What’s got hot dads, puns galore, and our very own Erika Ishii? The Dream Daddy video game!
Erika is not just an amazing host of Game Engine, she’s also an accomplished voice actress, having done work on Youtube, video games, and even the Skip Beat! anime! Her latest voice project, Dream Daddy is coming out on Steam July 13th!
Dream Daddy is a dating simulator focused on dads. Yep, you heard me right; bad-joke-making, bearded, Chinos-wearing papas (and other kinds, too). Your character is a loving single father on the search for his perfect partner and — hey! You’re in luck! You’ve just moved into Maple Bay, a seaside town practically overflowing with date-able dads! You’ll have your pick of father figures, like the studious teacher dad, the broody goth dad, and even a bad boy dad (prepare for ‘the smolder’). Woo them in a number of minigames and sidequests to find your own blissful partner.
The game was designed and developed by Vernon Shaw (Game Grumps & Hot Pepper Gaming) and comic book artist, Leighton Gray, illustrated by Shanen Pae, and produced by the Let’s Play team of Game Grumps, Arin Hanson and Dan Avidan. It’s rare to see a dating sim tackle LGBTQ themes, male protagonists, and family values; but the creators of the Dream Daddy wanted to infuse the game with a sincere message about relationships and love.
“It was important to us to make a game that was wholesome, positive, and meaningful. Starting off with the idea of a Dad Dating Simulator really just gave us the opportunity to write something with heart that didn’t have to take itself too seriously. ” says Vernon, “The story and characters have come to mean so much to us by this point and we hope that people love it as much as we do.”
Leighton adds: “I grew up in a single-parent household and that was a big driving force for the narrative in this game. It can be such a lonely thing, but going through so much with that one parent brings you closer together and you can really see that in the player Dad’s relationship with their daughter.”
In the game, you’ll get to customize your own dad and lead him through a heartwarming tale of dating and fatherhood. Of course, you’ll have some help from your daughter Amanda, voiced by Erika. While Leighton and Vernon declined to choose a favorite among their characters commenting: “WE LOVE ALL OF OUR CHARACTERS EQUALLY THIS IS LIKE ASKING US TO PICK A FAVORITE CHILD!!!”, they did add that Erika’s character “Amanda loves photography, dogs, and her Dad. She hates Dad Jokes. She’s about to go off to college, so a lot of the game is actually about your relationship with her.”
Vernon said, “I’ve known Erika for years now and she’s continually proven to be the polar opposite of my personality. Whereas I’m sort of a baseline-sad, woe is me, Eeyore-type; Erika is a relentless force of positivity and can-do attitude. These are a lot of personalities that Amanda herself embodies, so when we were looking for someone to voice that character, Erika was a no-brainer. She was an absolute delight to work with.”
Amanda sounds like a true Hooman and Erika had a lot of fun working on her. “It was such a dream to have the opportunity to work with some of my dearest, most inspiring friends on a project I am already a huge fan of”, says Erika. “I hope I can do justice to Amanda, who is a perfect, precious bb (baby) too pure for this world. This game is going to be incredible and I am so grateful to be a small part of something so special. I can’t wait for everyone to play it!”
Dream Daddy looks like an exciting addition to the dating simulator genre! We can’t wait for it to come out next month. Which daddy will you be looking to date? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to watch Game Engine July 11th as Vernon and Leighton will be visiting to talk about Dream Daddy. Game Engine airs every Tuesday Twitch at 4pm PST.
Featured Image Credit: Dream Daddy
Image Credits: Dream Daddy