Cupid Parasite: Sweet and Spicy Darling (Nintendo Switch) Review

Ordinarily, sequels are meant to be read after the original's release, but for this reviewer, Cupid Parasite: Sweet and Spicy Darling was the first encounter with now ex-goddess Cupid. Fortunately, that didn't matter, because at the start of each route there is a brief recap cleverly written in so that new fans aren't at a complete loss as to what each husband is like, and old fans won't be bored by the recap.

Even before pressing play on the first route, which could be any bachelor on the list, everything about this title screams "sweet". The bright and bold graphics on the menu screen reveal a different sugary treat for each option, except the beauty-themed gallery. Many of the soundtracks, which have their own library, have unique album covers that are often food oriented. The love meter in each route has two sides: the sweet side will get covered in hearts, the spicy side kisses. What seems like a sweet choice often ends up with the spicy rating, and influences that route's multiple endings. There are a few spicy moments within each route but nothing overly explicit. Surprisingly, the main menu is not food-themed; it gets a road-map style which pairs well with the jaunty soundtrack.

The prominent food theme spills into the stories themselves, with dates focusing on food and one permanent setting being a donut shop - it feels impossible to get through Cupid Parasite: Sweet and Spicy Darling without craving a sugary morsel! There is much more to this tale than desserts. The word parasite in the title is how the bachelors were referred to in the original game, with each bachelor having a distinct characteristic. Cupid, who is called Lynette, has her hands full in the dating agency trying to help each distinct gentleman find love. She absolutely doesn't expect to become the focus of their attention. Each route is now devoted to whichever she chose for her husband, but marriage is not exactly like dating someone, as Lynette discovers.

It must be a real treat for original fans to see the former Cupid tie the knot with their favourite choices. The routes all have an individual feel, the plot directions they take get quite whacky in content, and most of the endings are unexpected. Emotions that Lynette must learn to manage in her husband include jealousy, obsessive protectiveness, rejection fears, rival romance and many more. How she juggles working with taking care of her husband is a good question tackled within the routes themselves. Lynette feels like a strong, capable, former goddess. Having one new bachelor route that is an addition to the original tale gives newcomers the opportunity to see what the original game is like, full of as much mystical mayhem as its sequel.

Speaking of the gods, part of the story revolves around her celestial relatives' involvement in her now earthly life. Just because she is no longer a goddess doesn't mean she stops seeing her family occasionally or needing to help with heavenly matters. Her busy, non-earth welling parents and aunt manage to find time to meddle in her life, often unwanted and mostly with humour. Each of the six routes has varying levels of familial divine intervention, some are unexpectedly serious, and depending on the bachelor chosen, Lynette changes her physical form to her divine one which is absolutely stunning. It is delightful to have an image of Lynette's head next to much of her dialogue, which can be removed if players prefer to read the text without her pretty self, allowing further immersion in the story. Her name can be changed too, and there are some images of Lynette with her husband to unlock through story progress.

Replaying the same route is worthwhile because once all branches of a story within a specific bachelor route are unlocked, there is a short bonus story available in the Extras menu. It is easy to skip past already read passages, which in turn makes it relatively fast to reach the options in the tale that weren't originally taken. One unusual extra feature is the recordable voice clips. Much of the story is voiced and with a few button-presses a clip can be recorded and set to a playlist to listen to whenever desired. This is a tool fans of specific voice actors will absolutely love to use; they can listen to their favourite lines as many times as they like without having to replay the entire story.