Roommates
- October 15, 2014
- Winter Wolves
- 16h 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
- Engaging and humorous writing that keeps players entertained throughout the game.
- Diverse cast of characters with unique personalities and romance options, including LGBTQ+ representation.
- Replayability with multiple endings and paths based on player choices, allowing for different experiences.
- Some characters are perceived as annoying or cliché, which can detract from the overall experience.
- The stat management system can feel tedious and may require multiple playthroughs to achieve desired endings.
- Art and music quality may not meet the expectations of all players, with some finding it repetitive or lacking.
- story73 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game receives mixed reviews, with many players finding it simplistic and lacking depth, often comparing it unfavorably to other visual novels. While some appreciate the light-hearted and entertaining moments, others criticize the cliché characters and minimal plot development, leading to a perception of a lack of originality and engagement. Overall, the game may appeal to those seeking a casual dating sim experience, but it falls short for players looking for a more complex narrative.
“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.”
“It's a great story with lovely characters.”
“The story flat out skips the last two weeks of the semester, and the scenes before that are not very good.”
“Actually, there's no story at all - you're just a freshman college student living with a bunch of insane people who do insane things all the time with no character development.”
“The storyline is just kinda there.”
- music37 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising the catchy soundtrack and its effective use in enhancing the game's atmosphere, while others criticize its repetitiveness and lack of variety, leading to moments of silence that detract from the experience. Many players find certain tracks enjoyable, though the looping nature of the music can become annoying over time. Overall, while the soundtrack has its highlights, it could benefit from more diversity and less repetition.
“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 'Roommates' 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.”
“The soundtrack could use more variation, and if you aren't actually clicking your way through the scenes as fast as you can, you will end up with the latter half of each scene being in total silence, only to get surprised by the guitar riff again when the scene changes.”
“Music is looped poorly, and there are a lot of points in the game where it's silent for no reason, and there are times where music meshes poorly.”
- humor28 mentions
- 96 % positive mentions
- -7 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The game's humor is a mixed bag, with some players finding it juvenile and lacking depth, while others appreciate the charming and funny dialogue that brings characters to life. Many reviews highlight the engaging and interactive nature of the humor, with memorable character tropes and moments that elicit genuine laughter. Overall, while some aspects may feel clichéd or uncomfortable, the game is generally regarded as funny and enjoyable, with a light-hearted tone that resonates well with players.
“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.”
“The jokes fall flat and feel forced.”
“I expected humor, but it was mostly awkward silence.”
- graphics24 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the character design and cute animations, while others criticize the repetitive and uncreative artwork, low resolution, and lack of engaging visuals. Many find the art style unappealing or cliché, detracting from the overall experience, although a few acknowledge improvements in certain areas. Overall, the visuals seem to be a point of contention, with opinions varying widely on their quality and impact on gameplay.
“I also adore the artwork.”
“Both the CG artwork and sprites looked great.”
“The art style isn't my cup of tea, however the devs definitely put time into the character design, writing, backdrops as well as the player options.”
“The visuals are as uncreative as can be; characters are cliché and boring. There's barely a story to speak of, and why would I want to date any of these people again?”
“So the very retro, very obviously copied out of a 'how to draw manga' book artwork is very much working against everything else poor about it.”
“The art style doesn't appeal to me, and I couldn't get into the story in the short amount of time I gave it.”
- gameplay18 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some players enjoying the mechanics of scheduling and stat management, while others find the dated language and stat-building elements frustrating. The balance between engaging character interactions and the complexity of the dating mechanics has also been noted, with some players struggling to grasp the game's systems. Overall, while the core gameplay offers traditional visual novel elements, it introduces unique mechanics that may not resonate with all players.
“The characters are interesting and I really liked the mechanics of planning out your week and balancing work, hobbies, studying, and energy levels.”
“The gameplay, while having your traditional visual novel choice making, also has some stat.”
“More gameplay mechanics include lock picking, bunny hopping, and an RPG-inspired spreadsheet level-up system.”
“Unfortunately, gameplay included the thing I most hate seeing in visual novels: stat building.”
“The core gameplay revolves around reading text while looking at still images in the background.”
“Victory conditions and some gameplay dependencies are not particularly well explained.”
- replayability14 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
Overall, the game offers a mixed experience in terms of replayability. While many players appreciate the variety of routes, multiple endings, and different character arcs that enhance replay value, others find the story's lack of significant differences across playthroughs and frustrating romance mechanics diminish its overall appeal. Despite these criticisms, several reviews highlight the potential for enjoyable replay experiences through diverse character interactions and choices.
“There's plenty of replayability potential - another love interest, other jobs and hobbies.”
“Fun and full of replay value.”
“It has replayability that goes beyond more than following a different route.”
“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.”
- grinding9 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is often criticized for being tedious and frustrating, with players feeling compelled to repetitively increase stats to achieve desired endings. Many reviewers noted that the goals set by the game felt arbitrary, leading to a sense of futility in their efforts. However, some acknowledged that despite the grind, the overall quality and polish of the game provided a rewarding experience.
“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.”
- emotional8 mentions
- 88 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The game elicits a mix of emotions, featuring heartwarming moments and wholesome character interactions that foster a sense of familial bonds among the roommates. While some scenes are touching and well-written, others may come off as juvenile or cliché, yet they contribute to an overall emotional investment in the characters' relationships. Players seeking a blend of humor, romance, and emotional depth will find value in the experience.
“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.”
“The story felt quite boring and failed to evoke any real emotions.”
“I found the emotional moments to be predictable and lacking depth.”
“The characters didn't resonate with me, making it hard to feel invested in their journeys.”
- character development4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is largely criticized, with many reviewers noting a lack of meaningful progression or depth, particularly in the context of the story. While some appreciate the character design and writing, the overall consensus is that the game offers little in terms of character growth, focusing instead on superficial interactions and stat-raising mechanics.
“The art style isn't my cup of tea; however, the developers definitely put time into the character design, writing, backdrops, as well as the player options.”
“Actually, there's no story at all - you're just a freshman college student living with a bunch of insane people who do insane things all the time with no character development.”
“If you're looking for a sappy romance that dives right in with little character development, then this is probably for you.”
“- aside from raising stats, there is no real sense of character development.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere is described as peculiar and off-putting, with a focus on the interactions between characters Rakesh and Douchnic, the latter being particularly irritating to players.
