Kiss/OFF

I’m writing this after having reached one of the True Endings—the Truest one, I think? If it makes sense? And it is a bit unfortunate that I didn’t try to learn the True Meaning of Hate first, as the ending with finding out the True Meaning of Love was SO VERY EPIC, KICKED SO MUCH ASS, was so so HEARTWARMING AND HEARTBREAKING AND PERFECT ahhhh that I’m not even sure that I can gather enough spirit to be mean to either Steffi or Arturo, even to Risq, let alone Kel, ohhhh KEL, my heart bleeds at the mere thought, ah.
It wouldn’t be very spoilery to tell from the get go that Kiss/OFF is one of the visual novels utilizing their unique interactive nature to create a time-loop/differing timelines/multiverse metanarrative, and it handles such narrative incredibly well. It is usually pretty difficult to find a right balance between the weight of repeating loops, how all of them exist meaningfully and are experienced by their participants, possibly taking a severe toll on one’s psyche—and the enjoyment of the audience. And Kiss/OFF truly excels at it! Replaying the scenarios of how everything could go (did go) never once feels like a chore; coding these variations has probably been a nightmare, but the result is amazing—everything happens very naturally at all times, the characters not only react to your decisions but also manifest their agency offscreen (including being active with each other, hehe), and the story just feels so LIVELY and VIBRANT, even after the seventh or so loop.
It also doesn't take that many replays to reach the True Ending (a True Ending?)—the creators devised an in-story explanation why some stretches of events would be the same even if—also not much of a spoiler—some entities/characters are aware of the “loop” and can retain memories. This explanation was a massive gut punch and added a lot to the experience, but ultimately I got to the Finale without running out of the “unseen” text even at the start of each phase.
Another thing that is not required for reaching the True Ending (at least the one I’ve got) is behaving like an asshole, which could be a plus for some readers who find it difficult to be cruel. Still, being a mean ass here is rewarded not only by achievements but also by MOAR STORY and also getting to know some of the characters better, so if it's your thing, go for it! Be gay, do crimes! Or not exactly gay but more like pansexual, yet queer nonetheless, so yay for that too!
And more about the said queerness—even the pairs that look straight at the first glance, or at least, eh, straight-presenting, are queer as heck too, and not just because everyone is essentially pansexual (and not in a player-sexual way, to boot). This game demolishes cisheteronormativity with gusto, which, in the end, has a wonderful effect of making even seemingly mlw relationships appealing. I’m usually pretty averse to male MC/female LI scenarios, but any issues I could possibly have with those are just non-applicable here.
Kiss/OFF also works wonderfully as a date sim, a parody of one (that plays around with all da tropes), AND a deconstruction, both recognizing a violence of making persons smooch—and presenting a real affection that can bloom between people despite the odds. These two ideas could be easily undermined by each other, but Kiss/OFF manages to avoid it gracefully. Maximum kudos.
Seriously, though. Whoa. This game is SUCH a delicious mix of comedy and angst, silliness and profoundness—brimming with memes one moment and wrenching the heart out of your chest the next, interspersing adorkable shenanigans with transhumanist and eternalist philosophy, taking you through dizzying and exhilarating twists and turns with gentle guidance. I believe it holds such a wide appeal that I would recommend it in a heartbeat to just about anyone. It is not niche whatsoever, yet somehow it happened to be exactly to my taste, and what a well-prepared cup of tea it is.
I also cried at least twice, and had to get off the screen to scream into the pillow or do some pacing around my room quite a few times. Please, pick it up. There is SO MUCH to think and feel about.

