Tabletop Game Review: Love Formula

Love Formula

Japanime Games

2-4 Players

Playtime: 15-30 Minutes

If you think that you’d make for an excellent matchmaker, Love Formula might be for you. Love Formula is a card drafting game for two to four players in which players will work to design the perfect dates for a few anime couples while sabotaging the dates of other players.

Love Formula is played over four phases: Two drafting phases and two play phases. Like most drafting games, players will each be given cards (In Love Formula each player gets 12) and will choose one that they would like to add to their hand. They will then pass the cards to an adjacent player and choose from the new pile that was handed to them. Eventually, players will have a full hand of cards drafted by them, and then the play phase begins. Players will be shooting for Couple Cards and the Preparation Cards that will create ideal dates. They can also go for Obstacle Cards to attack other players or Reaction Cards to protect their dates.

During the play phase, players will play the couples they have acquired then play preparation cards for that couple’s date. For example, one couple needs an amusement park and stuffed animal in order to fall in love, so the player will attempt to play their Amusement Card and Stuffed Animal Preparation cards during future turns. Players can also use Obstacle cards that they gathered during the draft phase which allows them to interfere in each other’s dates. At the end of the game, players will add up victory points acquired for curating successful (Or partially successful) dates.

The game flows well, with turns being crazy short, allowing for players to enjoy minimal downtime between turns. Lower player counts obviously mean faster games, which does suit drafting games like Love Formula well. There are a ton of cards, allowing for many playstyles. Players can be as aggressive as they need to be as they try to outplay their opponents. At higher player counts the game does feel a bit less aggressive. Duels between two players are especially brutal as players only need to keep track of two boards.

The variety of cards may result in some players being overwhelmed by all of the approaches. Still, a game or two will get players comfortable quickly regardless of skill level. The main priority is getting the couple and preparation cards together. Attacking other players and picking cards to defend yourself with should be an afterthought for new players trying to learn the mechanics.

The theme is Love Formula‘s strength, with tons of beautifully illustrated cards. The theme is perfectly captured in Love Formula, with all of the cards looking like they came straight out of a romance or slice of life anime. The way the cards interact with each other suits the anime tropes they are imitating, making this game especially entertaining for anime fans. Those who aren’t familiar with romance anime will likely lose some enjoyment, as the game might feel a bit hollow without the fantastic theme appealing to players.

Love Formula is an enjoyable drafting game that fully embraces the theme. Games are quick and allow for players to either enjoy multiple plays in a session or use Love Formula as a break from heavier games. This is another strong showing for Japanime Games.

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