Fend Off Eldritch Waifus in Demo for Sucker for Love: Date to Die For, Available Now on Steam

Love is in the air!
Or is that the smell of imminent, mind-flaying doom? Eh, same thing.

The freaky folks over at indie horror publisherDreadXP and developer AkaBaka released a demo for Lovecraftian dating simulator sequel Sucker for Love: Date to Die For.

The follow-up to the acclaimed Sucker for Love: First Date, Date to Die For features a “Shadow over Innsmouth” spin, where new protagonist Stardust is captured by cultists while investigating the strange goings-on of her hometown, Sacramen-cho. Trapped in the murmuring, pulsating, undulating heart of the woods, her only hope for escaping the labyrinthian roots is to turn to the cultists’ strange purple spellbook. Once opened, she releases Rhok’zan, The Black Goat of the Woods!

Released in conjunction with LudoNarraCon, the Sucker for Love: Date to Die For demo showcases the first 20 minutes of this subversive and bizarre take on the visual novel dating genre.

An earnest love letter to Lovecraftian horror, ’90s anime, and old-school dating sims, this sequel seeks to recreate the most memorable and nostalgic aspects of each faithfully. It focuses on the often neglected part of Lovecraft’s stories: the tangible madmen and monsters under the effects of gods, as opposed to the eldritch gods themselves.

Sucker for Love: Date to Die For also spotlights often overlooked members of the LGBTQIA+ community with Stardust, an asexual woman of color who isn’t driven by love. Subverting the typical visual novel dating tropes, players embodying Stardust will find themselves being the ones pursued… in more ways than one. The item to keep these persistent eldritch waifus off your back: a good old-fashioned spray bottle!

8. Mai 2023, von Thore Varga