At first blush, Ayacat Games‘s Billionaire Lovers gives the impression of a simple otome game about a poor MC romancing a harem of affluent suitors. But, there is more to this game than meets the eye. Much like the infamous bait and switch that is Doki Doki Literature Club and more recently, Replay Boys, a quick glance at the Steam tags will reveal that Billionaire Lovers is anything but simple.
Much like its predecessors, Billionaire Lovers is deceptively bright and inviting experience. It lulls you into a false sense of security before unveiling it’s truly unhinged secrets. This is a game you simply cannot put down, and with it’s 2-4 hour runtime, it’s the perfect quick play experience. Believe me when I say, you’ll want to know how this game ends. Don’t let the attractive boys and rags to riches premise fool you. This game is a ride!
Game Details
- Genre: Mystery | Drama | Visual Novel
- Developer & Publisher: Ayacat Games
- Where to Get the Game: Steam
- Similar Games: Doki Doki Literature Club | Replay Boys
Story
You’re a broke college graduate. Your rich, distant uncle has just shown up out of nowhere and given you 100 million dollars! You’re now one of the ultra-rich and getting ready to move into a downtown garden mansion. And right at this moment, four handsome men come into your life. Could this be… the romance you’ve been waiting for!? But wait, there’s something behind their smiles that says otherwise…
Official Synopsis
Billionaire Lovers Review
In Billionaire Lovers you take on the role of a protagonist—you can choose your preferred pronouns for a more intimate experience—who has literally hit rock bottom. Despite recently graduating from college, you’re flat broke, with no job prospects, and nothing but a box of stale oatmeal to eat. (Relatable is an understatement, this was most of my 20s in a nutshell). While chowing down on your stale oats and reflecting on the horrible depressing turn your life has taken you get a call from your super rich and elusive uncle Charles. He invites you to live in his mansion in Sapphire City. To sweeten the pot uncle-Warbucks sends you a hundred million dollars.
Things are finally taking a turn for the better, especially when you meet four handsome men all vying for your affections. Fate seems to be on your side, when you discover that the handsome CEO, Elias; the flower loving math professor, Kyle; the cute and bubbly streamer, Justin; and the flirtatious escort, Steven all live in the same neighborhood as you! It could be a bit too sweet of a deal. But after being broke and busted for so long, you’re due for a bit of serendipity. After you get to know your harem of handsome neighbors, you discover that they might be after more than just your heart…
Billionaire Lovers is a game best enjoyed blind; the less you know, the better. Like Doki Doki and Replay Boys the charm of the story is gradually pulling back the happy façade and watching the chaos unfold. And trust me when this game wastes no time going completely off the rails. So, to preserve the authenticity of the experience, I’ll shy away from any plot related spoilers.
If you’re going into Billionaire Lovers expecting romance; this ain’t the game for you. While there is some romantic elements sprinkled in, there’s only one route that could be considered “romance”, but even that is secondary to the MC’s journey. So you’re mileage may vary.
The MC is the highlight of Billionaire Lovers. In fact, they are the main reason you should play this game. Their character arc is the thread that pulls everything together. At the start of the game, the MC is naïve and overly trusting of others. Someone who is an easy mark for folks looking to take advantage of them. But, after everything they go through they become much more shrewd about the world around them. Though in an interesting twist the MC never fully loses faith in others.
It’s a fine line to toe for a protagonist. But Ayacat is up to the challenge delivering a compelling arc, that also manages to impart an impactful life lesson for the player. I’d be lying if I said the ending of the game didn’t have me reevaluating my own life choices!
Ayacat knew what they were doing with the marketing, this game is the perfect honey trap. Billionaire Lovers feels like your run of the mill romance VN. It plays on our knowledge of romance tropes to subvert our expectations, in the best ways. It’s easy to fall for the deception, when there are beautiful CGs depicting the eligible bachelors at their most dazzling and fun, snappy, lighthearted dialogue.
The MC especially has some of the most relatable internal monologues and quips. There were so many times we were on the same page, especially when all hell breaks loose!
Everything in Billionaire Lover works to ramp up the underlying sense of unease and foreboding. Seemingly harmless interactions can have huge implications down the line. (Hint: Pay close attention to the title screen during your playthroughs.) As you play you’ll get really good at catching on, but trust me you won’t see the ending coming!
But, one of the most noteworthy elements of the story is the in-game gacha app ‘Love Gacha’. We all have our thoughts on the nature of gacha game mechanics, that’s a debate for a different day. However, this is by far the most creative (read: horrifying) use of a fake gacha game that I have ever seen! If you weren’t afraid of gacha games before playing Billionaire Lovers, you will be afterwards.
Using the app is simple enough, use your ridiculous wealth to buy tickets. Use tickets to pull for special SSR items that can be used to “raise affection” with each of the “love interests”. Like its real world counterparts, SSR items have set drop rates. So it’s all up to chance how many pulls it will take to win one of those sweet, sweet rare items~
I went in knowing how gacha games work. I KNEW how deceptive Billionaire Lovers could be and I STILL got, taken in! That, is true skill! *slow clap for Ayacat Games* Well played!
Watch my playthrough of Billionaire Lovers!
TLDR, watch my first run through of Billionaire Lovers and see just how off the rails this game can get with my live reactions and thirsty quips!
Go play Billionaire Lovers Now!!
Billionaire Lovers is a slow seduction, it uses our own preconceived notions and a host of hotties to pull you into its sticky web of deception. But, boy is it one hell of a ride! This game touches on some dark themes without falling too deep into nightmare fuel territory like Doki Doki Literature Club or Replay Boys. It takes full advantage of its unconventional narrative to not only play on our very real fears, but also to teach us a surprisingly important (and fitting) life lesson. The finale is *chef’s kiss*, it is one of the most satisfying conclusions that you won’t want to miss! So, definitely give this game a play, it’s short and cheap (costing only $2.99) and leaves a lasting impression!
This review made me play the game and I’m so glad I did!! I’m so grateful you didn’t spoil it lol, what a game!!