When Anne and Max signed up for dorm living at their college, they had no idea how chaotic it would be. Can they accomplish their goals while dealing with their crazy roommates?
Remember when I said that this game was a spiritual successor to Summer Session? Believe me when I say that this one is a huge improvement. One of the differences is that instead of a shy guy trying to get a girlfriend, you can play as shy girl trying to break out of her shell or a rebel guy trying to make sure his band gets a big break. Anne and Max both have four romance options with Rakesh and Isabella being romance able for both while Dominic and Sally are only romance able for Anne and Max respectably. Anne and Max can also romance each other and the story differs depending on whose point of view you play from. One thing I really like about this game is that the characters are unique in their own ways. They’re also considered attractive in their own ways instead of following one standard of beauty. In the games Always Remember Me and the first two Heileen games, Marie and Amy were both considered average looking at best. Anne is not a case of Hollywood Homely but rather I’m Not Pretty. The difference between the two is that the former has the other characters agreeing with the character that says she’s not pretty. The latter has only the character thinking this while everyone around him or her disagrees. Another thing I like about this game is how characters like Isabella and Sally are portrayed. Any other writer, such as the writers of That 70s Show, would portray a woman like Isabella as a bitchy slut with no morals or standards. Instead, she’s portrayed as a woman who acknowledges her sexuality but will not do anyone who asks or do whatever her current significant other wants. She’s just a sexually active young woman and there’s nothing wrong with that. Sally is a vegan animal rights activist who would either be portrayed as a nutcase for her beliefs or as in the right all along and everyone should follow her example. Instead, like Isabella, she’s just different and there’s nothing wrong with that. The other characters are also different, such as Dominic with his rule upbringing and Rakesh with his art. The only things that bother the other people about them is that Dominic is too strict while Rakesh has no respect for people’s boundaries when it comes to his art. Anne and Max also develop throughout the game without changing their core identities. I don’t want to give anything away, so I’ll just leave it at that. However, I will say that Anne’s a nice change from the female characters that usually star in dating sims, at least the ones made by Winter Wolves. Many of them, like Nicole, are outgoing and love fashion. Anne is shy and prefers the comfort of a quiet library to a loud party. I’m not saying that there’s anything wrong with Nicole but it’s nice to have something different and more relatable to me for once. In addition, there’s this one scene where you find out that Dominic likes video games and Anne admits that she herself has played them. It’s a welcome change to shows like the Big Bang Theory where even the scientist girls have no interest in video games, D&D, or comic books and makes a big deal about them doing those things for the first time.
The game play is that of your typical dating sim. You have to plan the schedule of the character you’re playing while trying to romance one of the other characters. You do have the option of skipping events in order to save energy. If you want to successfully romance a character, you have to raise your stats high enough for them to take an interest in you. You can do that through part time jobs or pay to partake in certain activities. You can also attend class and study in order to keep your grades high. Max and Anne’s storylines are sold separately in case you would rather just play as one of the characters instead of exploring the game through both of their perspectives.
This game is addictive and hilarious. I give it 10 out of 10; it definitely didn’t disappoint.