Sucker For Love: Date to Die For — Everything We Know

If you're a hopeless romantic looking for love in the dating world, you know that it's full of weirdos. Don't even get me started. But DreadXP's latest game hits an all-time high by featuring an eldritch horror as your next love escapade in its upcoming title, Sucker For Love: Date to Die For. It's no surprise here, considering it is a sequel to the Lovecraft dating simulator Sucker For Love: First Date. The original title has you playing a charming male with a bizarre fascination for eldritch horrors. 

So, how does it play out in the new title? Stick with us as we unpack the details. This will be a date to really die for. Here's Sucker For Love: Date to Die For — Everything We Know.

What is Sucker For Love: Date to Die For?

Sucker For Love: Date to Die For, like its predecessor, is a dating simulator that takes a parodic perspective. The game is a loose adaptation of the horror novella The Shadow Over Innsmouth by H.P. Lovecraft. In the novel, the author talks of Innsmouth creatures, a hybrid race of half-amphibian and half-human creatures. In place of the half-fish creatures, the upcoming title focuses on Rhok'zan,  a half-breed goat lady.

Just like the previous title, Sucker For Love: Date to Die For is full of twists and turns. The game blends humor and horror seamlessly, sometimes turning both themes to a max. As for the storyline, it'll definitely rope you in.

Story

The narrative focuses on our protagonist, Stardust. She sets off for her childhood hometown after receiving a letter purporting the whereabouts of her parents' disappearance. But it turns out to be the start of her lovecraftian nightmare. The disappearance of residents plagues her hometown, and the remnants display a strange gaze with white eyeballs. As a result, the town is at a standstill with no means of transport to reach the city.

Stardust stumbles upon a bizarre-looking woman who sends shivers down her spine. She then takes on her heels and runs to her parents' home, fearing that she might be kidnapped. Stardust walks into the house and finds it prepped for a ritual. She accidentally summons All-Mother, the Black Goat of the Woods, Rhok'zan, whose curvy body and perky chest are straight from a Playboy magazine. 

At first, our protagonist is thrown aback by the All-mother, but she later becomes smitten, a reaction that catches Rhok'zan by surprise. What follows next is a deep dive into the impossible love story of an eldritch horror who is behind the townsfolk's mysterious disappearance and the death of Stardust's parents.

Gameplay

The developers showed an early build of the game during PAX East 2023, which revealed the gameplay. Sucker For Love: Date to Die For is a first-person dating simulator horror game where you take on the role of Stardust. After the cultists turn on their elder god, it's up to you to whisk away your newly found lover to safety. To do so, you must complete the rituals in the supernatural book that summoned Rhok'zan. This will involve clicking through the dark rituals. Some rituals revolve around strengthening the duo's bond, such as setting up a dinner date. Others may require a bowl of blood, meat, and milk. 

The game retains a strong theme of ace sexuality, where Stardust is an asexual character. In her words, “A thousand times zero is zero.” This trait has Rhok'zan smitten, and it sets them off on their quest to escape the town. 

Plus, the developers are not shy about getting into the nick of things. Stardust's sexuality in the game is her strength. And with Rhok'zan being the goddess of fertility, the conversation can take a nasty turn. Thankfully, the game provides a spray bottle that you can access early in the game. The spray bottle is meant to turn things down when the conversations go beyond your discomfort. I must applaud the devs' consideration for letting the players steer the conversation instead of forcing a '50 Shades of Gray' scene down our throats. 

Moreover, if you thought Rhok'zan was the only horror element, you're in for a surprise. Navigating Stardust's home is a spooky nightmare. Plus, the rituals might have you sleeping with the light on.

Development

The game is one of the ingenious creations by Joseph “Akabaka: Hunter. The dev is teaming up with DreadXP for its publishing. Akabaka couldn't have settled for a better publisher since the horror scene is DreadXP's bread and butter. Plus, the duo also worked on the original title together, so it's safe to assume the upcoming title will improve on its shortfalls—if any.

Aside from borrowing a few notes from H.P. Lovecraft, the game's visual style draws inspiration from Junji Ito, the horror legend. The evil green hues and dusty pink and purple color palettes are a testament to some of Junji's creations.

Trailer

If you're curious to see how all this looks on paper, the devs graced us with a teaser trailer a year ago. The exclusive trailer was released a month ago and reveals the gameplay and some of its horror elements. You can see for yourself in the videos embedded above.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

Sucker For Love: Date to Die For will be launching on PC on February 14, 2024. For those without a Valentine's date, DreadXP has got you covered. As far as editions, we can't say whether the developers will launch any. We'll have to keep you posted on this one. 

If this game floats your boat, you can keep up with the devs on the official social media handle here. If anything exciting drops before launch day, we'll be sure to give you the exclusive scoop right here on gaming.net.

So there you have it. Will you pick up a copy of Sucker For Love: Date to Die For once it launches on PC? What features of the game stand out the most for you? Let us know in the comments below or on our socials here.