Tusks: The Orc Dating Sim
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| Tusks: The Orc Dating Sim | |
|---|---|
 itch.io version cover | |
| Developer(s) | Mitch Alexander |
| Platform(s) | Windows |
| Release | 9 February 2018 |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Tusks: The Orc Dating Sim is a 2018 visual novel and dating simulator by Scottish independent developer Mitch Alexander. The game sees the player accompanying and romancing a band of travelling orcs. First published in 2015 for a game jam, Alexander based the design of the game on his native Scotland and his own experiences, with a desire for the game to subvert queer stereotypes by deconstructing the orc archetype in fantasy literature. Tusks received attention from several publications upon the release of its demo, with critics praising the inclusive design of diverse body types in a dating simulator game, and the relevance of its themes characterisation to broader queer experiences and identities.
Tusks is a conventional visual novel in which the player character joins a band of orcs following the Uá, a celebration that unites the orcs of Alba. Over the course of several days, the player is able to choose to interact with the orcs over the days and nights of their travel, including five orcs, a selkie, a boar, and Aed, a human student studying the orcs.[1][2] players The gameplay in Tusks features an 'autonomy' system that can be turned on and off by the player. If the autonomy system is turned on, non-player characters make decisions independently of the player that may not reflect the player's choices. For instance, a player decision to kiss an orc may be turned down, reciprocated, or delayed until later in the game.[1]