Date with Us: A Dating Sim Podcast
Internet friends Claire and Kanisha gab about games and dissect their fictional romantic relationships in this Dating Sim recap and review podcast. They cover visual novels, rogue-lites, and indie darlings, discussing who they are romancing and whether their choices really mattered. Each episode is a digital debrief about their pixelated paramours, blending humor and analysis of dating sim narratives.
Episodes
Ep. 23 Spirit Swap: Lofi Beats to Match-3 To
Swap it out with us as Claire and Kanisha chat about the gorgeous, chill Spirit Swap: Lofi Beats to Match-3 To in our summer season finale!
"Cast spells, be queer, and crash the biggest concert of the year! Spirit Swap is an action-puzzle meets narrative game set in a lush world of witchy demons."
Spirit Swap: Lofi Beats to Match-3 To is developed and published by Soft Not Weak, LLC
We'll see you
Ep. 22 Skate & Date featuring Scarlight Express from Garden State Roller Derby
Join us as we welcome actual real life roller derby player SCARLIGHT EXPRESS as we check out the "wonderful extravaganza of rhythm and roller derby" known as Skate and Date! Whether we're learning the true A,B,Cs of Roller Derby... (ASS, BUTT, CHEEKS), or simply using the word "butt" more than in any other episode, we're diving into this adorable queer romance set within the world of roller derby!
Ep. 21 Dream Daddy featuring Nick & Will from Friday Night Gamecast
Smash or Pass: Daddy Edition! It's time to explore somehow nearly-retro game and iconic dating simulator, "Dream Daddy"! In this episode, we'll learn which of us are healed, which are heels, and which are liable to get hurt for the sake of landing our dreamiest daddies.
"Are you ready? Hi ready, I'm Dad."
Dream Daddy is developed and published by Game Grumps. You can find it on mac, PC, linux, and
Ep. 20 Serial Lover featuring Jared from the Play Along Podcast
Join us as we explore if the rhythm of our fingers can earn us the love of a serial killer in "Serial Lover"! We'll discuss the variety pack of bangers and the fact that Jared has told his therapist about us!
"After waking in an unfamiliar house, you find yourself stuck with a group of strangers, all as confused as you are. Together you try to reveal the mysteries of the house and what brought you
Ep. 19 Sucker for Love feat. AkaBaka Developer Interview
HAPPY ONE YEAR OF DATE WITH US! Join Claire and Kanisha as they gab about the first game they ever bonded over in celebration of one year of the show! Stay tuned to the episode for a very special interview with AkaBaka himself on the process of making the game, mental health, and the lifelong cthuwu versus cthussy debate!
"Put the 'love' in 'Lovecraftian horror'! Perform terrifying rituals to win
Ep. 18 Fields of Mistria with Jill Grodt the Indie Informer
Spring Season Finale is here and we've got an episode full of treasured memories, teasing, and Fields of Mistria with the Indie Informer, Jill Grodt!
"Start your new life! Build the farm of your dreams as you discover a world brimming with possibilities. Magic, romance, and adventure all await you in this nostalgic farming / life sim RPG!"
Fields of Mistria is developed and published by NPC Stu
Ep. 17 Nova Hearts feat. Kiwi Evergreen
The penultimate spring episode is HERE! "Embark on an exciting summer adventure and uncover the hidden mystery as you TEXT, DATE, and FIGHT in this turn-based strategy dating sim!" Nova Hearts is developed and published by Lightbulb Crew. It was released in June 2025.
If you enjoy the show, be sure to rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts and follow us on socials as @datewithuspodcast
Ep. 16 Love, Ghostie featuring Kayla (PalettesAndPages)
Calling all long and freshly dead matchmakers! Join Claire, Kanisha, and Kayla (@PalettesAndPages) in shipper central as we match make mammals (and other anthropomorphic animals) in our magnificent manor.
Love, Ghostie is a cozy management game with tons of wholesome romance! As a cute ghost in a manor, it's your job to set up residents and help them find love!
