Undead Darlings: No Cure for Love
- September 28, 2020
- Mr. Tired Media
Undead Darlings ~ no cure for love ~’s story outshines its dungeon crawling but this unpolished gem of a visual novel RPG proves to be well worth delving into.
Get on SteamIn "Undead Darlings: No Cure for Love," players explore dungeons and engage in turn-based combat with twisted creatures while learning about a crew of half-zombie girls through visual novel sequences. The game features branching dialogue paths and a first-person dungeon crawler experience. The story follows Reginald "Reggie" P. and his group of half-zombie companions on a quest to deliver the only known cure for their affliction.
Mac OS
Nintendo Switch
PC
Playstation 4
Playstation 5
Windows
Linux
PlayStation
Reviews
- The game features a unique blend of dungeon crawling, character interactions, and emotional storytelling, making it engaging and enjoyable.
- Character writing is strong, with distinct personalities and well-developed arcs that add depth to the gameplay experience.
- The fast-paced battles and the Exponential Exploitation system provide strategic depth, allowing players to maximize damage by exploiting enemy weaknesses.
- The inventory and equipment management systems are clunky and frustrating, making it difficult to navigate and equip items effectively.
- Weapon durability is a significant issue, as weapons break too quickly and repairing them is cumbersome, leading to constant loot searching.
- Dialogues are excessively long and often lack substance, causing players to skip through large portions of the story.
- gameplay12 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by engaging core battling mechanics and enjoyable characters, though it suffers from some minor inconveniences and awkward inventory management. While the game offers satisfying challenges and excellent dungeon design, it is criticized for relying on repetitive mechanics to compensate for a lack of content, making casual enjoyment difficult. Overall, it provides a mix of fun and frustration, appealing primarily to those who appreciate strategic depth.
“Characters are fun and gameplay is enjoyable most of the time, with a few minor inconveniences.”
“While a couple of mechanical elements here and there are a little awkward — most notably inventory and equipment management — this is a satisfying, challenging game that will keep you hooked until the credits roll.”
“[Excellent dungeon design with tons of detail, fascinating characters, deep, strategic mechanics, witty writing].”
“The core battling gameplay is what barely carries this game into recommended.”
“From battle mechanics to map settings to gameplay, none I can enjoy casually.”
“Covers the lack of content by using dumb dungeon mechanics to stall progress.”
- story7 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The story of "Undead Darlings ~ No Cure for Love ~" follows Reggie and a survivor named Buck as they navigate a world plagued by a zombie outbreak, encountering several 'half-zombie' girls in their quest to find a cure left by Reggie's father. While the narrative is described as fun and engaging, particularly in the character interactions, it is noted that the overall story lacks depth and is overshadowed by design issues in the combat system. Despite these flaws, the game is considered a worthwhile experience for fans of visual novel RPGs.
“The story is about Reggie, a survivor named Buck, and the several girls he meets (Pearl, Jordan, Kairi, Summer, Cici, and Emily), who are affected by a zombie plague that has spread through the world but still retain their humanity (called 'half-zombies' by the official description). They are on a quest to find a cure for the zombification left behind by Reggie's father, somewhere safe, that they hope can be mass-produced to cure them and the rest of the world.”
“The story revolves around Reggie, a survivor named Buck, and the several girls he meets (Pearl, Jordan, Kairi, Summer, Cici, and Emily), who are affected by a zombie plague that has spread throughout the world but still retain their humanity (referred to as 'half-zombies' in the official description). They are on a quest to find a cure for the zombification left behind by Reggie's father, which they hope can be mass-produced to save themselves and the rest of the world.”
“Undead Darlings ~ No Cure for Love ~'s story outshines its dungeon crawling, but this unpolished gem of a visual novel RPG proves to be well worth delving into.”
“You'll get some CGs just from the story, but others are tied to character events.”
- music4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed feedback; while some players enjoy it, others find it lacking and overwhelming, particularly in volume. Additionally, navigating the sound settings can be cumbersome, especially after lengthy dialogue sequences.
“First you'll need to dig through the sound settings after half an hour of dialogue, all while you blow your ears out with not great music.”
- emotional4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game features a range of emotional moments, particularly through character arcs and sub-events that blend humor with poignant experiences, such as a touching scene involving a character named Pearl that evokes strong empathy. Additionally, the inclusion of a wholesome 'harem ending' adds to the emotional depth, highlighting the importance of character relationships and personal growth.
“The sub events and each character’s arc scenes can have funny, and also some pretty highly emotional and personal moments in them, such as one of Pearl’s that can be seen after finishing the hospital, that really made me want to hug her, and, without spoilers, further drove me away from ever drinking.”
“The sub events and each character’s arc scenes can have funny, and also some pretty highly emotional and personal moments in them, such as one of Pearl’s that can be seen after finishing the hospital, that really made me want to hug her, and, without spoilers, further drove me away from ever drinking.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is interwoven with emotional and personal character arcs, creating a balance between comedic moments and poignant scenes that resonate deeply with players. One notable example involves a character named Pearl, whose storyline evokes both laughter and a strong emotional response, highlighting the game's ability to blend humor with serious themes.
“The sub events and each character’s arc scenes can have funny moments, along with some highly emotional and personal ones. For instance, one of Pearl’s scenes after finishing the hospital really made me want to hug her and, without spoilers, further drove me away from ever drinking.”
- character development2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The reviews do not provide any specific insights into character development, focusing instead on the artist and character designer's Twitter handle. As such, there is no substantial information available regarding the depth or progression of character development in the game.
Critic Reviews
Undead Darlings ~no cure for love~ Review
A fun dungeon romp with some fun characters that hold it all together. Average exploration and combat that doesn’t try anything unique but all in all a good time can be had here.
70%Undead Darlings ~no cure for love~ Review
Part dungeon-crawling RPG, part survival horror, part dating sim and part visual novel, Undead Darlings ~no cure for love~ successfully blends its disparate elements into a thoroughly compelling whole. While a couple of mechanical elements here and there are a little awkward — most notably inventory and equipment management — this is a satisfying, challenging game that will keep you hooked until the credits roll.
80%Undead Darlings ~ no cure for love ~ Review
Undead Darlings ~ no cure for love ~’s story outshines its dungeon crawling but this unpolished gem of a visual novel RPG proves to be well worth delving into.
75%
