Date with Us: A Dating Sim Podcast

Calling all long and freshly dead matchmakers! Join Claire, Kanisha, and Kayla (@PalettesAndPages) in shipper central as we match make mammals (and other anthropomorphic animals) in our magnificent manor. Love, Ghostie is a cozy management game with tons of wholesome romance! As a cute ghost in a manor, it's your job to set up residents and help them find love! Love, Ghostie is developed and published by Janbeh Games, LLC. It was released on August 14, 2024 and sits at the $19.99 price point.   Mentioned in the Show: Drop in Drop Out Podcast Network Kayla's YouTube Claire's Twitch Stream Claire's YouTube Channel (Archival from Streams) Content Warnings: Light mentions of heartbreak, death, dying, and existentialism   If you enjoy the show, be sure to rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts and follow us on socials as @datewith.us or @datewithuspodcast and bookmark https://datewith.us for our newest drops. 

Join us as we log back in to AIM and FaceNook and try to make things work with Emily or... Evelyn? Beau, Kanisha, and Claire get into the hearts and minds of what happens when your crush enters the chat. Unexpected SPOILERS FOR THE GAME "INSCRYPTION" 26:25-26:36 If you enjoy the show, be sure to rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts and follow us on socials as @datewithuspodcast or bookmark https://datewith.us for our newest drops.    Emily is Away, Emily is Away Too, and Emily <3 are all developed and published by Kyle Seeley. Doki Doki Literature Club livestreams are on Mondays at https://twitch.tv/claireafterall Looking for a place to talk about the show? Join Claire's discord server!   Featured Guest: On Underplayed, Bo_Po and DiscoCola review indie games of all kinds: the games with small budgets but big hearts. The lesser-known experiences with imaginative ideas. Normal episodes feature two main segments. First, we have Secret Games, where we reveal and review games we’ve been playing in secret apart from each other. Then, we do an in-depth review of a Featured Game – a higher-profile entry in the indie game landscape we both agree to play. Find Beau on Twitch at and on Underplayed.

Spring has sprung and Date with Us is BACK baby! Come on our journey as we date our way through the world's kaiju scene with KAICHU! UPDATE: Now with the end of the episode included...   Please don't forget to rate and review the show, visit us at datewith.us, or email us at [email protected].   TODAY'S GAME: KAICHU: KAIJU DATING SIM "Kaichu is a dating sim about kaiju! You play the role of Gigachu, a gigantic romantic looking for love. Meet 6 other eligible kaiju and visit 24 famous landmarks where Gigachu will answer challenging compatibility questions to decide the fate of your relationship. Give romance a chance, and let love smash its way into your heart with Kaichu!" Developed By: Squiddershins Published By: Top Hat Studios, Inc. Price: $9.99

Happy International Women's Day! We were SO lucky to get to chat with Emily about her game What a Catch! As a little treat to ourselves and you, dear listeners, we got together to get into it as women in STEAM.  Regardless of your level of comfortability with game development or coding, there's something for everyone as Emily walks us through the process of developing What a Catch for use on her Twitch streams, we weigh some HEFTY and spicy pros and cons, and wax on womanhood in storytelling.  Our guest today is Emily Merritt (aka Egg) from No Small Games! She is a freelance web developer who specializes in building web apps and websites for small businesses and non-profits. She has a lifelong love of video games, beginning when she was just 5 years old, playing computer games on her parents’ work computer. In addition to games and coding, she also loves gardening, playing with her dog and, of course, listening to podcasts! Find Egg's web dev and other services at https://eggplanted.io.

Join us as we dive into the No ICE in Minnesota bundle curated by JesTheHuman! We're trying a new format for this type of bonus episode, so let us know what you think!    Get the bundle here before Feb. 28 to be a part of this great work!    We Played:  Catgirl Truckers, 3/4 Spell Swap, Seascape Paradiso Sugar Cookie, Spicy Love, Don't Tell My Wife Code Romantic   Also Mentioned in the Episode:  Calico, PomoFarm, Dead End Job, Become a First Rate Artist in Just 30 Seconds   Find us online at datewith.us or as DateWithUsPodcast on social media (instagram and bluesky) 

LAST EPISODE OF WINTER SEASON, BABES!!! Thank you to Danny for hopping into the episode with us to chat about the romance (and more) in Hades 2! Don't forget to rate, review, share, etc. and let us know your who you wanted to spend some quality time with in the bath? SPRING SEASON IS ON THE WAY and looking bright <3 We'll see you sooooooon...  Keep fighting the good fight out there, lovelies, we believe in you! (Did you tell your crush about us yet??)

