Huniepop 2: The first HuniePop made waves in an appealing and almost unexpected way. It absolutely was a dating game with match-3 mechanics and adult themes which was inviting enough to charm the kind of relatively wholesome YouTuber Markiplier to blush his way through, yet lewd enough to feel embarrassed about playing while your Steam friends could see you. The characters were colorful and fairly well fleshed out, leveling up meaning you get to find out about the buxom babes intimately (in more ways than one), and the match 3 aspect was legitimately enjoyable to the point of addiction. No bone(r)s about it, HuniePot had a winner on the hands with the initial, so it stands to reason they’d be up for round two with a sequel.
HuniePop 2: Double Date features a whole new slew of cuties to woo, and with the fate of the whole galaxy resting in your capable hands (and mouth, and nether regions, and…), it’s time to have busy. You see, you’d been enjoying your newfound love life after learning just how to bond with the women in the first game, and, thinking about the hottie in your apartment, you’ve been successful for yourself. Yep, it had been business as normal in your bed — until 1 day, a common love fairy face, Kyu, shows up and explains the dire situation. Apparently, two cosmic space ladies referred to as the Nymphojinn are going to awaken from their millennia-long slumber, and if they don’t manage to get thier pipes cleaned before their period, their PMS will pair of a dangerous chain of reactions that’ll cause unfathomable death on a galactic scale. Kyu remembered showing you the ropes initially around, so she is confident in your abilities to have the work done this time — with one catch: you may need to learn to have a threesome. So, it’s off to the legendary lust island Inna de Poona to learn to please two women simultaneously; the planet depends on it!
After choosing such things as player gender, difficulty level, and whether one character posseses an “innie” or an “outie,” players will undoubtedly be whisked away to the island filled with lusty ladies. In place of attempting to seduce individual girls by getting to know them, buying them gifts, feeding them snacks, and going on individual dates, players will now be getting together with two girls simultaneously doing mostly exactly the same thing. Conversing with them doesn’t do much except yield seeds, which are accustomed to buy gifts, food, and, later, wardrobe options. Giving them gifts and food will help raise their passion (combo-multiplier), sentiment (gift-giving capability), moves, or stamina. Going on dates is where the greatest change occurs, as instead of one girl to target on, players must now split their time taken between two, ensuring both have a great time without getting angry or tired.
After having a successful double date , the girls will not only feel closer to you, but together; they’ll start off compatible, after which the attraction will build. After another successful date , they’ll prepare yourself to do the nasty, of which point the match 3 game should go from turn-based to stamina-based — continue the matches quickly and you’ll manage to get a pleased ending with their story. Each girl will have four others on the island they’re suitable for, and by crawling into bed with them, you’ll gain enough experience to take on the room ladies and save humanity. So, you realize — get cracking.
The attempt HuniePop 2 : Double Date made not to only capture what made the first game great but build upon its story and mechanics is pretty logical, slightly disappointing, and still in the same way enjoyable as before. I believe dating two girls simultaneously made total sense for a sequel, nevertheless the implementation was a small letdown; for just one, these were always a lot more enthusiastic about each other than in you. In the first game, players could actually develop a relationship with each girl in something of a slow-burn fashion; gradually getting new photos from each likeable girl while they quizzed you on the interests to see if you were focusing mimicked dating in an enjoyable way. In HuniePop 2 : Double Date , the girls feel more such as a caricature rather than a fleshed out character, which makes many of them tolerable but others just… terrible. In the first one it had been no problem finding a few that you looked forward to seeing; in the sequel, there are lots you only want to avoid completely. And with the girls centered on each other a lot more than you, it’s simple to feel such as a disinterested third wheel pretty quickly.
These are terrible, a new mechanic called “baggage” makes its debut in HuniePop 2 : Double Date , available only on normal and in/femcel (hard) modes. As you keep in touch with the girls among dates, you’ll find out about their likes and dislikes, which can yield fruit if one other girl feels exactly the same way. Conversing with them also can make sure they are feel comfortable enough to share “baggage” about themselves, such as for example their depression or workaholic nature. Each lust interest has three different types of baggage, that is chosen randomly prior to the date and will affect the dating playfield in some way. As an example, Abia’s sex addiction could make her consume sexuality bubbles once per turn, and Lillian’s angst can cause the consequences for broken hearts and pink hearts to be swapped. For probably the most part, they’re simple enough to work around, but in some cases (eh hehm, Sarah), it really can cause some frustration.
