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What did you think of lover pretend?? I kind of wanna pick it up but I'm scared I'm not gonna like it lol (゜゜;)
I haven't completely finished Lover Pretend, but I enjoy it every time I pick it up! For me it's a good game for when I need a break from the more dramatic or violent plots I play most of the time, but it's sometimes harder to stay invested in it if I have another game I'm more interested in because there's not a ton of action to it. I tend to categorize otomes based on the movie genres I feel they emulate (ie: Cupid Parasite is like a RomCom, Bustafellows is more like an action movie, etc), so I would describe Lover Pretend as a typical romance drama with a film-making theme. I think that whether you like it or not mainly depends on whether you like that sort of romance drama and whether the guys interest you or not.
I picked it out because the fake-dating gimmick is one of my favorite tropes, and in the two routes I've played it's been a fun addition. There's little gameplay segments where you have to pick the right answers in time to lie to people about your relationship, so that's fun.
As for the boys, Kazuma's route is one of the only childhood friend routes I've enjoyed in all the otomes I've played, and Makino was my immediate favorite because he's a really sweet and super adorable weirdo lol. I'm planning on playing Sena's route next, but I'm not 100% sold on Nishijima or the not-so-secret route character yet.
Overall it's a pretty sweet game for what it is, and it's a nice feel-good game for when I want to enjoy a cute romance, but it's not the kind of game that 100% demands your attention with crazy plot-twists and action.
I hope this helps! It can be kinda irritating to buy a game and end up not liking it. I tend to only get games I'm not sure of when they're on sale so that I at least didn't pay full price if I don't like it, y'know? If you do end up playing it, I'd love to hear your thoughts! :)
I just started playing Lover Pretend because I needed to play something lighter as a break from Piofiore and oh my god this game is so CUTE. There's a very nostalgic feeling I keep getting while playing it, though I'm not completely sure where that comes from yet. Maybe the UI? It's super adorable and some elements of it kind of remind me of the DS games I used to play as a kid.
I'm currently on Chapter 2 of the common route, but I'm already looking forward to all 4 of the main routes. And Chiyuki is a really nice protagonist so far! I love that she has such clear-cut goals that she's focused on, and her relationship with romance is interesting too. I wouldn't necessarily call her aro like me, especially since one point of the game is that she wants to get over her "fear" of men and romance, but I always think it's nice to see an otome heroine who has more complex feelings about romance that make the plot more interesting. I doubt she'll be making it to the top of my favorite heroines list (Lynette and Teuta are hard opponents to beat), but she's definitely a contender so far.