ValiDate: Struggling Singles in Your Area is a romance visual novel and dating simulator developed and published by Veritable Joy Studios. The game follows 13 characters as they navigate love, friendship and adulthood in Jercy City. ValiDate is the debut title of developer Veritable Joy Studios.
The first volume was released for Steam, Itch.io, and Xbox One on September 29, 2022, and later for Nintendo Switch on October 13, 2022. It was named one of the top 22 Indie Games to Look Forward to in 2022 by Polygon.
Plot
ValiDate is a visual novel and dating sim where players interact as 13 creatives living in the fictional Jercy City area, as they navigate "9-to-5s, quarter-life crises, and harsh truths millennials must navigate in their 20s". The game features a cast of Black and brown characters, with different body types, backgrounds, and sexualities. The characters weave in and out of each other's routes, with varying levels of success depending on their unique dynamics.
Characters
ValiDates first volume launched with four playable characters:
Malik, a 26-year-old Bopeye's manager and rapper who cannot seem to find his footing when it comes to relationships. Isabelle, a 27-year-old theater teacher who still lives with her family and feels like she is being smothered. Inaya, a 25-year-old "Instaglam" chef who struggles with anxiety and self-image, and whose insecurities are reflected in their dates with others. Emhari, a 28-year-old bigender mom of two and HR specialist, trying to ignore his immense baggage, while dating and being a parent.
Gameplay
ValiDates first volume features over 30 routes and over 60 possible endings, with the option to play as Malik, Inaya, Isabelle, or Emhari. When the game begins, players choose a character and are paired with another member of the cast. Each character has a chapter dedicated to a love interest where the narrative can lead the player through a good, bad, or secret route. These paths are contingent upon the player's choices. Achievements are earned with each completed route.
ValiDate features a blend of roleplaying and self-insertion, with the narration referring to the player in the second person. However, in selecting a character to assume, rather than playing a generic self-insert for each route, the game allows the player different opportunities depending on which pair of characters is chosen for the date. A date with Malik, while playing as Isabelle, will provide one perspective of the characters, while playing from Malik's perspective can offer an entirely different view of the characters’ personalities.
The game's menu allows the player to choose from a wide range of characters and dates, and the choice of whether or not to continue interacting as the same character, or to choose someone new. Each chapter allows players to gain an additional date for the character they've been playing, or alternatively, a new character altogether.
ValiDate gameplay does not allow the player to choose who to romance and how to do it; it only allows players to choose how the date proceeds per route. A route may not end with romance, and instead completes with the player having fostered a new friendship. Similar to interactive games like The Quarry, the players' choices matter and impact a route's ending. But if a player encounters a character they want to explore in-depth, the predetermined desires of the character they're playing can limit their options.
In-game text implies that routes are more branching, and that depending on the character, relationships may have the potential to change later on. The game additionally offers an option to skip to certain endings via the pause menu.