Skip to main content

Hatoful Boyfriend (Video Game Review)

If a pigeon dating sim sounds like your type of game, then you should download a copy of Hatoful Boyfriend immediately. Sane gamers will find the bizarre plot of Hatoful Boyfriend a lot more difficult to stomach though. Players head to the most sought after all pigeon school seeking a better education, and inevitably, romance. Players can influence which pigeon suitor they eventually get close to, and the game features multiple endings that offers some replayability for gamers that enjoy the new title. Hatoful Boyfriend is a stretch to call a game though, as players will do little more than click through dialogue in this visual novel. Hatoful Boyfriend will only be fun for a select collection of gamers, and there are still better visual novel games available than Hatoful Boyfriend.

The storyline of Hatoful Boyfriend centers around St. PigeoNation's Institute, and the game's protagonist enters the school as a new transfer. Players control many choices along the way that will all lead to furthering a relationship with a fellow pigeon student. Many of the choices are very transparent and not all that interesting for the player. For the player to have the strange medical bird "experiment" on them, a player will simply choose to visit the school infirmary, medical tent at school events and so on. The game does feature a fairly interesting storyline, but playing through the game can be painful at times due to long instances of inactivity for players and choices that are ultimately very uninteresting.

Though the game is a strange one, Hatoful Boyfriend is self aware of its bizarre storyline. The game allows players to turn on human forms of the birds, so players don't feel as strange about hooking up with pigeons at bird school. The game has a good sense of humor as well. Everybirdie and nobirdie are just a few of the play on words the game presents throughout its narrative, and players will get a few chuckles while reading through the game for the first time. There's still something strange about watching two birds get romantically involved in the game, and some of the dialogue between characters is uncomfortably absurd. For example, one bird is obsessed with pudding, and the food seems to make its way into nearly every conversation players have with the particular bird in a very obtrusive fashion.

Gameplay in Hatoful Boyfriend makes it difficult to call the new release a real video game. Players don't interact with the game with the exception of a few choices each school semester. The main character can get statistical boosts like charisma and wisdom, but the ratings are difficult to understand and make shaping the story to player's ideal vision tough to master. Hatoful Boyfriend features multiple endings including a brand new ending created by the series creator Hato Moa, so players that enjoy the game will want to play through the title multiple times to see each of the game's endings. The game includes a fast-forward button to make playing through the game more enjoyable, as it quickly skips through dialogue and only stops just before a player is about to make an important decision.

Hatoful Boyfriend has a unique art style and presentation that girls still living in a princess phase will enjoy, but a good majority of gamers don't reside in this minority group. Plenty of pink, hearts and birds litter the game. All of the human forms of birds look like traditional anime characters with wavy hair and big, cartoonish eyes. The artwork for the game is drawn well with school backdrops looking as though they were ripped straight from a popular animated show. The game's multiple endings make a big impact for players looking to get a lot of gameplay for their money, but there simply isn't enough fresh and unique content in the game to make the title a very enjoyable experience beyond the initial playthrough.

Hatoful Boyfriend is a unique experience that will fulfill fan's every wish for a pigeon dating simulator. The bizarre storyline will make anyone that isn't looking for lovesick birds in their video games feel incredibly uncomfortable. The game includes some good features including multiple endings, a fast forward button to skip dialogue to get to different endings more quickly and an option to turn on human forms of the birds in the game, but it's not enough to make Hatoful Boyfriend feel like a true video game. The title is littered with hours of inactivity on the player's side, and most players would be better off picking up a good book to read instead of sitting through a game about these love doves. Hatoful Boyfriend is out now on Steam.

Hatoful Boyfriend is now available for PC, Mac and Linux and can be purchased exclusively on Steam for $9.99. For more information on the game, check out the official Hatoful Boyfriend website.

Game Features:
  • Single Player
  • Date One of Seven Birds
  • See Characters in Human or True Forms
  • Steam Trading Card Support
  • Achievement Support

Game Information:
Developer: Mediatonic
Publisher: Devolver Digital
Platforms: PC (reviewed), Mac & Linux
Release Date: September 4, 2014

Score: 4.5 out of 10

Popular posts from this blog

Huntsville Comic & Pop Culture Expo 2026 Wrap-Up

Another year, another packed weekend of fandom in the Rocket City The 2026 Huntsville Comic & Pop Culture Expo has officially wrapped, closing out three energetic days at the Von Braun Center and once again proving why it’s considered Alabama’s largest celebration of geek culture. From April 17–19, fans from across the region gathered for a weekend that blended celebrity encounters, gaming, cosplay, and community into one sprawling pop culture showcase. A Weekend That Delivered for Fans This year’s event marked the 11th edition of the expo, and it leaned fully into its reputation as a destination convention. With a diverse crowd and programming that spanned all corners of fandom, the show floor stayed busy from opening Friday afternoon through Sunday’s final hours. Attendees explored a massive lineup that included over 200 vendors, artist and author alleys, panel discussions, and dedicated gaming spaces. Whether fans came for collectibles, comics, anime, or tabletop sessions, t...
Level Up: Read More »

Letter Lost: Postmarked Secrets - A cozy post office that hides rules and a deeper mystery. (Demo Preview)

Letter Lost drops you into the Kharnym Isle Post Office as its sole employee, tasked with the deceptively simple work of stamping, sorting, and dispatching the island’s mail. On the surface it’s a cozy workplace sim; polite locals, daily pay, and mandatory room and board that removes the hassle of commuting, but the office’s cheery routine is threaded with odd rules and quiet contradictions that quickly make the ordinary feel off‑kilter. What begins as a satisfying loop of weighing parcels and matching stamps soon becomes a game of attention: letters hide hints, patrons’ small talk slips into unsettling confessions, and management’s insistence that you never leave the premises reads less like policy and more like a warning. The demo covers your first four days on the job, teaching the systems while nudging you toward choices, obey protocol and keep the peace, or pry at the seams and uncover the post office’s darker purpose. Either way, those first shifts are a careful, uncanny invitat...
Level Up: Read More »

Water for Elephants: An Immersive Circus Journey (Event Preview)

Step into a traveling circus brought vividly to life on stage. This fresh musical transforms the bestselling novel into a tactile, immersive experience. The rumble of tracks, the sway of ropes, the flash of lights… all come alive as the stage shifts beneath the performers’ feet! A young man leaps onto a moving train and discovers a new life with a traveling circus. An older version of him narrates, weaving memories through the unfolding events. The story remains clear even as the stage bursts with energy and movement. The music pulses through every scene, thanks to PigPen Theatre Co. Their sound hits with power, then pulls back to let the silence speak. Drums and brass slice through the energy, while softer moments find space to breathe and resonate. Jessica Stone directs with confident, sweeping movements and a calm, steady presence. Rick Elice’s script holds the emotional core tightly, making every moment resonate. The show feels authentic… worn hands, weary smiles, and subtle action...
Level Up: Read More »