Mr. Love: Queen's Choice -- No Spoiler Review
Mr. Love Queen’s Choice
System: Phone
Price: Freemium (Free to play with in-app purchases available, but not required)
Voice Acting: Yes (English or Japanese)
ESRB Rating: T (13+)
Overall Rating: Stole 6/10 ♥s
Pre-Game Perception: Cheesy lines from guys with superpowers that you casually date while running a production company.
Morning-After Reflection: Practically no choices, low romance, and a money trap, but addicting story that I couldn’t get enough of. Beautiful art. Also a money trap.
Story: “Who will be your soulmate? Mr Love: Queen's Choice is a romance simulation game that gives you the opportunity to text, chat and even call the main characters while developing your own career as a media producer.
In a world filled with superpowers, fantasy, and surprise, you will experience a girl’s whole life and get deeply involved with 4 male characters, feeling their romance, love, mystery and conflict in a deep story spanning dozens of episodes.”
MC: Here we have something rather interesting when it comes to the MC of a phone game. She’s an actual person with a history that’s integral to the story. She has a personality that keeps all the way through, as well. I know, I was as surprised as you are. She starts off with no name, you can enter as many names as will fit in the name field, but keep in mind that whatever you put will ALWAYS be said when other people refer to your character. Having the full name I put in constantly referred to was funny at first, but the novelty quickly wore off. MC has a sprite by the text box when making phone calls, but for VNs and gameplay she doesn’t exist on screen. She is in several CGs. And she is not voiced in either voice pack of the game.
Although she is nameless, the story largely focuses on MC and her life, so she has a pretty thorough background. She’s 22, no height given but judging from the height of the rest of the guys she is a shooooorty. She has to be like 5’2” at the tallest, I honestly think she’s under 5’ (probably like 4’9”), but it’s hard to tell from drawings and angles and all that fancy stuff that makes the CGs so good. MC is driven by ambition to keep the production company left by her father alive, and most of her choices seem to be for that goal. She doesn’t act young for her age, simply a bit naïve if you ask me. I suppose it isn’t uncommon for a 22-year old to act in the manner she does, but sometimes I’m like, “Why would you do something like that? Do you not understand what danger is?!” She does… I think. But she often puts others first, and has a strong sense of right and wrong and even if right is dangerous, if it helps someone else she would pick right.
Likability Rating: Yu. She’s a’ight. A little naïve and ditzy, but it’s in her character and as long as she’s consistent, I don’t have a problem with it.
Plot: The story the app store gives isn’t very compelling to me, and like I said before, the name itself kind of embarrasses me. “Hey, what are you playing?” “Uh… Mr.--Um… Mr. Love… Queen’s Choice.” It’s just a silly name, especially since this is what they went with for English users only. It’s originally a Chinese game that was translated for Japan and then for English speaking countries. The original name is Love and Producer, but I guess someone down the line thought it wasn’t good enough for us Westerners and we just needed to amp up the name to go with our big personalities, or something. But the name doesn’t really have a lot to do with the plot… Or does it?
To put it in simple terms: MLQC is mainly a gacha and energy management game, with predatory microtransactions making it largely a pay to win model that disguises itself as an otome but reads as a kinetic novel with no LI routes, and only choices in the first chapter. If you’re still interested, it is a compelling story, imo. I started it over six months ago, and I’m still playing it despite being well aware of what the game is. I like the cards, I like the story, and have given up on attempting to play for free. All this is really UI/Mechanics of the game, but I wanted people to be aware of what they’re getting into before I rope anyone in with promises of plots.
MC starts the game with her inherited production company on the brink of bankruptcy. Through a series of events, she’s introduced to all the LIs, as per usual. Then the real story starts, steeped in mystery and superpowers and money - massive amounts of money - and romance and love of varying degrees. It’s like a mystery reverse harem game. They’ve expertly constructed every chapter to give you just enough to taste what’s to come, but never fully offering the whole slice of cake, and god damnit, I want the whole f*cking cake.
Replayability Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ There is only one route and no choices. It’s a great story, but there’s no alternative options to play.
