Dead by Daylight spin-off Hooked on you is a paradise of missed opportunities

It’s difficult to make good trash: It should be nice and weird, but not too intentional. It’s meant to be silly and nonsensical, but still interesting enough to make you curious to see what happens next.

That’s exactly what the bloody-romantic DBD spin-off Hooked on you tries to do. I played the wild island vacation for you and unfortunately already found a catch in the visual novel: neither the jokes nor the gameplay fully exploited the trash potential for me.

Butchers in Paradise

Sure, a dating simulator based on a bachelor show on a tropical island, only with killers instead of the permanently grinning rose distributor? Yes, that sounds strange, yes, that’s definitely not for everyone, but for fans of weird trash it could be really funny and don’t worry: the brand new visual novel as a cheap snack in between doesn’t take itself seriously.

At the beginning of the story you are stranded on a tropical island, only accompanied by a cheeky narrator and the sea – which also has a say, although I still have no idea why and why this “character” is absolutely necessary.

Like a morbid reality show, you’re confronted with 4 “attractive” (or so they say, so it must be true) single monsters and suddenly you’re in the middle of a twisted dating game.

There are four killers to choose from: Ghost, Trapper, Wraith and Huntress, and DBD fans know of course: Ghost and Wraith are not the same.

In different game rounds, led by the two poor survivors Claudette and Dwight, you have to find your possible sweetheart among the psychos. You primarily click through texts, make decisions and have a few small mini-games – so you shouldn’t expect wild gameplay ideas.

Between Killing me Softly and Death by Mallet

Of course you can’t just say “Nope, none of them really interest me”, otherwise it wouldn’t be a dating sim.

So you’ll have to warm up to one of the cold-blooded characters, who are supposed to be killers and somehow lovable at the same time. So far, none of the characters has really grabbed my heart in an absurd way.

So far I’ve been rather indifferent to them, because I haven’t discovered the real, irresistible anti-hero charm yet. As far as the characters are concerned, the game relies primarily on the comedy factor and that unfortunately meant that I couldn’t develop any real interest in the characters.

Of course, the background lore of the Dead-by-Daylight killers should not be missing in the game – sometimes a bit clumsy. Instead of depth, this creates a strange dichotomy. The back stories of our dates made me aware again that the dates are supposed to be real murderers and psychopaths and not with a funny wink, but with really brutal backgrounds – just the ones from Dead by Daylight.

Those are the moments where I wasn’t sure what tone the game was trying to have now. First come satirical bachelor innuendos and intentionally bizarre romance moments in a serene island setting, and then (smaller SPOILER to the background story of the ghost. So beware, if you don’t know this DbD lore!) just look at the rather brutal backstory of a character who crushed the former boss with a scrap press.

The special contrast between easy-going and serious CAN work out, but for me it didn’t work out perfectly in Hooked on you. Sure, even in serious love stories, absolute psychopaths are often presented as alleged dream men (keyword Fifty Shades of Gray and Co.). And I like that Hooked on you takes this motif to the extreme in a tongue-in-cheek way – just not always so elegantly.

The narrator doesn’t just break the fourth wall, he literally goes over it with his tank and that often comes across as intentional and desperately “edgy”. The long, bizarre dialogues occasionally bring nice, pretty bad jokes at the right time, but at other times they don’t quite get to the point and miss the perfect punchline moment.

I haven’t tasted blood yet…

Admittedly, it’s ironic that I, of all people, complain about texts that don’t get to the point, so I’ll come to the conclusion now! For all my criticisms when playing it, Hooked on you can certainly be a good visual novel snack for in between, but probably not a dating sim masterpiece.

The dialogues lack the timing for that, it is too intentionally skewed and the gameplay could give more. As a non-DbD freak, it just didn’t quite grab me despite the entertainment potential that the trash factor brings.

With the brightly colored artwork, relaxed music and crazy ideas, Hooked on you is certainly not a bad choice for hot summer days, especially if you’re into the DbD lore. Because in addition to the fair price, some deadly good puns and summer mood are also included. “Fans will like it” might be a cliché phrase, but it’s true for some games.