Our last meeting with the good Richard La Ruina dates back to last May, when we were able to flesh out his first video game. Super Seducer is the masterpiece of the British pick-up artist, 'famous' for his guides and advice in the field of seductive communication, all techniques that we have been able to learn through the unique dating simulator for PC e Mac.
We do not hide it: the title of La Ruina had amused us a lot. It will be for this reason that the most recent Super Seducer 2 - coming soon on Steam - was received with great warmth by our editorial staff. Let's tell you how our second date with the bewitching dating coach went, analyzing the sequel developed by RLR Training Inc..
Super Seducer 2: money makes the honest seducer
Le 80.000 copies digital cameras sold by the first Super Seducer allowed Richard La Ruina's team to design an even bigger sequel, employing a budget 10 times higher. The results of this investment will be noticed already from the first moments of the game: there is a greater care for the environments, made even more opulent, and a new cast of actors much wider and more varied.
In short, Super Seducer 2 is bigger, from every point of view. We can deduce it, among other things, from the introduction of the first big news of the second chapter, or the presence of the co-protagonist Charlotte Jones; the model will effectively embody the female perspective and, therefore, a second point of reference for the analysis of our choices. As a 'judge', the beautiful Charlotte will flank a Richard more and more daring and, at times, awkward, ready to snatch more than a few simple smiles with his amiable cheekiness and coarseness - within the limits of common sense, of course.
Being a dating simulator in FMV (Full Motion Video), players will interface with the gameplay through a series of sketches with real actors. We can therefore observe how one was placed more attention to shooting techniques of the videos and the details of the same framed scenarios, more varied in terms of aesthetics and, above all, in the situations in which we will be involved.
The larger budget has led to a significant increase in the level of quality, this is indisputable, but the substance remains almost the same: an adventure in the name of pure trash, with situations bordering on ridicule and a bitter humor, sometimes too much.
A final observation regarding the budget: La Ruina is well aware of the bad job done with the Italian localization of the first Super Seducer. For the sequel, the producer decided to decoupling the original amount invested in the translation to guarantee Italian players a clear gaming experience without any communication hitches. However, we have not yet tested this experience, since the pre-release version did not have support for our language.
Politically correct, with some excesses
The code provided by the development team allowed us to get our hands on the first three appointments scheduled by Super Seducer 2, but ten matches will be available at launch - for a total of 16 hours of contentie another 4 hours of extra. However, we took this opportunity to play (and replay) each scenario in an attempt to discover all the possible endings which, when compared with the prequel, will be even more numerous and diversified.
Let's get to the heart of the action by inaugurating the first episode of the agenda. We follow dear Richard, intent on heading towards a sophisticated outdoor venue ... aboard a tank. Let's leave out the momentary confusion to observe what happens next: our hero arrives at the meeting place and, after having surprised all the bystanders with his spectacular entrance, he is stunned at the sight of an elegant woman with blond hair, also barely arrived on a humbler yacht.
Another potential date will take place in the worst possible setting: theoffice. As expected, the boss Richard La Ruina will have the intention of trying it with his secretary, but to succeed in this undertaking he will have to choose the approach most suited to his delicate position; it will be essential to opt for professionalism, but without giving up that pinch of informality without which the sweet maid could never understand our genuine intentions.
In any case, Richard will not be the only figure to fill the role of 'super seducer'.
For the first time we will also play the role of a woman, also grappling with a potential conquest, and more characters belonging to other ethnic groups and cultures. Among the three appointments of the pre-release version we so immersed ourselves in Interracial Dating which, as the title suggests, will feature a Chinese boy and a red-haired English damsel.
Judging by the insistence with which La Ruina himself introduces us to 'multi-cultural' scenarios, their inclusion seems almost forced and makes you turn up your nose to notice how the same characters involved leverage on stereotypes associated with their ethnicity. After all, the seductive sphere should not see the imposition of stakes of any kind and these elements, consequently, will only end up out of tune.
Wanting to be meticulous, during the test we did not see any scenarios dedicated to others sexual orientations, but we want to continue to believe that the advice given by La Ruina and his colleagues turns out universal and therefore adaptable even in situations not (yet) explored.
Formula that wins (?) Does not change
The first few hours spent with the ambitious Super Seducer 2 they allowed us to take a closer look at the new dialogue system.
This will be based on the same essential formula known in the prequel: after listening carefully to the words of our interlocutor, we will be offered several options, among which there is a correct answer, a 'mediocre' one and others completely wrong. It will not be too difficult to distinguish the latter, if we consider that the game will decorate some lines of dialogue with free insults and images to say the least colorful - which will materialize in hilarious absolutely unmissable scenes.
However, it won't be particularly easy to get the right answer right either. What may appear to be the correct option will instead lead to a mediocre outcome and, therefore, hinder the achievement of our goal. Let's cite the aforementioned example of the meeting in the office: by continuously choosing answers with an overly formal tone we would risk alienating the girl, it will therefore be necessary to alternate formality with more friendly and confidential answers.
If we think of the banality of the previous system, theunexpected complexity of the dialogues of Super Seducer 2 must be appreciated and promoted: players will be forced to pay more attention to the words spoken by the two interlocutors and, above all, they will have to consider the possible consequences of each of the answers on the screen.
In this regard, the curtains that will follow every choice made.
In these short secondary sketches we will discover if we have answered correctly, poorly or incorrectly, with the revealing explanations of Richard La Ruina and Charlotte Jones. When our dating coach is seated on the throne, the option chosen will be the correct one; when Charlotte will occupy the chair, the response has been mediocre. In case of total failure, the scenario will completely change and two shady dudes will appear and threaten poor Richard.
Richard La Ruina loses his hair, but not his vice
The curious videogame experience conceived by Richard La Ruina makes a further level up with Super Seducer 2. The major investments of the development team are reflected in a visibly richer and more varied amount of content, as can be seen from the bizarre scenarios in which we will be catapulted and from the technical sector itself, with a perceptible improvement in quality.
The production of RLR Training Inc. it also patches up some of the serious flaws of the first chapter: the alternative endings available for each appointment increase and, therefore, the replayability factor; we will finally find a worthy Italian localization - at least according to the producer's statements - and a more careful writing of the dialogues, even in the original language.
They do not fully convince certain situations that can be explored within the game, first of all that inherent in 'interracial' encounters, in which theabuse of stereotypes risks to easily tire any type of player, even the least susceptible. On the other hand, the hilarious reactions of the characters to the (spectacular) follies of Richard and the other seducers give us moments of genuine comedy - even for a product that emanates trash from all pores.
READ MORE: Super Seducer, the dating simulator arrived at the wrong timeOur dispassionate advice, in any case, is to give La Ruina's new work a chance. Of course, it won't entertain those looking for a more serious and profound simulator, but it will certainly manage to get a loud laugh out of those looking for a fun and undemanding title, to be played alone or in the company of a friend - or, why not, of your partner.
