Tomorrow’s Love Puzzle Review

This tale begins like many others, with the player-character, Ming Tian (aka Tomorrow), in a soulless corporate job. After some disagreements, he quits and stumbles into a woman who points him towards free cooking lessons. It turns out Ming Tian is a natural pastry chef. While the chef element is important, it’s undercooked, without challenges and only minimal food prep.

The game features six love interests, with a good mix of personalities. Your faithful colleague, Chu Chu, is always there. The president of your old company, Jin Xiao, finds your dessert dream delightful. Teaching chef, Yu Anran, is almost a recluse, which is uncommon in the genre but appreciated. Fitness coach, Wang Yiman, is supportive and hyperactive. Childhood friend, Tian Tian, is devoted and young. And finally there is Ni Ke’er who, like the game itself, is a mystery.

The line-up is strong and the interactions are genuine. Fang Jin demonstrates again why she is one of the best in some emotional scenes. Yu Anran feels like a real person. Jin Xiao balances the line between warmth and strength. Sadly, the game does not do them all justice. You first see Tian Tian in chapter four, yet the game is only five chapters long. It seems like you’ve just met all of them before the game forces you to choose one.

While Chu Chu (Fang Jin) was expected to be number one, the game had one more trick up its sleeve: Wang Yiman. One reason for Yiman’s success was because you explore an abandoned hotel with her, which is a great contrasting location for a romance game. She mentions family expectations and life’s trials, providing grounding. Her energy is intoxicating. She is bossy but never mean. And she is a romantic, with a smile that could light up the world.

Each of them gets a few endings, including some related to the pastry chef arc. But most are short and underwhelming. More chapters were desperately needed, likely just before the finale, to let players dive deeper.

At least there are great little touches throughout, including props, phone messages, a social media feed. It is a high production experience. No face filters. No ADR. It does save remotely, which is terrible and led to numerous delays. But the biggest problem is that it’s just too short, taking about 2.5 hours to finish and 6 to clear everything.

With all of Tomorrow’s Love Puzzle’s secrets now revealed, it did not quite meet my lofty expectations. But this appetizer still managed to surprise, like a cupcake in a puzzle box.