ValiDate: Struggling Singles in your Area

About

ValiDate: Struggling Singles in your Area is a single player casual role playing game with romance, drama and comedy themes. It was developed by Veritable Joy Studios and was released on September 28, 2022. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

ValiDate is a visual novel featuring 13 diverse characters navigating love and life as struggling singles in Jercy City. With over 30 routes and hours of content, players make decisions that impact each character's journey, choosing everything from wholesome to terrible options. The game boasts #OwnVoices narrative writing and artwork from artists of color, promoting individuality and authenticity.

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Play Modes

Single-Player

ValiDate: Struggling Singles in your Area screenshot

+17

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71%

Audience ScoreBased on 154 reviews

story10 positive mentions

gameplay6 negative mentions

The artwork is beautiful and the character designs are stunning, contributing to an immersive visual experience.
The writing is relatable and often humorous, capturing the complexities of modern relationships and personal growth.
The game features a diverse cast of characters, providing representation for various identities and experiences.

The game suffers from numerous technical issues and glitches that can disrupt gameplay and immersion.
The narrative structure is linear, which may disappoint players expecting more choice and agency in their romantic interactions.
Some characters are perceived as unlikable or poorly written, leading to a lack of emotional connection for certain players.

story
86 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
85%
3%
The story is praised for its beautiful art and engaging character development, blending humor with serious themes of personal growth and friendship. However, many reviewers note its linearity, with a repetitive overarching narrative that can detract from the depth of individual character arcs. While some characters resonate deeply, others may feel unlikable or underdeveloped, leading to mixed feelings about the overall storytelling experience.
- “The art is gorgeous, and the story has a nice balance of the humor I fell in love with in the advertising as well as some serious, heart-to-heart moments.”
- “It was a beautiful, funny, and engaging story.”
- “Speaking of the story, it is reflective, realistic, funny, and as a whole incredibly well written.”
- “The story is extremely linear, and regardless of each individual ending you get with each suitor, the overarching story is the same and goes in one path.”
- “In a better game where these individual character routes were actually long and better connected—formatted as one story instead of many dates—there would be time for these characters to grow on you, for you to discover actual depth to the character you're playing as, and for the relationships that they form to feel real.”
- “For visual novel games, my pet peeve is if the game turns into a novel where your choices have no impact on the story whatsoever.”
humor
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is widely praised for its cleverness and well-timed delivery, blending quippy dialogue with deeper emotional moments. Players appreciate the balance of lightheartedness and serious themes, with characters that feel relatable and real. However, some critiques mention that certain humor elements, particularly meme references, may feel outdated or forced, detracting from the overall experience.
- “The humor is well-timed and doesn't feel strained, and there are infrequent self-aware moments of breaking the fourth wall which are used to great effect.”
- “And it's not just about the struggles that come with it, but this game also has such funny and heartwarming moments that genuinely made me laugh when playing.”
- “Literally some of the deepest stuff will be happening and a character will drop a rated-gold line that's so funny.”
gameplay
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
68%
21%
The gameplay has been widely criticized for its clunky mechanics and numerous bugs, which significantly detract from the overall experience. Many players find the interface problematic and feel that the core gameplay is not optimized, making it difficult to enjoy the story and art. Overall, reviewers recommend waiting for major updates and fixes before considering a purchase.
- “As someone who finds delight in visual novel games, especially if it's a romance genre, I am really keen on gameplay before story and art.”
- “It sucks that all of it gets overshadowed by the harrowing gameplay experience, but hopefully that’ll change as bugs are fixed and other game functions are added.”
- “As much as I want to appreciate the story, it's just hard if the gameplay hinders me from doing so.”
- “The mechanics can also be pretty clunky, which I didn't think was possible in a visual-novel style game.”
- “I’ll just get to the point: I do not recommend purchasing this game until all of the major bugs are fixed and the general mechanics of the game are optimized.”
- “Gameplay: there are so many issues with the interface it could fill a book.”
graphics
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
70%
15%
15%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beauty and unique character designs, contributing to an aesthetically pleasing experience. However, some players have reported glitches that disrupt gameplay, such as dialogue placement issues and a cumbersome text log layout. Overall, while the visuals are a highlight, they are somewhat overshadowed by technical inconsistencies and pacing concerns in the narrative.
- “The artwork is beautiful, and I’ve found each of the characters to be relatable.”
- “It is a sweet, sometimes angsty game with a gorgeous art style, enjoy it for what it is.”
- “The artwork is absolutely gorgeous as well.”
- “Sometimes the graphics can be a little glitchy. I've had it where the dialogue moves to the top of the screen, and I can't read it, forcing me to skip to the good ending of Inaya and Yolonda's route because it kept saying I chose to eat the whole gummy instead of half.”
- “Only the library has 'Volume 1.' Not the Steam page, not the Steam graphics, nothing.”
- “I appreciate the art style, but the pacing of the story just feels off.”
stability
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is generally enjoyable, but players report a significant number of glitches and bugs that can be annoying, though they do not render the game unplayable. Many of these issues are recognized by the developers, with bug fixes already in progress shortly after release. Overall, while stability is a concern, it is seen as an area that can improve with updates.
- “However, the game has quite a few glitches that need to be worked out.”
- “My only gripe with this game is that it's currently a little buggy, and the UI could be more straightforward for players who might be going in blind.”
