Info about High Times:

Official game description:
Meet Your Customers
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About the Game
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In a world where you can literally eat your feelings, you work at The Hotbox, a special donut shop where every donut is infused with mood enhancers that can change your customers’ emotions. But people don’t always know what they need, so from flavors that give them courage to ones that lift their spirits, it’s up to you to choose the right mood and help each troubled customer. Listen to their stories, offer advice in the form of donuts, and help mend broken relationships.
FEATURES
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🍩 **A Sweet Kind of Therapy**  
Serve donuts that change the emotions of your customers and influence their actions.
🍩 **Manage Your Own Donut Shop**  
Cook donuts, serve the right orders, collect tips, unlock new tools, decorate your shop and discover recipes!
🍩 **English Voice Acting**
Starring Nola Klop, LilyPichu, Johnny Yong Bosch and other talented voice actors, every character is fully voiced except for the MC.
🍩 **Closure Simulator**
Rekindle romance with the exes you've ghosted. Will you heal from the trauma of the past, and perhaps even experience the most elusive and mythical of all emotions—closure?
🍩 **A Cast of Misfits**
Get to know over 30 customers and 6 romanceable characters, serve their favorite donuts, and find out what makes them tick.
🍩 **Choices Matter & Multiple Endings**
The donuts you serve and the choices you make throughout the story ultimately affect your relationships, with some customers having 2–3 possible endings.
🍩 **Customizable Main Character**
Players can customize their character's appearance—skin color, hairstyle, outfit, etc.
🍩 **Dynamic Comic Book-Styled Visuals**
Watch the story come to life with over 70+ vibrant and animated comic book style illustrations.
🍩 **Original Soundtrack**
Vibe during service time to a blend of originally composed rock, city pop and lo-fi music.

Release date: Jul 23, 2026

Categories: Dating Simulation, Visual Novel, Cooking Game, Shop Management, Choice-based Narrative, Multiple Endings, Character Customization


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 40.0h
  - Story completion: N/A
  - Session length: 6.5h
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: Session length is supported by two independent reports: one explicit 6.5-hour single-session play and another reporting 6 hours of continuous play causing physical strain. Game completion is supported by a range estimate of 30–50 hours for 100% completion. No direct evidence exists for story-only completion time or endgame content hours.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: The game has a slow start with tedious early elements, but enjoyment clicks once the story and character arcs engage. Some players find immediate fun, but the predominant feedback indicates early friction before the game becomes rewarding.
  - Stance: Clicks after
  - Anchor: Story and character arcs engage
  - Time to anchor: N/A
  - Friction: Slow start; Rough feel; Tedious social media tablet; Repetitive cooking mechanics; Dialogue choices lack clarity; No manual save system
  - Unlock drivers: Story engagement; Character arcs development; Engaging visual novel and dating simulator side
  - Conditions: Enjoyment of character arcs; Tolerance for early friction; Love for romance genre; Preference for story-driven gameplay
- Player Archetypes:
  - Achievement Hunter / Completionist (sale)
    - Motivation: Unlock all achievements and experience every ending.
    - Playstyle: Systematic and thorough, restarting saves to avoid missing content and meticulously pursuing all possible outcomes.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: achievement hunter; completionist
    - Reference games: N/A
  - Otaku / Reference Enthusiast (buy)
    - Motivation: Enjoying otaku culture, inside jokes, and the game's authentic references.
    - Playstyle: Immersive and emotionally invested, focusing on character dialogue, humor, and the overall aesthetic rather than gameplay efficiency.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: otaku
    - Reference games: N/A
  - Chill Vibe Seeker (buy)
    - Motivation: Relaxation and enjoyment of casual, humorous interactions without gameplay pressure.
    - Playstyle: Laid-back, often playing in short sessions, valuing story and character chemistry over mechanics or difficulty.
    - Experience: newcomer
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: Date Everything


