14 DAY TRIAL // Konami's Love Plus turned out to be quite the Otaku obsession in the last couple of months of 2009. The dating sim took a different approach to the genre, focusing less on fan services and gratuitous graphics, allowing players a more genuine simulation of the age-old game of boy-meets-girl. Launched with almost no publicity, the title managed to sell over 200,000 copies on word of mouth alone, a pretty impressive feat for a dating sim. The game even generated several related events, like a Love Plus-themed Christmas cake sale that sold out faster than Modern Warfare 2 did, back in the States.
There was also a far more peculiar event that took place in Japan concerning the game, as a man ended up so infatuated with his virtual girlfriend, that he walked his Nintendo DS down the aisle and married the game character. So, with that much of a success for the title, it's no wonder that Konami is already working on a sequel for it.
A piece of information leaked last week accidentally by Famitsu, Konami has confirmed the existence of Love Plus Plus. The game's producer, Akari Uchida, said that the new game wouldn't be a revolutionary title and wouldn't stray from the original concept too much, nor would it blow things out of proportion, preferring to see the game as a "season two" For Love Plus.
"Talking about the 'next game' gives the impression that we're going to be changing everything," Uchida told Famitsu. "The characters will be the same as before, but at the same time, this is more than just a version 2.0. It'll be the next evolution of Loveplus, something influenced by the passionate feedback we've received from everyone." He further detailed that the game would feature new, special events, like a trip to the countryside with your beloved, and that the "relationship with the ladies will progress a little further."
Players will be able to import the saved game from the original Love Plus, giving the title a sense of continuity, furthering its immersive concept. At the moment, the game doesn't carry any release date, but Uchida said that, "We won't make people wait as long as they might expect."