Sucker for Love: Date to Die For | Steam Deck Review

What do you get when you add Lovecraftian elements and a small dash of romance to a horror game? First of all, you get my ultimate dream come true. Secondly, it produces Akabaka’s newest entry in the Sucker for Love series, Sucker for Love: Date to Die For. If you’re looking for a spookily great time, then you’ve chosen the right game. Even if you’re cynical about love (who isn’t?), you’re searching in the correct place. The main draw of the game’s main character was one reason I was salivating to play this title, and I’ll explain further in the review. Let’s just say it’s much needed representation.

No Love Zone (Ok, Maybe a Little Bit Is Allowed)

In Sucker for Love: Date to Die For, you’re placed in the shoes of a young woman who returns to her fictional hometown of Sacramen-Cho. She rushes back due to an urgent letter she received from her family, but upon arriving, realizes that something is terribly amiss. The entire town is engulfed in mist and darkness, and the citizens have strangely glowing eyes (dubbed the Sacramen-Cho Stare). After a close encounter with a suspicious character, you wind up at your childhood home. Except now it’s been taken over by cultists that call themselves The Thousand. Don’t you hate it when that happens?

Our nameless protagonist makes her way to her bedroom only to end up accidentally summoning attractive goat lady Rhok’zan. Rhok’zan is actually an eldritch goddess of lust and fertility, and the cult that has taken over Sacramen-Cho has been driven crazy by their romantic desires due to her presence. Luckily, you are asexual and are resistant to the urges the others have succumbed to. You are the only person who has the potential to bring an end to the cults’ evil ways and save everyone.

As someone who is on the asexual spectrum, I really appreciated this representation and felt the team did an excellent job making the character as realistic as possible. It’s rare to come across ace rep in video games, and it was a sheer delight to have it featured prominently in this title. Rhok’zan is your main love interest in Sucker for Love: Date to Die For, but sexual attraction isn’t the driving force of the connection between you two. Sure, Rhok’zan is a goddess of lust, but if she gets too rowdy for your tastes, you can spray her (and others) with a plant mister. If only I could do that in real life without suffering consequences…

Playing the Scary Field

You may think Sucker for Love: Date to Die For is a dating sim; you’d be sorely mistaken. It’s actually only a small portion of the entire gameplay experience. The majority of the four hours you’ll spend playing is spent traversing through your home, performing occult rituals, and trying to avoid bloodthirsty killers. There’s a plethora of jump scares and creepy imagery, and it’s an absolute blast to experience. I found myself trying to remain calm as I opened every door, slowly looking to make sure a cultist wouldn’t pop out and kill me. Mostly because I shrieked like a baby every time it happened, but also because I wanted to discover more of the story. Yeah, we’ll go with that explanation.

While this does have visual novel segments, you do gain control of your character and can move freely around the house to accomplish your goals. You can even bash enemies over the head with a guitar. Score! Each of the four chapters has multiple endings, but to progress in the game, you’ll need to unlock the true ending of each one. This isn’t a difficult task, and it’s made easier with plentiful checkpoints. If you finish a chapter with a bad ending, you can return to the specific chapter that has the pivotal moment that will cause your story to branch. I actually loved the story so much I went back and unlocked every ending just for fun.

The Beautiful and the Damned

Sucker for Love: Date to Die For has absolutely stunning visuals. The game utilizes a 90s anime aesthetic, and my nostalgia senses were tingling. It was an absolute treat to see characters and environments that reminded me of the films and series I loved as a kid. Even the horrific images that popped up made me smile. The dialogue is a treat, making each character feel like a real person (even if they’re not exactly human sometimes). 

Plenty of humor is peppered throughout, and I found myself chuckling on multiple occasions. The voice acting is also impeccable, and the majority of the game features it. Only the player character doesn’t audibly speak a single word. The sound effects are also on point, conjuring up eerie feelings during suspenseful moments and delight in lighter moments. 

I do have a couple of gripes, though. They’re both technical, with one being more severe than the other. Let’s start off with the minor issue that doesn’t actually affect gameplay. During my playthrough, I noticed half of the achievements that I should have unlocked just never triggered. I met the criteria for each one, but it didn’t award me these. It’s not a big deal overall, but if you’re a completionist, be aware of this bug. 

The bigger problems are the fact that my game froze multiple times, forcing me to reload my last checkpoint, and my console actually completely stopped functioning twice while playing. I couldn’t access the Steam homepage or anything. I had to just power off my console and turn it back on. This may be because I insisted on playing this on my Steam Deck, and the game isn’t listed as being verified for the console. Be cautious of this if you opt to do the same.

The Final Verdict

Sucker for Love: Date to Die For is a blast to play. Its mixture of horror gameplay, eldritch elements, and a sprinkling of romance make this a unique concoction. The humorous dialogue, asexual representation, and white-knuckle horror segments allow this to stand out from the crowd. You don’t need to have played the previous game in the series, but certain characters and Easter eggs briefly pop up to reward those who do have knowledge of the first entry. The gorgeous visual aesthetic and top-notch voice acting are the cherries on top. Just be aware of the current bug involving achievements and the possibility of your game and console freezing up while playing (at least on Steam Deck). Even despite the slight frustration of the last two issues I mentioned, this is a game that will stick positively in my mind for a while.

To hear me talk more about Sucker for Love: Date to Die For, be sure to listen to the May 8, 2024 episode of The Gaming Outsider podcast around the 1:26:59 time stamp.

This review is based on a Steam copy of Sucker for Love: Date to Die For provided by Evolve PR for coverage purposes. As of the time of this writing, it is exclusive to this platform.