Imaginative romantasy VN which sends a recently single US citizen to a cyberpunk-heavy ex-Soviet republic looking for a no-strings one night stand. Entertaining, several routes, only one bad end.

Overview

As visual novels go, the setting for Dates & Wires certainly scores well on the originality front. Our (fully nameable) MC begins the game landing at the arrivals gate of the fictional former Soviet republic of Stradania, having had it recommended as a good location to “get away from it all” following an unhealthy break-up.

Whilst there is an easily taken inference that the protagonist is female, and that’s how I was happy to take it on and play from this perspective; it is worth noting that at no point does the game make any gender references in respect of this at all, nor offer a visualisation of the character; leaving it open for the player to decide the sex of their lead. The narrative is, happily, also written in first person, so it’s just as easy to self-insert, if that is your preference.

Story

As I played the game as a female character, any gender references made below will reflect this.
Having cleared customs – which is achieved merely by entering your preferred character name, our MC has two days in which to explore the, um, dubious delights of Stradania, to let go of her immediate past and unleash any pent up frustrations by way of a no-strings-fling if a suitable partner should happen along.

She follows a recommendation to visit a nightclub called “The Icebox” as the hotspot of the area, and it is from here that the story is based. She gets to meet a selection of, frankly, weird freaks – none of whom any girl with a fully functioning brain would want to touch in a million years – and a seemingly “normal”, down to earth bartender.

First meetings with any of the patrons ought to be enough to put her off from wanting to see any of them again, yet each of them opens up just enough personal intrigue to pull the reader in to sufficient curiosity to do so anyway. Alternatively, she has the freedom to decide against doing so, and spend the time with the bartender instead – only, don’t expect that to be quite as predictable as you might expect, either!

If you’re brave enough to take a punt on spending the second and final day of the trip with one of the characters met on day one, the story really steps up a level and rewards you for your persistence. We discover that all of the hook-up options have more depth to them than is first apparent, and ultimately it’s hard to dislike any of them, irrespective of first impressions. One of the day-one guys is not available as a romance interest, but his girlfriend is. More on that later.

Presentation

Graphically the game presents its dystopian, ex-Soviet, cyberpunk setting very efficiently, with most sprites sporting a cybernetic add-on of one kind or another in a graphic style which feels entirely the game’s own. Not a copy-paste anime boy in sight, and hallelujah to that!

There are also 18 CGs to be found (called “souvenirs” and viewable from a separate menu).
Aurally, the game provides 14 different tracks which again, suit the setting; but don’t expect these to be jolly dance tunes, oh no.. you might even find one or two of them have you grimacing somewhat. Bad? No. Just appropriate, and these are also available to listen to individually from their own front menu option.

The UI meets typical player expectations with all necessary functions, and although accessible via the bog-standard-word-list, at least this is slightly larger than average so you have a fair chance of being able to see the command you want and clicking on it accurately at the first attempt.

Experience

I had been wavering a little as to whether this game would appeal to me or not, with the dilapidated location choice and a cast of characters who, in real life, would see me cross the road to pass them on the far side. However, sticking with the story beyond day one provides a set of fully engaging individual stories and brings both life and warmth to each of the available romantic options – and you are not obliged to get romantic with them if you don’t want to.

Naturally (ahem), with no consequences to face for doing so, I went into “full tramp mode” to see how far the MC would be allowed to go with each character, and while one of the guys is just too much of a gentleman to slip into such levels of debauchery, another unexpected one is more than willing to go farther than you might expect. There is nothing explicit in the visuals nor text, but it’s made very clear that certain levels of intimacy are achieved.

As mentioned earlier, it is the girlfriend of one of the guys met earlier who is also a second day option. As a hetero female, I don’t usually enjoy finding a girl/girl route in my otomes, but this is more of a dating sim than an otome, and there is no doubt in my mind that her story in this game is the most entertaining of all of them. So if you’re like me and would normally either bypass or rush through the same sex “friendship” route, and this game interests you, then I recommend changing your approach and giving this one your full attention. Great fun.

Verdict

Apparently this product is based upon a web comic which has been around for a while. I have never set eyes on a web comic in my life, so this review is based entirely upon the game as a standalone product, and I am pleased to say that it surprised me. The cast are nicely fleshed out and surprisingly easy to warm to, the more time you get to spend with them. Each story is entertaining, with none of them disappointing.

I’ve read it said that the game is “short”. Certainly it’s not a very long novel, but I feel that a suggestion of short implies that you’ll get 1 to 2 hours of gameplay, and there is plenty more than that to be found. It’s worth saving at option times, then going back and seeing the alternative results, and searching out those elusive achievements should keep you busy for a good handful of hours.

Overall, whether you’re a fan of the related web comic or have never heard of it, Dates & Wires holds up very well in its own right, and offers good entertainment at a fair price. For something a little different to your standard VN dating fare, this is a perfectly viable option.

Otome Lovers wishes to thank Team Cryo for providing a free review copy of this game.

Review also posted on Steam ➞

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