Undead Darlings: No Cure for Love

It’s not often that you’ll have to save the world by fighting zombie pensioners and demonic-looking Humpty Dumpty's. Undead Darlings isn’t afraid to poke fun at itself and, minor gameplay annoyances aside, the strong writing and compelling characters make this one worth checking out.

Part dungeon-crawling RPG, part survival horror, part dating sim and part visual novel, Undead Darlings ~no cure for love~ successfully blends its disparate elements into a thoroughly compelling whole. While a couple of mechanical elements here and there are a little awkward - most notably inventory and equipment management - this is a satisfying, challenging game that will keep you hooked until the credits roll.

There's some fun to be had in the dungeon crawling and battling an inventive array of enemies, but for the romance side of the game to be simultaneously funny, you have to be able to take the characters seriously, which unfortunately, I just couldn't. The reliance on stereotypes and tongue-in-cheek narration turned this game into a comedy, but considering it as a romance game really lowers the quality of the entire game.

Undead Darlings ~don't cure for love~ is an interesting proposal that merges novel visual mechanics with its decision making, dungeon crawler and dungeon exploration, and turn-based fighting in the purest RPG style. A combination that works pushed by a crazy story that without big shows will keep our attention enough to reach one of its 9 possible endings. If you like his proposal, give him a chance.

One moment it’s cute and funny and the next it’s dry and drawn out. A peculiar mix of engrossing visual novel and average dungeon crawler, Undead Darlings ~no cure for love~ will please those who have the patience to push through its moments of drudgery. For everyone else, a purer form of each genre might be more entertaining.

A fun dungeon romp with some fun characters that hold it all together. Average exploration and combat that doesn't try anything unique but all in all a good time can be had here.

Undead Darlings ~ no cure for love ~’s story outshines its dungeon crawling but this unpolished gem of a visual novel RPG proves to be well worth delving into.

With fantastic writing, well-designed levels, great attention to detail and a surprisingly challenging combat system, Undead Darlings is a wonderful playthrough if you love zombies, dating sims, or dungeon crawler RPGs. Yet despite all these accomplishments, the game is severely hindered by its sloppy and often frustrating UI.

Undead Darlings ~no cure for love~ is not the pretty, zombified sweetheart one would hope for. She is a plain Jane, who wears sloppily applied Hot-Topic make-up and masquerades as a zombie. Spending a lot of time with her yields boring conversation, unfunny jokes, and tired movie references.

Fans of visual novels and zombie-anime moe comedies will be satisfied, while stricter dungeon-crawling enthusiasts may find much more satisfying treasure elsewhere.