Get in besties, we're going to defy the gods. Join Kanisha, Claire, and Shelby as they break out of the underworld and try to smooch death, fury, and perhaps even a gorgon... Let us know what you think... is Hades a dating sim? How do you define dating sim?   FEATURED GUEST BIO: Shelby/Peachy (she/they) lives in the Midwest as a teacher of the Deaf. When she's not teaching, she's probably getting sacked in Mario Kart against her son, taking pics of her five cats, rolling dice for d&d, editing her first book, or finding potential romance in video games. Find her online as PeachyCatXO.   Released: September 17, 2020 Developed By: Supergiant Games Published By: Supergiant Games Price: $24.99 Content Warnings: I went looking for the content warnings, and mostly just found "mature, bloody dungeon crawler" or "mild blood, suggestive character designs," but in general this is a PG --> PG-13ish game   Don't forget to rate and review!!!

Pixel Puzzles GALORE as Kanisha and Claire date with Frankie Bradley from the Reignite podcast. We get into it about our lives, Murdle, and Rude Ghost's game: Pixel Puzzle Makeout League. Apologies for some of the sound quality issues, I (Claire) am still learning how to edit!!! <3 <3   "Solve pixel puzzles, date superheroes, and save the day! Dating sim meets puzzle game in this romantic comedy adventure." - Steam "You are Pixel Girl, a superhero with the power of "pixel puzzle-solving." Turn your problems into nonograms, then solve 'em to save the day! Join the Puzzle League and date up to four of your fellow puzzle-themed superheroes, before the Villain third-wheels you with his doomsday plot!" - Game Description on Nintendo Released: Oct 30, 2020 Developed By: Rude Ghost -- SPECIAL THANKS FOR THE KEYS Published By: Skymap Games Price: $14.99 Available on PC (steam, itch, etc) and Nintendo Switch   Content Warnings: Suggestive Themes: Mild provocative references or materials

Join us as we explore the first dating sim any of us have played with a video chat component! Claire learns the phrase "discord kitten"! Marcy tells us her kink?! If you enjoy the show, be sure to rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts and follow us on socials as @datewithuspodcast. Seriously, it means a lot.   "A bickering and bantering rivals-to-lovers visual novel where you fall in love after first hack."   Error 143 is developed and published by Jenny Vi Pham.   Featured Guest: Marcy Laycelle (she/her) is your Black sapphic friend, cozy content creator, and professional laugh queen. Known for dreamy Sims builds, Stardew riches, tarot pulls, and expressing herself through bold, creative makeup looks, she’s here to gush over dating games with a mix of whimsy, humor, and heart. Find Marcy Online: Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/marcylaycelle/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@marcylaycelle/ Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/moonlightwreath/

