Starship Fabulous

I liked this dating sim a lot. They use some of the narrative techniques you find in japanese dating sims in order to bring the reader something really special.

You have the option to pursue men or women and the game is formatted in a way that it doesn't matter whether the player is male or female. So you can play it gay or straight- the choice is yours.

The shining part is the characters and how you interact with them. It doesn't quite feel like a dating sim so much as just getting to know other (alien) cultures and civilizations. The people you have the option of ending up with feel varied and unique.

I certainly recommend giving this one a try.

...it might look something like STARSHIP FABULOUS. See, one thing I've always loved about Bruce Coville's alien books (which I encountered as a kid and still love as a grownup) was that the aliens were very much *alien*--though likeable and good, their sensibilities, customs, and expectations were always foreign. The characters you encounter in FABULOUS are written in a similar vein which I really enjoyed--Rain introducing themself, for instance, as a scent rather than a name. (I would have enjoyed seeing more interactions where they make mistaken assumptions about you might have been fun as well!)

I found some programming bugginess from time to time (I was given access to a character on Day 2 that I hadn't met on Day 1; some responses referred to Male Character X as a she), but I was happy to overlook them for the sake of the experience. I enjoyed my ride on the ship and look forward to replaying.

I would *not* be opposed to someone else trying their hand at this concept!