The demons in this Doom dating game are more kissable than killable

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Less rip and tear, more kiss and care.

A skeleton wishes to tell you about their trumpet playing
(Image credit: David B Cooper)

Snarling space marines aren't the only problem a hapless zombie has to deal with these days. After all, it's the Icon of Sin festival tomorrow, and you don't even have a date! Can you woo the demon of your dreams, or will Cyberdemon and his Hell Knight goons bully you out of this unholy high school party?

Released last week and brought to our attention by Waypoint, David Cooper's Doomed Love is a charming visual novel set in the blood 'n' guts underworld of Doom. With the Doomguy nowhere to be seen, you'll be busy trying to win the unbeating hearts of four utterly lovable demons.

Rather than the intense beasts of Doom Eternal, Cooper's hellspawn are goofy, anxious and lovable. In one particularly brilliant early line, your character reassures a stressed Cacodemon by saying "There are already going to be a lot of demons there, we don't need to bring our personal demons as well."

I also can't get around that Doomed Love's art is adorable. Snarling sprites have been reimagined as soft, watercoloured friends, with a midi soundtrack that reworks the original Doom's crunchy audio barks into pleasant piano melodies.

There are four endings to reach (presumably one for each date, plus a special fifth ending), and Cooper promises there's absolutely no gore or violence present throughout—just wholesome demon dating. Doomed Love is free to play over on Itch.

Natalie Clayton
Natalie Clayton
Features Producer

20 years ago, Nat played Jet Set Radio Future for the first time, and she's not stopped thinking about games since. Joining PC Gamer in 2020, she comes from three years of freelance reporting at Rock Paper Shotgun, Waypoint, VG247 and more. Embedded in the European indie scene and a part-time game developer herself, Nat is always looking for a new curiosity to scream about—whether it's the next best indie darling, or simply someone modding a Scotmid into Black Mesa. She also unofficially appears in Apex Legends under the pseudonym Horizon.