Building Relationships is exactly what it sounds like. A game about buildings and their kinky relationships with one another. You’re a house trying to romance a windmill. What? Were you expecting something else?
Let’s face it. Dating sims are among the – how should we put it? – most deviant of all video games. While some are far more out there than others, they’re all about kindling a spark with a partner in one shape or another. It could be human-to-human interaction, human to bird (no, really, you’ve never heard of Hatoful Boyfriend?), or anything in between.
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In the case of Building Relationships from budding indie developer Tanat Boozayaangool, it’s all about, well, literal buildings. You play as a house in search of love. Will it be Millie the windmill or Chester the giant chest that wins your affection? Who’s to say? The fate of this “silly adventure game” is yours to control.
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Feeling confused? Unsure what any of this means? Looking for love in all the wrong buildings? Fear not. We spoke to the creator to get all the answers about this “freaky” game.
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What is Building Relationships?
The premise is simple. You control a house on the hunt for love. You can jump, flip, and for obvious reasons, wave-dash around a mysterious island to find all sorts of romantic partners.
While there are secrets to track down, “lots of side quests,” and naturally, a fishing mini-game to engage with – every game needs fishing – “dating is the main part,” as Boozayaangool told us.
Each date is essentially its own unique experience. Some may be a bit more conventional than others, say, taking a fellow building out for a picnic. Other dates might be a little more unconventional though, and we’ll just leave that to your imagination for now.
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Plenty of love and adoration have been poured into each unique chapter as the game’s creator revealed he has spent “months making some of these three-minute sections.”
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As a debut project, it’s a bite-sized experience targeting a few hours of unforgettable chemistry. The main hook is set to be its emotional writing, with comedy opening the door for deeper connections.
What the solo dev says about it
Where the freaky idea came from
“The title came first. There was a game jam 10 years ago. A decade since the idea came to be. The game jam was around ‘construction and destruction.’ Ok, so I can make a game about building,s or I can make a game about relationships. I was like, ‘You know what, why not both?’
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“I worked on Stadia, when that was a thing. It was more tech than games. Once that stopped being a thing, I wanted to do game design part-time.
“I’ve never shipped a game. This is my first game. My background is in programming. Writing, that’s new to this game. I do everything but the music. Everything is new to me.”
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Tan Ant GamesDon’t question the fishing mini-game, ok?
Horny buildings? Horny buildings
“I’ve had to explain the game to people in person before, and they’re like…’ yeah, uh huh.’
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“[It has] just the right amount of thirstiness. Just the right level of freaky.”
“In the game, you get to choose and then go on a series of dates, and the story will unfold from there.
“A lot of dating sims revolved around choices. You pick A or B and your date hates you, for instance. I never enjoyed that challenge. Building Relationships is less of a quiz. If you say something wacky, maybe they’ll say something wacky in return.
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Tan Ant GamesGet your freak on with Chester.
“Each date that you go on is its own mini-game. There’s a reason narrative games don’t have a lot of mini-games. It’s hard. Mini-games are not mini.”
Building to tears
“There’s a story I’ve always wanted to tell. As a first-time writer, I don’t really know how things will land, how the themes will evolve, if the flow all makes sense. But the one thing I can hope for is the authenticity behind the writing shining through. Even if the writing is bad at times, I hope it reflects who I am as a person.”
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“I hope [players] cry.”
Building Relationships is targeting a PC release “this year.” Although there’s no solid release date yet, Boozayaangool assured us “If it takes more time than this year, something has gone wrong.”
