Some otome games go all in on the escapism factor, putting their playable protagonists in various fantasy or dangerous situations where finding love and survival go hand in hand. That's not the kind of game Sympathy Kiss is. Otomate and Idea Factory's latest otome game to hit English-language platforms takes place in a reasonably ordinary office, starring a heroine with a pretty regular job. Akari Amasawa (a name you can change if you so desire) has been working as a designer for a firm that produces news apps for about a year when the game opens. At that point, she receives an offer she can't quite refuse: the company's flagship app isn't doing well, and she's offered the chance to revamp it. This, of course, puts her in the paths of eight eligible men – six obvious, two secret – ensuring that she has the chance to shine in both work and love.

Despite the sheer number of routes, Sympathy Kiss isn't an overwhelming game. Each route is about six chapters long, and the whole thing is playable in roughly forty-to-forty-five hours, depending on your reading speed, less if you turn the voices off. (I don't recommend that because the acting is good, especially KENN as Nori, but I also understand the intense discomfort hearing voiced lines can sometimes cause.) Each love interest comfortably fits into a genre trope (the perky one, the tsundere one, the human-pet one, etc.). However, they're decently written enough to still be interesting, and there are two routes featuring distinctly older characters, one regular and one secret. That broadens the appeal, and it rarely feels like you're just playing through "the red one" or "the blonde one," even with the more pat traits of each character.

The common route of the game is mercifully short, and saving at each choice assures you'll easily go back and pick a different character route for each new game without skipping too much. The routes that aren't with a coworker start quickly based on a single choice (Nori's route starts as soon as you agree to let him stay with you, for example). In contrast, coworker routes begin at the end of the common route when you choose whether you want to work with Mitsuki, Kohei, Yoji, or Rokuro. The two secret routes are accessed by choices within two of the main routes, while one main route doesn't unlock until you've completed a playthrough. Each route provides a fairly different story, which is very nice, and all hinge on Akari making the typical dialogue choices – with a few interesting gameplay details.

The major one is the work/love balance. Most choices are coded as filling one of those two parameters, and how you balance them determines which of the three endings you get. None of them are horrible, which I like; I play otome games for escapism and fun, not to be unduly punished with a horrific ending. Each character has a Work End, a Love End, and a Perfect End, with the last being achieved with a balance of the two elements. Choices are color-coded after selection, so you know which gauge you're filling (it can also be checked on the status screen), and completion of any one will allow you to see the others easily. This does run the risk of making the game feel less replayable. However, you can still go back and try for the other two endings manually, so it's just a nice bonus for completionists who are not interested in investing too many hours into a single game. Other good mechanics are how the game uses the heroine's cellphone to communicate with other players, with ringing causing the Switch controller to vibrate and buzz like a phone on vibrate, and the emotion choice. This is when you're given not a verbal option but a choice of two emojis to react to a question. It works more to shape Akari's personality than anything else, and reactions are remembered and often used later in the routes.

The art is a little more tricky, at least if you're inclined to pickiness. Overall, it looks nice, with good background details and plenty of unique CGs, including some spicy ones. (Sex scenes are fade-to-black.) I especially love the details of Akari's apartment, which looks both whimsical and like full-grown human lives in it. The issue is with the faces and not just that Akari's face is never drawn above the eyes; that's pretty typical of the genre, if not a little weird. But male characters have too many lines on their faces, which makes them look perpetually overtired, while at least one of the older options, Usui, looks emaciated. There is a wide range of facial expressions for each love interest, though, and the clothes aren't hugely fussy, which can sometimes happen in otome games. (Looking at you, Amnesia.) It looks a little better on the small screen of the handheld Switch, but it certainly doesn't look stretched out on the big screen, so whatever your preference is works fine.

As far as the story goes, the usual otome game warnings apply. A couple of the routes have power imbalances that may make some players leery, and Akari doesn't have much in the way of personality. However, that does change somewhat the further you get into a route, and she at least mostly acts like an adult rather than a high school girl in an adult body. The romances are mostly consensual (meaning no glaring red flags), but the plot points aren't exceptionally well-written or explored; it's more of a "that happened, and it was a thing" than anything else. Also potentially irritating is that Akari's dialogue is never written out; instead, the writing opts for, "I told him that I felt this way," which isn't great. On the plus side, the side stories from each love interest's point of view are nice and help to flesh things out, and you can either read them chronologically or save them all for the end.

Overall, Sympathy Kiss is an enjoyable game. It suffers from awkward writing choices and a general lack of story tension, but it's guaranteed happy escapism despite its workday setting. Whether you play it on the big screen or small or pick up the impressively sizeable limited edition (with extras like notebooks, a travel cup, and more) or the regular release, this is a nice low-key treat for otome game fans.