is a

dating sim Dating sims, also known as dating simulation games, are a video game subgenre of simulation games with romantic elements. While resembling the visual novel genre in presentation, true dating sims utilize an additional statistical and time manage ...

developed and published by

Konami , commonly known as Konami, , is a Japanese multinational entertainment company and video game developer and video game publisher, publisher headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo. The company also produces and distributes trading card ...

for the

Nintendo DS The is a foldable handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens worki ...

handheld video game console. It was released in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

in 2009. Several updates and sequels have followed, including one for

iOS Ios, Io or Nio (, ; ; locally Nios, Νιός) is a Greek island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. Ios is a hilly island with cliffs down to the sea on most sides. It is situated halfway between Naxos and Santorini. It is about long an ...

in 2011. It has not been released outside Japan.

Characters

; : A second year high school student just transferred to Towano High School. Soon after, he joins the library committee and the tennis club, and gets a part-time job at a family restaurant. He is the only character the player can name in the game, and they can choose to refer in first person as or ("Boku" and "Ore" are both masculine pronouns for "I", with "Ore" being the less polite of the two). In the ''LovePlus Rinko Days'' manga, his name is Wataru Aikawa. ; : Game Info
– official site : A second-year high school student who goes to the same after-school tennis club as the protagonist. She comes from a well-off family and has lived a sheltered life, having no experience in many "normal" things like eating a hamburger combo, going out with her friends after the club, or watching TV. Her classmates shy away from her perfectionism, which is why she has few friends. ; : : A first-year high school student who the protagonist meets after being forced to join the library committee. She constantly wears earphones and has an attitude that keeps people away from her. Rinko's attitude stems from her feeling alienated and unwanted in her home after her father remarried, bringing a new mother and younger brother into the house. "Whenever I am home, the atmosphere darkens", as Rinko described. She wanders the streets after school, avoiding going back to an unwelcoming home. She likes punk rock and fighting games. The character concept was taken from

Haruki Murakami is a Japanese writer. His novels, essays, and short stories have been best-sellers in Japan and internationally, with his work translated into 50 languages and having sold millions of copies outside Japan. He has received numerous awards for hi ...

's '' Dance, Dance, Dance'' character Yuki. ; : : A third-year high school student working part-time in a family restaurant, where the protagonist meets her. She is the dependable big sister from whom everyone asks help. She has a mole under her right eye and likes housework and horror movies. In an early development setting she was meant to be a college student with light makeup. The latter remained part of her appearance during game release. In November 2009, a Japanese man and player of ''LovePlus'' "married" this character, provoking widespread media attention.

''LovePlus+''

''LovePlus+'' is the same as the original ''LovePlus'', although with new content, including field trips, fitness modes, sick days, '' Taisen Puzzle-Dama'', capsule toys and more. Almost everything from the original game also makes an appearance in ''LovePlus+'', along with many new ways to interact with the girls. Data can also be transferred from the original game to ''LovePlus+''. Anti-piracy measures have also been upgraded. The game was released in Japan on June 24, 2010.

''LovePlus i''

''LovePlus i'' is an

app that was released on December 12, 2011. Manaka, Rinko, and Nene are sold separately for 600

yen The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third-most traded currency in the foreign exchange market, after the United States dollar and the euro. It is also widely used as a third reserve currency after the US dollar and the euro. T ...

each.

Manga

In 2010,

Kodansha is a Japanese privately held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha publishes manga magazines which include ''Nakayoshi'', ''Morning (magazine), Morning'', ''Afternoon (magazine), Afternoon'', ''Evening (magazine), Eveni ...

launched ''LovePlus'' spin-off manga serials starting in April through early May in five different Kodansha magazines: Manaka, Rinko and Nene each have their own storyline. # ''LovePlus Manaka Days'' by Mikami Akitsu in '' Monthly Shōnen Rival'' # ''LovePlus Rinko Days'' by

Kōji Seo is a Japanese manga creator from Shobara, Hiroshima, Japan. He has stated in an interview that he was a member of his high school's track and field team and that he loves to watch baseball, both of which are emphasized in his hit manga '' Suzuka ...

in ''

Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine is a Japanese monthly manga magazine published by Kōdansha. The magazine was started in September 2009 as a spin-off of another Kōdansha magazine, '' Weekly Shōnen Magazine''. Currently running manga series Past series * '' ×××Hol ...

'' # ''LovePlus Nene Days'' by Takaki Kugatsu in ''Monthly Young Magazine'' # ''LovePlus Girls Talk'' by Daisuke Sakura in ''Magazine E-no'' # by Hiroaki Wakamiya in ''

good! Afternoon is a Japanese seinen manga magazine anthology published by Kodansha. Initially published bimonthly, it switched to a monthly publication schedule starting with the 25th issue in late 2012. Each issue typically has around twenty-five stories by v ...

Sequels

A sequel was released for the

Nintendo 3DS The is a foldable dual-screen handheld game console produced by Nintendo. Announced in March 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS, the console was released originally on February 26, 2011 and went through various revisions in its lifetime, ...

on February 14, 2012, titled ''New LovePlus''. An updated version of ''New LovePlus'' called ''New LovePlus+'' was released for

on March 27, 2014. ''LovePlus Collection'' is based on the original game, but is made for mobile phones and uses a card battle system to develop the player's relationship with the girls. It also features a new character, Akira Yukino, a sophomore. It was released as a standalone app at

iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...

and

Google Play Google Play, also known as the Google Play Store, Play Store, or sometimes the Android Store (and was formerly Android Market), is a digital distribution service operated and developed by Google. It serves as the official app store for certifie ...

(although the player needs a GREE account to play) on April 18, 2013. A free-to-play mobile game, ''LovePlus Every'', was launched in October 2019 and ended service on 5 August 2020.

References

External links

''LovePlus''s official site
{{Konami franchises 2009 video games 2010 video games Dating sims IOS games Japan-exclusive video games Konami franchises Konami games Nintendo 3DS eShop games Nintendo 3DS games Nintendo DS games Seinen manga Shōnen manga Single-player video games Video games developed in Japan Video games scored by Akari Kaida Works by Kōji Seo