Robolife-Days with Aino is a lewd dating simulator about Otaru’s android Aino, his ticket to graduation (and maybe more!)
Adult Content?
(FxM) sexual content.
Censorship?
No. Woot! Woot!
Hours of Gameplay?
Four or five hours.
Patch Available?
No, not necessary.
Gameplay: overview (4/5★)
Manage your time and Aino’s “stability” as you complete quests and upgrade her parts! You have three in-game months per playthrough. Each day is divided into four parts (also called “action points”), and all activities consume time. To “win” the game, you must work on Aino’s “income”, “specs”, and “reputation”. Failing to meet expectations by the end of the game will result in an anti-climatic “game-over” ending. By putting Aino to work, you’ll gain the money you need to fund “equipment”. Equipment enhances specs and provides “skills”, which help “help Aino complete jobs and trigger story events”. Many events Aino to possess certain skills or thresholds of specs. As no two equipment are the same, you’ll need to switch-out parts to meet your needs. However, changes in equipment will result in a loss of “stability”. If you don’t take the time to bond with Aino, you may suffer from an early “game-over”! Equipment doesn’t just cost money; they often require assorted “notes”, which are obtained by completing quests. Quests contribute to Aino’s “ratings”, which represent her reputation. More importantly, “ratings” represent whether or not you beat the game!
Sexual Content: overview (4/5★)
There are twenty-two sex-scenes, each of them using a single, static base (with variations for progression and climax). During a single, four-hour playthrough, I saw seven sex-scenes. Sex-scenes are typically relegated as “quest rewards”, requiring some work to see. The artwork is amazing, and the dialogue is hot. To my dismay, the sex-scenes are short-lived and devoid of any interactivity. Most of the them focus on the main protagonist Aino, but there are a few based on side characters (again, as a sort of “quest reward”). You can expect to see a selection of cosplay and basic male-on-female intercourse. Most of the sexual content is consensual, and in some cases wholesome (showcasing the slow acclimation of Aino and the player character, Otaru). I enjoyed Aino’s awkward emotional spectrum (which is thematically robotic). Normally, it’s the male protagonist that doesn’t take “no” for an answer — ever since Otaru called his climax “inspiration”, Aino forces him to stay “inspired”! I found the rape scenes to be pretty tame — nobody gets hurt!
Story: overview (4/5★)
Recovered from the junkyard, Aino is an aggressive android with an enigmatic, “encrypted partition”. As far as she’s concerned, Otaru is but a “target that must be eliminated”. Held back by an “interference from encrypted system data”, she finds herself unable to eliminate him. Fortunately, they manage to “work something out”. Otaru happens to need “an android test subject to graduate”, and his school offers a suite of “precision instruments” that could be used to restore her functionality. Aino agrees to be his subject, reluctantly placing her life into his hands. As the weeks pass by, together they discover a suite of hidden sensuality and “functionality”!
Sound: overview (5/5★)
The soundtrack is bitchin’. There’s a variety of strong music to fit whatever theme needs conveyed. I loved the sounds associated with the user-interface (but I wasn’t so fond of the sound effects). The main protagonist, Aino is partially voiced. I found her input to be somewhat annoying — I don’t understand Chinese, and most of the time she only produced seemingly random sounds.
Visuals: overview (4/5★)
The titlescreen is a beautiful arrangement. The main-menu and animated artwork look great. From “Setting”, you may adjust audio, display and language preferences. For the most part, the English is great. However, I spotted three or four typos during my playthrough. During the prologue, I saw a great deal of weirdly formatted apostrophes; they are followed with way too many spaces. Sex-scenes and individual CGs can be reviewed from “Memory”. The dialogue box can be hidden, but the user-interface cannot be wholly removed — it’s a shame. Each character in the game (barring the player) has an animated portrait. The artwork is top-notch, and the animation livens dialogue. However, I was bothered by the low resolution — the artwork is regularly zoomed into, causing the screen to be invaded by blurry imagery. This problem will be surely exacerbated by screens larger than mine (fifteen inches).
Verdict: I need to “destress” (4/5★)
Robolife-Days with Aino is a solid dating simulator top-notch visuals and rockin’ soundtrack. Impressed as I am, I still recommend waiting for a sale. My biggest issues with this game are the length and monotony. I beat this game in under four hours, which isn’t a great playtime for a fifteen-dollar title. It’s clearly meant to be replayed, but there are no mechanics to expedite or encourage subsequent playthroughs. Chances are, you’ll be forced to sit through the same content again-and-again if you want to unlock the full gallery. I don’t think Robolife-Days with Aino is interesting enough to be played more than once or twice. Grinding for money and rereading dialogue isn’t fun. As hot as the sex-scenes are, they’re too short and infrequent. Dating simulators aren’t my cup of tea, but I enjoyed Robolife-Days with Aino. If you can grab this title on a good sale, I don’t think you’ll regret your afternoon with Aino!
