Sucker for Love: A Lovecraftian Love Story
Available since December 15th, Sucker for Love: Prelude is a short free Lovecraftian-themed game with a twist. With Sucker for Love: First Date scheduled to be released January 20th, the Prelude is a great opportunity to explore the style of Akabaka and figure out if you want the First Date.
Akabaka
Sucker for Love is Akabaka’s second major game. The developer, who you can find on Itch.io and Twitter, released Chromatose, which is a 2-hour visual novel about relationships and decisions.
Now, Akabaka suggests “putting ‘Love’ in Lovecraftian Horror” with their new visual novel, Sucker for Love, including the Prelude and the soon-to-be-released First Date.
Sucker for Love: Genre and Gameplay
Sucker for Love: Prelude has you struggling with dreams of a lady you want to smooch. The catch is that she is an eldritch horror, and not only is it difficult to summon her, her summoning would definitely end the world.
True love knows no limits, though, and as you get your hands on a very interesting, bright-pink Necronomicon, you might be a step closer to fulfilling your dreams and smooching Ln’eta! You just have to woo her.
Sucker for Love: Prelude has a plot that is funny and comical, but the game has a few scares, and the goals are anything but cute. You will woo your eldritch girlfriend by transforming your room and yourself into something she is more used to, chanting her favourite rituals, and giving her gifts. And watch out – the room becomes more dangerous as you perform more rituals for Ln’eta.
The Prelude is fairly short, but it still has a few endings. You can get all of them in under an hour, and there is a convenient saving point should you change your mind about wooing a Cthulhu. The pink Necronomicon has all the instructions you need to carry out for Ln’eta, which is why the game cannot truly be considered a puzzle. Still, there are tasks and interesting mechanics that make this visual novel experience more engaging.
Visuals and Style
The style of the game consists of contrasting horror and comical cuteness. Ln’eta is a pink-haired anime Cthulhu that may or may not have quite the figure of a perfect human woman while she is in her current form (it is presumed that her real form is different). Do not let that fool you; she will bring about the end of the world, and she will cause you a lot of suffering, but it’s all for a smooch!
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The visuals are amazing! The story takes place in one setting, but it is very detailed and evolves as time passes and more rituals are performed. Ln’eta’s sprites are diverse and balance between cute and scary like everything else in the game. And have you seen the trailer? Please see the trailer. It is clear that the developer cares about the game and has a unique, very interesting vision for it.
Who Would Enjoy the Game?
Sucker for Love: Prelude is a cute and funny but also scary experience. Unless you are fine with frightening imagery and Lovecraftian concepts, you will not have a good time. But you will have a good time if you like funny twists on scary ideas that still retain horror elements.
The form of a visual novel might be unappealing for some, but the Prelude is quite engaging with all the rituals you need to perform. The game is short, too, and free! Trying it out to see if First Date is going to be something you would enjoy is a good idea.
Conclusion
Sucker for Love: Prelude is a short visual novel with some engaging mechanics that mixes together humour and horror. It is short, free, and it will be continued by Sucker for Love: First Date on January 20th.
Check it out on Steam!