Love, Ghostie is developed and publi
Ep. 15 Emily is Away (Trilogy) featuring Beau from Underplayed
Join us as we log back in to AIM and FaceNook and try to make things work with Emily or... Evelyn? Beau, Kanisha, and Claire get into the hearts and minds of what happens when your crush enters the chat.
Unexpected SPOILERS FOR THE GAME "INSCRYPTION" 26:25-26:36
If you enjoy the show, be sure to rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts and follow us on socials as @datewithuspodcast or boo
Ep. 14 Kaichu: Kaiju Dating Sim
Spring has sprung and Date with Us is BACK baby! Come on our journey as we date our way through the world's kaiju scene with KAICHU!
UPDATE: Now with the end of the episode included...
Please don't forget to rate and review the show, visit us at datewith.us, or email us at hosts@datewith.us.
TODAY'S GAME: KAICHU: KAIJU DATING SIM
"Kaichu is a dating sim about kaiju! You play the role of Gigac
Ep. 13 What a Catch! with Developer Emily Merritt
Happy International Women's Day! We were SO lucky to get to chat with Emily about her game What a Catch! As a little treat to ourselves and you, dear listeners, we got together to get into it as women in STEAM.
Regardless of your level of comfortability with game development or coding, there's something for everyone as Emily walks us through the process of developing What a Catch for use on her T
Speed Dating: No ICE in Minnesota itch.io Bundle (BONUS EPISODE)
Join us as we dive into the No ICE in Minnesota bundle curated by JesTheHuman! We're trying a new format for this type of bonus episode, so let us know what you think!
Get the bundle here before Feb. 28 to be a part of this great work!
We Played:
Catgirl Truckers, 3/4 Spell Swap, Seascape Paradiso
Sugar Cookie, Spicy Love, Don't Tell My Wife
Code Romantic
Also Mentioned in the Episode:
C
Ep. 12 Hades 2 Featuring DannyNat20
LAST EPISODE OF WINTER SEASON, BABES!!! Thank you to Danny for hopping into the episode with us to chat about the romance (and more) in Hades 2! Don't forget to rate, review, share, etc. and let us know your who you wanted to spend some quality time with in the bath?
SPRING SEASON IS ON THE WAY and looking bright <3 We'll see you sooooooon...
Keep fighting the good fight out there, lovelies, w
Ep. 11 Hades featuring PeachyCatXO
Get in besties, we're going to defy the gods. Join Kanisha, Claire, and Shelby as they break out of the underworld and try to smooch death, fury, and perhaps even a gorgon... Let us know what you think... is Hades a dating sim? How do you define dating sim?
FEATURED GUEST BIO: Shelby/Peachy (she/they) lives in the Midwest as a teacher of the Deaf. When she's not teaching, she's probably getting
Ep. 10 Pixel Puzzle Makeout League featuring Frankie Bradley
Pixel Puzzles GALORE as Kanisha and Claire date with Frankie Bradley from the Reignite podcast. We get into it about our lives, Murdle, and Rude Ghost's game: Pixel Puzzle Makeout League. Apologies for some of the sound quality issues, I (Claire) am still learning how to edit!!! <3 <3
"Solve pixel puzzles, date superheroes, and save the day! Dating sim meets puzzle game in this romantic c
Ep. 09 Error143 featuring Marcy Laycelle
Join us as we explore the first dating sim any of us have played with a video chat component! Claire learns the phrase "discord kitten"! Marcy tells us her kink?! If you enjoy the show, be sure to rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts and follow us on socials as @datewithuspodcast. Seriously, it means a lot.
"A bickering and bantering rivals-to-lovers visual novel where you fall in
Ep. 08 Hatoful Boyfriend: Holiday Star featuring Jared from the Play Along Podcast
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE, EVERYBIRDIE! Our inaugural man joins us once more as we explore what happens in another unreality in the Hatoful Boyfriend Universe, this time HOLIDAY EDITION!
