Love and Deepspace — Spoiler Game Review

Image Credit — https://assets.papegames.com/resources/cdn/20250702/530b2e43a9d610b8.jpg

Love and Deepspace is a Gacha game that launched in 2019. It was developed by Infold, also known as Paper Games. LADS (which I will now abbreviate to) is an otome/gacha game with action elements. The story combines science fiction, drama, and romance, featuring numerous twists and tragic moments throughout the narrative.

This isn't the first Otome game the company has developed, with Mister Love Queens Choice released in the UK on March 20, 2019, and in China on December 14, 2017. Mister Love used a more 2D art style typical of most Otome games, compared to Love and Deepspace, which chose to use 3D.

The main story currently consists of eight primary chapters, each with smaller subchapters that sometimes focus on a specific character. You play as a main character or MC that you can customize (the MC is set to female, so there isn't much gender diversity), which also includes a range of skin colors.

The game has reached 50 million players worldwide and is very popular in China, often ranking in the top 10 of the Gacha Revenue Report, which tracks the earnings of Gacha games. This is a major milestone for the otome genre because, compared to the other top otome game, Mystic Messenger, which had 8 million downloads at its peak in 2016.

This game's story is very deep and complex, with so much to cover that even explaining it can't fully capture its intricacy. The story's depth comes from the MC's reincarnation across many lifetimes before the present one we see. Each LI is linked to the MC through these previous versions of herself.

Now, this is what makes the story so engaging to me: it goes much deeper than just the romance, even within the main plot. The main story focuses more on MC discovering who she really is and her past. As she does, more mysteries about the world and MC’s backstory are uncovered.

One downside that could turn many people off the game is that the larger story elements related to the love interests might be hidden behind the Gacha system. The Myths, for example, provide more insight into each character's past and their connection to the MC; however, these are often locked behind a gacha event, creating a significant paywall for important content.

The gameplay mainly centers on leveling up cards and then combining the right cards and protocores to boost their strength. This idea is similar to what games like Tears of Themis do, so it's not a new concept in the Gacha and otome genres.

Your character and your love interest will fight monsters called Wonderers, with levels becoming more challenging as you advance. The game offers multiple modes, including Bounty Hunt, Core Hunt, Open Orbit, Abyssal Chaos, and Operation Unicorns.

The gameplay is very diverse, offering different styles for players who enjoy combat as well as those who prefer more relaxed and straightforward gameplay. The gacha elements are a key part of the game, allowing players to earn Diamonds either by purchasing them or simply playing various parts of the game.

There are two more gameplay styles: the Crane Game and Kitty Cards. Kitty Cards is a small card game you can play with your chosen love interest (LI). The Crane Game allows you or your LI to pick and collect from a selection of plush toys, similar to real-life crane games. However, this version is less rigged and doesn't require any money.

The characters are each well-developed, not only in their backstories but also in their personalities and how they change throughout the story. An example of this is Sylus, who becomes more understanding and softer around MC from when we first meet him.

Their connections with MC and how MC's interests vary with each love interest make the romance feel more believable, depending on which story you want to explore more. What is even more interesting is that, compared to other otome games, if you pick one LI, you're not locked into that LI's story and can always go back to experience a different LI's story.

Each character has their own personality that goes beyond stereotypes and is based on a deeper reason for who they are. For example, Rafayel is goofy and helpless at first because he wants to keep MC close, having lost her in his past lives. He acts helplessly to make sure she stays near him.

MC herself isn't weak either, being a strong hunter; however, this doesn't mean she doesn't show her vulnerable side when needed. MC strikes a good balance, which is where many otome games can stumble—either making their MC so strong that she seems rude and harsh, or too weak that she lacks the necessary agency.

The story is so deep, even beyond the surface, and playing through it for many months has allowed me to experience the richness of each character. Over the years, as the game has existed, it has grown and expanded, not only in popularity but also in its story.

Even the characters I haven't become attached to yet, like Caleb and Zayne, still have that love and care invested in them. With the current five characters, the game manages to balance that depth and affection between each of the love interests and the main character herself, showing how much the writers care about this game.

This is a good example of how a game can grow on players if given a chance. This game is much deeper than just being eye candy. The base game itself is actually quite mild, with more spicy content hidden behind gacha events like Catch 22 and Night of Secrecy, both of which are behind those gacha elements.

I'm really excited to see how this game evolves over the years and how it can attract a larger audience. It's no surprise to me how popular this game has become, considering not only its uniqueness in the market but also the care and love poured into every part of it.