Date with Us: A Dating Sim Podcast

Smash or Pass: Daddy Edition! It's time to explore somehow nearly-retro game and iconic dating simulator, "Dream Daddy"! In this episode, we'll learn which of us are healed, which are heels, and which are liable to get hurt for the sake of landing our dreamiest daddies.
"Are you ready? Hi ready, I'm Dad."
Dream Daddy is developed and published by Game Grumps. You can find it on mac, PC, linux, and other platforms!
If you enjoy the show, be sure to rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts and follow us on socials as @datewithuspodcast or bookmark https://datewith.us for our newest drops. 
To talk about the show, find us online on Bluesky, Instagram, and in Claire's Discord Server! Find Claire online as ClaireAfterAll on twitch, bluesky, youtube, or instagram. Find Kanisha online as DreamNormie on twitch, bluesky, and instagram.
Featured Guests:
Friday Night Gamecast is a podcast dedicated to all things video games! Nick and Will co-host this podcast and are here to provide commentary and discourse surrounding games we're playing, gaming industry news and more.

Join us as we explore if the rhythm of our fingers can earn us the love of a serial killer in "Serial Lover"! We'll discuss the variety pack of bangers and the fact that Jared has told his therapist about us!
"After waking in an unfamiliar house, you find yourself stuck with a group of strangers, all as confused as you are. Together you try to reveal the mysteries of the house and what brought you all there. Put your rhythm skills to the test as you try to win over the hearts of six serial killers—if you can survive them."
 
Serial Lover is developed and published by Sugar Slip and was released on January 15, 2026.
 
Featured Guest: Jared Moss is a graphic designer, dedicated gamer, and the co-host of the Play Along Podcast, the show that treats video games like a book club, inviting listeners to play along with them one chunk at a time. A self-professed Zelda head and Pokemon enthusiast. Jared loves breaking down mechanics in games, dissecting deep lore, and exploring everything from massive triple-A hits to hidden indie gems.
If you enjoy the show, be sure to rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts and follow us on socials as @datewithuspodcast or bookmark https://datewith.us for our newest drops. 
To talk about the show, find us online on Bluesky, Instagram, and in Claire's Discord Server! Find Claire online as ClaireAfterAll on twitch, bluesky, youtube, or instagram. Find Kanisha online as KanOfWormz on twitch, bluesky, and instagram.

HAPPY ONE YEAR OF DATE WITH US! Join Claire and Kanisha as they gab about the first game they ever bonded over in celebration of one year of the show! Stay tuned to the episode for a very special interview with AkaBaka himself on the process of making the game, mental health, and the lifelong cthuwu versus cthussy debate!
"Put the 'love' in 'Lovecraftian horror'! Perform terrifying rituals to win the affections of eldritch horrors and smooch 'em... at any cost!" Sucker for Love (First Date) is developed by AkaBaka and published by DreadXP. The upcoming Sucker for Love: Crush Landing will be published by Black Lantern Collective.
Featured Interview:
We sat down with Joseph (he/him) to chat all things “Sucker For Love”! Based in Baltimore, AkaBaka is a husband-and-wife game dev and business team coming out of Baltimore, MD. They have been making games for the past six years! Find him online as AkaBaka or ChromatoseDev.
If you enjoy the show, be sure to rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts and follow us on socials as @datewithuspodcast or bookmark https://datewith.us for our newest drops. 
To talk about the show, find us online on Bluesky, Instagram, and in Claire's Discord Server! Find Claire online as ClaireAfterAll on twitch, bluesky, youtube, or instagram. Find Kanisha online as DreamNormie on twitch, bluesky, and instagram.

Spring Season Finale is here and we've got an episode full of treasured memories, teasing, and Fields of Mistria with the Indie Informer, Jill Grodt! 
"Start your new life! Build the farm of your dreams as you discover a world brimming with possibilities. Magic, romance, and adventure all await you in this nostalgic farming / life sim RPG!"  
Fields of Mistria is developed and published by NPC Studio in Chicago. It is currently released in early access with a full release slated for later this year.
Stay tuned through the episode for a special announcement of our SUMMER SEASON!!
 
Featured Guest:
Jill graduated from UC Santa Cruz with degrees in History of Art & Visual Culture and Classical Studies. She then worked nearly ten years in Museums before jumping into video game journalism. Another near-decade later she started The Indie Informer. She enjoys playing a mixture of genres and can’t resist a hand-drawn indie. To find out more about Jill or to read or listen to her work, check out https://theindieinformer.com!
Looking for more Date with Us? 
If you enjoy the show, be sure to rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts and follow us on socials as @datewithuspodcast or bookmark https://datewith.us for our newest drops. 
To talk about the show, find us online on Bluesky, Instagram, and in Claire's Discord Server! Find Claire online as ClaireAfterAll on twitch, bluesky, youtube, or instagram. Find Kanisha online as DreamNormie on twitch, bluesky, and instagram.

