I've never been big on dating sims, but I'm very much into horror RPGs with gorgeous visuals inspired by '90s anime, and it just so turns out that something truly magical emerges when you combine those two genres with a skillful hand. That's the impression I got after playing the Steam Next Fest Demo for Little Goody Two Shoes, a queer-friendly dating sim that's beautifully married to a full-throated horror game.
Little Goody Two Shoes is two very different games, but from what little I played there's real potential for a synergistic relationship between its two sides. During the daytime, you'll carefully navigate your social life to avoid being exposed as a witch, strengthen bonds with your fellow villagers, romance an all-female cast of eccentric characters, and take on chores in the form of minigames to make a living.
You'll want to manage your time and money wisely during these relatively peaceful sections, as come nightfall, Little Goody Two Shoes shifts dramatically as you explore the haunted Woodlands, solve puzzles, and face off against all sorts of supernatural threats in dungeons. It's here where the resources you managed to procure during the peaceful daytime sections of the game will come in handy.
The story can branch off into a bunch of different directions, some of which are highly macabre, depending on how you interact with your fellow villagers. In one scene from a recent trailer, the player character winds up tied to a tree with another accused witch. You'll want to avoid that.
I wasn't expecting a horror dating sim to be one of the best Steam Next Fest demos I played this week, and come to think of it, I wasn't expecting a horror dating sim at all after Doki Doki Literature Club scarred us all for life, but here we are.
Little Goody Two Shoes hits Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam on Halloween.
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