VARIOUS DAYLIFE

About

VARIOUS DAYLIFE is a single player tactical role playing game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by DOKIDOKI GROOVE WORKS and was released on September 13, 2022. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and negative reviews from players.

"Various Daylife" is a simulated RPG set in the fictional year of 212 of the Imperial Era. Players manage the daily life of characters, including their work, relationships, and battles. The game's unique feature is the "Music of Life" system, where the background music changes based on players' choices, creating a personalized gaming experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

35%

Audience ScoreBased on 190 reviews

story14 positive mentions

gameplay14 negative mentions

The story, characters, music, and artwork are well-crafted and enjoyable.
The game can be fun if approached as a casual simulation rather than a traditional RPG.
It offers a sense of progression through character development and job mechanics, especially when bundled with other games.

The gameplay is repetitive and grind-heavy, often feeling like a chore rather than an engaging experience.
Combat mechanics are dull and lack depth, with many players feeling disconnected from the action.
The game is poorly executed as a port from mobile, leading to a lack of interactive elements and a linear experience.

story
78 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
72%
10%
The story has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it lackluster and tedious, particularly in the early stages where it takes a long time to develop. While some appreciate the characters and music, others criticize the plot for being clichéd and unengaging, often feeling like a series of mundane tasks rather than a compelling narrative. Overall, the story improves somewhat after significant gameplay hours, but many still feel it fails to create a strong emotional connection or investment.
- “However, once it does get going, it offers some nicely written characters and plot points.”
- “The characters and story are quite good.”
- “Some elements of the game are comparable to games like Octopath Traveler or Bravely Default II, like the actual density of their contents, the quality of their ideas, the music, the characters, and the story, although the core game is much simpler, but still stands out with original ideas.”
- “Various Daylife's story feels like a haphazardly stitched quilt of clichés and mundane tales, devoid of any substance or emotional resonance.”
- “The credits roll abruptly with none of the plot wrapped up.”
- “So far, the story has been boring.”
gameplay
56 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
54%
25%
The gameplay has been widely criticized for its heavy reliance on menus and repetitive mechanics, with many players feeling that it lacks depth and engagement. While some appreciate the RPG progression elements and the potential of the battle system, the overall experience is marred by excessive dialogue, tedious grinding, and a lack of meaningful interaction. Overall, the gameplay is seen as a significant drawback, with many reviewers expressing disappointment in its execution and design.
- “The battle system has some cool concepts and mechanics in place centering around every damage type having an associated status effect, and being able to chain them into a combo for major damage, but opportunities to dig into the full depth of this system are sparse.”
- “The gameplay is mostly menus -- you spend your time deciding which work you want to do each day from a list, and there are a bunch of nuances that make it interesting to choose which one you want to do (they affect your stat experience, then there's experience multipliers, stamina, mood, time, money, etc.).”
- “Gameplay gets somewhat better after 20 hours.”
- “It takes about an hour of dialogue to get to any gameplay. You do a few battles, then fight a boss, then you're back to dialogue and 'work,' which consists of flicking between different jobs, choosing one, and... that's all that happens. You've done it; choosing it finishes it right away.”
- “The core gameplay is 100% grind, endlessly navigating a bunch of menus to make numbers go up — you don't even get to see your character doing the jobs he takes; he just wanders off-screen and comes back a few seconds later with a report of how he did.”
- “The gameplay gets stale very quickly, and only gets worse as the game progresses.”
graphics
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
50%
20%
The graphics of the game have received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with many reviewers describing them as outdated and reminiscent of the PS1 era, despite being set to the highest settings. The character models and textures are criticized for their lack of detail and generic design, while the overall visual presentation is seen as a disjointed mix that fails to impress. While some appreciate the art style and music, the technical execution leaves much to be desired, making the graphics a significant drawback for players.
- “The music and art style are fantastic, but most of the time you don't get to see your choices played out.”
- “That game's a real time sink with beautiful graphics and better use of your time.”
- “Character models are PSX-tier on the highest graphics settings, town exploration bits are 2.5D (meaning you walk left/right against a 3D background of boxy fantasy buildings), camera perspective is nausea-inducing.”
