Dream Daddy's Best Relationship Is With... Your Daughter? | CBR - CBR - Comic Book Resources

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When it comes to dating simulators, Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator is a real gem. It focuses on queer relationships and has unexpectedly good writing that makes it a completely worthwhile game to play. What truly sets Dream Daddy apart from other dating sims is the relationship it creates between the player and their in-game daughter.

The ultimate point of Dream Daddy is to date other dads. Players design their daddy and get dropped off into a little cul-de-sac populated by other dads. They can choose which style of dad they're most interested in, from the goth butterfly-collectors to priests who bake and then go on dates. Each of these daddies comes with their own children and sometimes spouses, and navigating all of these relationships keeps the game fun and interesting.

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While the daddies are all incredibly well-written characters with significant depth, the most interesting relationship players can cultivate within the game is with their daughter. Amanda is the player's teenage daughter, a talented artist undergoing the standard high school teen drama. Amanda provides interstitial moments between dates, as well as presenting the player with real-life parenting decisions about how to connect with their daughter.

While often happy and ready to go toe-to-toe with any bad dad-joke, Amanda also goes through some trouble in her friendships and dating life. Players are given options for responding to Amanda's behavior — whether they should pry or ignore her actions — mimicking many of the choices parents are presented with. Navigating how to be a supportive single father without being too nosy of her personal life can be difficult, but ultimately rewarding when she opens up.

The weight of the player's serious interactions with their daughter offers a nice change of pace to the often silly interactions with the other dads. If finding the right dad to date is filled with fun, lighthearted decisions guided by whim and desire, establishing a good relationship with Amanda brings the game back down to Earth. There's always another dad to date, but only one daughter.

Amanda also becomes an integral component in particular dates, hanging out with or babysitting other children and freeing up their dads for dates or helping the player prepare for their dates. She'll play pirates with other kids and help players create their Dadbook social media account, giving advice on how to respond to messages, what to wear on dates and how to not sound like a total dweeb. Investing in a good relationship with Amanda makes these scenes even more endearing.

The player's interactions with Amanda feel more meaningful than the chance encounters with the other daddies. Sure, getting eggplant emoji reactions surges the player with endorphins, but ultimately seeing Amanda thrive and confide in them brings a whole different kind of sense of fulfillment. After all, Amanda's existence in the game is what makes the player a dad in this dad dating simulator.

Dream Daddy is an incredibly fun game, even if players want nothing more from it than some silly dating fun. But Amanda's relationship with the player makes the game feel more important and makes the relationships the player pursues feel more enjoyable.

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About The Author

E.L. Meszaros (43 Articles Published)

E.L. first saw the game Myst when she was in elementary school, and it has irrevocably changed her aesthetic, She is currently a graduate student in the history of the exact sciences in antiquity, and *has thoughts* about ancient math and modern astrology. She has shared these thoughts (and her writing) with digital venues like Eidolon, Lady Science, and the Journal of the History of Ideas blog, and if you sit still for long enough she'll probably try to share them with you, too. In her downtime, E.L. enjoys puzzle games and pet care, and is currently training in the circus arts.