Choose Me: A PvP Dating Sim that Combines Flirting, Strategy, and Microtransactions

Ever thought of the intersection of a dating sim and PvP tactics? Indie game developer Optillusion Games has created Pick Me Pick Me, a two-player dating sim which focuses less on romantic dialogues and more on strategic manipulation. It’s as curiously intriguing as you can imagine.

In Pick Me Pick Me, you and another player battle for the affection of an AI-driven NPC love interest. Once you’ve customized your avatar through a variety of garb options, you’re plunged into a mental contest of wit and beneath-the-surface disruption. Imagine it like a love fight where everything is fair game, from innocent flattery to outright opponent mockery. Optillusion states that the NPCs you’re attempting to win aren’t plain characters. They’re influenced by LLM (Large Language Model) AI, meaning they’ll respond to both sharp wit and clumsy wordplay.

Optillusion sets the expectation of a diverse range of dates, featuring male, female, and even future furry characters. The AI powering these characters reacts to everything you input, setting the stage for a volatile, unforeseeable dating field. Regarding gameplay, players can use skill cards to discombobulate each other, triggering events like “awkward mishaps” or causing your rival to “blurt nonsense.”

However, there’s a caveat: flirtation isn’t without cost. Entailing a fee to the developer, all NPC interactions come with a certain in-game token cost, which, while you get a fair amount with the game purchase, will eventually require you to shell out for more. “While we’d love to absorb this cost ourselves, the pricing for interfacing with these models is beyond what we can manage,” conveys Optillusion.

In summary, your charm may stumble upon a paywall. Also, Optillusion is capping game copy sales to prevent overloading the AI bots with response requests. It’s still vague how much the game or additional tokens cost, but given its presence at PAX West, it’s apparent that the studio targets a dedicated (and potentially high-end) experience.

With an offbeat blend of romance, PvP tactics, and microtransactions, Pick Me Pick Me might be the oddest MMO-inspired game you’ll find. But be forewarned before you swipe right—this dating sim isn’t without its costs.