Thank you Aksys Games for sending us a review code!

Lover Pretend is about a college girl whose default name is Chiyuki (you can change her name if desired), who lives alone as her mother and grandmother have both passed away. Chiyuki has no idea who her father is, but is hoping to find out as she begins her journey as a screenwriter. Her mother also was a screenwriter and her only film, Pretend to Love, is her daughter’s favorite.

In college, Chiyuki’s professor Asagi offers her a once in a lifetime opportunity to work as his assistant for an upcoming film. As luck would have it, many of the actors auditioning have ties to the film her mother made. Perhaps she can get to know them better and find out if anyone know the identity of her father.

Lover Pretend is an otome visual novel meaning that it’s a reverse harem where all of the (attractive) male characters are datable and each have their own storyline/route with multiple endings. Depending on your dialogue choices, you‘ll end up with a bad, good, or happy ending. Throughout the game, you’ll encounter several pretend mini-game scenarios where you’ll have to answer (or not) probing questions to convince the interrogator of your narrative. In many ways, you’ll have to act/lie to make them no longer suspicious.

In total, there are five eligible bachelors with professor Asagi’s route unlocking after the previous four routes have been cleared. You can play the other routes in any order. Here’s a quick breakdown of each character/route:

Kazuma Kamikubo – Chiyuki’s only childhood friend. He’s a stylist and is often at the same filming location as Chiyuki. While snooping around the studio looking for clues about her mother, Chiyuki gets discovered and Kazuma covers for her by saying that she’s his girlfriend. Unfortunately, this news take off like a wildfire and they have to play the role as a couple for a while.

Harumi Makino – The directors son who is adored by female students. He is lacking in social skills and doesn’t have any friends other than Chiyuki. He’s really into anime and wants to create those instead of live-action movies. Sadly, he’s ashamed of this and is hiding his passion from this family and classmates. Can Chiyuki help him accept himself and follow his dreams?

Riku Nishijima – A well-known actor who was in Chiyuki’s mother’s film as a child! He’s a shoo-in for the lead role, but acting is not his passion. Sadly, his dad wants to live vicariously through his son and is controlling of him. Riku wants to pretend to be in a serious relationship with Chiyuki to get his dad to back down.

Yukito Sena – Yukito is auditioning for the lead role in this film, but he’s never acted before. He’s a popular model and has a reputation of being a partying playboy. To increase his chances of starring in the film, Yukito must avoid any scandals. Chiyuki is hired as his sub-manager to keep him in line.

Eiichirou Asagi – A renowned thirty-something year old screenwriter and college professor who takes Chiyuki under his wings and asks her to be his assistant for an upcoming movie. They get close as they spend time together, but how will others react if discovered?

I enjoyed plaything through all of the routes. Each of the characters are unique and it’s hard to pick a favorite. I'm not sure what my total playtime is, but I’m estimating that most routes took roughly three hours to complete with professor Asagi’s being the shortest. Thankfully, you can skip through previously read text and mini-games which speeds up the replays.

There are some moral aspects worth mentioning in this game. Most of the routes involve deception and lying to progress through them. A couple of the routes have drinking and one of the characters gets buzzed. Most of the endings have implied pre-marital sex. Anything further than kissing is not shown. One of the characters has a relative who is a transvestite.

Though some of the routes can be formulaic (lie about relationship, end up falling in love, get into a fight, start a real relationship), I did enjoy the overall story. I was rooting for Chiyuki to find the identity of her father and was not disappointed. If you’re a fan of otome visual novels, Lover Pretend is worth checking out.