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE, EVERYBIRDIE! Our inaugural man joins us once more as we explore what happens in another unreality in the Hatoful Boyfriend Universe, this time HOLIDAY EDITION!   This season at Date with Us, we're so so grateful for you, dear listeners! If you're having fun here, consider dropping a comment, like, or sharing an episode! Rating and Reviewing can really help a fledgling show like ours find its audience and we are so thankful to be connecting with so many fellow romance gamers out there.   Hatoful Boyfriend: Holiday Star: The loveable birds of Hatoful Boyfriend are back in the remastered holiday-themed sequel Hatoful Boyfriend: Holiday Star! Developed by Mediatonic Games and Published by Epic Games.   FEATURED GUEST: Jared (He/Him) Graphic Designer and Podcaster. I have a love of everything Nintendo, especially Pokemon and Zelda, two franchises that made me fall in love with gaming. I am a big fan of music, play both the guitar/piano, and love how music in video games can connect people on an emotional level to the worlds they are playing through. I host the Play Along Podcast with my other two co-host, Ky and Ben where we play through video games in a book club format.   HATOFUL BOYFRIEND CONTENT WARNING:  None listed on the Steam page, but when searched from tumblr user atroquiniine: "my full trigger list for hatoful boyfriend (and its sequel), for anyone curious is: war & genocide suicide (including coerced suicide) murder (including decapitation and dismemberment) cannibalism guns terminal illness and biological weaponry perusing monster-based horror unreality scientific experimentation-based horror racism childhood trauma and parent death infanticide (or more accurately, bird abortion) emotional manipulation unhealthy/codependent relationships death of a romantic interest twisted morality and gray morality general heartbreakery " Oh... and have you told your crush about us yet?? Find them under the mistletoe!

HELLO SEASON TWO!!!! Everybirdie get ready to fly on the wings of love and darkness as Jared, the first ever MAN GUEST, joins Claire and Kanisha to deep dive into the pigeon dating sim turned beloved cult classic, Hatoful Boyfriend. CARVE IT ONTO YOUR SOUL! If you enjoy the show, be sure to rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts and follow us on socials as @datewithuspodcast. Seriously, it means a lot.   "Congratulations! You’ve been accepted as the only human student at the prestigious St. PigeoNation’s Institute, a school for talented birds! Roam the halls and find love in between classes as a sophomore student at the world’s greatest pigeon high school."   FEATURED GUEST: Jared (He/Him) Graphic Designer and Podcaster. I have a love of everything Nintendo, especially Pokemon and Zelda, two franchises that made me fall in love with gaming. I am a big fan of music, play both the guitar/piano, and love how music in video games can connect people on an emotional level to the worlds they are playing through. I host the Play Along Podcast with my other two co-host, Ky and Ben where we play through video games in a book club format.   HATOFUL BOYFRIEND CONTENT WARNING:  None listed on the Steam page, but when searched from tumblr user atroquiniine: "my full trigger list for hatoful boyfriend (and its sequel), for anyone curious is: war & genocide suicide (including coerced suicide) murder (including decapitation and dismemberment) cannibalism guns terminal illness and biological weaponry perusing monster-based horror unreality scientific experimentation-based horror racism childhood trauma and parent death infanticide (or more accurately, bird abortion) emotional manipulation unhealthy/codependent relationships death of a romantic interest twisted morality and gray morality general heartbreakery " Have you told your crush about us yet??

It's the HALLOWEEN SPECIAL!!!!!! One Night, Three Vampires, will we survive, thrive, or feel extra alive in bed with some extremely hot vampires????? Only one way to find out!    Content Warnings:  “First Bite is rated 18+ for strong language, violence (potential player death), blood and gore, (optional) non-explicit sexual scenes (including consensual kink and BDSM), (supernatural) emotional manipulation, and other content that some players may find disturbing. Player discretion is advised.”   Guest Info: Kate (she/any) Has a background in technical theatre and currently works in academia, focusing on arts administration/program management. She discovered video games in March 2020 when the world shut down and now has a deep passion for exploring the artistic elements of indie games. Kate loves all things musical, comedy, horror, and spends free time studying astrology and enjoying the outdoors. She is a founder and co-host of the indie gaming recap and review podcast No Small Games! Find Kate online through: Blue Sky, No Small Games Site   First Bite is created by First Bite Games. Special Thank You to Darius_Minis for Claire's key to this game! 

