the same stats harder to have gotten the true ending.”
“Oh yeah, it's just a blast grinding over and over trying to find the impossible balance just to get the right 'score' just to finish the damn game with a decent ending for any character.”
“But after that, the only thing on my mind was stat grinding and trying desperately just not to have my mediocre game ending dissolve all over again.”
- emotional6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game evokes a mix of emotions, featuring heartwarming and wholesome interactions among characters that foster a sense of familial bonds. While it includes juvenile humor and some clichéd characters, players often find themselves emotionally invested in the touching and romantic moments throughout the story. Overall, it successfully blends humor with genuine emotional depth, making it a recommended experience for those who appreciate such themes.
“I even got emotionally invested during a few nice scenes that showed the group of main characters bonding with each other.”
“Still, Roommates is a great game and I definitely recommend it for everyone - it is funny, touching, romantic, and teasing, but what is most important is that in the end, you really understand that all those fools of roommates become your family.”
“While some characters can feel a tad cliché, it's largely well written with emotional and funny scenes, and nicely written romance scenes.”
- replayability6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while there are multiple routes and character choices that offer some replay value, many players feel that the story remains largely unchanged across different playthroughs, diminishing the incentive to replay. Additionally, frustrations with the romance mechanics and a rushed second part of the game further impact the overall replay experience.
“There are a lot of different playthroughs that you can do, so there's some replay value here.”
“+ replay value definitely is there, since there are two characters to play and four romance paths for each.”
“What I didn't like: the romances are frustratingly hard to get right, it has little replay value, the second part of the game feels very rushed.”
“Outside of that, the replay value is decent because there are so many routes you can take, but the story doesn't really differ much in each one, so it sort of ruins the point of it.”
“Little replay value.”
- gameplay5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- -20 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The gameplay is a mix of traditional visual novel mechanics and stat management, which some players find engaging, while others struggle with the dating mechanics and school scheduling elements. While the dialogue and story are considered mature and decent, the dated language and difficulty in achieving desired outcomes can detract from the overall experience.
“The gameplay is fairly entertaining.”
“But it felt mature in dialogue, had a decent enough story (I mean, it's pretty basic), and I was engaged through gameplay.”
“The gameplay, while having your traditional visual novel choice-making, also has some stat elements.”
“I liked it when I was 16, but coming back to it, the language is dated and the gameplay of school scheduling is not fun. Also, I got to the end and didn't even get one of their endings even though I was prioritizing Annie.”
“This game's dating mechanic is hard to grasp for me. I have everything up to the correct points, yet it doesn't work. Still an amazing game though.”
“The gameplay, while having your traditional visual novel choice-making, also has some stat.”
- character development1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The character development in this game is minimal, catering to players who prefer a straightforward, romantic narrative without deep exploration of the characters' growth.
“If you're looking for a sappy romance that dives right in with little character development, then this is probably for you.”
“The characters feel one-dimensional and lack any real growth throughout the story.”
“I was disappointed by how predictable the character arcs were; they didn't evolve in any meaningful way.”