Love Interests: I honestly don’t know how MC isn’t constantly dropping her panties for most of these men. MLQC gives us four f*cking hot men that I’d easily forgive their shortcomings in personality for. They, unfortunately, don’t have their own routes, but you get to play with all of them at the same time, so I guess there’s that? In this game, there is a singular route that you progress through by “filming” shows called missions, and then you typically get a visual novel after one filming, sometimes two in a row. More will be explained in the UI/Mechanics section of the review. Point is, we get these delectable pieces of eyecandy, with no real chance to make a move on them with our own choices. We just get to watch as MC kind of drifts from one guy to the next, so I guess that’s what we’ll do here.
Do you like geniuses? Do you like mysterious men? Do you dig lab coats? Lucien is all three-- well, he’s not a coat, but he wears one! And when he isn’t wearing a lab coat, he’s wearing a trench coat, so… you never really get away from the long coat look. Out of all the introductions to the MC in this story, I enjoyed his the most. I thought I might just like him the most too, but… well… the man of mystery vibe borders on creepy to me. He’s super smart, so I fully believe he’s planning and calculating everything he does, and that paints him in a very different light than the MC sees him in. He’s friendly, and helpful, and seems to hold a genuine interest in the MC on the surface. All good qualities. I just can’t get past the difference in intellect between the two, and Lucien ranks lowest on my list of lovers.
Gavin, Gavin, Gavin. I guess your white t-shirt and jean jacket makes you look cool, you know, in the 90s, but I’d love to see you in that other uniform you own more often than not, to be honest. Why is there never a comment about cuffing MC to the bed? I’ll tell you why. Because he’s n.i.c.e. Nice. Too nice. He gives off this bad boy vibe, and really doesn’t seem to take shit from anyone, but when it comes to the MC, he’s falling over himself to be as kind as possible while not letting anyone in on it. He’s an awkward sweetheart with a rough exterior. And honestly, probably the best looking of the group if you go for that tough guy appeal.
Mmmm, Victor, you think you’ve got everyone fooled. I don’t fall so easily for your tsundere ways. I know my tropes, and I recognized yours from the first meeting. Rich, powerful, and stone cold. Constantly calling MC “Dummy,” he might make a fuss, but he gives her a lot of leeway when it comes to her antics. I like so many things about him, but I realize he’s not for everyone. You have to look below the surface to understand Mr. CEO, and not take everything at face value. It’s the little things that made me fall for Victor, and unfortunately, the MC doesn’t get to see all those little things.
Let’s see, blond hair? Check. Charismatic? Check. Youngest LI? Check. Genki alert! Kiro is your genki character. Full of kindness and sunshine. A breath of fresh air when things get dark and dangerous. There’s more to this boy than what meets the eye. I feel I’ve said that before… :reads previous LI descriptions: Whoops! But really, Kiro is sweet and genuine, and I’d love to have someone like him in my life. Sometimes he can be a little childish, but when it comes to the MC, I’m not sure that’s a bad thing. She can also be quite childish, especially when opposing Victor. And he accessorizes! Earrings, rings, necklaces. His brows are on fleek and I don’t think he even has to try to look that damned good.
Boy Crazy Rating: 82%. One of the bunch brings the others down, but I’d unf most of them if given the chance.
Romance: There really isn’t a ton of romance in the actual game. There’s too big of a plot, and too many dramatic twists that the romance certainly takes a back seat in this story. There is some but the main story doesn’t do much besides touch on it. However, there are different sections to this game, such as the “Date” section. It’s what you expect, side stories that are much more romantic with focus on one dude at a time. Some “dates” aren’t really date-like, but each has a moment where the guy you like shows a softer side. Story events typically also revolve around romance, whether it’s on some faraway island, or a special holiday in Loveland city, itself. I think the drawback about you being unable to pursue a single guy keeps the romance relatively low in order for the story to continue.
Heart Palpitation Rating: C+. Most feels are in the side-sections of the game (including events). There are some moments, way late in the game, but overall I’d rate this as ‘try hard’.