- “There are a handful of glitches and idiosyncrasies of the engine which are a little annoying, but at least half of them are already known issues with bug fixes on the way mere days after release.”
monetization
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of the game has drawn criticism for misleading advertising, which led many players to believe it was a dating sim with multiple character routes, when in fact it is a kinetic visual novel with limited choices. This disconnect between expectations and reality has resulted in disappointment, particularly regarding the lack of content related to dating apps and online dating, as well as the absence of a text skip feature that could enhance replayability. Overall, the game's marketing has been deemed somewhat dishonest, affecting its reception among players.
- “First off, as other reviews have pointed out, the advertising for this game isn't exactly honest.”
- “The advertising is a little misleading— I, along with a lot of other people, thought that all of the characters would have routes in this build, which was unfortunately not the case— and I fear the lack of a skip text button might dampen a player's drive to replay the game and experience all of the endings.”
- “In its current form (which had some dubious labeling and advertising of what's actually included), I can only recommend this game with, at best, a shrug of the shoulders if you're looking for mlm content.”
emotional
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its heartfelt storytelling and beautiful illustrations, effectively blending humor with emotional depth. While it features relatable sapphic and trans themes, some players felt a disconnect due to choices not aligning with expected outcomes, making them feel more like observers than participants. Overall, the writing is described as warm, funny, and genuinely touching, contributing to a rich emotional experience.
- “This is a really heartfelt game with beautiful illustrations.”
- “And it's not just about the struggles that come with it, but this game also has such funny and heartwarming moments that genuinely made me laugh when playing.”
- “The writing is warm, fun, familiar, and actually funny, and heartbreaking.”
music
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
50%
30%
The music in the game is widely praised for its quality and ability to enhance the overall experience, helping players immerse themselves in the writing and atmosphere. However, many users express a desire for more musical variation and question the timing of its introduction, particularly regarding a character's music. Overall, while the existing music is appreciated, there are calls for greater diversity in the soundtrack.
- “The music is great and makes it easy to focus on the writing and get into the vibe of the game.”
- “I kinda like this game (the art, the music, the characters that definitely have their own unique personalities), and I've been waiting for its release for almost a year.”
- “I do wish there was a little more music variation, but the music that is there is amazing.”
- “It is a fun little detour in entertainment, but its introduction leaves players with more questions than answers (namely: why did it take until Malik's final date for players to get the chance to actually listen to his music?????), and you can't press multiple keys at once.”
- “I do wish there was a little more music variation, but the music that is there is amazing.”
character development
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
Character development in the game is praised for its depth and emotional resonance, with players feeling a strong connection to their chosen characters. The writing is noted for its realism and diversity, particularly in representing LGBTQ+ characters of color, although some reviewers found it inconsistent at times. The unique narrative structure, which focuses on player routes rather than traditional romance paths, enhances the overall storytelling experience.
- “I was drawn in by the character design, but wow... this game is so well written. I felt a true connection with the main character I chose, especially the overwhelming thought process.”
- “Secondly, the details of the art, character development, route/ending differences, realistic writing style, and diversity in LGBTQ+ characters of color have all been a breath of fresh air.”
- “Upon first beginning it, I had some mixed feelings about it because the narrative progression is different from anything I've ever seen in a dating simulator—rather than picking romance routes to pursue with specific characters, you pick player routes and play through a really in-depth story experience that's chock full of beautiful art and really deep character development.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game currently suffers from significant bugs and unoptimized mechanics, leading reviewers to advise against purchasing it until these issues are resolved.
- “I do not recommend purchasing this game until all of the major bugs are fixed and the general mechanics of the game are optimized.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, despite appreciating the beautiful artwork and character arcs. This suggests that while the game's aesthetic elements are well-received, the repetitive nature of gameplay detracts from the overall experience.
- “While I appreciate a lot of the beautiful artwork as well as most of the characters’ arcs, I found playing the game to be extremely tedious.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Replayability in visual novels is often hampered by lengthy, repetitive dialogue that players must revisit to explore different choices, especially if they haven't saved their progress. While the potential for multiple endings and story paths encourages replaying, the experience can become tedious due to the significant overlap in text.
- “Visual novels are text-based, so you don't want your audience skipping all the story to get to the CGs. However, the problem is that there's so much replayability that requires watching the same long stretches of text if you weren't smart enough to save. Even then, there's so much unchanged dialogue between choices that it starts to drag a bit.”

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Frequently Asked Questions

ValiDate: Struggling Singles in your Area is a casual role playing game with romance, drama and comedy themes.

ValiDate: Struggling Singles in your Area is available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Mac OS and others.

ValiDate: Struggling Singles in your Area was released on September 28, 2022.

ValiDate: Struggling Singles in your Area was developed by Veritable Joy Studios.

ValiDate: Struggling Singles in your Area has received mostly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its gameplay.

ValiDate: Struggling Singles in your Area is a single player game.

Similar games include Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator, Angel Wings, Hush Hush: Only Your Love Can Save Them, Winds of Change, Bustafellows and others.

ValiDate: Struggling Singles in your Area

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