Really been on a Wales Interactive kick the last few weeks, and thought why not keep going with it? Five Dates was released last year and is about digital dating during lockdown (yes, actual Covid-19 lockdown - this game is on point). It seemed like a fun idea and I thought my partner in crime Nollsy would really like it too so we decide to play it together.
Potatoes. There's a reason we Irish love them - they're so versatile and a few key decisions can create chips, mash and more can completely change how you experience the humble potato. Five Dates is similar, which hundreds of choices meaning every playthrough is a different experience did we find the perfect chips or mash?
The story is about a single guy named Vinny, about whom we can't tell you much because you have to choose his industry, interests, and general preferences throughout the game. His bro Callum has encouraged him to try online dating, and this game starts with a phone call between them in which Vinny (you) admit you have signed up. The same five girls are always available, but how well you gel with them and what kind of a person Vinny is, are all determined by the choices you make throughout the game.
The girls you can date are:
Maya, from Spain, and feels very much the life of the party
Shaina, a nurse during COVID-19, living with her family and very family orientated
Grace, a well to do professional, and a bit of a mystery
Paige, an influencer (don't tell her it is not a real job), and has trust issues
Saffron, spiritual, insightful and a little cooky
Very different people but all quite interesting in their own way. Overall a really interesting set of stories that really focuses on how small things can really change the way we look at people and they look at us.
Visuals
The visuals create an extremely intimate feeling, talking to someone in their room and through video calls and the dating app feel real and not quite spying but like you are part of it. The bedrooms and living rooms all look and feel like the real deal and not staged. One thing Nolls noticed was that within a single date, the lighting in the background could completely change the time of day. The audio quality also sometimes changed, but rather than being to the detriment of the game it actually made us appreciate even more how this whole game was conceptualized, filmed and developed during the lockdown. The acting was, broadly, very good also and the transition between scenes as you waited to make, or made, choices was very smoothly done, with even careful editing including one character's voice chatting over a camera swivel to the other character. This really added to the organic feel of watching a real date (think First Dates Ireland, close up).
Music
Similar to The Complex there were no signs of a soundtrack being available to listen to outside of the game itself. The music is sparse, but in a game so heavily focused on the story, it is not really a big deal. Given that the game is entirely dialogue-based, it's important to be able to clearly hear what's being said at all times, and while the music may not have had much impact itself, it's noticeable that it also definitely didn't detract from the dialogue.
Gameplay
The gameplay is very simple and straightforward - it's a game designed to be replayed multiple times and the initial setup is quick. You start by setting up your online dating profile, and because you're on the free trial you can only choose three of the five dates available. There are 762 scenes in this game (7 hours of recorded footage) and almost as many choices to be made. The first of these choices include your profile picture, your industry, your star sign and a set of three interests. These will actually influence the scenes that come up with different dates.
At each stage, you must choose one person fewer so you have three first dates, two-second dates, and one-third date. Each first date is broadly about getting to know each other, while each second date generally involves a game such as Truth Or Dare or Never Have I Ever. You can imagine how many different choices you can make playing such games, and all of this long-winded talking boils down to this - Nolls replayed this game at least 5 times in order to get each of the girls to the 3rd date. At the same time, she deliberately chose different options in the 1st and 2nd dates she had to go back through, and she noted that she learned vastly different things about each girl depending on what choices she made.
One of the absolute best elements of this game is how complex and layered each girl's personality and life is - depending on your choices, you can form spectacularly different opinions on them on different playthroughs. Saffron, a vegan yoga enthusiast who doesn't like horror movies would not be at the top of Noll's list on paper, and indeed the first time we played through, we actually failed to get a second date with Saffron (yes, you can piss off each girl to the degree that they decline any further dates!). But on a second run-through, we discovered her love of clay boobs, her incredibly interesting way of using Tarot to encourage self-reflection, and one final big shocker that we won't share, because we want your response to be as authentic as ours was when it happened. Saffron is easily one of our two favourite characters (the other being Maya if you're interested). And all of this is just about Saffron - image how much there is to say about all the other characters, including your own character and the available choices there. We highly recommend multiple playthroughs of this game.
Another fun element of the game is your bro Callum who checks in with you before and after your dates for a debrief.
Final Thoughts
Nollsy wants to give this game a 5/5 for ingenuity, authenticity, and appreciation of imagining people complexly. The whole game acts as an exercise in being non-judgemental and you learn a lot about yourself along the way too. There's a very good chance Nolls is going to keep playing it until she gets all the scenes because she's so impressed with the game. This one gets a solid 5 out of 5
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