Code Romantic
is, as described on its store page, "a computer science puzzle game wrapped in a science fiction love story". It was released on the 30th of April, 2020.
Join the Human Defense Department's last ditch effort to save the world: by teaching the brightest students in the nation how to hack and scramble the brains of the enemy. Follow the journey of Mina Lovelace as she seeks to prove herself worthy of following in her mother's footsteps, and tries not to embarrass herself in front of her childhood crush in the process.
Tropes:
- A.I. Is a Crapshoot: The world of Code Romantic is filled with sentient, weapon-proof machines that can only be stopped by humanity's best programmers.
- Amusement Park: Human Defense Department's base of operations — an abandoned literature-themed park called Literary Land.
- Badass Normal: Everyone in Human Defense Department, fighting sentient machines with nothing but programming skills and water pistols.
- Celeb Crush: Mina had one on Leon since her childhood, complete with a whole collection of posters.
- Computer Virus: The game's trailer states that an "@ware" virus is what caused the machines to run amok.
- Icon of Rebellion: Leon Morgenstern, who has been the poster boy of La Résistance since his childhood.
- Love Triangle: One forms between Leon, Mina and Jacqueline. Jacqueline wants Leon all to herself, Leon has feelings for Mina, and Mina has been crushing on Leon for years.
- Named After Somebody Famous: Mina Lovelace herself, sharing her surname with Ada Lovelace, the first computer programmer.
- Nerds Are Sexy: Everyone in the main cast is attractive, as well as either an expert at programming languages or learning to be one.
- No Ending: The game ends with little to no resolve to most of the plot threads, including the survival of academy staff and students, Mina's mother's fate, and the identity of the traitor.
- Programming Game: The main draw of the story, explaining and using real code and concepts from computer science courses to combat the fictional robot uprising.
- Uriah Gambit: Leon's presence in the academy, as revealed near the end of the story. Being a symbol of rebellion but not possessing much fighting skill, Leon was sent to the academy to die in a blaze of glory and continue motivating people even after his death.
