Tender: Creature Comforts looks at the pros and cons of the era of swipe culture
Ah, the world of dating. In an era of ‘swipe’ culture – referencing the ‘swipe right’ of popular dating apps like Tinder – dating has become both simple and complicated. Tender: Creature Comforts wants to reflect that in the most humane way possible, but… instead of dating humans, you’re going to try and get to know aliens instead.
Written by Gideon Lazarus, programmed by Kenny Sun and with art from Jie En Lee, Tender: Creature Comforts tells a love story through a modern lense aka, your mobile phone. Video games have told stories through the mobile format before, but in this one you’ll be taking on a much active role.
For those out there who have used a dating app, you’ll recognize most of the features. You can swipe right (or not) on people’s profiles, schedule dates in your Calendar app, chat with your matches and, if you have to, unmatch them if need be.
The game has a range of different aliens to choose from, but you have to remember this: even if you’re interested in them, that feeling may not be mutual. Especially if you’re a Gemini…
Alternatively, these aliens can unmatch you if you mess up. And well, depending on how it all goes, you may just find the relationship of a lifetime. Of course, there are also relationships that you’ll find aren’t as good, or even healthy. How you’ll deal with that is up to you, the player.
A game that looks at the era of swipe culture is, ultimately, a fascinating one considering the world we’re living in right now. There are both the pros of getting to know new people, and the cons of being ghosted due to a skin-deep evaluation of who you are. We’re looking forward to how this game handles that.
Tender: Creature Comforts is currently only available on Android and iOS, but will be coming to Steam sometime in Summer this year.
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