Bought this game because the character design art style is totally right up my alley - stylish,colorful, and absolutely cute. It's a perfect balance between Japanese anime style and western cartoon style. I seriously need to know who the character design artist is. They aced these illustrations and character drawings.
The unique game premise on the store page definitely sold this game to me - just how many other games have you played that promises you an inter-galactic live TV dating show with the high stack of "DATE, OR, DIEEEEE"?? As far as I know, none, nada, zero. So I just gotta have to try this out.
And I was not disappointed. I just finished the first play of the game which was about 3.5 hours. At start of each playthrough, you pick from one of three characters you'll be spending the next 3 days to date with. Each character has 5 endings you can achieve and I believe these endings are achieved basing on the total scores you get at the end of the three days dating. On the store page it says there are 20 endings, so I wonder if there is some kind of hidden character you can unlock/encounter to achieve the extra 5 endings. I can see myself playing this one multiple times to try to find out all the endings and secret endings.
The game is both lighthearted and sincere, and so far I have not encountered any sexually explicit theme, which is a plus for me. Like the alien host in game says "We are trying to keep this family friendly PG!"
For my first play I dated the alien cat bro Arturo ( at least he looks like a cat to me, ahaha ). And I felt they wrote the character well. How should I describe it? It felt like I am a young male commander Shepard dating a shy Garrus, and I enjoyed it immensely. Cant wait to see what the other two characters' playthroughs are like, because each of the characters have wildly different personalities.
The game is LGBTQ friendly which is another plus to me.
Only thing I can think of that I wish the game has, is to have fully voiced dialogues for each character. ( Right now each character have quite a few voiced lines but they are not fully voiced.) But I can understand this is an indie game so the budget could be tight. Fully voiced over would be nice but definitely not a deal breaker. Each character are properly voiced and bring out their personality quite well.
Honestly, I dont know why not more people are talking about this game. It is charming, and is a blast playing through! A solid 7.9 out of 10 for me so far. I recommend this to visual novel lovers and for players who like to try something different from the norm.

This is super fun! I really love the premise and I enjoy that it's a lot deeper than it seems on the surface. It's well written and very funny + the characters are all very fleshed out and memorable!

As a regular player of dating sims this game brings something new to the table. The early routes play it straight, but as you go along, the game turns into something more, surreal and introspective.
It’s refreshing in that the characters all seem really profoundly human, despite being aliens ;P No one's reacting in completely unjustifiable ways, and while they all may have their quirks, once you get to know them, the cast shines.
You've got a solid boppy music track to accompany you, cute aliens, a supportive robot, emotive writing and a profound hidden truth to uncover. Get into it all in KISS OFF.

This game is so fun!! I've played the demo so when the full game was released I purchased it without hesitation. I've only started getting into it, but I can say it's already SO much more than you would expect! The story line has twists, layers and depth!!!! The story line and character design are so on point, and you really fall for the different characters you get to know. LOVE the illustrations - I can see the quality and care put into making this game with all the possible collectible illustrations. Excited to continue playing!!!!

I absolutely love visual novels, so when I got a notification that the creators of 'Bard Harder' made another one, I absolutely had to scoop it up. and I was not disappointed. I love dating sims just as much as I love visual novels, and I feel like this game hits enough to scratch that itch.
it reminded me a bit of 'I Was a Teenage Exocolonist' (another amazing visual novel). those who have played that may get the reference. it's not as big or ambitious as 'Exocolonist', but the premise of the game in its smaller, controlled environment makes you frantic, makes you sweat. you'll absolutely pick her - you'll know - and be absolutely crazed at the ending. the characters fit within a certain stereotype, but their personalities and backgrounds shine through as you play through the game. you'll connect with them in a heart-beat, even her! - you'll know.
the music, style, and pace are also great - it really helps you get into the mood as you are going through dates. the voice acting is scattered throughout, but when it's on full display, I feel it's definitely great. I'm no voice critique some folk, so you might feel differently, but each actor and actress brought their A-game.
and there are achievements and multiple endings to be had! unfortunately, I did not get through everything. I am sure you could double your playtime if you go for everything.
I highly recommend this game for lovers of visual novels and LOVE!

It's typically difficult for me to get into Visual Novel games my only prior experience being Danganronpa and The Nonary Games but after playing the opening hours of Kiss/Off wow I was immediately hooked. Definitely in a similar vibe to those games it starts with a maniacal mastermind forcing us to play in his dastardly game among other strangers. Unlike those games though it has quite a unique twist where the goal is to love your new teammates instead of distrusting them.
As someone who has been repeatedly traumatized by horror/mystery games it was a refreshing change of pace to actually get to work together with other characters. And this game certainly has every character imaginable from the quirky yet scatterbrained Steffi, to the quiet and timid Arturo, and finally my personal favorite the arrogant and dominating Risq. Getting to know each of them on my several playthroughs was truly a delight.
I would encourage anyone interested in a game full of mystery, comedy, and love to take the chance on this game and see all that it has to offer. From the music, characters, story, and art I was fully ready to DATE OR DIE