By EuHappy Valentine’s Day!
Or at least post-Valentine in my part of the world. I hoped you have a wonderful date with your significant other.
But if you’re like me who’d rather hang out with my 2D husbandos (yes I have a sad layf lol), then let the eligible dads of Dream Daddy be your date!
If you tell me 2 years ago that I’m going to play and love Dream Daddy, I would probably laugh my ass off.
May contain spoilers so proceed with caution!
Released in 2017 by Game Grumps, Dream Daddy is a dating sim where you can customize your ‘dadsona’ and as the name suggests, you can date different kinds of dads. There are 7 dads in total but let’s start by making the dadsona who will date these dads.
At the start of the game, you’d be prompted to customize a dad to your liking. Think of it as the simplified version of the Create-A-Sim menu in The Sims.
So here’s my dadsona, Bae Summers.
Isn’t he good-looking? I loved that egg nipz shirt! hehe
Once you meet all the dads, it’s time to date! You have to message them on the game’s version of Facebook, the Dadbook. Each dad has 3 dates that need to be passed. Aim for S or A rank to ensure a good ending.
Or, if you’re like me, you can turn to guides such as these https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1085165969 and https://allgamers.com/article/2932/dream-daddy—guide-to-unlocking-all-dad-endings.
You’ve done all the things above and now you’re ready to push that message button. So the next question would be…
Who is your Dream Daddy?
You’ll see mine at the end. 😉
Craig Cahn
The main reason I got this game! After watching Kelsey from this video I had the urge to get his end!
MC’s college buddy and partner-in-crime. But when they meet again, Craig is already a responsible father of three.
Wait, there’s more.
He’s also a businessman, running a sports business. Also, he’s a health junkie. He trains every day, jogging around the neighborhood with his baby strapped on his body. To top it all, he coaches his twins’ softball team. Such a busybody.
Craig’s ending, his route, heck even his kids did not disappoint! I would play his route again and again just to see his daughter River. She’s, like, the cutest kid in this game!
Seriously, though, I’m shipping MC with Craig because their bond is something. I love the whole bromance to more-than-bros going on. The confession scene at the end is sweet and cute. Too bad the game’s pretty short. I would have liked to see more of these two.
That third date, though. 🤩
Another reason to love Craig’s route is that, unlike the other dads, he has none of those minigames. So you can just safely play through this route without worries of a failed date.
(There’s a mini-game where Craig invites you to do the treadmill. But in my game, it didn’t appear on his route. Rather, he invites you when you are in another dad’s route.)
Mat Sella
Mat is the owner of the coffee shop in the neighborhood. He loves music, coffee, and his daughter Carmensita.
After ogling at Craig, I’m not sure I’d like Mat. But there’s a certain charm to his awkward personality. Like how he looks flustered when meeting people, which, at first glance, is totally unlike him.
Bae is so thirsty I kennot. 😂
But Matt’s really sweet and thoughtful to everyone. Contrary to his belief that he doesn’t like crowds, he’s rather good at taking care of people. It’s nice to see him complimenting MC’s personality. Together, they look like cute awkward teens and that’s…adorable.
The last date and the scenes leading up to the ending are so sweet. I loved how they get so flirty with each other. Mat is just giggling and flirting with the MC. That’s the happiest I’ve seen him in the game.
Brian Harding
Brian is MC’s rival dad. From the first time Brian and MC meet, this dad keeps on one-upping our MC. So for the rest of the route, they work through their rivalry thing.
Hence, this route contains the most nerve-wracking minigames! Brian invites the MC in different activities such as playing golf and fishing. And since, MC is competitive as ever, you as the player have to win them all!
So if you’re planning to get all of Steam’s achievements, I can only wish you luck. I admire you for having the patience I can never have. Because you’ll need a lot of it to finish Brian’s minigames, especially the golf part.
As for Brian and MC as a couple, I find it hard to see any chemistry between them because of their constant rivalry. But once I realized what Brian is doing, I found it cute. It’s nice to see them sort out their differences in the end.
Also, his daughter, Daisy, is a bit of an uptight at first. She keeps on correcting Amanda’s jokes which had me rolling my eyes a lot of times. But Amanda’s really chill so she teaches Daisy to be a bit more laid-back. Then, the two of them makes an adorable pair of siblings.
Robert Small
Robert looks wild and gruff, someone giving off a dangerous vibe.
MC’s first encounter with him is when he and Amanda visit Mat’s coffee shop. There, Robert checks out MC, staring darkly from the corners of the shop. I admit, he gives off a creepy vibe on that scene.
If MC decides to go out at night, he’ll go to a pub where he’ll be properly introduced to Robert.
Anyway, the other characters call Robert as an enigma. He’s such a mystery to everyone due to the cryptic way he speaks. You can never EVER get a straight answer from him. I can’t help but roll my eyes every time he speaks like that…
…I guess I really am no good with people like him because it feels like he’s belittling other people with the way he speaks.