Join us as we discuss our steamiest game to date with special guest Emily from No Small Games! If you enjoy the show, be sure to rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts and follow us on socials as @datewithuspodcast.  "Slasher U is an 18+ character-driven RPG dating sim, set in the open-world campus of America’s Horniest Horror Movie University! SLASHER U is a horror-comedy dating sim RPG with full-blown sex mechanics, tons of heartwrenching romance and friendship storylines, and a wicked sick 90's theme sure to make even the most deep-fried saw dungeon aesthetics/dick jokes fans jealous." FEATURED GUEST: Emily Merritt co-hosts the No Small Games podcast, along with Kate Hunter. Together they recap and review indie games of sizes and genres, plus dig into indie game news, events, new releases and demos! Most of all, No Small Games emphasizes the personal impact of the games they cover and the stories they tell. Emily also writes and curates content for the NSG website, and streams indie games several days a week on Twitch. SLASHER U CONTENT WARNING:  "This game contains three main censorship options: STREAMER MODE, FADE TO BLACK, and FIVE ALARM CHILI. Streamer Mode will censor ANY sex acts, sexual jokes, and obscene references from the game. Fade to Black will censor all sex acts and nudity. FIVE ALARM CHILI will leave everything uncensored. These settings can be selected at character creation and changed at any time. This game contains a TOGGLEABLE OPTION to turn sex-based minigames and nudity on or off. These minigames include narrative-based sex acts, including but not limited to: full penetration, oral sex, BDSM, consensual acts of roleplayed nonconsent if the player selects this option explicitly, consensual acts of stalking, and supernatural possession. All acts WILL ASK FOR IN-GAME CONSENT via the course of normal gameplay before unlocking this content and can be turned on/off at any time in the Settings menu. All potentially triggering content (here including suicidal mentions, mentions of parental alcohol abuse, and non-sexual slapping) can be adjusted on the game's Settings page. This will remove the content from your game unless unchecked again. This is a game set at a college and contains copious amounts of mentions of drug use and alcohol among adult characters."

Join Matt, Alle, Claire, and Kanisha as they dish over which inanimate objects are the hottest (*cough* DORIAN). Date Everything is a sandbox dating simulator set in the comfort of your own home, featuring 100 fully voice acted datable characters! Let the romance flow between your bed, smoke alarm and…*checks notes* Overwhelming Sense of Existential Dread?  Content Warning: Job Loss, AI Use, others discussed in episode for specific dateable characters.    Editor's Note: This is a VERY long episode and came at a crunch time with me (Claire) onboarding to a new job! Feel free to message me if you catch errors in the edit, I did my best but I am LEARNING! <3 

Plunder the dunj and fall in ~LOVE~ along with us as we do a deep dive on one of our favorite dating sims of all time. Fair warning, spoilers ABOUND throughout this episode speaking about Boyfriend Dungeon, we do our best to warn you as they come, but if you're trying to go in to the game not knowing much, play first and then come gush along with us!  Have you played the Boyfriend Dungeon TTRPG? TELL US ABOUT IT! Do you have thoughts about the lore?? WE WANT TO KNOW! Should we become Boyfriend Dungeon lore scholars? WE HAVE QUESTIONS!! 

Join us to dive into cosplay cafe management! We have a minor mic issue throughout since this was one of our earliest recordings, but the sound will be back to standard with the next episode though. Don't forget to rate, review, and tell your crush about us! WE DARE YOU!!    Play the game here: https://whalesandgames.itch.io/whipped-and-steamy    "Content Warning: Whipped and Steamy • Cosplay Café contains content that is not appropriate for all ages and is not suggested for viewing at work. While the game contains no explicit imagery (explicit sex or genitalia), it still contains writing that could be considered explicit and suggestive imagery."

"ValiDate is a romantic visual novel about 13 adults in Jercy City navigating new relationships and the harsh realities that come alongside them by Veritable Joy Studios."    CW: This game contains mentions and references to drugs, alcohol, sexual assault, cheating, abuse and other harsh themes. Viewer discretion is advised.   Steam Link: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1319850/ValiDate_Struggling_Singles_in_your_Area/ 

WELCOME TO THE PILOT! This episode features a dating sim that’s also visceral and sometimes horrifying. The content warning from the game is below:  Meeting in the Flesh “features text descriptions and non-explicit visual descriptions of:  Blood/Gore Torture Vore/Cannibalism Sex Hand-Holding By Continuing, you agree to do so at your own risk.”    Find us online on Bluesky and Instagram as @DateWithUsPodcast!

Kicking off the feed with our INCREDIBLE theme music "Glymr" composed by Jason Deran!