‘Love and Deepspace’ Takes Players on a Romantic Journey through Space
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There’s nothing like a good game to pass the time. But the thing with good games is they sneak up on you until it’s more than just a pastime. This seemed to be the risk when we downloaded “Love and Deepspace” — the mobile otome (story-based game for women) game everyone has been talking about.
We had initially planned to sneak a peek, read a few chapters, and check out the stunning graphics making rounds across social media, but what we didn’t expect was to be utterly immersed in an impressively crafted fictional world with compelling characters.
Published by Singapore-based InFold Games — an overseas brand of the Chinese game developer, Papergames — “Love and Deepspace” is a 3D visual novel game that dares to blend the adrenaline of intergalactic warfare with the intimacy of human connection. It’s a dating simulator where you can explore a sci-fi world, interact with various characters, and yes, find love in the virtual world. In this world where the stars stretch endlessly and danger lurks in the shadows of deep space, the game puts you inside a cinematic romance where every heartbeat counts, whether you’re battling space monsters or checking off romantic firsts with one of the mysterious partners.
The marketing for the game has been off the charts for months since releasing early last year, showcasing impressive graphics featuring first-person 3D views of intimate interactions with gorgeous male love interests. That alone was enough for the fan in us to hit download despite its mammoth size (3.89 GB), but the reader in us stayed for the lore.
Now the numbers have begun to make sense. No wonder it has accumulated a global revenue of $500 million on the Google Play and Apple App stores, with markets outside of China accounting for 40% of the total revenue, based on data from analytics firm Sensor Tower (as of March 2025).
But does the game truly deliver a love story that goes beyond space and time? After a month of playing the game, here’s what we think makes “Love and Deepspace” a hit among its players, and let’s determine if it's worth your time or just another pretty game floating in the void.
What You See is What You Get (and MORE)
The moment you sign up and enter the game, you’re immediately drawn to the clean and futuristic interface as you customize the MC (main character) before heading into the game world. Customization was highly specific and detailed, as you’re more than able to change your virtual character’s clothes and hair color, but their overall appearance as well, from the shape of their face to the tone of their voice.
“Love and Deepspace” first gained attention for its stunning graphics, and the fact holds as we explored the systems and read the first few chapters, which launched the player into the world through easy-to-read narration, fully-voiced characters, and visually-appealing background designs.
In the story, you’re playing as the newest member of the Hunters Association, where your job is to protect the citizens of Linkon City from the threat of “Wanderers.” As you go through the chapters, you get to meet an array of characters, including the potential love interests.
If you’re a frequent otome player, one thing you’ll immediately notice is that there are only three love interests (LI) at the start of the game, which is unusual as most dating sims would have at least four or more. Along the way, you’ll meet Xavier, a mysterious fellow Deepspace Hunter; Zayne, the brilliant cardiac surgeon; and Rafayel, a flirty and enigmatic artist.
The story unfolds in such a way that you get to experience moments with all the LIs. There are no branch routes, so everyone follows the same storyline and interacts with the same characters. We believe this made the story more whole and easier to navigate, as you don’t have to worry about missing details or skipping through routes in the hopes of raising your Affinity (relationship status levels with the love interests) with your chosen partner. Raising them requires a different gameplay, which is explained in the next section of this review.
The chapters eventually branch out as the game updates. Last year, they already added two more LIs to the roster: the tough boss man of Onychinus, Sylus, and childhood friend Caleb, with a sixth one rumored to be released sometime this year once the new chapters are unveiled.
Another interesting tidbit about the characters is that they all have certain powers called an Evol. The MC is an evolver herself and has the resonance evol, which allows her to enhance another Evolver’s evol. The evols of the LIs range from fire and ice to gravity and energy manipulation, which makes the gameplay more exciting.
Overall, what you see is what you get with this game. Those beautiful characters and toe-curling romantic interactions in the advertisements? You’ll get them all and more as you go through the game with some additional surprises along the way.
Our only issue was that the homepage could get a little overwhelming for beginners, as there are so many features on the page. Although the main story button is clearly labeled, there are also other features like Date and Battle with each of them having their own set of rules and features. The game does fairly well in explaining everything, however, and provides demonstrations and practice rounds for battles.
Hunter by Day, Lover by Night
Speaking of battles, if other otome games have branch routes where you follow a specific storyline to develop your relationship with your chosen partner, “Love and Deepspace” uses battles. Yup, you heard that right. You will have to fight for your love in this.
Who would have thought this romance visual novel game would have a comprehensive battle system? The game boasts real-time combat with a range of weapons and skill combinations based on the LI you choose to bring into the battlefield and the outfits they wear, which carry a particular set of skills. You can build teams to your specific preferences and use weapons and battle companions that can fight better against certain enemies.
