Ontario-based studio Bloom Digital Media has released their first game Later Daters, a dating sim set in a retirement home, and the first season is out now for Nintendo Switch. The game puts you in the role of a senior citizen who can date a diverse cast of other energetic older folks.
The past few years have seen an explosion in popularity of dating simulation games onto mainstream gaming culture. Often these games will have some sort of hook, such as the ability to date sentient pigeons, dads, monsters, or even Colonel Sanders. Later Daters seems to be taking a step back by focusing on a more grounded, but perhaps still unexpected, setting.
As discovered by Twinfinite, the game released on Steam, itch.io, and the Nintendo eShop on April 16th. Later Daters takes place in the Oceanview Living Domicile for the Elderly (cutely nicknamed Ye OLDE), where the player character has recently moved. Players will be able to determine their character's appearance, gender, and romantic history, and even even choose between a cat, dog, or robot for a companion. Take a look at the trailer below:
Later Daters features a handful of romanceable senior citizens of a variety of backgrounds, and promises LGBTQ+ inclusive stories and options for polyamorous romance, so it's clear to see that Bloom Digital Media has taken steps to create as inclusive an experience for as many people as possible. And it seems the stories they're telling in Later Daters are neither chaste nor explosively horny, trying to paint their characters as complex human beings with a variety of needs and desires, which is really refreshing.
While the first three episodes of Later Daters are out now, its second season with three more episodes won't be available until Fall of this year. What's out now is on sale through the 23rd, so now's a great time to pick it up if interested. Now more than ever, it's exciting to see new social impact. So maybe Later Daters, which professes to be equal parts sexy and wholesome, is the perfect game to curl up with right now.
Source: Steam (via Twinfinite)