D1AL-ogue Review – Love, Death, and Robot Girls

D1AL-ogue Review

D1AL-ogue is a puzzle game and visual novel about repairing robot girls. Clearing part of the puzzle unlocks new conversations and furthers the story. It’s a surprisingly fun combo that could support a much longer game than this one. And it’s free.

This title is set in a cyberpunk future where light has become a subscription service. Humans and robotic E.V.Es get by with implants and monthly plans designed to stimulate serotonin in their brains. But where there’s important technology, there will also be faults.

Mechanic Chris runs D1AL-ogue, a repair shop for E.V.Es that also provides conversation. His passion for his work is only surpassed by his passion for E.V.Es themselves.

D1AL-ogue doesn’t quite make the leap to dating sim, but it’s definitely interested in the nuances of robot-human relationships. From the strong emotional ties binding Chris to his patients to the rather charged repair scenes, this game has a strong undercurrent of playful romance.

Robot Girls and You

D1AL-ogue tells the story of Chris, a lonely mechanic whose recent break-up has left him feeling isolated. To cope and make use of his repair skills, he set up shop in Chroma City.

As E.V.E patients come in for a quick fix, they tell Chris about their lives, dreams, and idle thoughts. The result is a game that feels both tricky and peaceful.

Chris’ customers each have their own goals and lives. Café worker Pray is a huge magical girl fan and treasures her cat. Rescue model Orca is a biker girl, but she’s also unexpectedly kind and sensitive. And Lianne is a pharmaceutical researcher working on a huge, stressful project that leaves her prone to mood swings.

Over time, various subplots about the health problems and civil unrest plaguing Chroma City arise. As the Polarnight Day holiday draws nearer, Chris must choose where his relationships are headed. And as his own health declines, that choice may prove far more important than he realizes.

D1AL-ogue is a Celebration of Connection

D1AL-ogue is a puzzle game. To repair Chris’ clients, players must click and drag modules to match and upgrade them. Each repair requires specific modules to go in specific places. The games challenges you to make the correct modules and get them where they need to go in as little time as possible.

Synthesizing enough modules upgrades the battery and gives you more energy to move modules. Different repair jobs add new challenges, such as explosive overloaded units or a virus infection. If you meet certain pre-requisites, such as clearing levels in under a certain amount of moves or within a time limit, you’ll get a better result.

The visual presentation of this game is lovely. The characters are quite cute and their subtle robotic elements add to the appeal. Chroma City peeks in through the window with its bright neons and simple shapes. In contrast, the UI is drab and grey. Only through interacting with others does it gain color.

Each girl strikes her own pose while Chris opens them up for a look. Little details like Orca holding her tail out of the way add a lot to the experience. And pleasant synth tunes play in the background while you work.

Tone-wise, D1AL-ogue reminds me a lot of Hookah Haze. Although that game was more about forming trust and carried more of a friendship vibe, both titles focus on the importance of human connection.

Short and Sweet

D1AL-ogue has a few flaws, but for a free game, it’s quite good. The translation is far from perfect. There are a number of typos and sentences can be pretty clunky. However, the plot, worldbuilding, and the occasional double entendre come through just fine.

For better or worse, this game is very horny. From Lianne’s determined attempts at seduction to Pray blowing out her modules for a taste of joy, it’s not particularly subtle. However, the girls’ strong personalities and the undercurrent of cyberpunk despair give this title a distinct flavor beyond horny robots.

Chris’s increasingly unreliable narration merges the relationship building and mystery themes smoothly. The puzzles are challenging, but not particularly difficult. Especially after the endgame was made easier shortly post-release.

All in all, D1AL-ogue is a short, free puzzle game that’s more than worth spending a few hours on.

***Steam code provided by the publisher***