Character cards are the foundation of your teams and the most coveted things players acquire in the game. These cards can be pulled from the Wish pool, which can be acquired through either paid or earned Empyrean tickets. Character cards come in six color variations called Stellacrum, and players will have to match these colors with a particular battle to win. These cards also need to be leveled up regularly so you can get the chance to battle stronger enemies.
If you’re not into the whole combat thing, don’t worry. So long as you level up and match the Stellacrum and meet the minimum level requirements, you should be good! There’s an auto mode that allows your character to battle it out, and you’ll just have to sit there and watch them win.
But if you are into battle, then you’ll enjoy the range of battle modes this game offers, such as Bounty and Core Hunts, which is where you can win resources that are used to upgrade your teams, and Hunter Contest and Deepspace Trials, where you get to upgrade your skills.
The character's cards also hold special features and rewards, and range from 3 to 5-star cards. 4-star cards have audio story features, which usually narrate fully-voiced short stories like a radio drama, while 5-star cards contain video narratives or romantic monologues called "Secret Times." The language features can also be changed to your preferred language. Voice-overs are currently available in English, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese. And let me just tell you, the voice acting is top tier!
Limited Character Cards also come and go within specific periods called “banner events,” which feature special cards. Birthday and Myth banners tend to be the most popular ones, as the former gives you a chance to celebrate their respective birthdays through mini games and a special video narrative, while the latter allows you to look into their past lives and acquire combat companions.
Oh, did we mention that all the LIs have known you in their past lives, and the two of you have been torn apart one way or another? Well, these myth cards tell you their story, and with the reincarnation theme woven into the storyline, you can expect a lot of romantic tension, pining, and heartache. Talk about Love and Deep-Depression.
Cards and battles are only half of the game, however. The other half being a blend of narrative and mini-games, which raises your affinity with the LIs and from where you can gain rewards to level up cards, acquire outfits, and even purchase tickets for the Wish pool.
You can also read Anecdotes, which gives some backstory for each of the characters, play Kitty Cards with the LIs, and even take photos with them. On the home page, you can interact with them, and they can give responses based on prompts. The developers even recently added a period tracker as part of the “Remind Me” feature, which allows your virtual boyfriends to take care of you (well, through words) during that time of the month. As you level up, you receive phone and video calls, as well as text message conversations and social media posts from the LIs.
It's a good balance of combat and romance, giving players a variety of tasks and interactions that will surely remain exciting for months to come, so long as developers continue to feature new events and chapters.
F2P-Friendly but with a Catch
It’s important to note that “Love and Deepspace” is a Gacha game. Gacha is based on Japan’s Gashapon system, where you put a token and get a prize in return. The game operates in the same way that you can pay to collect certain packs or items.
With that in mind, is it free to play (F2P)? The honest answer is yes. Downloading the game is completely free, and you can experience all the features without spending a single dime. Most battle modes provide you with the resources needed to upgrade your cards, and you can obtain diamonds, which are one of the main currencies of the game, by completing daily tasks, reading chapters, and even listening to the audio cards for the first time.
However, some features can only be obtained through crystals, which are paid for, such as new outfits that give you special combat skills. Most of the paid items are decorative, so we'd say the game gives a fair deal.
The challenge lies in how quickly you want to level up or if you want to acquire a certain Limited card from the Wish pool. The crystals can be converted into diamonds, which are used to buy tickets. Additionally, packs and other limited items are available for purchase, which contain resources and more tickets for more chances of pulling the character card you want within a limited banner period.
Final Verdict
“Love and Deepspace” provides players three things: a thrilling storyline, good-looking characters, and a well-paced gameplay that’s both fun and easy to navigate. It’s not like other games, which you can pay to breeze through all the chapters in one sitting. The game was cleverly designed to allow players to progress one step at a time and have them utilize all the features to get what they want. The variety of game modes also keeps the experience fresh and interesting.
The romance doesn't feel rushed either, even though they seem to fall for you from the start. From a storyteller's perspective, it makes sense considering their myth stories as they have already fallen in love with you in their past life.
The first-person perspective definitely gives a more immersive experience, and coupled with the beautiful graphics, it’s hard not to fall head over heels for your virtual lovers. Not only do they look good, but they have substance and complex character personalities with tragic back stories to match. No wonder some players have tried to make this game a reality by cos-commissioning (cosplay commissioning) or organizing events in various cities.
On top of all that, you can play it for free. So long as you complete your daily tasks, do battles, and read each chapter, you’ll be sure to rack up rewards and progress through the gameplay without needing to pay.
If you’re a fan of story-based games and a good time, give this one a shot! You can download it from the Apple or Google Play stores.
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