This season at Date with Us, we're so so grateful for you, dear listeners! If you're having fun here, consider dropping a comment, like, or sharing an episode! Rating and Reviewing can really help a fledgling show lik
Ep. 07 Hatoful Boyfriend featuring Jared from the Play Along Podcast
HELLO SEASON TWO!!!! Everybirdie get ready to fly on the wings of love and darkness as Jared, the first ever MAN GUEST, joins Claire and Kanisha to deep dive into the pigeon dating sim turned beloved cult classic, Hatoful Boyfriend. CARVE IT ONTO YOUR SOUL!
If you enjoy the show, be sure to rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts and follow us on socials as @datewithuspodcast. Seriously
Ep. 06 First Bite featuring Kate Hunter from No Small Games
It's the HALLOWEEN SPECIAL!!!!!! One Night, Three Vampires, will we survive, thrive, or feel extra alive in bed with some extremely hot vampires????? Only one way to find out!
Content Warnings:
“First Bite is rated 18+ for strong language, violence (potential player death), blood and gore, (optional) non-explicit sexual scenes (including consensual kink and BDSM), (supernatural) emotional mani
Ep. 05 Slasher U: Act I featuring Emily Merritt from No Small Games
Join us as we discuss our steamiest game to date with special guest Emily from No Small Games!
If you enjoy the show, be sure to rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts and follow us on socials as @datewithuspodcast.
"Slasher U is an 18+ character-driven RPG dating sim, set in the open-world campus of America’s Horniest Horror Movie University! SLASHER U is a horror-comedy dating sim R
Ep. 04 Date Everything featuring Matt aka Stormageddon and Alle
Join Matt, Alle, Claire, and Kanisha as they dish over which inanimate objects are the hottest (*cough* DORIAN). Date Everything is a sandbox dating simulator set in the comfort of your own home, featuring 100 fully voice acted datable characters! Let the romance flow between your bed, smoke alarm and…*checks notes* Overwhelming Sense of Existential Dread?
Content Warning: Job Loss, AI Use, other
Ep. 03 Boyfriend Dungeon
Plunder the dunj and fall in ~LOVE~ along with us as we do a deep dive on one of our favorite dating sims of all time. Fair warning, spoilers ABOUND throughout this episode speaking about Boyfriend Dungeon, we do our best to warn you as they come, but if you're trying to go in to the game not knowing much, play first and then come gush along with us!
Have you played the Boyfriend Dungeon TTRPG? T
Ep. 02 Whipped and Steamy Cosplay Cafe
Join us to dive into cosplay cafe management! We have a minor mic issue throughout since this was one of our earliest recordings, but the sound will be back to standard with the next episode though. Don't forget to rate, review, and tell your crush about us! WE DARE YOU!!
Play the game here: https://whalesandgames.itch.io/whipped-and-steamy
"Content Warning:
Whipped and Steamy • Cosplay Café
Ep. 01 ValiDate: Struggling Singles in your Area
"ValiDate is a romantic visual novel about 13 adults in Jercy City navigating new relationships and the harsh realities that come alongside them by Veritable Joy Studios."
CW: This game contains mentions and references to drugs, alcohol, sexual assault, cheating, abuse and other harsh themes. Viewer discretion is advised.
Steam Link: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1319850/ValiDate_Strugg
PILOT: Meeting in the Flesh
WELCOME TO THE PILOT! This episode features a dating sim that’s also visceral and sometimes horrifying. The content warning from the game is below:
Meeting in the Flesh “features text descriptions and non-explicit visual descriptions of:
Blood/Gore
Torture
Vore/Cannibalism
Sex
Hand-Holding
By Continuing, you agree to do so at your own risk.”
Find us online on Bluesky and Instagram as @DateW
Glymr: the Date with Us theme
Kicking off the feed with our INCREDIBLE theme music "Glymr" composed by Jason Deran!
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