Lovepical Poppy is a visual novel developed by SMEE and released in 2024. SMEE is known for creating what people often call "chara-ge", visual novels where the appeal is centered almost entirely on the characters rather than on a strong overarching narrative.

These types of games live and die by their heroines. If the cast is not compelling, the entire experience becomes hollow since there is no deep story structure to fall back on. In this case, well, things are a bit complicated and I will get to that soon.

The story follows Yaotome Tetsuya, who loses his home in a fire and is forced to move into a school dormitory together with his little sister Suzuka. He becomes a live-in caretaker while she attends the school as a normal resident.

The dormitory has an attached café where students can work part time, and the protagonist ends up helping there as well. Through this job he gets to know several girls and, honestly, that is where the story both begins and ends.

By that I mean there is almost no plot outside the individual routes and the small personal issues that arise once Tetsuya starts dating a heroine. There is no wider conflict or mystery running through the game.

The main heroines are:

Kinugawa Miu, a popular online content creator and extremely confident girl. I liked how she shifts from an annoying, self-centered attitude to being surprisingly sweet once the relationship begins. The gap moe definitely works in her favor.

Kotobuki Tamaki, the dormitory leader and resident small girl. Just do not call her that or she gets angry. She has this adorable, mascot-like charm and her route is great at making you feel protective of her.

Oumi Nozomi, a cheerful and slightly clumsy girl. It feels like she has been in love with the protagonist from the start. She is very dedicated, and she is also quite attractive, although her attempts at being seductive tend to fail thanks to her clumsiness.

Yaotome Suzuka, the protagonist's little sister and a dependable presence. She tries hard not to trouble her brother. Her route reveals a darker, comedic side whenever she suspects him of cheating. The video attached to this post really shows that well.

And the two minor heroines:

Okai Tanpopo, a girl with gal-like style and personality. Loose socks and a lolita hairband set the tone. She is eccentric, but that is exactly what makes her enjoyable.

Urushihara Ayako, a full-time café employee, an otaku, and an extreme pessimist. She lacks self-confidence yet she is actually quite capable. Her route focuses on the protagonist helping her accept herself more.

Overall, I found most of the heroines charming, but the lack of a broader story made it harder for me to get emotionally attached to them. It feels like, "yes, I like them, but..." and I suspect I will end up forgetting many of the details of their arcs over time.

One feature that really bothered me was the thought bubble system. The game lets you read a heroine's inner thoughts by clicking on a speech bubble that appears in certain scenes. For someone like me who prefers to play on auto mode, it becomes a hassle to constantly pause and click. It completely disrupted the immersion at times.

Art wise, the game is amazing. As you can see from the screenshot, it is vibrant and beautifully colored. There are three artists credited, and I do not know who handled the main style, but the CGs are stunning. I could look at them for minutes in awe.

Do I recommend the game? If you enjoy chara-ge, then yes. There is enough variety that you will almost certainly find a heroine you like. If you want a story with depth or strong narrative structure, then you should probably skip this one since it is not made for that kind of experience.