"Ah, a new fair maiden has come in search of true love!"
— Senpai in the opening cutscene
Hating Simulator is a Visual Novel Dating Simnote released on the PlayStation in 1996.
The game centers on Senpai, a male senior at Deredere High School in search of his One True Love. He has to choose between twelve girls, each one with their own unique traits and interests.
Despite it being released during the PlayStation's heyday, it failed to become a series due to low sales.
Hating Simulator provides examples of:
- Affectionate Nickname: Aiko's close friends and Senpai, if he decides to settle on her as the final girl call her "Ai-chan" in the original Japanese release.
- All There in the Manual: Senpai's backstory and interests can be found in the game's instruction manual.
- Alternative Character Interpretation: It's common for the fandom to characterize Senpai as a Bitch in Sheep's Clothing who is a Sore Loser whenever he doesn't get any girl to swoon for him. Given his status as an Invincible Hero and the fact that there is no way to lose in the game, it's easy to see why.
- Bad Export for You: Barely-changed names aside, the official English release of the game was very literal, with words and phrases ending up being Lost in Translation.
- Barely-Changed Dub Name: All of the students and faculty had their names changed in the English release to sound similar to the original Japanese version. For example, Senpai is named "Samuel"note , and Aiko and Nozomi are named "Aida" and "Noelle"note , respectively. Most fans still use the Japanese names, mostly due to the rarity of the English version of the game (though "Samuel" and "Sam" have caught on as names for Senpai among some fans, partly because his original name isn't actually a name and partly because his features map pretty neatly onto the American Phenotype Stereotype anyway).
- Boyish Short Hair: Nozomi has short, jet black hair and is the president of the Sports Club.
- Curtains Match the Window: Aiko, who has brown hair and brown eyes, and Nozomi, who has black hair and black eyes.
- Fan Translation: A fan-translation by a group of anonymous developers known only as "Team Heartbreak" was released in the 2000s. It's more well-known than the official English release, which did not become public knowledge until the early 2020s.
- Flower Motif: Senpai and each of the girls he is dating have a favorite flower that matches their personality. For example, Senpai’s favorite flowers are roses, Aiko’s are sunflowers, and Nozomi’s are tulips. This is important later on when Senpai has to give the girl he has spent the most time with a bouquet of flowers.
- Genki Girl: Aiko is energetic and one of the friendliest girls in the roster.
- Invincible Hero: Senpai/Samuel in a nutshell, as he can't lose.
- It's Easy, So It Sucks!: There is literally no way to lose. This, along with the "round-robin" dating Scrappy Mechanic, are considered to be major factors in why this game didn't sell very well.
- It's the Same, Now It Sucks!: The game was derided by critics for being too similar to Tokimeki Memorial, down to the similar strategies used to win.
- Keep Circulating the Tapes: Good luck finding a copy of the English release of the game.
- Les Yay: There is a surprising number of fans that ships the romantic interests with each other. A common ship among these fans is Aiko/Nozomi, mainly due to how the both of them are extremely close.
- Localized Name in a Non-Localized Setting: In the official English version of the game, the school is named "Heartache High", despite it still being a Japanese high school.
- Meaningful Name: Nozomi's name can mean either "wish" or "hope" depending on the kanji used. Her greatest wish is for other people around her to see her as her true self.
- No Export for You: The game was only released in Japan and the United States.
- Older Than He Looks: Senpai is 18, but he looks no older than a high-school freshman.
- Only Known By His Nickname: The protagonist is just called "Senpai" by his fellow students.
- Sailor Fuku: All of the girls at Deredere High wear blue sailor-caped school uniforms.
- Scrappy Mechanic: Many felt that the "round robin" style of dating was what led to the poor sales of the game.
- Spiritual Successor: Of Tokimeki Memorial, down to the similar premise.
- Stillborn Franchise: Thanks in large part to the low sales of the game, any hopes of Hating Simulator becoming a franchise were dashed almost immediately.
- Tomboy with a Girly Streak: Nozomi is an athlete and has typically boyish interests, but she also has a secret stuffed animal collection.
- Tsundere: Nozomi is very brash around the male students, including Senpai. However, in her route, she tries and fails to hide her budding affections for him.
- Urban Legend of Zelda: There are three prominent rumors that show up in the fanbase. Whether or not all three are connected to each other is a subject of intense debate.
- Some fans reported sightings of a short auburn-haired character in a red dress known only as "Girlfriend" who Senpai must woo over near the front of the school. However, he must beat her blue-haired boyfriend in a rap battle a la PaRappa the Rapper in order to do so. You are unable to win the match, causing Senpai to fly into a rage... in front of the other girls he is currently dating, instantly triggering a Game Over.
- Certain copies of the game would glitch at random and show bizarre visuals, including a red, spirit-like entity, and pictures of the principal changing to that of a man with purple skin, gray hair, and red glowing eyes.
- Connected to the above, the last cutscene after the credits showed the same red spirit swearing revenge against an unknown individual by dragging players inside the game and taking over their bodies. After the cutscene played, the game would crash, rendering it virtually unplayable.
- What Could Have Been:
- There were plans to make a sequel with a new protagonist and new love interests, but those were shelved after the poor sales of the first game.
- To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the game, the game's lead character designer posted some early concepts for various characters in 2021. Tellingly, Senpai was originally conceived as having one green eye and one blue eye, but this design was scrapped in favor of both of his eyes being baby blue.
- World of Technicolor Hair: Surprisingly averted. Unlike other dating sims released around that time, all of the girls Senpai has to choose from have normal hair colors.
