Five Dates

Five Dates is a narrative adventure game made in FMV technology. The game was developed entirely during the lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which was reflected in both its mechanics and storyline. The game is the result of collaboration between Good Gate Media and Wales Interactive.

Plot

The protagonist of Five Dates is Vinny, a Londoner sitting in his flat during a lockdown. He decides to try his luck on a dating app and, after getting five potential matches with girls he's interested in, starts chatting with them via webcam.

The choices the player makes determine how the protagonist's relationship with each woman will develop; this is complicated by the fact that each of them has a completely different character and tastes. It is also up to our decisions whether the relationship between Vinny and one of the girls will develop into something more. The game can end in ten ways.

Mechanics

In Five Dates, we watch the action entirely from the perspective of webcams, which Vinny and his female interlocutors look into, as well as the protagonist's friend, who confides in him about his past achievements. During the game, we choose our character's dialogues, answering questions and asking our female interlocutors all sorts of things. How each woman judges the protagonist, as well as their relationship with one another, influences the story's course and conclusion. Useful indicators provide information on how well our online flirting with different girls is going.

Technical aspects

Over seven hours of footage was recorded for the Five Dates game. Paul Raschid, who has The Complex in his portfolio, is behind the script for this game, while the cast includes names such as Mandip Gill, Georgia Hirst, Sinead Harnett and Taheen Modak.