Source: Infold Games
Thanks in large part to Love and Deepspace, Otome games have seen a resurgence in recent years.
“Otome” or dating games might have been conceived as basic and niche back in the day, but the genre has evolved into a more exciting and exhilarating scene in modern times. One such game that has made a name for itself is Love and Deepspace, a Chinese Otome Simulation mobile game developed by Infold Games that employs 3D visuals for an immersive and unique experience.
Love and Deepspace thrusts you into an alternate reality where alien enemies wreak havoc against humanity, with romance and a hot roster of male characters to choose from. The game has gained a huge and dedicated fan base since its global launch back in January 2024. If you’re looking to get into a thrilling and romantic adventure, here’s everything you need to know!
Design your protagonist
Love and Deepspace begins with the player being able to customise the appearance of the player-protagonist. In the character customisation screen, you can pick and choose hair styles, hair, skin, eye colours, and even tweak and adjust facial structure after choosing from a preset. The adjustments can go from setting the distance between the eyes to the subtle curve of the mouth.
Players who use the English and Chinese voice overs can also choose what type of voice the protagonist can have.
Although you can experiment with the look of your protagonist, the character customisation screen is not expansive like in The Sims or Baldur’s Gate 3. This part of the game does leave a lot to be desired as some players may lose the ‘immersive’ factor when they can’t get their models to look like them, but the first-person perspective you will constantly employ throughout the story chapters will smoothen out this issue.
Deepspace, aliens, and the aftermath of a catastrophe
After customising your protagonist, you will immediately be transported to the alternate reality of Love and Deepspace.
You will play as a rookie Deepspace Hunter with a unique attribute called an Evol that gives you a special power to ‘resonate’ with other Evols.
You live in Linkon City, a bustling and technologically advanced metropolis that serves as the first line of defence against hostile alien life forms called Wanderers.
14 years before the beginning of the game story, an event known as the Chronorift Catastrophe brought about the appearance of a Deepspace tunnel that lured Wanderers into your home planet. In the aftermath of this tragic event, you end up with a mysterious and peculiar heart condition, the cause of which is a major spoiler!
In the years after, humanity has bounced back from the catastrophe with massive technological advancements thanks to Protocore Energy, a type of energy which can be harvested from destroyed Wanderers. Protocore Energy has proven to be a valuable source of power to humanity, and is now commonly used in day to day life.
This catastrophe is also what leads you to grow the resolve to become a Deepspace Hunter, a soldier whose main mission is to destroy any Wanderer threat. After years of rigorous training and studying, you’ve finally graduated at the start of the game, and will now embark on a thrilling adventure as part of the UNICORNS, fighting against the deadly Wanderers that lurk in the shadows.
…and yes, there’s combat…
The game will thrust you into scenarios where you fight against increasingly powerful Wanderers with unique attacks and movesets.
You will start out the game armed with handguns, but as you progress further you can unlock a further selection of weapons with unique attributes due to it being crafted from Evol. The remaining weapons are: sword, claymore, and staff.
Besides story challenges, there are also other challenges like the Bounty Hunt, where you can farm for ascension materials, the Deepspace Trial, which progressively gets more difficult, the Core Hunt, which rewards Protocores, the Hunter Contest, which is a challenging dungeon, and the Training Room, where you learn the combat mechanics.
You will have a few abilities that will greatly help you in combat. A dash/dodge to avoid enemy attacks, a normal attack, and two types of skills: the Active Skill, and the Passive Skill. The Active Skill will depend on what type of weapon you have equipped, while the Resonance skill depends on which partner (yes, partner!) you’re currently teamed up with.
…with unbelievably handsome guys as your partners!
You won’t go into combat alone. There are currently 4 male characters who are the main love interests you can choose from. While their handsome looks can get your heart fluttering, these characters, who are named Xavier, Zayne, Rafayel, and Sylus, also prove to be useful and powerful partners in combat.
These 4 characters have unique abilities that will result in different types of gameplay. Each character has a Support Skill, Resonance Skill, Ardent Oath, and a Passive Skill. They all will play a massive support role during combat.