The penultimate spring episode is HERE! "Embark on an exciting summer adventure and uncover the hidden mystery as you TEXT, DATE, and FIGHT in this turn-based strategy dating sim!" Nova Hearts is developed and published by Lightbulb Crew. It was released in June 2025.
If you enjoy the show, be sure to rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts and follow us on socials as @datewithuspodcast or bookmark https://datewith.us for our newest drops. Want to talk about the show on discord? Join Claire's discord server here!
 
Featured Guest:
Kiwi (they/them) - studio manager for @TotalPartyChill, events manager at a Friendly Local Game Store, League Manager of a queer adult dodgeball league. A nerdjock, a beast wrangler, a cult leader, a sometimes-wizard, a most-times paladin. Lover of tabletop role-playing games, video games with romance-able options, and cats. Taurus sun, Pisces moon, Sagittarius rising (because it’s important). Also -- Claire's sire. Find them online as kisevergreen.
 

Calling all long and freshly dead matchmakers! Join Claire, Kanisha, and Kayla (@PalettesAndPages) in shipper central as we match make mammals (and other anthropomorphic animals) in our magnificent manor.
Love, Ghostie is a cozy management game with tons of wholesome romance! As a cute ghost in a manor, it's your job to set up residents and help them find love!
Love, Ghostie is developed and published by Janbeh Games, LLC. It was released on August 14, 2024 and sits at the $19.99 price point.
 
Mentioned in the Show:
Drop in Drop Out Podcast Network
Kayla's YouTube
Claire's Twitch Stream
Claire's YouTube Channel (Archival from Streams)
Content Warnings: Light mentions of heartbreak, death, dying, and existentialism
 
If you enjoy the show, be sure to rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts and follow us on socials as @datewith.us or @datewithuspodcast and bookmark https://datewith.us for our newest drops. 

Join us as we log back in to AIM and FaceNook and try to make things work with Emily or... Evelyn? Beau, Kanisha, and Claire get into the hearts and minds of what happens when your crush enters the chat.
Unexpected SPOILERS FOR THE GAME "INSCRYPTION" 26:25-26:36
If you enjoy the show, be sure to rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts and follow us on socials as @datewithuspodcast or bookmark https://datewith.us for our newest drops. 
 
Emily is Away, Emily is Away Too, and Emily <3 are all developed and published by Kyle Seeley.
Doki Doki Literature Club livestreams are on Mondays at https://twitch.tv/claireafterall
Looking for a place to talk about the show? Join Claire's discord server!
 
Featured Guest:
On Underplayed, Bo_Po and DiscoCola review indie games of all kinds: the games with small budgets but big hearts. The lesser-known experiences with imaginative ideas.
Normal episodes feature two main segments. First, we have Secret Games, where we reveal and review games we’ve been playing in secret apart from each other. Then, we do an in-depth review of a Featured Game – a higher-profile entry in the indie game landscape we both agree to play.
Find Beau on Twitch at and on Underplayed.

Spring has sprung and Date with Us is BACK baby! Come on our journey as we date our way through the world's kaiju scene with KAICHU!
UPDATE: Now with the end of the episode included...
 
Please don't forget to rate and review the show, visit us at datewith.us, or email us at hosts@datewith.us.
 
TODAY'S GAME: KAICHU: KAIJU DATING SIM
"Kaichu is a dating sim about kaiju! You play the role of Gigachu, a gigantic romantic looking for love. Meet 6 other eligible kaiju and visit 24 famous landmarks where Gigachu will answer challenging compatibility questions to decide the fate of your relationship.
Give romance a chance, and let love smash its way into your heart with Kaichu!"
Developed By: Squiddershins
Published By: Top Hat Studios, Inc.
Price: $9.99

Happy International Women's Day! We were SO lucky to get to chat with Emily about her game What a Catch! As a little treat to ourselves and you, dear listeners, we got together to get into it as women in STEAM. 
Regardless of your level of comfortability with game development or coding, there's something for everyone as Emily walks us through the process of developing What a Catch for use on her Twitch streams, we weigh some HEFTY and spicy pros and cons, and wax on womanhood in storytelling. 
Our guest today is Emily Merritt (aka Egg) from No Small Games! She is a freelance web developer who specializes in building web apps and websites for small businesses and non-profits. She has a lifelong love of video games, beginning when she was just 5 years old, playing computer games on her parents’ work computer. In addition to games and coding, she also loves gardening, playing with her dog and, of course, listening to podcasts! Find Egg's web dev and other services at https://eggplanted.io.

Join us as we dive into the No ICE in Minnesota bundle curated by JesTheHuman! We're trying a new format for this type of bonus episode, so let us know what you think! 
 
Get the bundle here before Feb. 28 to be a part of this great work! 
 
We Played: 
Catgirl Truckers, 3/4 Spell Swap, Seascape Paradiso
Sugar Cookie, Spicy Love, Don't Tell My Wife
Code Romantic
 
Also Mentioned in the Episode: 
Calico, PomoFarm, Dead End Job, Become a First Rate Artist in Just 30 Seconds
 
Find us online at datewith.us or as DateWithUsPodcast on social media (instagram and bluesky)