Lover Pretend Review – Captivating Story with a Deceptive Twist

Lover Pretend thrusts you into the deception and intensity of a fabricated romance, but praise for the Switch title’s quality is no lie. The title from prominent developer Otomate offers incredibly strong and plentiful artwork, with five love interests drawn in various outfits and settings.

Each interest exhibits a unique personality and growth through the game’s engaging writing, which works incredibly well with the unique Love Pretend choice system. The game’s captivating presentation and intelligent narrative make a strong case for fake dating your favorite among the captivating romance options.

▍Unique Themes Distinguish the Game

The common route focuses on the protagonist’s first foray into moviemaking as she pursues her dream of scriptwriting while also attempting to uncover the identity of her father. Lover Pretend’s detailed examination of the film, and the college-aged characters, feel a bit mature when compared to other standard high school love scenarios.

At the same time, the plot of Lover Pretend offers a mystery connecting potential fathers to the movie that the player’s mother worked on. Each young romance option’s dad might also be your father, and so the common route pursues two very interesting topics: getting a movie off the ground and investigating the men whose dads are linked to your mother’s film. 

▍Varied but Very Wholesome Love Interests

Five romance options are available in Lover Pretend – one route opens up after clearing any route. Character designer Rito Fuji has done fantastic work with the gorgeous ikemen cast, which covers typical character types: childhood friend, womanizer, and tsundere. But care has been put into the writing of each character so that none are stereotypes and all offer interesting arcs and intimate moments. 

Wholesome and realistic are the terms that best capture the vibes of Lover Pretend’s strong character writing. Womanizing Yukito ends up a caring and considerate friend, even outside his route. But in particular, this review will look at the two characters whose routes I most enjoyed: Harumi and Riku. 

▍Riku Route – A Cold, Layered Beauty

The son of a famous actor, Riku is initially distant and detached from both his work and everyone around him. A player must work to glean Riku’s personality behind the polished facade of a professional actor. The man can be cold and sarcastic, but the brilliantly-paced writing gradually gives more hints of the warmth underneath. Riku’s preventing the player from falling at a festival is an example of the route’s realistic, romantic moments.

Kind words and gestures slip out, but Riku still keeps a distance that gradually shrinks over the course of the route. At the same time, Riku’s sarcasm provides genuine moments of humor suiting the intelligent, cold character.

Pretending to be Riku’s fiancée, the player character becomes entangled in acting practice to make sure that Riku’s father is convinced by the engagement. Scenes of pretend dating are captivating, with gorgeous art and voice-acting, and a fake engagement scene at a planetarium is very memorable, giving just a hint of Riku’s genuine affection to entice the player.

Riku’s voice acting, fantastic work by Tomoaki Maeno, excels at the intense drama which brings his route to a very satisfying conclusion, intermingling family drama, and jealousy.

▍Harumi Route – A Genuine and Relatable Character with Cute Moments

Harumi’s route is more straightforward than Riku’s, focusing on his simple but wholesome character arc of becoming more confident. Deception is less prominent in this route, as Harumi and the player work closely during film production and develop a friendship that feels realistic, honest, and earned. Each helps the other through acts of kindness, like when the player and Harumi both give each other their towels at a dolphin show.

Cute, well-written moments ensue, where the heroine and Harumi, both introverts, build up their confidence in social situations and support each other in a wholesome fashion. Unfamiliar with anime, you make an effort to watch and understand the genre so that Harumi will have someone to connect with. Subtle touches, like Harumi holding open a door, or you buying Harumi a commemorative anime drink coaster, feel realistic and memorable.

At one moment, the heroine has the option of repeating a significant anime line at its anime pilgrimage location. And Harumi returns these efforts with genuine affection, as when he attributes his growing confidence to you. The Harumi route will resonate with anime fans for its realistic depictions of locations and experiences relevant to Japanese anime culture, but Harumi is also a captivating character who grows by the end of his arc.

Voice actor Kengo Kawanishi, known for roles like Rei Kiriyama in March Comes in Like a Lion, shines at Harumi’s softer moments, but really comes to life in explosive scenes where the character discovers his confidence and voice. One moment involves Harumi clearing up miscommunication with new friends interested in anime. 

The route’s ending is decent but drags on a bit, especially compared to Riku’s route. However, Lover Pretend’s music, which typically feels like standard visual novel fare, steps it up at climactic scenes.

▍Gorgeous and Plentiful Backgrounds and CGs

The glitz and glamor of the game’s central topic of moviemaking suit the visuals: pretty bishōnen love interests, and gorgeous city and rural backgrounds with bright, cool colors that feel like watercolor paintings. The game has an incredible amount of background and CG art that makes every significant character moment feel emotional and vibrant, causing well-written scenes to explode off the screen. 

Outside of art and story, Lover Pretend offers all of the expected features and customizations that make for a smooth visual novel experience. And the localization by Aksys Games is very competent, with minimal slip-ups, and memorable and captivating translations.

▍The Unique Pretend Time Mechanic

The distinct system of the game is “Pretend Time,” where a player must give answers, typically deceptive, to resolve a difficult situation. Often these situations arise from a narrative thread common between the routes: the player character, for complicated reasons, must pretend to be the lover for a male interest. Compared to typical visual novels, where correct answers are obvious, Pretend Time smartly tests the player and their understanding of characters and context. 

For instance, before the player gets to know Harumi too well, correct answers to a Pretend Time will make the player seem uninterested, but actually, respect the shy boy’s gradual interest in friendship. 

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▍Lover Pretend Offers a Complete Otome Package

I highly recommend delving into the game’s routes yourself and seeing what the characters have to offer, beyond what has been mentioned here. Competent writing places dynamic and engaging characters in a fun and memorable scenarios and wholesome interactions with the player.

The theme of family troubles, experienced by all the central characters, can feel a bit clichè, and the sound levels of the audio are not very even, especially when comparing the dialogue between Harumi and Kazuma. But a fantastic visual presentation, an engaging premise, and wonderful character writing all make Lover Pretend a strong and memorable Switch title—no pretending necessary.