Lover Pretend - Romantic Simulation Game for Nintendo Switch | Perfect for Date Night & Relaxing Gameplay

It has been so long since I played an otome that was not riddled with drama, paranormal elements, and drawn out plots, that "Lover Pretend" is a breath of fresh otome air.Future screenwriter/college Student, Chiyuki Ueda is looking for her father. Her only clue is the only movie written by her late mother, “Pretend Love”. With an opportunity from her mentor, she is hired as an intern for a movie production, where everyone has some connection to her mother’s past.This is a surprisingly short otome. It was only 25-30 hours long. However, the length does not matter as long as the plot did not suffer and this game did not. The writing was impeccable. Each route was to the point and was not filled with fluff. There is not a lot of drama. I am not a fan of “pretending to be lovers” stories because of all the subterfuge and the possible fallout. However, that’s not the focus and even finding her father was pushed to side. It was just a means to an end to get the heroine and the ML to hang out. That is why the romance works. They are forced to hang out and get to know each other. There weren’t “mean” side characters to interfere. There were a few scenes that made me laugh, giggle or slap my forehead at the absurdity. I LOVE all the male leads and the voice acting is a chef’s kiss. Riku’s lispy(?) voice was so wonderful to listen to. Eiichirou’s route was too short. I needed more. The translation was pretty close. There were a few places that adjusted for English readers. The editing was well done! Love the color palette and the overall design of the characters. I did find some of the main artwork awkward. Riku looks like he is always constantly leaning over. It doesn’t look bad but some of the angles seem odd and was kind of distracting.If you are looking for a relaxing otome game, without all the drama, get this. And this is perfect starter for gamers who would like to start playing otome. I sincerely love this game. I have been revisiting certain routes. Good writing and great characters made this one of my new favorites.