Instead, Hatoful Boyfriend is the MOST hostile criticism of the visual novel genre you will ever experience. Despite what everyone has told you, this game is NOT about silly anime nonsense and dating bishounen pigeon boys. As a result, a myth has developed around Hatoful Boyfriend, and this is where I come in. Likewise, few, if any, have taken the time to discover what the game's namesake even means. Even intellectuals like Danny O'Dwyer or this site's "Dating Game" feature have failed to explore the game's reason for existing. What does any of this nonsense have to do with Hatoful Boyfriend's "secret ending?" Well, for one thing, the Western press's coverage of Hatoful Boyfriend has left out some essential aspects of this game. Here's your first "hint" of what to expect for the rest of this blog. The reason for this has to due with a handful of video game streamers playing the game and "enthusiastically" reacting to what they experienced. Then, Hatoful Boyfriend happened, and as the game released during a time when Steam's recommendations were not wholly fucked, it shot up in popularity. Altogether, it was rare for non-anime fans to go out of their way to play visual novels, and editorial coverage of the genre, even by mainstream publications, was limited. Initially, visual novels were a gaming example of "inside baseball." Up until Hatoful Boyfriend's "memeification," the genre was, for the most part, enjoyed by dedicated consumers of Japanese anime and video games. What could have originated this glut of insanity? To answer that question, we turn to a long-standing personal theory of mine: blame the internet scuttlebutt surrounding Hatoful Boyfriend. To illustrate, if one were to consult Steam's "Dating Sim" tab, you'd be presented with the ability to date astrological formations, World War II-era tanks, and every imaginable creature on Planet Earth. Regardless, none of this explains the proliferation of the more bizarre dating sims or visual novels on Steam. Part of this development is due to several well-respected games and franchises like Umineko or Steins Gate coming out to the west.
Nonetheless, Valve's blasé attitude doesn't explain the "explosion" of interest surrounding the visual novel genre. Most have gone on to release slap-dash fever dreams in hopes of pocketing a quick buck. With the current minimum requirements being nominal monetary fees, dozens of would-be game developers have come out of the woodwork. The primary reason for this depressing situation is Steam's laissez-faire approach to game releases. The unfortunate consequence is genuinely artistic visual novels are forced to compete against literal trash.
For years, gimmicky visual novels have inundated Steam with no signs of stopping. Preamble (Also, SPOILER WARNING!) Burn it all to the ground.Īnyone who musters the courage to explore Steam's "Dating Sim" portal knows it is a bedrock for the worst "games" ever made.
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