Which segues into my next issue — the characters themselves. In the first game, it had been simple to feel attached to a minumum of one lovely lady and pick a favorite out of the bunch. There clearly was a woman nearby, a loner nerd, a single mom, a well-traveled flight attendant, a warm teacher, etc. There have been “types” of girls that felt more rooted in personality than in racial/cultural stereotypes — not they weren’t there by itself, nevertheless they took a backseat to who the girl was. In HuniePop 2 : Double Date , there were a handful of girls that were definitely that way — the cyber goth, the angtsy 18 year old, and some returning characters in the flight attendant and older porn star, but there were others that were either directly irritating or leaned into a racial/cultural stereotype so heavily that other facets of her personality didn’t get a chance to shine. As an example, Sarah, the White girl enthusiastic about anime, is noted as being a “filthy weeb” who’s just… awful. She constantly describes the Pacific Islander girl as Japanese and her hygiene is so bad so it plays into her baggage, the stench of her mmhmmhmm driving away desirable board pieces.
Then there were others like Abia, a Muslim security guard, whose personality was solely based on sexual repression that will stem from the conservative religion. Don’t get me wrong, I realize it can occur — I spent my youth Mormon — but there’s just yet another cultural layer to it which was handled with the delicacy of a sledgehammer from a facility that may or may not need worked with a lady of the background. Not saying someone like Abia doesn’t exist, it had been just so outrageous so it made me kind of uncomfortable. Coupled with several other women, like Nora, the Latina cleaning lady/drug dealer who treated “juvie like summer camp” and Brooke, the cheating housewife by having an annoying voice saying weird phrases as encouragement (“look at youuuuuu!”), I must say i wasn’t feeling the spark this time around. Maybe it’s character development — in the first game, I was just learning the ropes of love-making; in HuniePop 2: Double Date, an emotional connection isn’t required, just thrusting.
I understand I’ve discussed a great deal about HuniePop 2: Double Date’s drawbacks, so I’d really prefer to take more time to speak about where it does shine. For just one, it’s still in the same way fun — or even more so — compared to original game. I must say i loved the particular match 3 date component, and switching between two women kept it interesting. Some couples are better balanced than others, and their baggage can be considered a boon in some cases; finding a match-up with a woman who generates more broken hearts with another who uses broken hearts for positive benefits can make for an easier win than two who both generate bad pieces. Once you really feel like you obtain the swing of things you will have to truly challenge the Nymphojinn, which is a very challenging — and very fun — boss battle that switches up the mechanics yet again. After defeating the cosmic cuties, you can use the fruit you’ve been collecting to unlock more outfits for the ladies back on Earth and utilize the mechanic you unlocked in the boss battle. I also really enjoyed the music, surprisingly, as it was toe-tappingly catchy, especially the song featured at the strip club. Involving the bright colors and fun music, I was definitely totally hooked on popping those bubbles way past my bedtime.
Finally, the photo album. For what it’s worth, I’m a straight woman so these rewards don’t really pertain to my interests, but after each sweaty escapade you’ll unlock images of the two ladies doing the deed with you. One interesting facet about that version’s photo album is that you’ll have the choice to choose for the women to be relatively covered, nude, and nude with… erm, splatter. These photos are well drawn and bare all even in probably the most clothed version, so if this really is your cup of tea, I imagine you’ll be pretty satisfied here.
When it comes to the match 3 mechanic, HuniePop 2: Double Date is completely one of the best match 3 games out there. When it comes to story progression and character development, it is a little lacking when compared with its predecessor. Interested parties will still have plenty of fun on Inna de Poona, so no worries there — just don’t expect to foster any long-term relationships with the lovely ladies populating the place. Although, on a lust-filled island, you’re probably not searching for commitment anyway. For a good time, give HuniePop 2: Double Date a chance.
Final Verdict:
Available on: PC (reviewed); Publisher: HuniePot; Developer: HuniePot; Players: 1; Released: February 8, 2021; MSRP: $19.99 Editor’s note: This review is founded on a copy of HuniePop 2: Double Date purchased by the reviewer.