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Quirky and flavorful cast (weight 0.95): Reviewers love the unique, lovable characters with backstories, praising the deep cast and engaging character routes.
- Excellent voice acting (weight 0.91): Players consistently praise the game's voice acting as amazing, impeccable, and top-tier, noting the stacked cast and voiced NPCs.
- Hilarious writing and humor (weight 0.65): The game's outrageous one-liners, campy tone, and funny dialogue are frequently praised, with some finding it extra funny after playing another game.
- Vibrant visual style (weight 0.58): The colorful, stunning visuals and charming comic book scenes are frequently mentioned as a standout feature.
- Fun donut making mechanics (weight 0.51): The donut making gameplay is highlighted as immersive and engaging, with players enjoying the cooking and talking loop.
- Abundant content and polish (weight 0.51): With 51 endings, 30-50 hours of content, and many unlockables, the game is seen as a labor of love that lives up to expectations.
- Cozy and relaxing vibe (weight 0.41): The game is described as cozy, chill, and restful, offering a comforting and fun experience.
- Overall positive reception (weight 0.37): Players express love for everything about the game, calling it a promising and fun time.
- Engaging storytelling (weight 0.33): Players appreciate the good stories, stellar story, and well-written visual novel and dating simulator elements.
- Meaningful player choices (weight 0.33): Choices affect later conversations and have weight, contributing to replayability and deep gameplay.
- Extensive romance options (weight 0.33): The massive romance cast and multiple endings, including polyamorous character inclusion, are highlighted as appealing features.
- Inclusive and adult themes (weight 0.32): The game tackles adult themes and relatable stories, with an inclusive and raunchy tone that resonates with players.
- Unique dating sim concept (weight 0.32): The game is considered a unique take on the dating sim genre, filling a niche and being compared favorably to similar games.
- Great soundtrack (weight 0.23): The music is described as perfect and peak, enhancing the overall experience.
- Responsive developers (weight 0.13): Players note that developers are responsive and fixed bugs, which is appreciated.
- Character creation excellence (weight 0.13): The character creation is brilliantly handled, adding to the game's appeal.
- Fun interactive features (weight 0.13): Details like the social media page with fitting posts and comments add to the immersion and fun.

Common complaints:
- Slow story pacing early (weight 0.33): The start of the story is slow and repetitive, with excessive donut making stretching progress. This delays player engagement.
- Awkward dialogue and writing (weight 0.33): Dialogue writing feels awkward, with some choices lacking clarity. Uncomfortable jokes about characters' mothers also detract from the experience.
- No manual save system (weight 0.25): The game lacks a manual save option and only provides one auto-save per day, which can be frustrating. Players want more control over saving.
- Cooking mechanics are repetitive (weight 0.25): Cooking tasks are simple and repetitive, lacking depth. The frosting precision requirement is too strict, causing frustration.
- Lack of male romance options (weight 0.25): Players want more male romance interests for better balance. The limited options reduce replayability and inclusivity.
- Lack of facial expressions (weight 0.23): Characters lack facial expressions, making interactions feel flat. Puppet animation quality is also inconsistent.
- Achievements require multiple playthroughs (weight 0.23): Achievements require multiple playthroughs, which feels tedious. Forced flirting for an achievement also feels uncomfortable.
- Baking could be improved (weight 0.22): The baking minigame lacks depth and could be more engaging. Additional sound effects and VFX would enhance donut making.
- More dateable characters desired (weight 0.15): There is a wish for more dateable characters overall to increase variety and engagement. Limited choices feel restrictive.
- Earning money is slow (weight 0.14): Money earnings are slow and do not scale with progress, making upgrades feel unreachable. This dampens motivation.
- Social media tablet is tedious (weight 0.14): The social media tablet mechanic feels tedious and like padding, adding unnecessary busywork. Players find it unengaging.
- Guesswork in customer orders (weight 0.14): Players must guess what customers want, and wrong orders force restarts. This trial-and-error design is frustrating.
- Price too high for content (weight 0.14): Some players feel the price is too high compared to the amount of content provided. Better value is expected.
- Voice acting is rough (weight 0.13): Voice acting quality is inconsistent and rough in places, which can break immersion. Polish is needed.
- No prep time during cooking (weight 0.13): There is no preparation phase during cooking, which can make the process feel rushed. Players want more strategic planning.
- Insufficient glaze tutorial (weight 0.13): The tutorial for glaze and topping placement is insufficient, leaving players confused. Better guidance is needed.
- No additional character customization (weight 0.13): Compared to the demo, the full game offers no additional character customization options. Players feel disappointed.
- Carpal tunnel from controls (weight 0.13): The intense control scheme caused carpal tunnel symptoms after extended play. Ergonomic improvements are needed.
- Protagonist personality unrelatable (weight 0.12): The protagonist's avoidant personality makes it hard for some players to connect. More relatable traits would help.
- Minor technical quirks fixed (weight 0.12): Some early technical quirks have been fixed, but players recall them. Current builds should be more stable.

