Love Too Easily Review
Release Date: December 5, 2024 (Console), August 24, 2023 (PC)
Developer: Monster Guide
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 (Reviewed), Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PC
Price: $21.99
The growth of FMVs over the course of the last few years after what seemed like generations of being shunned from its 80's and 90's beginnings has been a welcome one thanks to increased interest because of the technology we can now implement that makes FMVs feel less like a movie and more like an actual game with a budget that also feels worthwhile. Though titles like Phantasmagoria, Harvester, and Night Trap paved the way, it eventually became stagnant and a genre that was typically ignored by larger audiences. Now, titles like The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story, I Saw Black Clouds, ERICA, Death Come True, and countless VR titles that give a new level of immersion have revitalized the genre once more, proving that they can be just as compelling as any other game and interactive software. Love Too Easily is a newcomer, especially for consoles, but follows in the footsteps of another growing subgenre within FMVs that focus more on relationships (both intimate and platonic). With recent titles like Motesolo: No Girlfriend Since Birth, Love Is All Around, Five Dates, and more, Love Too Easily cements itself certainly as one of the better offerings in this subgenre of FMV titles, providing equal amounts of humor, romance, thrills, and the like in a well-blended mystery romance experience.
The main protagonist, Yeonwoo, awakes one morning after a long night out with friends with little to no memory of what happened the night before. Hazy, she can only remember bits and pieces of what happened, but the only lead she has is that someone the night before had kissed her, yet she's not sure who. While that short little snippet of the story may sound shallow, it serves as more of a trigger to help events unfold as uncovering the mysteries do more than just reveal the culprit of the kiss. Why did the kiss happen? Was it sensual? Where did it occur and with who? What were all of the events leading up to said kiss? What exactly happened last night?
Mini games help drive the narrative forward and do so in a way that's a lot of fun. In fact, while the story itself ended up being rather enjoyable if you can look past some of the localization issues, it's the mini-games themselves that serve as the star of the show for me, consistently being fun and creative throughout, however simple some may seem. They also feel organic in the way that they happen, though some completely shift away from live-action and become illustrated instead. Even so, these animated portions are rather well done and do a tremendous job at helping to convey everything going on while keeping focus and interest throughout. Each also has its own distinct flavor and can even remind some of popular titles in the past like Unboxing and Dress-Up titles like Fashion Dreamer and Style Savvy to name a few.
While flaws are going to vary from person to person playing Love Too Easily, I couldn't help that, for me, one of the biggest issues regarding the PS5 version of the game that we played is that the video compression seems to be rather egregious. This is especially true for side content like videos randomly spawning from interacting with certain objects or watching behind the scenes footage. Given that there was a fair bit of time between its initial PC release and the now console versions (a year and a half to be exact), it's a wonder why there wasn't any sort of upscaling or touching up that happened to accommodate for the 4K output on Xbox Series X|S and PS5. Playing on a 57" screen TV unfortunately showed a lot of artifacts and bit rate issues that could frequently make the game look like I was simply observing a VHS rip, but at the very least this was the only real concern I had while playing through the game as just about everything else worked as intended.
There's a sincerity to the performances that, unlike some FMVs, actually make the game feel enjoyable throughout. Whether you're falling for a particular character or just enjoy their company, the game does a tremendous job at building an environment and atmosphere that is appropriate to the narrative being built regardless of the choices being made, and it truly does feel like your choices matter here. The elaborate nature of Love Too Easily compared to other FMVs almost feels like it could be a live-action Telltale title - where so many different scenarios have been thought out no matter what - but obviously omitting the typical drama and dark approach Telltale typically goes for in their games.
Though it may seem like a game like this is targeted to more of a female demographic, it's rather enjoyable for guys like myself who like to get a different perspective in their media. I'm more concerned about the story itself being compelling rather than genre, point-of-view, etc., and if you're also one of those people that can appreciate art regardless of "who it's for", than you'll find plenty to love about Love Too Easily like I did. It can feel genuinely wholesome at times, and it's arguably one of the better FMVs I've played as of late thanks to it doing things so differently and doing it with such finesse. It reminds me of some Otome games that are subtle in their romance and only open up if you really want it to, so this gives flexibility to guys who maybe won't have any direct connection with any characters that could be potential partners. Titles like Sweet Fuse: At Your Side and Cupid Parasite come to mind right away where neutral routes are perfectly fine and don't feel like they're penalizing the player for not getting the "true ending". Considering there are 10+ endings in Love Too Easily, it's nice that it can at least respect the player's time by honoring whatever ending they end up with.
Love Too Easily is easily palatable for those that consume a lot of international content like myself - especially if that content more specifically is either Korean or Japanese. I'm just now coming off of watching Money Heist: Korea, Golden Combi, Yakuza: Like A Dragon, The Trunk, and Eve, and it's the bulk of what I've been watching as of late. Though I'll admit it's bit more cheerful and quirky than my usual kind of dark romance in which I prefer the likes of Burning (2018), Thirst (2009), City Hunter (2011), Till The End of the World (2018), Shape of Water (2017), etc., which are also fused with mystery, it still remains entertaining for the most part, and it's nice to have something a little more lighthearted where you can experience a cute story that you can just run through over a weekend and some coffee without the need for edge-of-your-seat palpitations and tear ducts getting overtime pay. If you're *not* one of those people that consume a lot of international content or are used to this sort of thing (FMVs or non-English speaking media), however, than Love Too Easily will likely not be for you or even be worth considering at its cost of entry, but if you're open-minded enough and looking to get into stuff like this, I do think it's a great entry-level title to experience, though I'd be lying if I didn't say there weren't better options out there.
PROS:
It's well shot, and the performances are well done.
User-interface is clean and works exactly as it should, while providing its own flair.
Minigames are a lot of fun, and can even be played again separately without having to experience the story.
CONS:
To some, it may feel a bit short for the asking price, but replayability is high thanks to multiple endings and routes.
Console versions don't seem to be upscaled or have any refinement for larger screens, so video sequences can look heavily compressed, grainy, and distorted at times.
A massive thank you to Monster Guide and HomeRun for providing us a copy of Love Too Easily for the purposes of this review!