This dating sim is rough around the edges, but it is worth playing because it does some things differently. The story is basic, with the player-character being a tourist visiting Taipei. Your male friend gives you a nice apartment to stay in alone, but two women quickly join you and then you meet three more later.
One highlight of the story is that it showcases the culture of Taiwan. Interactions with admirers take you to different temples, a tea house in Jioufen, the Anping Tree House, and the night market. You will also see some of their cuisine (e.g. tea eggs and taro balls). Other games mostly show off sterile cityscapes while this one is proud of Taiwan and that gives it a different flavor.
The five admirers are decent with some depth, and they’re quite different. One is a rich daughter who is cut off from the family fortune. Another is a bartender that has not been home for years. The remaining three include a betel nut girl (again, this seems unique to Taiwan), a fitness trainer, and a mother seeking divorce. The acting quality is a bit mixed. Some of it is cringe while other scenes flow naturally. The ex-rich daughter is probably the best for romance and she gets the most screen time, but the bartender is hilarious with her exaggerated reactions. The other three are fine but the betel nut girl has a voice that sounds like nails on a chalkboard.
Overall the game seems lower budget than others, but this also works in the game’s favor. The grounded acting and simple presentation makes it more like you are just meeting regular people, instead of living in a TV drama. The game gets better as it progresses too, with longer scenes, better acting, and cleaner flow. There are some early endings and the typical final choice endings—these provide a long conversation and then a short montage, which is fine.
There are a few technical issues and some general sloppiness. Some of the footage has dark marks on the screen edges, like from a camera lens. Audio is all live recorded (great) but dialogue can be missing or distorted—it seems like they tried to cut out ambient noise but it does not always work great. English translation was recently added and it’s not the best but mostly understandable.
If you are interested in Taiwanese culture and/or like the genre then Taipei Midsummer Night’s Dream is worth playing. It has a more natural feel to it than most other dating sims and it offers decent value with 3.6 hours for the first run and just over 8 hours to see everything.
Rating: Good 
Length: 3.6 hrs
100%: 8 hrs
Positives +
Characters, Tourism, Natural
Negatives –
Amateur, Translation, Video Quality + Tech
Steam Store Link