Xavier is an enigmatic deepspace hunter and the first love interest you interact with at the beginning of the game. He seems to be deeply involved in the mysteries regarding the Wanderers and is deeply concerned about your increasing involvement and safety. His Evol is Light.
Zayne is your childhood friend turned Cardiac Doctor who handles your peculiar heart condition. He may seem cold and stoic, but underneath that icy exterior is a warm tenderness for you. His Evol is Ice
Rafayel is a renowned painter and artist with a playful and snarky personality, but surprisingly has a romantic side when it comes to you. You encounter him on one of your missions, and end up being contracted as his personal bodyguard. His Evol is Fire.
Sylus is the newest character added to the love interest roster with the recent version 2 update. He is an outlaw from another world with a devilish charm, but deep inside he’s extremely devoted to you. His Evol is Energy Manipulation.
Each character’s skill set depends on what type of Outfit you can obtain, while their power level depends on the level of Memory Cards.
Each memory card has corresponding types called Stellactrum, which when aligned with a Protofield Stellactrum will make combat significantly easier.
Wishing for him (a.k.a the Gacha system)
The memory cards can be obtained through the Gacha System called Wish. The Gacha has three types of banners: the Rippling Echo, 5-star Limited Rate Up, and Xspace Echo.
The Rippling Echo banner is exclusive to new players, and will guarantee you a 5-star card within 50 pulls. The banner will disappear once you obtain your guaranteed 5-star card.
The 5-star Limited Rate Up banner features a limited 5-star memory card with boosted rates. The memories you can obtain through this banner are not obtainable through other means, and have different pool types:
- Single Featured - will feature only one 5-star limited memory card, has a 50% chance to drop the featured card,
- Double Featured - will feature two 5-star limited memory cards, has a 50% chance to gain a featured card, with a split probability between the two. The Double Featured banner also has rewards that can net you 5 extra pulls every 50 and 100 pulls. If you reach 150 pulls, you will receive a crate that allows you to select one of the two featured memory cards,
- Three Featured - will feature 3 5-star limited rate up cards with a 75% probability split evenly between them. This banner may also come with the ‘Precise Wish’ feature, where you can specify which of the 3 cards you can end up receiving. If you fail to get your choice, your second round of pulls will guarantee it,
- Selectable Featured - will feature all 5-star memories that are also in Xspace Echo. You can choose 5 5-star memory cards that you can obtain through pulling, guaranteeing one featured memory of your choice once you hit gold.
The Xspace Echo banner is the typical standard banner where all static standard 5 and 4-star memory cards are available to pull for.
All banners except the novice banner have a hard pity of 70 pulls.
The Gacha has 2 currencies: Empyrean Wish, which you can use in the Rippling Echo, Selectable Featured, and Xspace Echo banners, and Deepspace Wish, which can only be used in the Limited banners. These wishes can be bought using Gems, which can be bought but also can be easily earned by completing daily tasks or as a reward for completing challenge levels.
Romancing your chosen partner
Of course we can’t leave out the best selling feature of Love and Deepspace: forming a relationship with one of the available love interests.
Each character has a unique connection with you, which you can explore the more you obtain memory cards. Once again, there are no spoilers here, but do expect to have your heartstrings tugged in every direction with how deep and emotional your bond will go with any of these romanceables.
The relationship you can form also depends on a level system, with further levels unlocking tons of sometimes wholesome, sometimes steamy, romantic interactions between you and your chosen partner. The highest level attainable as of the recent version 2 patch is Level 60.
You can increase affinity with your chosen partner through gaining, levelling, and ascending his memory cards, interacting with him through phone or through the Destiny Cafe, or going on ‘dates’ with him. There’s even a purikura photo booth where you can take adorable pics with your chosen beau!
Love and Deepspace is currently in its massive version 2 update ‘Opposing Visions’, which adds a new love interest in Sylus, a revamped rogue-like combat system, and tons of new challenges and adversaries to conquer.