14 DAY TRIAL // 
Speed dating is one of the weirdest and most intriguing modern matchmaking exercises. It is predicated on the need to meet a lot of people in a small amount of time, which forces quick revelations about the two involved people. But it also leads to careful personal curation, as people are unwilling to talk about their most important personality quirks this soon after meeting someone new.
So is it a good idea to get teacher Jake to talk more about his job during his five allotted minutes? Or should we simply see whether the banter is easy between us and no one says something truly unfortunate? Maybe we’ll simply get through this first date agreeing on most things, ready to try and find out more real information about each other later. Or maybe the easy banter is simply a sign that there’s nothing deep to actually talk about and no relationship is possible.
Three dates, regardless of how long they take, will not be enough to predict whether two people can find love in the long term. But it is fun to see how social habits affect interactions, who is ready to talk about what, and if more random encounters have more potential than carefully choreographed ones.
Ten Dates was developed by Wales Interactive and Good Gate Media, with publishing duties handled by Wales Interactive. I played it on the PC using Steam. The game is also offered on the Nintendo Switch, the PlayStation 5, the Xbox Series X and S, and older platforms from Microsoft and Sony. There are also versions for mobile devices. The title is a full-motion video experience that takes players through dates and asks them to a partner who can steal their heart.
Gamers will have to choose whether to play as Misha or Ryan, millennials living in London who are looking for face-to-face human interaction in the wake of the pandemic. They choose to go to a speed dating event, each meeting five potential partners for five minutes initially. Based on their choices and general compatibility, they will be able to invite two people to a second date and then, finally, one of them will get the much-desired third.
A player will move through eight actual dates during the course of Ten Dates. During each, they will spend most of their time listening to people talk about themselves, finding out more about both the character they are playing as and their potential matches.
From time to time, someone will pose a clear-cut question and possible answers will be displayed at the bottom of the screen. Gamers need to make their choice fast and the character will seamlessly integrate it into their lines. There were a few times when what the protagonist said did not fully align with my interpretation of the chosen reply.
Ten Dates works hard to introduce choices into all the conversations and they don’t always feel like natural evolutions of the conversations. The game needs them because otherwise, they are the core interactive element (players also choose who to pair with for future dates). But the development team should have thought of other ways to add extra gameplay.
The game really does not need the interstitial segments between dates, filled with B-footage that does not add anything to the narrative. It also feels like the spaces chosen for the dates are a little safe, especially once we leave the speed-focused event. The end states also felt a little disappointing, offering too few details on the couples that form.
I like that Ten Dates gives players a clear information page for each potential partner, showing how many scenes that feature him or her have been seen. These also offer a simple way to see how to best engage with them. The game does not try to revolutionize the FMV genre in any way. The execution is good but I wanted to see at least some innovation. A little extra weirdness for the cast of characters could have helped. Maybe a big third-act twist.
As it is, Ten Dates is a good video game to play with a group, debating who’s the most interesting romantic partner and how to respond to its many games and questions. The fact that the first playthrough is a little longer than an hour is another positive element.
Ten Dates is a full-motion video experience that does not skimp out on production quality. The sets are good, although the game works hard to limit the number of characters that interact at one time. The gamer has solid editing and camera work. Actors featured include Rosie Day, Meaghan Martin, Kaine Zajaz, Ellie James, Rhiannon Clements, Charlie Maher, Sagar Radia, playing strongly against his Industry type, and Sam Buchanan.
Most of them do a great job but the entire experience feels a little underwritten. There are some shifts in tone and approach from the two main characters that come out of nowhere, although the actors do their best to sell them. Despite the focus on dates, I really wanted the game to have at least a few scenes that involve interactions between more than two of them.
Sound design is equally solid, giving players the space to focus on what their dates are saying and wight their choices. The soundtrack, which wisely remains in the background, might employ a few too many romantic movie cliches but uses them well.
The Good
- Character variety
- Solid acting
- Solid sound design
The Bad
- Limited gameplay
- High reliance on forced choices
- Limited location variety
Conclusion
The game wisely allows players to skip the sequences they have already seen, which makes it easy to explore most if not all the story branches. I did wish for the characters to comment a little more on the speed dating concept itself. For gamers who like the FMV approach, Ten Dates is a well-put-together title that’s great to play with friends, commenting on choices and romantic possibilities.
A review key was provided by the publisher.
