Troubleshooter: Abandoned Children is gaining popularity on Steam as a tactical turn-based role-playing game.
Released by Korean indie studio Dandylion in 2020, Troubleshooter has received over 8,000 “Very Positive” reviews, with many praising its ambitious XCOM combat and Persona-like interpersonal drama. However, despite aiming to embody the JRPG genre in appearance, tone, and combat, Troubleshooter lacks the typical dating system found in such games. Dandylion explains to fans that there is a valid reason for this omission.
“Dating system…it’s a feature that a lot of people wanted,” responded Dandylion to a Steam reviewer who expressed disappointment over the absence of a dating system. “My team members… have no experience with it, even in real life….” Dandylion added, expressing gratitude for the review.
“We can build a feature to ride a dragon but not go on a date, because we have no experience with that,” pondered a popular comment on X. “A date might be harder to imagine these days I suppose.”
While daily life may not resemble Troubleshooter’s magical elements and combat tactics, research from the Pew Research Center indicates that dating has become more challenging and less fulfilling for single adults in the U.S. This trend may be even more pronounced among strategy game enthusiasts.
Instead of fostering relationships based on love and empathy, the developers of Troubleshooter offer players the opportunity to defeat enemies and wear stylish attire in-game. There are plenty of activities to engage in besides pursuing romantic relationships.
If you’re interested, you can explore the best dating sims, ranked.