SECRET SANTA SIGN-UPS 2020

Dates At The Gilded Dallah is mostly a visual novel, although it does feature a single battle. It's shortish, around 10 minutes and was made for the Valentiney Day 2020 event. You're allowed to name the main character, their sprite is gender neutral and the game tells you that, "you see yourself as... something." So you can decide where on the gender spectrum the player character is. Essentially the game plays out across three dates, it features small branches of dialogue. While no dialogue outside of the original branch references your choices, you gain stat boosts or a skill based on your first decision to use in the game's single battle - which is a nice touch. The game has two endings, they're both easy to get and from my experience it seems your ending is based on whether or not more sections of the date went well or badly.

Graphically the game is aiming for a NES-ish style, sound wise as well. Although the main background track did begin to get on my nerves, the music is in general okay. From this point on I'm going to go through the notes I made while playing. The introduction was really well written, very reminicient of a dungeon master setting the scene, though it was weird there was no audio during it. Most objects (everything apart from the plates) have some fun flavour text. Mapping is good, one error on the second date - you can walk under the book (Sepulchres and Serpents). I was called punctual on the first date, despite me stopping to examine everything I could. One other minor error, the guy you can chat to on the third date doesn't face you after the first dialogue. Also was it intentional that if Nazreen wins the fight with you dead, you get a game over after the victory screen?

So should you play Dates At The Gilded Dallah? It's good but not outstanding, very consistent and pretty polished. If I had to describe it, dungeons and dragons dating simulator. To be honest that's probably enough to tell you whether or not you would like it straight away. If I was to identify one way Dates At The Gilded Dallah could be better, I'd recommend it taps more into its inspiration - Dungeons and Dragons - could the rpg battle have been more DnD, maybe instead of "Sober Thug pick a fight!" it could have been "Sober Thug rolls initiative." Anyway Dates At The Gilded Dallah was a fun, short game and like I said dungeons and dragons dating simulator is probably all you had to read to know whether or not you'd enjoy this game.