Platform:
Nintendo Switch
Released:
May 28, 2024
Publisher:
Idea Factory
Developer:
Otomate
For those not in the know, otome games are a genre of dating sims that are directly targeted towards women. The main character is usually female and all of the routes available in the game will be men. These days we are seeing a bit of a shift in dating sims, making them a more all-inclusive experience with multiple MCs and routes offering more than just one gender. Cupid Parasite: Sweet and Spicy Darling is definitely a more traditional otome.
This game is a sequel to the original Cupid Parasite released by Otomate in 2020 and is a continuation of the story from the first game. Set in Los York, a colourful and trendy metropolis, the story once again follows protagonist Lynette Mirror, a bridal advisor (and literally cupid) as she navigates a long-term relationship with one of the 5 romance options from the first game.
Lynette originally took on the form of a human woman to prove that she could help humans fall in love without the help of her magical cupid bow and arrow. In the first game, while trying to help a group of particularly troublesome men find a life partner, Lynette accidentally falls in love with one of them herself (which one depends on your choices) and the meat of Sweet and Spicy Darling continues on from here. Players select the man that most interests them and are immediately inserted back into the narrative of the first game. Throughout each of the routes, you can choose responses that are denoted as either ‘sweet’ or ‘spicy’ that give you scenes that lean in the direction of whichever option you choose. There aren’t really ‘bad endings’ unlike most otomes, likely because the two characters are already in a committed relationship, Sweet and Spicy Darling just explores different kinds of relationships instead.
Cupid Parasite: Sweet and Spicy Darling isn’t much more adult than other otome games. While you may come across some suggestive CGs, all of the really saucy stuff just happens in text form in romanticised and not especially graphic language. During one scene, I did notice that my switch was vibrating rhythmically and tossed it down in horror when I realised the vibrations were meant to represent thrusting. I honestly would have preferred to just see not-safe-for-work art, as it made me viscerally uncomfortable.
The real issue with the game’s routes is that it can be difficult to maintain engagement when creating a sequel to a dating sim. Now that the anticipation of the eventual relationship is no longer present, the narrative needs to find another way to hold your attention. Based on the ‘good ending’ for each route in the original game, Lynette begins the new game already married so the game goes wilder than it needs to. One of the routes that I played first had a big focus on the fact that Lynette and her partner were unable to have children because they are both demons, no I will not elaborate. It’s not a particularly fun route for a dating sim to take, the last thing most people are wanting to hear about in an otome game is fertility issues.
If the idea of continuing on with a relationship from the original game doesn’t appeal, there is also a new route on offer with an entirely new character called Merenice Levin. His route begins as if Lynette failed to find love in the first game and has since returned to work at the bridal advisory business. He’s a fortune teller who is immediately enamoured with Lynette because he cannot read her future, a very ‘Twilight’ contrivance. I didn’t have much love for Merenice, he’s very gimmicky and all of his interest in the player character is based on the fact that he can’t read her fortune and it doesn’t go much further than that. It can be difficult to imagine their relationship ever becoming something legitimate.
Visually, Cupid Parasite: Sweet and Spicy Darling can be overwhelming. It has a very colourful and very busy artstyle, it’s definitely eye-catching, but navigating menus can be difficult, especially when the options aren’t in a clean list and instead all over the screen. During gameplay, the UI is very cute and fun, but the second there are multiple elements on screen it becomes a bit too much. There are lots of poppy graphical elements based on dessert foods and bright colours all over the screen that, while engaging to look at, do get confusing more often than not. The character designs are also very over the top, but the art style is nice and there’s a lot of effort put into all the interesting hairstyles that Lynette wears in different routes. All of Lynette’s outfits and CGs are lovely, and she ends up being more appealing to look at than the guys most of the time. She’s a delight.
Point-of-view switches in the game also aren’t very well conveyed. There are moments where a character other than Lynette will be expressing their thoughts internally, but the player is now suddenly privy to them. In most visual novels, there is a visual indication that you are now in someone else’s head, but Cupid Parasite does not do that, so I was often confused and thought that Lynette was suddenly speaking about herself in the third person. It happens enough times that it’s an issue, especially when the UI is already so busy, clarity in these moments is essential for the story to make any sense. While it is positive that Sweet and Spicy Darling has committed itself to a distinct visual aesthetic that helps to set it apart from other games in the genre, it goes a little too far with it, unfortunately.
5.5
Average
Positive:
- Likeable MC
- Bright and poppy artstyle
Negative:
- Unfocused narrative routes
- Difficult to read menus
- Bizarre story beats
Overall, Cupid Parasite: Sweet and Spicy Darling ends up being rather unfocused, with both its difficult-to-read UI and the character routes that struggle to find purpose now that the leads are already in committed relationships. It does have its positive moments, with the main character Lynette being one of them, but in the end, it’s messy enough that it can be hard to find something to latch onto.
About the Author
Bree Maybe
she/they
Bree somehow managed to weasel her way into a game design degree, hasn't stopped playing Skyrim since it first came out and never shuts up about Nagito Komaeda.
