Cupid Parasite: Sweet and Spicy Darling review

Choosing romance over revenge

When gaming lets you become a god, power fantasy usually follows. From Kratos’ quest for vengeance in the God of War series to ransacking the Underworld as Zagreus in Hades, button-mashing butt-kicking is commonplace. But 2021’s Cupid Parasite offered a divergent interpretation of the divine.

Here, players assumed the role of Lynette Mirror, the top bridal advisor for the Cupid Corporation. As both a matchmaking service and a wedding planning company, Lynette is especially effective at bringing lonely singles together. And her gift isn’t surprising. Since it’s revealed in the first few minutes of the visual novel, it’s not a spoiler to reveal that she’s Cupid, the literal goddess of love. Parasite’s plot centered around her being sent to the human realm to reverse the trend of break-ups and waning birth rates, after upsetting her father Mars.

The God of Love, In Love

What made Otomate’s read noteworthy was the novel’s eccentric cast of blemished personalities, referred to as “the parasite six”. Each suffered from an issue that prohibited them from finding romance. And without going into details, Cupid Parasite provided an interesting solution set, as Lynette attempted to understand the perspective of each potential partner rather than merely trying to fix them.

Although the protagonist was skilled at bringing others together, she wasn’t as experienced in being an active participant in a relationship. This approach made the original Cupid Parasite a thoroughly enjoyable read, while its vibrant aesthetics and referential soundtrack provided distinction from its peers.

Honeymooning with the Love Queen of Los York

Delightfully, Cupid Parasite: Sweet and Spicy Darling eschews the courtship and comical confusions detailed by most otome. The appropriately titled After Drama mode lets you select from six different character routes that continue the relationships formed in the original title. Expectedly, there’s a wealth of post-nuptial satisfaction found in each continuation as Lynette and her hubby embark on their next life-chapter. Naturally, some of the routes offer some light conflict, so it doesn’t feel like indulging fluff. Perhaps, the one disappointment is that the novel doesn’t get all that ‘spicy’. Beyond a bit of French kissing, the novel is lamentably tame.

Sweet and Spicy Darling also includes a seventh route that imagines Lynette not settling down with any of the bachelors in the first novel. The storyline with Merenice Levin, a medium who uses a magic donut to see the future is wonderfully eccentric.  Sure, it ruptures the balance of the color wheel of love employed by Cupid Parasite, but your time with Merenice is one of the best parts of Sweet and Spicy Darling, rivaling your romance with a certain devilish lead.

Like An Arrow Through the Coronary Artery

Unlike most fan-disks and the original outing, Sweet and Spicy Darling isn’t a kinetic novel. Periodically, you’ll encounter dialog options reflecting the tastes found in the subtitle. Typically, these decisions don’t result in radical changes in the story but alter conversational responses. However, they can influence which of the two endings you will see for each route. Mercifully, the developers include a flowchart, allowing you to witness all of the novel’s conclusions.

With its luminous color palette and Yuuya’s first-rate character portraits, Cupid Parasite was a visual treat. Sweet and Spicy Darling maintains the visual sumptuousness, offering newlyweds rapturously entwined across a variety of venues. The Biscats’s rockabilly stylings make a reappearance too, with a pair of songs that match the novel’s gastronomic affinities. Elsewhere, the soundtrack is capricious, shifting from jazz to romantic pop.

Conclusion

Before relishing Sweet and Spicy Darling, making you’ve thoroughly savored Cupid Parasite. Like most representations of romance, you’ll want to witness the full journey, where flawed bachelors flourish thanks to the virtues of romance. Here, you’ll witness a collection of compelling codas, that are just as entertaining as the courtship.

Cupid Parasite: Sweet and Spicy Darling was played
on Switch with review code provided by the publisher.