Roommates (video game)

Plot

The game follows Max or Anne through their first year of college. The player shares the so-called Latin House with other roommates and experiences different scenes in their everyday life, including special occasions, such as a Halloween party and spring break.

Characters

Protagonists

Max

He is a singer and guitarist, and a rebel.

Anne

She is studious but very shy and easily embarrassed.

Main Characters

Isabella

She is flirtatious and loves to party. She works at the coffee shop on campus and is openly pansexual.

Sally

She is a vegan activist girl and loves animals. She works on the college farm.

Rakesh

He is an Indian exchange student and an aspiring artist. He is openly bisexual.

Dominic

He is the resident advisor and considers college serious business.

Minor Characters

Carmen

Carmen is a shy girl who has a crush on Max.

Butch

Butch is a small student with swirly glasses. He goes by his middle name, Terrence, because "he doesn't really look like a Butch". He acts as the game-master during a murder-mystery game at the Halloween party.

Marvin

Marvin is a red-headed student who is rarely seen.

Roxanne

Roxanne is a serious, analytical, and stoic girl who shares a couple classes with the protagonists.

Gameplay

The player can choose between playing as Max or as Anne. The game offers a mix of classic visual novel gameplay, with dialogues and many choices to make. The player has to plan their activities for the week and raise stats, which are necessary to get a good ending with one of the romanceable characters. The game features multiple endings.

Development

The game was first announced in May 2012. It was in development for about two years and features an OST by Leetstreet Boys including the main theme "Name In Lights". It is the first release from Winter Wolves with an original soundtrack.

Reception

John Fuller from TechZwn wrote about the game: "Winter Wolves continues to improve its games, and Roommates is certainly a step up from past titles. Not only is Roommates the best dating sim Winter Wolves has published, it’s one of the best dating sims available from any indie developer. There is a lot to this game, including a decent original soundtrack."

Roommates received a 'B-' on TechnologyTell, with reviewer Andy Breeding writing: "What Winter Wolves crafts in Roommates is a great, if not entirely accurate, look into the first year of college life. Though, more interaction could have alleviated the long periods of time where the player has nothing to do but click for the next paragraph to read."

The game holds a rating of 4/5 on jayisgames.com with the reviewer writing: "Roommates doesn't drastically shake up the life simulation visual novel formula, but it is proof positive just how much fun a simpler storyline can be when done right. Roommates is warm, funny, and definitely replayable."

VNs Now! gave a rating of 7.0 from 10.0, writing: "Roommates just wants to tell a fun, sometimes steamy story set during college and it succeeds: starting the year off for Winter Wolves on a good step." In the 2014 Best Offs by VNs Now!, it won in the category "Best Romance EVN".