Video Game Review: Date Night Bowling

Developer: Serenity Forge

Publisher: Way Down Deep

Genre: Sports, Dating Simulator

Nintendo Switch

I love a good dating simulator. I also love a good sports game. I’m also not experienced in bowling games (With the exception of Wii Sports). With all of that in mind, Date Night Bowling is a title that is intriguing. At a glance, it looks like it is half bowling, half dating sim. While that is mostly correct, it isn’t as deep as one would think it is. Despite how shallow the game can seem, Date Night Bowling is a lot of fun if players know what they are getting into.

The first thing players will notice when booting up Date Night Bowling are the charming visuals. The colorful, retro character models and environments are certainly easy on the eyes. Then, players might notice that there aren’t really a lot of modes too choose from. From the main menu, players can choose between a Date Night Bowl and a Casual Bowl. Each mode lets the player bowl solo, with the AI, or a another player. That’s it as far as playable modes go.

The core gameplay loop is enjoyable though. The bowling is solid. Players can move their bowler left and right and pick the angle they want. Then their power and spin will be determined by the timing on two button presses. As mentioned before, I’m not too familiar with bowling games so I can’t say if this is conventional or not. Regardless, it’s certainly fun.

After the game ends, the player and their dates will play some minigames to determine just how good the date is. Those who are wanting an intricate dating sim will be disappointed here. Really though, there isn’t any actual dating. Nothing is determined by dialogue or actual chemistry. It’s all determined by the performance in the minigames. The minigames are certainly fun, and include things like crane machines and such, but they aren’t deep and don’t entertain for too long. This isn’t too detrimental though, since it doesn’t take too long to go out on a date with everyone available.

If players are only interested in the dating and minigames. they will see everything that Date Night Bowling has to offer in less than 8 hours. The lack of depth in minigames fits well in this window, though it’s not unreasonable to want a little more from Date Night Bowling. Fortunately, Date Night Bowling isn’t a particularly expensive, so the short playtime doesn’t feel bad. If players are really into the bowling, there is plenty to love.

Date Night Bowling could have been so much more, but as a bowling game, it’s solid. It can make for a nice “date night” for a couple, but as a single player dating simulator, this one falls just short of being great.