Releases of high-quality sapphic visual novels are relatively rare, even though the genre has long since carved out a dedicated niche. While there are many visual novels in the broader market, few teams or studios venture to create ambitious projects with multiple routes, intricate storylines, and diverse endings. This is understandable, as crafting a compelling and memorable visual novel is no small feat—even with accessible tools like Ren’Py.
However, fans of the girls’ love genre have something exciting to look forward to in 2025. The Xso development team is set to release Love Curse: Find Your Soulmate, a sapphic visual novel, slated for launch in Q2 of this year. While we await the full release, the demo version of this visual novel is now available for everyone to explore, which offers a glimpse into the story’s setup, introducing the main characters and, of course, the central love interests. Thus, I was among those who decided to try this apéritif before the main dish.
The story puts us in the shoes of a young woman navigating her junior year of college. Her default name is Selene Yan, though players will have the option to choose a custom first name in the full version. Miss Yan lives an ordinary, uneventful life—until one day, a sudden accident turns everything upside down. A mysterious woman saves her from a deadly car crash but reveals that she only delayed the inevitable. However, there is a way to avoid the predetermined death – MC must find her soulmate.
From this moment on, the story unfolds like a classic otome game. To the MC, everything seems to happen by chance, but from the outside, it’s clear the world begins to revolve around her, setting off a chain of unexpected events. First, her childhood friend suddenly becomes her neighbor. Then, her classmate mysteriously starts acting like a completely different person, behaving in strange and unexpected ways. Soon after, a senior student surprises her by asking her out, where she offers to help her land the internship of her dreams. And finally, during an interview, the CEO acts in a way that’s both unusual and intriguing.
All four main love interests show their attraction to the MC from the very beginning, as if pulled toward her by some invisible force. While the childhood friend’s obsession with Selene feels natural given their history, other characters seem to experience something close to love at first sight—or at least an immediate, intense interest in the protagonist. However, none of the main love interests seems to be perfect, waiting for their dark sides to be discovered.
In rare moments when two or more of them share a scene with the MC, subtle signs of jealousy or even possessiveness begin to surface. These hints of tension add depth to their interactions, leaving room for intriguing developments in the future. It’ll be fascinating to see how these dynamics evolve as the story progresses and the competition for Selene’s heart heats up. On their social media developers team shared a relationships chart between characters, which clearly shows that some characters have underlying conflicts which could lead to emotionally charged scenes in the future.
The demo version features at least two hours of content, showing the beginning of Selene’s path on her way to lift the curse. It allows you to experience first dates with the main love interests and feel which one is more interesting for the first playthrough. And it certainly won’t be one, since the full version promises different endings depending on the players’ choices. Each decision changes the affection of the characters towards the MC, seemingly opening additional scenes and choices in the future.
The full version promises to be approximately 200,000 words long, so the demo version is barely a tip of the iceberg, but so far the writing and storyline look really promising. The light tone and occasional humor create a cozy, inviting atmosphere, making it easy to immerse yourself in the story and connect with the characters. The only confusing moment for me was that despite having Chinese surnames and addressing each other in Chinese terms like “jiě jie”, all characters have Western-style names. This creates a slight sense of dissonance, but it seems to be a deliberate choice by the localization team, likely for specific reasons.
Another key aspect of any visual novel is its art, and in Love Curse: Find Your Soulmate, it’s absolutely on point. The game features a variety of beautifully designed background locations, rendered in soft pastel tones with versions for different times of day. The characters are equally impressive, particularly the love interests, who are crafted in a stunning hand-drawn style that brings them to life.
Like any great visual novel, this one includes numerous CGs (character graphics), which are divided into two types: traditional, detailed artwork for important serious or romantic scenes, and playful chibi-style illustrations for lighter, comedic moments. This balance not only enhances the emotional impact of key scenes but also adds a touch of charm and humor to keep the tone engaging. The attention to visual detail makes the novel feel vivid, dynamic, and visually rich, further drawing players into its world.
There’s a common belief that visual novels are simply interactive stories, and adding complex mechanics is either too difficult due to the engine limitations or simply unnecessary. While it’s true that introducing elements like platformer mechanics would drastically change the genre, there are still ways to enhance player engagement without straying from the core experience. Love Curse: Find Your Soulmate does this effectively by incorporating small but meaningful features, such as a messaging system where players can respond to love interests and a date option at the end of each in-game month.
These additions give players more control over the route they want to pursue, offering extra opportunities to build relationships and improve their chosen love interest’s approval. Beyond the gameplay benefits, these features also add a layer of coziness and freshness to the experience, setting it apart from more traditional novels. The messaging system, in particular, feels modern and immersive, while the monthly date mechanic adds a sense of progression, in game time and personal investment.
However, it’s important to note that Bad Ending routes will include dark themes such as character death, depictions of blood, toxic relationships, imprisonment, secret affairs, and other potentially disturbing content. While these themes can add depth and emotional weight to the story, they may also turn some players away if not handled thoughtfully. The hope is that Love Curse: Find Your Soulmate will use these heavy themes to enhance the narrative in a meaningful way, rather than relying on them for shock value alone and won’t follow the steps of its predecessors like Nurse Love series or Yumeutsutsu, where dark themes sometimes felt excessive or unnecessary grotesque.
Let’s wait and see what story Love Curse: Find Your Soulmate has in store for us. With its intriguing premise, charming characters, and potential for emotional depth, it could very well become a memorable addition to the sapphic yuri genre. Whether it delivers a heartwarming tale of love and self-discovery or explores darker, more complex themes, the hope is that it will strike a balance that resonates with players.
