LoveSick Darlings makes connections with three women in a visual novel where relationships have consequences and ghosting isn’t the worst.
CONTENT WARNING – ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIPS
I poured hours into the demo for, finding myself smiling as it handled some difficult subjects I’ve had trouble expressing myself about. In LoveSick Darlings, you play as Syd, a “loner” who hangs out with Maisy, Jayda, and Steph. Each girl has their own story to tell, and more often than not, they intertwine with those of the other girls. There is a stat-raising system, but it is not visually obnoxious in a way some other visual novels can be.
Instead, the story allows you to boost your stats in a way that I personally found realistic. Events that happened were great ways to understand the story better. The stat boosts didn’t feel grind-y or that they were only a way to get bonus images. It felt human, like how one would spend time with one’s friends.
The prologue I mentioned earlier is a conversation between Maisy and Syd, and brings a difficult subject to light — coercive relationships. Maisy is talking to Sid about “Nachos” a boy two years her senior who broke up with her. Syd attempts to comfort her, and the tutorial rewinds me back to the start of the story, promising to return. I soon play and find out “Nachos” is actually Matthew, and the silly story surrounding his nickname doesn’t quite soften the blow as I pick up cues about him being quite the specimen, and not in a good way.
This reminded me of my own experiences, and several “Nachos” in my life. I also learn about Syd’s crush on the stoic Steph, and his inability to break past it at first. Jayda reminds me of myself in how she handles her friendships and work.
I could probably write an essay on this in true high school fashion. I do have a degree that I need to uphold, so I’ll end this by saying I love LoveSick Darlings. Master Lawyer is my favorite game, Doomsday 3 is the new Creature Intersection, and I’m looking forward to building better bonds — be it through a good book, video game, or some quality time.
LoveSick Darlings is currently in development, but you can add it to your Steam Wishlist or grab a demo from Steam and itch.io.
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