With a bit of time before work this morning, I decided to check out Date Night Bowling, the new bowling/dating game from developer Serenity Forge, the evil geniuses behind Doki Doki Literature Club. While I kinda wish the same twists and turns from Doki Doki were applied to Date Night Bowling, it does appear to be exactly what is advertised - a fun little pixel-art bowling sim where players try to woo potential dates with their skills at bowling and some somewhat freakish minigames.
I played one round of bowling by myself, and then hopped into a match against the AI, which is where I met Jasper. Jasper is a creepshow who hangs out at the bowling alley asking single women if they are "looking for a date". With his 1994 ponytail and his horrid attempts at humor, Jasper provided me a lot of entertainment - not because I was excited to video-game-date him, but because I was very happy to spend a half hour dunking on him. If this is what "dating" is like at the bowling alley, best steer clear. Check it out:
According to a recent press release, "In Date Night Bowling, you and one of 10 very special someones (some of which you might recognize from Half Past Fate and the upcoming Land of Screens) will hit the neon-lit bowling alley for a date. That’s where the fun begins, but not where it ends. Once you woo your date by showing your skills with a turkey or two, you’ll also need to master the claw machine, make sure they get the snacks they want, and generally be a wonderful host as you work your way through multiple minigames to prove that the first date will absolutely not be the last." Unless you are playing with Jasper, in which case you will want to tank your performance on purpose to avoid further interactions.
I haven't played Date Night Bowling (which actually walks a pretty funny line between amusing and creepy) to see if any of the other dating candidates are less nightmarish than Jasper, but I have to assume that things can only get better from here.
Date Night Bowling is now available on PC and Switch for $9.99.