Gameplay feedback:
- Visual novel elements (weight 0.85): The game is heavily dialogue-driven with reading, character stories, and comic-book style scenes. It blends visual novel and point-and-click gameplay.
- Dating sim core (weight 0.74): The game is fundamentally a dating simulator featuring multiple love interests and romance elements. Players expect a humorous, story-driven experience with character interaction.
- Donut making mechanics (weight 0.74): A central gameplay loop involves baking and customizing donuts, including mixing ingredients, choosing glazes, and placing toppings. This is described as therapy or a way to change customers' emotions.
- Unique customer requests (weight 0.43): Players must interpret customer moods and guess the correct donut, glaze, and toppings combination. The donut customization includes base frosting and 7 fixed topping slots.
- Multiple character routes (weight 0.43): There are six main dateable characters, each with three possible endings: bad, friendship, or romance. Over 30 unique NPCs appear in the story.
- Unlockable content (weight 0.33): Players can unlock new ingredients, molds, furniture, recipes, and equipment through progression. An achievement system tracks milestones.
- Mature and bold writing (weight 0.25): The writing is described as mature, bold, and edgy, with humor and real character arcs. It targets an audience that appreciates unconventional content.
- Comic-book visual style (weight 0.25): The game features neon colors and a comic-book art style, complemented by comic book scenes for storytelling.
- Day and night cycle (weight 0.23): The game includes a day-and-night cycle that structures the daily donut-making and character interaction loop.
- Character creation (weight 0.14): A character creation feature is present, allowing players to customize their protagonist before starting the game.
- Social media activity (weight 0.14): Players interact with a social media tablet as part of the gameplay, adding a modern layer to character relationships.
- Demo available (weight 0.13): The game has a demo version that includes 7 days of content, giving players a preview of the core loop.
- Cooking focus (weight 0.13): Gameplay emphasizes cooking mechanics, particularly the step-by-step process of making donuts from scratch.
- Unique twist on dating sim (weight 0.13): The combination of donut-making with dating sim and visual novel elements creates a unique mix, similar to Coffee Talk and Date Everything.
- Donuts affect moods (weight 0.13): The donuts made in the shop can alter customers' emotions, tying the cooking mechanic directly to character outcomes.
- Exes as romance options (weight 0.13): Some romanceable characters are explicitly described as exes, adding relationship dynamics to the dating sim.

