The Office Type is like a workplace Dream Daddy, with a twist!
Stuck in your sleep-eat-work routine and can’t see the end of it, feeling like your office is a jail cell? Then why not date your office supplies while you’re there? Yes, you read this right, date your office supplies. That is the premise of The Office Type, a one-of-a-kind dating simulator where you embody a lonely workaholic who tries to build romances and/or friendships with their office supplies. But of course, there’s a twist: these objects come to life as humans!
Did you enjoy Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator and are craving more of its wholesome vibes and silly humor? The Office Type is for you! It is very similar gameplay-wise, but it is definitely on the quirkier side and has a dateable pool of 24 incredibly diverse potential partners. The demo is free and available on Steam, while the full version is planned to release on June 25, 2025 and will have an Android port thanks to support from Qweerty Gamers.
The game starts off by presenting you with a fun little personality test that makes you choose your favorite of each office supply type. Do you prefer ballpoint pens or fountain pens? Are you more the comfortable, ergonomic mousepad type or a quirky and stylish cloth mousepad? Desktop stapler or electric stapler? Choose carefully, because your preferences determine your romance options!
For a fun surprise, you can make your decisions without taking a look at their human forms, but if you are more comfortable playing it safe (or simply if you’re just curious to see the characters), you may choose to reveal the human forms of your supplies and simply choose the characters that you find more appealing.
For example, if you select the ergonomic keyboard, you will have the chance to pursue romance and friendship options with Keith, a transgender man known for his kindness, his empathy, and his softness, who prioritizes supporting others – qualities associated to an ergonomic keyboard, of course! On the other hand, if the stylish office keyboard is more your type, you will get to hang out with Bee, a genderfluid musician with a lot of personality, creativity, and humor!
Will you choose purely based on your favorite office supplies? There are fantastic descriptions of their human forms as well, with significant depth and incredible diversity and representation in their profiles.
On my first playthrough of the demo, I decided to risk it for the biscuit and choose items that I think fit well with people I tend to romance without looking at their human forms – and boy was I not disappointed! I still dream of Trey, my dreamy briefcase binder, on a daily basis. Just look at him!
In all seriousness, one standout element of this dating simulator is the quality of the art related to the characters. All of them are incredibly charming and have unique, endearing aesthetics, and are masterfully thought-out. You are bound to find one or two characters – if not all of them – that will strike your fancy.
The writers of the game also do a great job so far not making the characters flat and too clichéd, which was of course difficult to avoid considering characters are based off of office supplies.
The game presents you frequently with three dialogue options that steer conversations, but ultimately feel inconsequential to building your relationships – which does make the game cozier than other dating simulators, as you can’t go wrong and accidentally ruin your relationship. It is still fun to uncover different interactions and discover your partners’ personalities that way, in the style of a visual novel. It is more relaxed than engaging, which is not a bad thing at all, though I suspect the full version will dig a bit deeper and I look forward to it.
Instead of building your relationship through dialogue options, you do so through dates that take the form of match-3 minigames (imagine Bejeweled, but instead of scoring points, you score hearts). These mini-games, albeit repetitive and somewhat bland, are nice breaks from reading conversations and punctuate the game nicely. I do hope the full version’s mini-games are a bit more varied and refreshing though. They are also entirely skippable, if they are not your jam or if you prefer breezing through your dates (especially if you are replaying the game) and focus on the story.
While there is nothing too exciting about the gameplay in the demo, where The Office Type truly already shines is through its art, both visual and written, and its roster. The characters are fantastic and I grew fond of them in a mere few hours of gameplay. The base concept of associating partners to office supplies is simply genius, done in a very agile and creative manner, and I can’t wait to see where the story takes it.
The Office Type truly understands and encapsulates the importance of representation and how diversity enriches a story. Each office supply/partner is unique not only in personalities and backgrounds, but also in identities. Toni (the magenta toner cartridge) is agender and uses xe/xem pronouns, Cal (the graphing calculator) is a demigirl who uses she/they pronouns, Teresa (the easel binder) is a trans woman who uses she/her pronouns, and this only scratches the surface of the diverse, vivid, and rich cast.
If romance is not your jam, that is perfectly fine and just as amazing! The game even gives you the option to pursue friendships rather than romances and intimate encounters. Asexuality and aromanticism are perfectly valid paths and do not take away from the story whatsoever, on the contrary!
Give the demo a shot! It’s available for free on Steam, with the full release planned for June 25, 2025. It will also be launching on Android thanks to a grant from Qweerty Gamers in partnership with Google. If quirky dating simulators with vibrant art and charming characters are your cup of tea, The Office Supply will check off all of your boxes! It also offers a fresh, unique take on the genre and a pressure-free approach to dialogue options.
The Office Type is bound to make your little queer heart happy as it did mine, and make you feel seen, celebrated, and worthy of love.
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