Harold’s Harem: The Neckoning (PC) Review

You know the deal. Simple guy gets entangled in a "story" full of sexy cuties, and they all magically fall in love with him. Date Sims are silly guilty pleasures; romantic fantasies, basically, where one can "get the girl" without much fuss. This is played from the point of view of the sexy cuties, however… and that's too simple of an explanation of what's going on in here. The player is part for an 'Erotic Infiltration' unit, a division of an agency tasked with… err, saving the world or something. It just so happens that a local hunk by the name of Harold holds important information that must be extracted in three days - or else!

The current unit is not the first. Others have tried to gather the necessary info, but have fallen victim to Harold's charms, and beautiful green sweater. The joke here, of course, is that Harold is ignorant of his sexual magnetism. Oh, and he is also a super-unimpressive, slipper-with-white-socks-wearing, moustached and bald man in his fifties, whose only passion seems to be the magic world of VHS films. He just can't understand why all these girls are trying to flirt with him, and why they are so interested in his love life.

It won't take long before you realise that this is actually a parody of Date Sim visual novels, with the comedic writing poking fun at character stereotypes, as the girls have to assume "fake" personalities, like the tough-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside tsundere, the silly bimbo, or the stern, but still sexy, glass-wearing lady. The girls of the infiltration unit also have to dress up as sexy nurses, maids, and so on, with Harold remaining impervious to their appearance. This is only one part of the equation. Harold's Harem goes beyond the confines of a simple parody, and offers a lot of extra wackiness, that is many times funny because it is unexpected.

Aesthetically this is definitely a unique specimen, as it doesn't try to imitate the typical anime look of Date Sims. It's not a visual treat, but it's undoubtedly distinctive. A weird detail is how characters occasionally do a "wobbly" animation, which adds to the unique vibe this has. Of course, being a visual novel, it's all about the quality of the writing. So, how good is it? The answer is: it's good. Occasionally it's a little bit more than that, occasionally it becomes a chore to read through, but most of the time it's good. Comedy is in the eye of the beholder, of course, so the only way to check if this is for you is to watch a playthrough.

The "it's good" comment, however, also means exactly that: it's good. Far from something spectacular. A small (two hours tops) visual novel, with a quirky sense of humor, which will be appreciated by lovers and haters of Date Sims, almost at equal measures. It has a few slow moments, which feel like the last more than they should, but as a whole, it's ok. So, if you don't mind something 'ok,' give it a look. Maybe you'll fall in love with Harold too.