Randomness 1 (I Bit The Bullet)

I/VI) Oh woooow a new hyperfixation

As people have no doubt learned by now...

It's Hustle Cat.

Because I wouldn't be Munchy if I wasn't discovering and hyperfixating on games that are at least five years old.

And surprise surprise, it's a dating sim. Kind of a weird one, too. Stranger than the Our Life series and Arcade Spirits, more normal than Hatoful Boyfriend. SPOILERS. BEWARE (if you care about that at all)

But like, c'mon.

Avery Grey and his/her/their shy af boyfriend defeat a menacing rust witch (who is the toxic ex of their boss) with magical poetry.

Alternatively, Avery Grey's girlboss girlfriend wins with fire magic and raw strength. Or their sassy but seriously dorky boyfriend drops him in a portal made by a seam ripper. Or their internet star girlfriend cancels him /hj. Or their usually-sweet-but-with-a-temper boyfriend wins with the power of electrolysis. Or their boss literally turns him into a cat.

Did I mention that every employee of A Cat's Paw (adorable cat cafe) is cursed to turn into a cat every time they leave? Yeah. The curse is a really big plot point.

When I was first playing the game, the first love interest I met was named Landry. I read a few lines and went, "Yeah! I can see him being my favorite character!" He has a very chipper attitude and fun-loving spirit, so he kind of reminded me of my OC Leon.

Then...

Hayes. I saw. One. Sprite. Of Hayes. And I knew he was my favorite that very instant. Granted, there are LOTS of really great characters! It's to the point where Landry, the one I initially suspected would be my favorite, is #5 out of 6 main characters (not counting player character Avery, of course, but Avery is probably tied for either second with Mason or third with Reese). Finley didn't really win my heart quite as much, at least not as a love interest, but I do think she'd be a pretty great friend, and the only reason she's my least favorite is because the others are such tough acts to follow. Regardless, I like joking that I know myself very well. And when I tell you that I was preparing for hyperfixation the moment I laid eyes on Hayes, I'm not kidding.

And he's 22. So that means I can have a crush on him if I want to /hj He's not a rat man, as you would likely suspect. He is, in fact, one of my other favorite types of characters: the shy, socially awkward one with a heart of gold (bonus points, he's a writer and it's actually really important to his character). Instead of Rat Men, whom I want to slap before hugging, I just want to hug this type of character forever. Plus, I'm literally always, always a sucker for a good confidence-building arc, and hearing him stand up with so much conviction against Nacht in order to save Avery and the rest of his friends was very satisfying.

Also he's both a coffee and a tea drinker. He also has one of the funniest "basement" scenes (a scene in the cat cafe's basement where the game tells you which route you're on). Reese's is funnier, I'd say, but Hayes being too scared to go down to the basement despite wanting to help Avery is frickin' wonderful. Avery and Hayes just progressively freak each other out more and more until Hayes pleads with Avery to come back upstairs (holding their hand ^w^) and admits that he's worried about them. Also he writes Avery a bunch of poems and it's adorable.

Basically just yes.