Hooked on You, the Dead by Daylight dating simulator, lets you get to know some of the killers a little better (and in some cases, a lot better). This game has many things I love about dating sims: a cute anime-inspired art style, quirky and risqué dialogue, and characters with interesting backstories. However, I think it falls a little flat as a standalone game as opposed to a companion to DBD.
The game starts when you wake up on an island without your memories. You are talked to by a mysterious narrator. Then the even more mysterious Ocean (referred to as the narrator of the narrator) before you see the group of sexy killers playing beach volleyball and thus begin your interactions with them. After that, it plays like a traditional dating sim. Your dialogue options affect the outcome of your interactions, and you can tailor your choices to whomever you decide to romance that playthrough. There’s also a recurring reflex-based minigame that I found pretty tricky.
The characters are fun, and Hooked on You gives you a little look into their lore. Releasing a dating sim for horror game characters is a unique way to get to know the killers. Each character has their own archetype: Huntress is the strong cute girl, Trapper is the obnoxious meathead rich boy, Spirit is the book-loving goth girl, and Wraith (my favorite) is the quiet soft boy. Each character is memorable and makes the game worth replaying. You’ll have to click through a lot of repeated dialogue to get to the new gameplay. It’s unfortunate because you can only unlock some routes after romancing and rejecting all four characters, so if you want to collect all the endings, you have to play through the game at least four times.
Furthermore, this game did what I think the developers intended: it got me interested in Dead By Daylight lore. I watched character backstory videos on YouTube to try and anticipate what my killer of choice would like. Depending on which character you choose, they will also tell you an abbreviated version of their backstory, which you get the opportunity to ask them more about later. One way the developers could improve the game is by releasing free updates with more characters. I know we’d all like to see Trickster as a romanceable option!
Unless you’re a huge DBD fan, other horror sims offer more content for a similar price. My recommendations are Monster Prom, and Sucker for Love. Monster Prom offers more scenarios and characters to choose from, and Sucker for Love has more engaging gameplay with more compelling options based on your choices. Overall, Hooked on You is cute, and I liked it, but there are better games out there.