Spice: Let me just point out that this game is still rated T. Why’d I pick it up again? Right, right, ratings and targeted advertising. Let me be frank, if you’re looking for the goods, you get nothing from this title. There are some cards that have shirtless men, a few kissing cards, and a few with implied heated situations, but we don’t really get stories with that. All the conversations between MC and each LI are very bland, like not even peppered for a little taste of spice. I don’t think there’s anything else I can really say. The spice level here is nearly non-existent.
Cold Shower Rating: Fail. The spice is all head canon. Get yourself a hot shower to go with those thoughts.
Angst: If this game doesn’t have much romance, and the spice is missing as well, then what does it have? ANGST. It’s gotta fill the void with something, and this is what it chose. I’ve already mentioned that the game starts out with MC’s company on the brink of bankruptcy, but that isn’t even the tip of the iceberg when it comes to MLQC. The MC has an unfortunate past that unravels through the story sloooooooowly, oh god, it’s so slowly revealed. Each LI seems to have their own dark past as well, some less in the past than others. And there’s a large conflict for each chapter. Meanwhile, you have the MC just smiling and pushing through while the world falls apart around her. This game could easily become more angsty, if the MC wasn’t painted as bright and strong and instead gave in to all the chaos, but I guess that’s the saving grace from making this title too dark. I think it’s a moderately high angst game.
Drama Llama Rating: 7/10. The drama llama is strong enough to wander, but it is not wise to ride it. Following is fine.
Voice Acting: And then there was… this. So, I’ve heard from a lot of people that when they play their otome games, they don’t want to hear English speaking voice actors, because it is super uncomfortable and embarrassing, or some such. I think the language barrier most native English speakers have when it comes to these games makes the cringey lines easier to swallow when you don’t actually hear them. I can’t speak Japanese at all. I’ve picked up a few words or phrases from just hearing them enough times, so I can identify when those are said. But it’s a whole different beast to hear and understand everything. Well, MLQC for English speakers comes with English speaking voice actors. There is a Japanese pack that you can download, but I’ve heard it isn’t complete; I haven’t given it a go since I don’t think it was even offered when I first started playing, and by that time I had already committed to listening to dudes I can understand talking to me.
That leaves us here. With English voice acting. And, I don’t think it’s bad at all. Is it good enough for me to fall for these guys? No. Unfortunately, some of it is flat, and the lack of romantic moments makes all those murmurings of ‘I love you’s or heated discussions unrateable. It’s okay. Overall, it’s okay. I dig Victor’s sharp tone, courtesy of Ben Diskin. I think Sean Chiplock is pretty good with Kiro portraying his range of vocal expression. Lucien fits his role well (though in an interview with Bill Rogers, his VA, he was talking about how he had to re-record several lines because he’d do it and then they’d tell him it came off too creepy when he was going for mysterious). I was a little let down when I learned of who the Japanese seiyuus were, and that I didn’t get to hear them in MLQC. I’m considering replaying with the Japanese voice pack to see how well they managed.
Expression Rating: Ryo. It’s okay. I don’t get a whole lot of emotion with most of the characters, but that could be the way they’re written. It is a phone game with full voice, though, so perhaps the rating should be higher?
Art: It’s really good. It has better art than some console games I’ve played; granted, those were older phone ports, but this level of art is something I’d pay for in a console game. Each character has an appealing design. Sprites have a few different outfits, different poses, and different expressions. I dig it all. My only complaint was it was hard to tell the guys apart at the very beginning of the story because three of the four are dark-haired, roughly the same height (an inch between them, if I remember right), with very similar hair-styles. I quickly learned who was who, but some CGs made it difficult to know who I was ogling.
Still Picture Rating: ★★★★☆ Many good. Such handsome. Very detailed.
CGs: You want beautiful CGs? You get beautiful CGs. The only problem is that there is no album or memory collection. The only CGs you actually get to revisit without replaying a scene are in cards. And though cards are great, some CGs are not put into cards, so I just have to snap them when they appear. Unfortunately, they don’t give you the clean picture without words on top of the CG, so even then I have to have the story pasted over the lovely picture I took. But, guys, this stuff is hot art. This is the reason I spend money on this game. I need some of these cards in my life, and so I make it happen. It’s really a shame that I can’t just work hard to get these pictures, but that’s for the next section of the review.
