Gamers turn to the visual novel genre for all kinds of reasons. Some seek deep-rooted mysteries to solve with tense stakes and heroic endings. Others simply want to unwind for an hour or so an evening and hang out with some fictional friends. And some of us enjoy the cute comedy and unexpected feels of freely flirting with those fictional friends to find out whether love can truly bloom between pixels.
Arcade Spirits: The New Challengers is a good pick for all of the above — romance most of all. The protagonist, Seeker, has several stellar schmoozing options that can lead to hot dates and lifelong partnerships. If your idea of a good time is giving your visual novel heroes a good time, read on.
How to Romance Rhapsody
Smooth-talking with dulcet tones to back up their groove, Rhapsody is the best kind of shoutcaster: one who doesn't need to raise their voice much to get everyone's attention. For players who find Rhapsody to be as pleasant on the eyes as on the ears, the following two personality traits are dressed to impress: Steady and Quirky.
Steadiness is Rhapsody's biggest preference. In conversations with them, have Seeker (or whatever you name yourself; we use the default moniker for convenience's sake!) present themselves as the sort of friend who doubles as a pillar to be leaned-upon when needed. It's not that Rhapsody is the neediest of the gang, per se; they simply want to be with someone who can support them just as handily as they can support their partner. It's a win-win arrangement.
Toss in the quirky (read: witty and occasionally smartass) remark or two along the way to keep things peppery, but remember that Arcade Spirits: The New Challengers will occasionally throw a curveball and make it so that the best response to a given situation goes against the usual groove; in other words, Steady and Quirky will usually be the order of the day, but pay attention, because those won't always be the most appropriate picks. The game's quite forgiving, however, so messing up here and there won't have an impact. Consider this an all-purpose disclaimer for not just Rhapsody but the full team!
How to Romance Zapper
Everybody's a bit wild in Arcade Spirits: The New Challengers. That's part of their charm. Zapper's wildness manifests itself more overtly, and loudly, than anyone else's. Zapper is feisty and brave, though her unabashed outbursts and profane vernacular won't gel well with overly pleasant types.
To romance Zapper, you're going to need to keep up the pace. She wants "awesome," and Seeker will need to live up to awesome's lofty perch. Gutsy and Quirky are Zapper's biggest draws. Backing down from confrontations makes you seem weak to her, not because she's a bully but because she's reflexively defensive toward bullies and wants someone who will stand their ground as well.
As with several other romantic possibilities, the long and short of things boils down to picking the proper conversation options more often than not. No bells and whistles; just be your brave, smirking self.
How to Romance Grace
Grace is a sweetheart. This RPG-loving gal is remarkably intelligent and ever-insightful, but for reasons that become clear over the course of the game, Grace has difficulty dealing with discord. When problems arise, she really needs someone to lean on, to rely upon, and that someone has to be confident yet kind.
For that reason, Kindly and Steady dialogue options will draw Grace closer to Seeker. Interestingly, Steady is the primary of the pair, though backing that up with an ample dose of sweetness is often necessary to ensure Grace does not feel discouraged by her challenges in life.
Grace can also be romanced polyamorously alongside Jynx. More on that in a bit.
How to Romance Jynx
Jynx's closeness with Grace is one of Arcade Spirits: The New Challengers' storytelling strengths. The two women seem so unalike on the surface; for all Grace's fretting, Jynx "tells it like it is," though both characters have their weaknesses. They're only human, after all. Jynx's disability is a justifiable point of contention for her; she doesn't want to be treated any differently but knows she has natural physical limits. Grace is always there to assist.
If you're interested in Jynx (and only Jynx), blend Steady and Gutsy. In a very real sense, Jynx benefits from having a partner to lean upon in life, so steady dialogue options helps her to trust that Seeker is the one for the job. Like Zapper, Jynx stands up for herself in a flash, and values friends who do the same for her and for themselves.
How to Romance Grace and Jynx
Romancing Grace and Jynx together nets players the Polycute achievement. More importantly, it's a fun route and rewardingly difficult. Choosing Steady responses during the game's most important moments (the ones in which you can only select one of your main two traits) is pivotal to your success here.
The hardest thing to ascertain is whether you should use Gutsy choices as well. The short answer is no. Gutsy means bold, and boldness can scare Grace off from any romantic pretense whether you're interested in a polygamous relationship or even just Grace herself. It's better to go with Kindly in this case.
There are exceptions to this rule. Keeping Jynx intrigued by Seeker does necessitate some degree of Gutsy remarks, and thankfully, there are ample scenes in which Jynx is present, but Grace isn't. It's a bit cheeky, but this is when you switch behavior patterns a tad and go for Gutsy.
When Grace and Jynx challenge you to Fist of Discomfort 2, lose. This isn't vitally necessary for the route, but it's a major boost to the game's hidden relationship score system, making the remainder that much easier.
How to Romance Locksley
Ah, Locksley. The valiant Robin Hood of Good Clean Fun's eclectic band of eccentrics, he fancies himself something of a shadowy savior but pulls it off without seeming conceited. For that alone, he impresses; his impressive deductive talent and his skill at gaming crane games are all just icing on the top.
Locksley shares Jynx's love for Gutsy replies but replaces Steady with Kindly as a secondary. This is because after spending even just two minutes with the guy, you'll realize that Locksley himself is kindly and courageous. As with all other romance options you wish to pursue, you'll gain a nice bonus by thinking he's charming, adorable, and all those other optional avenues.
How to Romance Domino
Domino is that guy we all know who's always one step away from snapping but holds all his pain to his heart and tries to laugh it off like it's nothing. Nihilistic but plenty appreciative, Seeker can really open Domino's eyes over time, but it means lots of hard work making him feel welcome and like one of the gang. Or rather, he's part of the gang from square one, but as he himself alludes, there's a difference between being present and truly being around.
We might have expected Steady to be critical here as Domino has a lot of issues to work out with your help. But in fact, he values Kindly the most and Quirky secondarily. In hindsight, this makes more sense. Domino utilizes humor as a tool for deflection and self-deprecation, so reveling in that sort of thing lets him know he can ease up around you. Just take care to choose the nicer fare whenever it seems like his edginess is cracking rapidly into momentary madness.
A good rule of thumb for Domino is to joke along with him until things get especially heavy, then extend an olive branch of niceness instead. Follow this practice and he'll be interested eventually.
How to Romance Your Rival
Amazingly, you don't even have to classify your rival as the friendly type (rather than the more aggressive version) in order to romance them. You can be the most bitter of foes at the outset, so when the game is asking you what kind of relationship you have with him, don't feel trapped. That said, it is a bit easier to do this with a friendly start.
Your rival pops up during timed events on multiple occasions. Obviously, whomever it is you're pursuing romantically, you will want to choose them as one of the time segments, but with your rival it's of vital importance because you don't hang out with them much otherwise. It's highly advisable that you never skip the chance to see them.
You'll have the chance to sort of mentally swoon over them at times as well, in the same vein as with GCF members. Always do so, doubling down on your interest to make it apparent to Arcade Spirits' script that you're in the mood to make amends (and more).