I’ve been playing games long enough to have witnessed the rise and fall of FMV games ever since the CD-ROM was introduced in the 90s, and while physical media is slowly trending into obsolescence FMV has been secretly making a comeback thanks greatly in part to Wales Interactive. With nearly a dozen games in their FMV collection, Ten Dates marks my fourth interactive video experience, and while I never did play the prequel, Five Dates, it didn’t seem to impact my enjoyment for this latest installment.
Ten Dates comes off as more of a rom-com with exaggerated stereotypes and two main characters who are clearly in love with each other; well, clear to me but not Misha and Ryan who seem determined to ignore their own chemistry and take a shot at the speed dating scene. I barely remember when speed dating was a thing here in the States. You never hear about it anymore, but this game takes place in London, so maybe it’s still happening across the pond.
The game opens with one of many facetime calls between Ryan and Misha, both playable characters that you get to choose from in the very first screen. This will determine your dating pool for the upcoming event, offering up a selection of interesting characters to engage with and possibly secure additional dates. I did enjoy the ability to play as both characters, which not only doubles your gameplay value, but will definitely give you some insight on the dating scene from the perspective of the opposite sex. For my first trip through the game, I played as Ryan; you can see this entire playthrough on my Lonely Guy Valentine’s Day Show.
Something you have to realize fast is that this is a game with clearly outlined goals, and you need to expertly thread the conversation needle through a diverse tapestry of overt stereotypes. I’ll discuss a few standout characters, but for the complete roster just head over to the Steam page for dating bios. My main issue going into the game was I immediately started roleplaying like I was on the date, and I didn’t find any of my options all that appealing, physically or otherwise. The only girl I found truly attractive was Kathleen. There was something oddly familiar about her, and then I realized that Meaghan Martin, the actress who played her, was also Jessica in Until Dawn, not to mention a couple dozen other voice acting gigs in various video games.
Brandy was attractive in that obvious high-maintenance Kardashian style, but there was this odd disconnect knowing that a girl like that would never be caught speed dating or having anything to do with a guy like Ryan. Ironically enough, in my five passes through the game, Brandy is the only woman I’ve had three dates with and “won” the game. Kathleen, who on the surface, seems like my (and Ryan’s) perfect match has never made it to a third date yet. Azalea was the surprise character for me. Her goth look and Satanic style is totally off-putting at first, but once you crack that anti-establishment shell, she could prove to be one of the more interesting paths through the game.
Misha doesn’t fare much better in her selection of potential suitors with a wild assortment of characters that would send any intelligent woman running for the exit, or in my case after striking out with the stereotypical jock, bad boy, nice guy, etc. I found a great match waiting for me at the bar. Hazel is your same-sex dating option for Misha (Ryan has one too) and we had a pretty good thing going until I admitted she was “my first woman” and things cooled off quickly.
Ten Dates has a lot of replay potential, not only in finding a match and going the distance to update your relationship status, but also in checking off a series of objectives specific to each character. This means a lot of new games and choosing different conversation topics and responses, and thankfully you can easily skip those video clips that will obviously repeat on future playthroughs. You can even pick your dating pool on future replays, making it easy to focus on those characters that need completing. The one thing this game does effectively teach is not to judge a person on first impressions. While nearly none of these characters were initially “attractive” during the slightly superficial speed dating, things really open up on the second and third dates where you get to learn more about these people, their lives, and any shared interests. Some of the backstories are deep and even a bit tragic.
One fun element in Ten Dates is the ability to stalk your potential second dates on social media and LIKE their photos. Your choice of photos and the number of LIKES you give out can (and will) come up in several second dates, so don’t start “simping” too early. That’s one thing I did enjoy about Ten Dates, is that this game is about striving to seriously find a connection, while other dating games like Super Seducer is mostly about getting laid.
The one thing Ten Dates totally nails is the production value. HD video and crisp audio creates a flawless AV experience, and I was super-impressed with the fluid editing and the way your chosen conversation path was seamlessly integrated into the conversation with no visible cuts. There are also all these really nice interstitial video clips that show establishing shots of London and nightlife activity complete with smooth jazz riffs, and while I’m not aware of any licensed music issues, there is a streamer option that will disable the countdown timer for making decisions.
Ten Dates is a lot of fun, especially if you are into social interactions and enjoy complex relationship flowcharts and trackable dating stats where a single wrong response can ruin your social life…at least until the next new game. Admittedly, some of the characters are just unlikable, so completionists may have to endure some awkward dates in order to knock out those 19 achievements. Ten Dates could make an interesting party game or maybe a social experiment for you and your partner. A typical pass through the game is around an hour, less on future replays where you can skip repeated segments. I’ve done five passes in just over three hours.
At the end of the day, it is clear that Ryan and Misha are perfect for each other. You can just feel it during their facetime conversations and casual banter. Maybe those two kids can finally find love in the third installment. Until then, I’ll just keep scratching away at those dating objectives while I continue to search for love in all the wrong places.
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