Lovers' Smiles is a game that I can't even begin to describe. It's so much more than just a simple "game". It has more depth and beauty than I could describe in words. Why this wasn't a contender for goty is beyond me.

The narrative tells the story of two lovers trying to reach each other despite all odds. It's a beautiful tale told with great dialogue, and the VA surprised me with its quality considering this is an indie game. There were so many scenes that got me to tear up bc of how lines were delivered. I hope whoever the VAs were for this game get some sort of recognition. Once again this game was robbed of a goty nomination and I will never forgive that doofus Geoff Keighley for it.

But now onto the important part... the gameplay. The goal of each level is to unite the two lovers (represented by a blue and red ball) by using lines you draw to move them together. It's a simple setup that leaves itself open to many different mechanics to expand upon. For example conveyor belts are used later in the game. I love this mechanic because it's super original. I've never seen a game use something like this, and I hope it's used even more in a future title. The later levels also get extremely creative with their mechanics and environments. Stuff like red lines that you can't touch are so interesting, and they really act as a great representation of one of the many things keeping the two lovers from each other. I love how easy this game is to get into. Anyone can get the hang of it... but it takes many hours to master. As someone who has speedran this game at least 100 times I can say even now I have much to still learn of the mechanics. One of my only issues with this game is just that it runs like doo doo ass water. I have an insanely high performance PC (The Giganutbasher 10,000,000™ to be precise). This game does look really good, but how can I play it if it runs at 5 fps?!) That's really all I can complain about. Other than that it's perfect. Hopefully my issue will be addressed in the sequel since it seems they didn't patch it up in this game.

The OST for this game slaps so hard. There's so many tracks and great variety within them. I love the boss tracks in particular. The way they get you pumped up is amazing. Level 28 in particluar might just be my favorite track of all of gaming. It's a beautiful song I haven't been able to get it out of my head for weeks.

I don't know what else I can say except this game is a masterpiece. It's peak. The goat. The game of all time. I will never forget it. I can't wait to see what Lucky Games does next. I know there's a sequel that'll hopefully improve things even more. But besides that I have no idea where this developer will go after such an amazing game like this.