I have trouble determining whether HuniePop is supposed to be a straightforward dating sim, or a parody of them. (For example, like many dating sims it has a strange mechanic for romance at its center, though, it's probably not the strangest. Also, a few of the mechanics teach you the exact opposite of what you should do in real life.) Despite myself, though, I find it an enjoyable game.
The puzzles are quite challenging and, since you only have 20 moves while the amount of XP required to pass them increases between each date and each day, you really can't rest on your laurels. There's a surprising amount of strategic depth given those conditions and the choices of items to use, and so the puzzle aspect doesn't get terribly repetitive.
Apart from the puzzle aspect, though, the game feels a bit incomplete. The characters have relationships between them, hinting at a larger plot that got cut, but themselves are somewhat bare female rom-com archetypes (though, American rather than Japanese ones.) This is both an upside and a downside. The downside is that the interactions/conversations end up getting quite repetitive. It's a bit sad because the game leaves you feeling like there's a richer world to be explored. The upside, however, is that the puzzle game doesn't get bogged down poring over characterization and world-building filler, a trap that many visual novels fall into. Part of the characters' charm is that they're not overcomplicated and depressing. Also, a lot of their lines are bloody hilarious to listen to, and it's not like we haven't seen the whole Key Visual Arts schtick a million times by now anyway.
The music is very good, if a bit repetitive at times. The main theme is quite catchy and memorable, and the music generally tends towards both the slower and easier-on-the-ears and the fast and funky. Voice acting is generally good, if uneven and stiff in a few places. That said, the voices generally match the temperaments of the characters, so it's hard to complain about too much. The art direction is solid, workmanlike fare for a visual novel: nice, clean CG and well-drawn sprites with good speech animations.
Overall, though, this is a fun game and generally its deceptive simplicity is its strength. It lacks the overly self-aware, even self-conscious, feeling that so many media give off in this day and age, along with an excessive focus on "complex, well-rounded" characters [which have rapidly become a cliche in their own right.] If you're looking for a good turn-your-brain-off puzzler with a little bit of cheesecake—if that's your thing—definitely pick up this game.
VideoGame A solid, simple and addicting experience
I have trouble determining whether HuniePop is supposed to be a straightforward dating sim, or a parody of them. (For example, like many dating sims it has a strange mechanic for romance at its center, though, it's probably not the strangest. Also, a few of the mechanics teach you the exact opposite of what you should do in real life.) Despite myself, though, I find it an enjoyable game.
The puzzles are quite challenging and, since you only have 20 moves while the amount of XP required to pass them increases between each date and each day, you really can't rest on your laurels. There's a surprising amount of strategic depth given those conditions and the choices of items to use, and so the puzzle aspect doesn't get terribly repetitive.
Apart from the puzzle aspect, though, the game feels a bit incomplete. The characters have relationships between them, hinting at a larger plot that got cut, but themselves are somewhat bare female rom-com archetypes (though, American rather than Japanese ones.) This is both an upside and a downside. The downside is that the interactions/conversations end up getting quite repetitive. It's a bit sad because the game leaves you feeling like there's a richer world to be explored. The upside, however, is that the puzzle game doesn't get bogged down poring over characterization and world-building filler, a trap that many visual novels fall into. Part of the characters' charm is that they're not overcomplicated and depressing. Also, a lot of their lines are bloody hilarious to listen to, and it's not like we haven't seen the whole Key Visual Arts schtick a million times by now anyway.
The music is very good, if a bit repetitive at times. The main theme is quite catchy and memorable, and the music generally tends towards both the slower and easier-on-the-ears and the fast and funky. Voice acting is generally good, if uneven and stiff in a few places. That said, the voices generally match the temperaments of the characters, so it's hard to complain about too much. The art direction is solid, workmanlike fare for a visual novel: nice, clean CG and well-drawn sprites with good speech animations.
Overall, though, this is a fun game and generally its deceptive simplicity is its strength. It lacks the overly self-aware, even self-conscious, feeling that so many media give off in this day and age, along with an excessive focus on "complex, well-rounded" characters [which have rapidly become a cliche in their own right.] If you're looking for a good turn-your-brain-off puzzler with a little bit of cheesecake—if that's your thing—definitely pick up this game.