QCF: Hatoful Boyfriend

ll right, I'm sure you were all waiting with baited breath for this review for a very long while. You probably wanted to know who it was actually going to be, what whacked-out commentary they'd have about a Dating-Sim that features male friends of the feathered avian variety. Well, it's me—and here's my review of Hatoful Boyfriend.

In Japan, Dating-Sims are a pretty big genre, and have been popularized on such systems as the PC Engine and Saturn, with many such entries as Tokimeki Memorial and Wizards Harmony (the latter we actually have over here with Team Duo.) Hatoful Boyfriend is the one of the latest games to take part in the rising movement of Dating-Sims, and kinetic visual novels that are being localized for an American audience, particularly on PC in specific.

You play the role of Hiyoko Tosaka (or any name of your choosing), a lone human girl amongst the all-bird populace of St. Pigeonation's Institute, an elite school for aspiring birds. Befriending these feathered companions is your main goal here, just as with any other Dating-Sim, with the exception of the portraits being straight birds rather than the typical doe-eyed anime fare that would normally be in its place.

You have your choice of the typical spread; the childhood friend, the bookworm, the crazy one, the rich kid, the rich kid's less-pompous older brother, etc. Getting a feel for the personalities that every birdie (and seriously, that's how this game rolls in terms of its self-referential writing) has doesn't take long, and players can go after the one they feel would best be a match to their tastes rather quickly.

While at St. Pidgeonation's as Hiyoko, you will attend class and join clubs, allowing you to build towards three simple stats that guide you on the path to get together with the bird of your choosing. Overall, the game flow is pretty swift, as there isn’t much to be taken into consideration other than a handful of simple choices through each play through. The game, after all, is played over the course of only three terms at St. Pidgeonations.

“Wait, hold on,” you may say, “Only three terms?” Yep, and each story arc can be gone over in the course of an hour or so. “Pokémoning” the game, as I like to call it, could be the best recourse in getting the most out of Hatoful Boyfriend, with an ending for every bird in the game. Gotta see 'em all. I never really felt too much of a connection between the characters here, and that is a pretty big deal breaker in any Dating-Sim.

The game is pretty cut and dry with only fleeting tugs at the old heartstrings during particularly tragic moments (which I'll let you discover for yourselves.) The dialogue is sort of dumb in a lot of places, and each bird with rare exception has one trait that just kind of ruins their characters completely. Okosan, for example, is too irritating to take seriously in any context. Overall though, Hatoful Boyfriend is still pretty enjoyable, if, at least, to see where each story arc leads. It can be pretty crazy at times.

But wait, you know what? Maybe all of this isn't the real point. Every now and again, there are flashes of much bigger things here and in a lot of ways, they supersede the Dating-Sim aspect to Hatoful Boyfriend, especially for nosey people such as myself.

It's obvious that there's a lot more to the world in Hatoful Boyfriend than meets the eye; there are references to enormous shifts that have occurred in the past littered everywhere in the game, none of which I can spill here to keep it a surprise. Nevertheless, it definitely had me asking myself, “What the heck happened here?” And, as you complete more of the game, more of this shadowy stuff opens up, too—it’s, Interesting...

Post-apocalyptic nuance notwithstanding, the presentation to Hatoful Boyfriend is solid as well. With a few original tracks and heavy use of many classical pieces throughout the game, Hatoful Boyfriend isn't invasive with its sound. Well enough though it may work though, it lacks any truly great standout original tunage. Likewise, the visuals all work rather well without being especially complicated or busy. There is even an option to see humanized anime portraits of the characters you'll meet as every birdie (sorry) is met.

Sure, it's all a little over-the-top, tongue-in-cheek to the very end, but Hatoful Boyfriend was always kind of joke to begin with; and with all of the crazy plotlines, absurd premise, and dark undertones it adds in, it’s ultimately a game that should really be checked out, regardless of gender or preconception. If you have a few bucks to spare, don't chicken out –wing it. You might be happy you dove in.