- “Now, let us delve into the visual presentation—or lack thereof—of this so-called 'art.' The game's visuals are a mishmash of lackluster textures and generic character designs that would barely pass muster in the previous console generation.”
- “From the art style to the interface, it has a very mobile appearance about it.”
music
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
31%
19%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising it as "glorious" and fitting well with the game's charm and atmosphere, while others find it repetitive and obnoxious. Despite occasional issues like music cutting out when switching windows, many players appreciate the quality and artistic integration of the soundtrack. Overall, while the music is a highlight for some, it may not resonate with all players.
- “The music is solid.”
- “The music and art style are fantastic, but most of the time you don't get to see your choices played out.”
- “It has a good loop, the characters are nicely written, the music is absolutely glorious, this game has a lot of charm and a calming atmosphere.”
- “Music is repetitive and obnoxious; voice acting consists of short grunts that sound like French.”
- “Thanks for a mostly decent port, but sometimes the music cuts out if I go to another window.”
- “Some elements of the game are comparable to games like Octopath Traveler or Bravely Default II, but the music feels less engaging.”
grinding
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
83%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be extremely tedious, often requiring significant time investment that can feel like a second job. While some suggest that strategic play can reduce the need for intensive grinding, many still report that a large portion of gameplay revolves around repetitive tasks to level up characters and gather resources. Despite its grindy nature, some players appreciate it as a relaxing way to unwind.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “It's an extremely grindy game, and the majority of your time will be spent working until you have enough cash to train your characters several levels to be able to keep up with the recommended level.”
- “It's tedious enough that I'd put on a podcast or something in the background while slogging through it.”
character development
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Character development in the game is perceived as weak, with some reviewers noting that it lacks depth and originality. However, there are indications that it is not entirely absent, suggesting a minimal effort to provide some growth or backstory for the characters.
- “Character development seems weak, but not completely nonexistent.”
- “Character development seems weak, but not completely nonexistent.”
monetization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The monetization aspect of the game has been criticized as feeling like a desperate cash grab, disappointing fans who anticipated a genuine sequel to the original Octopath Traveler. While some reviewers noted that it resembles a mobile game, they pointed out the absence of microtransactions, which somewhat mitigates the negative perception.
- “It reeks of a desperate cash grab, betraying the loyalty of fans who were eagerly awaiting a true successor to the original Octopath Traveler.”
- “I don't want to be too harsh on the game, but my initial response talking to a friend about it is that it plays a little like a mobile game but without any microtransactions.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of Various Daylife is criticized for lacking depth, as its narrative is perceived as a disjointed collection of clichés and ordinary stories that fail to evoke any genuine feelings or connections.
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is noted to be unintentional, with players finding it amusing that it resembles a Final Fantasy Tactics-style game without fully embracing that identity, which some interpret as a playful jab at the audience. Overall, the humor is seen as a secondary aspect, adding a layer of amusement to the experience.
- “I got this as a package deal with Triangle Strategy, an actual good game. It's hilarious because they will literally make a Final Fantasy Tactics-esque game without making it an actual Final Fantasy Tactics game just to spite the players, but I digress.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's optimization has been criticized, leading to its removal from Apple Arcade due to underwhelming performance. This suggests significant issues in its technical execution that affected user experience.
- “Turns out it was one of the only games pulled from the Apple Arcade after underwhelming performance on the platform.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Reviewers express disappointment in the game's lack of updates or improvements over the past two years, which has negatively impacted its replayability. The absence of enhancements or fixes has left the experience feeling stagnant and less engaging for players looking for reasons to return.
- “I was more surprised to find out that zero work seems to have been done in the last two years to tighten up the experience, clean up some of its flaws, or just make it a more playable experience.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is characterized by its charming and calming environment, enhanced by well-written characters and glorious music, creating an engaging and immersive experience for players.
- “It has a good loop, the characters are nicely written, the music is absolutely glorious; this game has a lot of charm and a calming atmosphere.”