I Love You! 1.0

Take the lead in your high school romance

I Love You! is a free role-playing video game wherein you go around wooing cute high school boys. Originally developed by Shinogi Shiohara, this is a cute visual novel dating sim that features an assertive female protagonist confidently courting her crushes. This is originally a Japanese video game and this version is the English translation by Moonchime Localization. It only has a few love targets so you can finish this in under a few hours.

Don’t hesitate for love

In I Love You!, you play as a strong-headed high school girl who you can name—although the game doesn’t distinguish between first name and surname. You may be better off entering a surname to stay true to the Japanese polite culture of addressing peers. There are three boys you can chase: the easy-to-tease Tsuda, the shy and awkward Kirishima, and the fun-loving Onodera. There’s also one secret love interest, but his presence isn’t too big.

Just like other dating sims, your choices will impact their affection towards you and the eventual ending you’ll get—and there are 8 potential endings to aim for. The boys’ affection levels will also change how they talk to you. You can obtain beautiful CG art for certain scenes and you can review them all in the art gallery in the main menu. If you’re having trouble with the endings, check out the game’s strategy guide.

What’s unique in this game is that your character doesn’t have her own internal dialogue or narration, unlike most VNs. Most of your dialogue comes from the player choices and you only get to hear your character’s idle chatter based on how other characters respond to you. It’s strange but not too hard to keep track of. This is the same with the different routes—although things can get complicated on other endings.

Make your school days memorable

All in all, I Love You! is a great Japanese dating sim that features a hilarious role-reversal story. Here, it’s the girl who’s forward in her affections and the guys who are highly flustered when it comes to romantic interactions. It’s short but has enough content to keep you engaged as you unlock all endings and CGs. It’s only too bad that it doesn’t separate the first name from the surname for a more authentic experience.