Performance notes:
No performancepoints

Recommendations:
- Unique dating sim experience (weight 0.26): Players highly recommend this game for its unique take on the dating sim genre, emphasizing sincerity and a distinctive experience. It is ideal for fans of dating sims seeking something genuine and heartfelt.
- Strong general recommendation (weight 0.22): Multiple reviewers give a straightforward recommendation, stating they do recommend the game and it is definitely worth trying. This indicates broad positive reception.
- Adults-only content (weight 0.15): The game is noted as adults-only, indicating mature themes or content. This is important for audience targeting and content expectations.
- Avoid buying full game (weight 0.15): One reviewer advises against purchasing the full game, suggesting potential issues with value or content. This is a notable negative caution.
- Chill and humorous vibes (weight 0.14): The game offers a relaxing atmosphere with humorous one-liners, making it a great choice for players looking for a chill experience. Reviewers highlight the positive and entertaining tone.
- Recommended for VA-11 Hall-A fans (weight 0.14): Fans of the popular game VA-11 Hall-A are likely to enjoy this title, suggesting similar storytelling or gameplay appeal. It draws a parallel for those who appreciate narrative-driven experiences.
- Great for dialogue-heavy fans (weight 0.14): Players who enjoy games rich in dialogue will find this title engaging. The writing is a key feature, catering to those who prefer story and conversation over action.
- Charming characters and silly stories (weight 0.14): The game features charming characters and silly, entertaining stories that appeal to readers. It is recommended for those who like lighthearted, character-driven narratives.
- Try demo before purchasing (weight 0.14): Reviewers recommend trying the demo first before committing to a full purchase. This helps players determine if the game suits their tastes.
- Edgy writing for VN fans (weight 0.14): This game is recommended for visual novel and dating sim fans who appreciate edgy or bold writing. The tone sets it apart from more conventional entries.
- Recommended for Date Everything fans (weight 0.13): Fans of the game Date Everything are likely to appreciate this title, indicating similar mechanics or tone. It markets to an audience already familiar with that style.
- For Monster Prom series fans (weight 0.13): This game is recommended for players who enjoyed the Monster Prom series, suggesting shared elements of humor, romance, or visual novel structure.
- Romance and point-and-click appeal (weight 0.13): Fans of romance games and point-and-click adventures like Papa's Pizzeria will find enjoyment here. The combination of genres attracts a broad audience.
- Visual novels and cooking fans (weight 0.13): Strongly recommended for fans of visual novels and cooking games, indicating genre crossover appeal. The combination may offer unique gameplay elements.
- Positive overall endorsement (weight 0.12): One reviewer simply says 'Go buy it,' indicating a strong positive endorsement without caveats. It reflects confident satisfaction with the purchase.

Other player notes:
No miscpoints

Emotions:
- Enjoyment (weight 0.15): Players enjoy the game's chill vibes, outrageous humor, and funny characters. Donut making, social media interactions, and unpredictable conversations with a quirky cast also contribute to the enjoyment.
- Happiness (weight 0.12): The cozy atmosphere, good stories, and character depth bring happiness to players. Cute and fun art, unique characters, excellent voice acting and animation further enhance the positive experience.
- Excitement (weight 0.12): Excitement stems from the long wait for the demo and immersion in character stories, which players feel was worth it. Players look forward to completing all achievements and feel the final product exceeds expectations from the beta.
- Amusement (weight 0.09): The absurd and campy writing style amuses players, along with references and the presence of a poly character. Playing after dispatch and the tsundere ex archetype also contribute to the amusement.
- Admiration (weight 0.09): Players admire the game for being described as peak, with a great cast, gameplay, and story. Well-designed character creation, voice acting, and the six-year labor of love with clear developer dedication also earn admiration.
- Frustration (weight 0.06): Frustration arises from difficulty understanding humor or idioms due to language barriers. The lack of facial expressions and jarring puppet animation, as well as repetitive gameplay and strict mechanics, also cause frustration.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.06): Satisfaction comes from entertaining character arcs and the game's sincere approach to the dating sim genre, dealing with adult themes. Engaging visual novel and dating sim content with deep gameplay and massive content also satisfy players.
- Appreciation (weight 0.06): Appreciation is expressed for the game being a true labor of love with charming characters. The enjoyment and silliness similar to Monster Prom also earn appreciation from players.
- Disappointment (weight 0.06): Disappointment is caused by the limited number of dateable characters and the lack of additional customization. Slow progression and a lack of male interests to romance also disappoint players.
- Comfort (weight 0.03): Players feel comforted by the cozy feeling derived from the animation and characters in the game.
- Curiosity (weight 0.03): Curiosity is sparked by the childhood friend character Lucy, making players interested in learning more about her role in the game.
- Anticipation (weight 0.03): Anticipation arises from hoping the game will hit the same niche as VA-11 Hall-A, providing a similar satisfying experience.
- Surprise and hilarity (weight 0.03): Players experience surprise and hilarity due to the unique dating sim concept and funny dialogue. The combination of these elements creates unexpected and amusing moments.
- Engagement (weight 0.03): Engagement is driven by the lovable cast and their stories, which effectively reel players into the game world.
- Joy (weight 0.03): Joy is brought by the colorful game and the beloved character Johnny, whose presence enhances the overall enjoyment.
- Mild frustration (weight 0.03): Mild frustration results from a slow start and unclear dialogue choices, which can hinder initial engagement and decision-making.
- Anger (weight 0.03): Anger is triggered by uncomfortable jokes and forced flirting, which detract from the overall experience for some players.}