Capsule Review: HuniePop
A match-3 dating sim, because why the hell not. The match-3 gameplay is surprisingly deep and compelling, while the dating sim mechanics are serviceable at best and feel rote and shallow by comparison. Their interactions cause some unfortunate implications, such as it being mechanically to your advantage to stop dating a girl once you’ve slept with her. The art is decent, the writing and voice acting give the girls distinct (if one-dimensional) personalities and the soundtrack is entirely forgettable.
I Stopped Playing When: I unlocked the final girl but quit before I slept with her. The match-3 difficulty increases with every successful date, so it had gotten pretty tough by this point. Since I had now seen all the game’s surprises and the last girl isn’t that interesting of a character, I wasn’t motivated to work hard enough to pass the handful of remaining dates required.
Three Stars: Good. I liked the game enough to finish it (or just play it a bunch, for games that don't end). I recommend it to most genre fans.