If you asked 10 people what they thought of Valentine’s Day you’d probably get 10 different answers, such is the way of life. However, one thing I imagine we can all agree with is that Valentines Day is generally a day well represented via rom-coms, whether it’s Love Actually, The Notebook, When Harry Met Sally, or a plethora of others. Movie fans are well satiated then, but what about us gamers?
Step forward Wales Interactive and Ten Dates, the sequel to the 2020 release, Five Dates. Ten Dates is an interactive rom-com where you meet Misha and Ryan, two best friends living in London looking for that ever elusive in-person connection.
Before the game begins proper, with Misha tricking Ryan into going to a Speed Dating event, you set up your social media profile with the picture you want to use as well as your job industry, three interests, and your star sign. I didn’t see many references to these in my time with Ten Dates but despite seeing a ‘good’ ending for all but one of each potential love interest, I’ve only managed to watch 322 out of the 794 scenes, which means there is lot more content I need to explore!
You’ll begin Ten Dates by sitting through all five of your chosen protagonists speed dates. Hopefully at least some of them go well, as the next round involves picking two of them for a second date, while the third and final date is reserved for the one you really connected with. Players who want to see all endings and choices will be pleased to hear that we can skip previously viewed scenes on repeat playthroughs. As above, with so many scenes to find, this is a welcome addition.
Games like Ten Dates are almost like a game of chess as you try to adjust Misha or Ryan’s answers based on the person you wish to date. While the game isn’t overloaded with choices at all times, the ones included are often interesting and prove to be pivotal moments in a potential relationship. You’ll need a fairly open mind to succeed with some characters if you’d like to see all of the available scenes though.
The cast is full of talent here as well that you may recognize – Rosie Day (Outlander), Charlie Maher (Conversations with Friends), Meaghan Martin (Camp Rock), Sagar Radia (Industry), Sam Buchanan (The Power), Kaine Zajaz (The Witcher), Ellie James (I May Destroy You), and Rhiannon Clements (Death On The Nile). All put in pretty great performances, with leads Misha (Day) and Ryan (Maher) making the wide variety of date options and interactions feel natural and entertaining.
An added feature for Ten Dates is the ability to see how the date is going based on four attribiutes: Confidence, Kindness, Humour and Spontaneity. This is something worth checking if you’re struggling to be successful with your date of choice. It’s always interesting to see how personalities grow during the different dates and I for one instantly fell in love with Bash (Buchanan). I don’t think it’d be too spoiler-ish to say that you might be expecting a few twists and turns to the tales, and some made me fall in love with characters even more.
As well as doubling the potential date options and giving us a female perspective this time round, we’re also able to choose more LGBTQ+ and disability inclusive options too. Both Misha and Ryan have same-sex date options, for which WI enlisted some LGBTQ+ consultants to ensure accurate portrayals. With this, Ten Dates feels far more realistic and fully featured than previous title Five Dates and we can only for more of this in any future entry.
Streamer mode returns here, with those who are looking for a bit of audience participation able to pause the action to allow their viewers to pick choices. This also comes in a handy for those playing in couch co-op, though beware of the arguments that may follow!
I enjoyed the stories of Misha, Ryan, and co. throughout. As mentioned, a few characters stood out above the rest, but there’s a lot to like about the acting and story here. A few scenes veer close to being a bit to ‘cringe’ for my tastes at times – one scene had me laughing while my wife was too busy getting invested – but on the whole this is a well put together slice of interactive movie making.
Conclusion
For me, director Paul Raschid’s The Complex is still the ultimate example of the live-action gaming genre, and while Ten Dates didn’t quite grab me as much as that title, it’s still a very decent interactive adventure. More inclusive and with a fuller, more robust cast than Five Dates, fans of Wales’ other titles would do well to check this out.
This game was reviewed based on Xbox S|X review code, using an Xbox S|X console. All of the opinions and insights here are subject to that version. Game provided by publisher.