Look at this Photograph Rating: 89%. The art is so good, the company constantly releases backgrounds of the work they put into the game; I have many saved, and am currently using one for my phone. Only below 90% because the ease of accessing the CGs is unfortunate.
UI/Mechanics: How do you feel about a shitshow of a UI? How do you feel about using 10,000 different currencies? What about having a dozen different parts of a game, all of which impact the Main Story gameplay though they claim otherwise? That’s what you get here. MLQC is the worst UI I’ve ever come across, though they desperately try to make it work. I’ve included a screenshot the company released on their app site. This doesn’t include all the options that are currently released with the game. It also doesn’t show you that this “menu” is just the beginning of a complicated game of “Where is that thing I’m looking for?!” Basically, the menu sucks. Everything has a special name and until you learn where everything is, you’ll be spending much time clicking, clicking, going back, clicking, going back, going back, clicking, and wondering if you even know where you are or how to get back once you find it. What were you even looking for again?
So, UI aside, the mechanics are also a nightmare. To make it easy, you collect cards, level up cards, star-up cards, evolve cards, ascend cards (yes, these are all different things you do to a single card), and then you pass filming stages in order to advance the story. Unfortunately, it’s not that easy when you start to add in what you need to pass the filming stages. You need experts (who also level up), you need stamina (energy), you need cards (which come from everything outside of the main story), and you need company levels to get to new chapters. Every one of those things requires a different currency to level, and even more different currencies to get different currencies you need to level more different aspects of each of those items (cards for example have four different leveling aspects, and several different items needed depending on the card). It is a complicated game, to say the least. They try really hard with a tutorial for most things when the game decides you are ready to tackle that part of the game, some of which I got after I had already accessed that specific aspect of the game and fumbled my way through learning on my own. Some of which interrupt what you were already doing just to explain what they think is important. At. That. Moment.
If you’re not turned off yet, let me tell you how this free game is anything but. Originally, I was a f2p player, but then some events happened and I quickly realized I can’t get shit without spending cash. You want limited edition cards that are not only amazingly designed but also the strongest card in the game? Put down that moola. You want the event items in order to access the whole of the event? They don’t give out much for free, just a taste to see what it’s like. Give them some dinero and it’s yours. If you’re not ready to lay down those dolla’ dollar bills, the grind is painfully slow to just get through the main story, or meet the requirements to access the next chapter only to start the week-long (or longer) grind for the next chapter. I think, before I started paying for things, I had calculated that one level for me would take something like 5 days, and I needed seven levels to unlock the next chapter. That’s an entire f*cking month to progress the story. Not happening.
What’s this button do? Rating: F. Too many moving parts. Too many different currencies. Too many ways for the game to ask you nicely if you want to pay to keep playing.
Errors: At first, I thought this game was immaculate when it came to translation errors. I was unaware of the bugs lurking beneath the surface that began to creep into my game with each new additional feature the game introduced. Sometimes there are game breaking bugs, which are typically fixed quickly but still might put you out for anywhere from a few hours to a day. Most errors are not patched if they don’t impact the gameplay functioning correctly. And sometimes they are patched when it’s an odd choice to patch; like having an “!” on a menu item (which indicates there’s something you haven’t collected or done in that item) where that sign does nothing to prevent gameplay, it is just an annoyance, yet they fixed it within hours.
Anyways, the main story is pretty error-free. However, once you include experts in the filming sections of the main story, there are pronoun errors involving them. People are referred to as different genders at different times. Punctuation goes missing. Every once in a while grammar is an issue. The basic translation errors you’d expect. Then you start exploring the other sections of the game and it all falls apart. The City Stroll section gets so bad that I have a hard time understanding what the story was supposed to be saying. It is riddled with poor translating issues. I guess we’re not meant to really pay attention to the story there, as they have an auto-run feature to get through that section which requires no actual interaction to complete. :shrug:
Here there be Bugs Rating: Fail. Main story would get a pass for basic translation issues, but additional features are not as cleanly combed through. Just because you can’t see the infestation, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.
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