Surprisingly, I loved the ending. Robert did have some baggage. But I think he has the most realistic ending. I appreciated his no kiss-and-tell personality because at least he’s really clear with what he wanted in his relationship with MC.
Another surprising part of this route is Mary. It is already weird to have her hitting on MC on his first night in the neighborhood. Being friends with Robert, she is not someone to be messed with.
But Mary’s actually a really good friend. She doesn’t look like it, but she cares for Robert. And I appreciate her for that.
Damien Bloodmarch
When I watch Let’s Plays of the game, whenever players meet Damien, they’ll all have the same reaction — “Vampire Dad? No way!” But whenever I scrolled through the comments, everyone says that Damien is just misunderstood.
Those mixed reactions are really intriguing.
Damien dresses and acts like a Goth and has a love for the Victorian Era. Because of this, he gives off a standoff-ish vibe.
Damien is a sweet and romantic guy. Underneath his classy look lies a cute cinnamon roll. He proves that you can’t judge a book by its cover. His route is like watching a slow and old-school romance unfold. Like, how he prefers handwritten letters (with seals!) over Dadbook messaging.
And I loved how everyone could tell that they’re sooo in love with each other to the point of teasing them. I even love the part where Amanda saw them kissing in front of their door because that’s like a reversal of their position as dad and daughter.
Also, he’s a fudanshi. 😏
He has a collection of SasuNaru fic? 😏
Hugo Vega
Hugo is Amanda’s teacher. Being a person of authority, he’s pretty uptight.
Hugo is, well, nerdy. Other than teaching middle and high schoolers, he writes scholarly stuff and he’s very knowledgable with high brow lit.
He’s knowledgable. Period.
But he has another hobby: wrestling. He’s got a room of wrestling things. And it goes without saying that he knows a lot about it, a huge fanboy. That and those teach-me-wrestling-moves had me 😏.
Thing is, I enjoyed Hugo and his son, Ernest moments more in Damien’s route. Unlike Damien’s son, Ernest didn’t really show his appreciation for Hugo in his dad’s route. Meanwhile, in Damien’s, due to certain events, the relationship between Hugo and Ernest have a big leap. They have a more familial atmosphere around them in the end.
Or maybe, Ernest is busy on other things…
Joseph Christiansen
I have mixed feelings about this dad.
Joseph freaking Christiansen is a youth minister at the church. He’s the husband of Mary and father to the freakishly looking kids, Chris, Christian, Christie, and Chrish.
My initial reaction when I meet him and his family: YOU’RE TELLING ME YOU CAN DATE HIM!?
Just look at their names. I feel like I’m committing a sin.
Also, he spends most of his route being extra sticky to MC, like being sweet and clingy. I could definitely picture him staring longingly to MC, giving off mixed signals.
It’s uncomfortable knowing Joseph is married to Mary. She’s not the nicest neighbor. But after playing Robert and Damien’s routes where she is a good friend, she’s grown on me.
AND NOW I’M SNATCHING HER HUSBAND.
You’re being such a good friend MC. 🙄
So other than the names and his wife’s existence, Joseph intrigues me in the previous routes. During Amanda’s graduation party where MC talks to each character, Joseph asks MC to hang out with him anytime he’s free. He’s not telling MC that in a casual way. It’s more of like this:
… which is like silently pleading MC to notice him.
When MC did, he so brilliantly dumped him.
Which brings me to another reason why this route brings me discomfort.
Joseph’s best end is in the opposite direction with the other dads. After flirting around, he’d tell you that he’ll go back to his wife. And that’s perfectly okay. That’s a good thing, mending a broken family.
But it feels like MC is subjected to a needless embarrassment and rejection for someone who’s only stringing him along. He’s just a rebound, a one-night stand.
I couldn’t help but compare Joseph with Robert, because of their internal issues and how they treat MC. Thanks to this, I ended up liking Robert more, mainly because he’s very clear with what he wants and puts a distance from MC as he fixes his life.
Now I kind of regretting leaving Joseph for last since it taints a charming game. It’s like Joseph lives in a different world, far from the sweet worlds of the other dads.
So to answer my question above:
Craig is the love of my life in this game. Though I loved everyone, in all fairness. I just especially loved him. Even MC agrees,
For my favorite in the game – Craig > Damien = Mat > Robert = Hugo > Brian > Joseph. Or it can actually be Craig = Damien = Mat = Robert = Hugo >Brian >>> Joseph.
Everyone is farrrr better than Joseph. lol
So who’s likely to be your date among the dads of Dream Daddy?
As of this writing, Steam is having its Daily Deals and Dream Daddy is included. Snag this game over there and have a fun post-Vday celebration!
Next post will be my one and only reason to play Dream Daddy.