In my last post breaking down what makes a dating sim a dating sim by Japanese definitions (among other genres), I briefly touched upon how, in the early days of the genre in the mid to late 90s, dating sims actually tended to have something of a reduced focus on predefined, linear narrative arcs compared to their contemporaries in traditional adventure games and the then-emerging novel games. This statement might have come as something of a surprise to some folks considering that dating-themed visual novels—which, again, typically don't fall under the dating sim umbrella specifically due to a lack of, well, simulation gameplay elements—have been so ubiquitous for over two decades. How could they struggle at such overt storytelling when that's exactly what the wider Japanese adventure game umbrella specializes in?
The answer lies in how dating sims were typically played and designed at the height of the Tokimeki Memorial boom and the legions of clones it inspired in its wake.
Since I'm on my Tokimemo Drama bullshit again, for those new here, I'll just leave this little write-up I did on the trilogy of games from this forgotten chapter of Kojima Production's history. If you love the original game and are literate in Japanese, you genuinely owe it to yourself to play all three games and especially the last one starring Shiori (and Miharu if you're a deviant like I'm currently being). You'll be impressed just how much a team of complete outsiders to both the franchise and dating sims in general managed to significantly flesh out the entire cast while still making them feel completely authentic to what sparse source material there generally is.
Anyway, they're all tremendous games that deserve to be properly considered within the legacy of Kojima Productions and their adventure game output and I'm not exaggerating when I say that last game in particular has one of the best, most touching stories of its generation. (And for those of you who can't play it, long-time friend @Kimimi posted a great write-up summarizing the game and what makes it so special here. Go read it!)
