is a

dating sim Dating sims, or , are video game subgenre of simulation games with romantic elements. Dating sims are often dialog-heavy and focus on time management. The player must befriend and carefully build and maintain a relationship with one or more ...

developed and published by

Konami , is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company, video game and entertainment company headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo, it also produces and distributes trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, pachinko machin ...

for the

Nintendo DS The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens working in tan ...

handheld video game console A handheld game console, or simply handheld console, is a small, portable self-contained video game console with a built-in screen, game controls and speakers. Handheld game consoles are smaller than home video game consoles and contain the cons ...

. It was released in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

in 2009. Several updates and sequels have followed, including one for

iOS iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also includes ...

in 2011. It has not been released outside Japan.

Characters

; : A second year High School student just transferred to Towano High School. Soon after, he joins the library committee, the tennis club and a part-time job at a family restaurant. He's the only character the player can name in the game, and they can choose to refer in first person as or ("Boku" and "Ore" are both masculine pronouns for "I", with "Ore" being the less polite of the two). In the ''LovePlus Rinko Days'' manga, his name is Wataru Aikawa. ; :Game Info
– Official Site : A second-year high school student who goes to the same after-school tennis club with the protagonist. She comes from a well-off family and has lived a sheltered life, having no experience in many "normal" things like eating a hamburger combo, going out with her friends after the club, or watching TV. Her classmates shy away from her perfectionism, which is why she has few friends. ; : : A first-year high school student who the protagonist meets after being forced to join the library committee. She constantly wears earphones and has an attitude that keeps people away from her. Rinko's attitude stems from her feeling alienated and unwanted in her home after her father remarried, bringing a new mother and younger brother into the house. "Whenever I am home, the atmosphere darkens", as Rinko described. She wanders the streets after school, avoiding going back to an unwelcoming home. She likes punk rock and fighting games. : The character concept was taken from

Haruki Murakami is a Japanese writer. His novels, essays, and short stories have been bestsellers in Japan and internationally, with his work translated into 50 languages and having sold millions of copies outside Japan. He has received numerous awards for his ...

's " Dance, Dance, Dance" character "Yuki". ; : : A third-year high school student working part-time in a family restaurant, where the protagonist meets her. She is the dependable big sister from whom everyone asks help. She has a mole under her right eye and likes housework and horror movies. : In an early development setting she was meant to be a college student with light makeup. The latter remained part of her appearance during game release. : In November 2009, a Japanese man and player of ''LovePlus'' "married" this character, provoking widespread media attention.

LovePlus+

''LovePlus+'' is the same as the original LovePlus, although with new content, including field trips, fitness modes, sick days,

Taisen Puzzle-Dama is a puzzle series developed by Konami. Gameplay The gameplay of the series is similar to other matching-based puzzle games, such as Puyo Puyo, being a battle game between one player and either a human or CPU opponent. Balls will descend down t ...

, capsule toys and more. Almost everything from the original game also makes an appearance in LovePlus+, along with many new ways to interact with the girls. Data can also be transferred from the original game to LovePlus+. Anti-piracy measures have also been upgraded. The game was released in Japan on June 24, 2010.

LovePlus i

''LovePlus i'' is an

app that was released on December 12, 2011. Manaka, Rinko, and Nene are sold separately for 600

yen The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third-most traded currency in the foreign exchange market, after the United States dollar (US$) and the euro. It is also widely used as a third reserve currency after the US dollar and the e ...

each.

Manga

In early 2010

Kodansha is a Japanese privately-held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha is the largest Japanese publishing company, and it produces the manga magazines ''Nakayoshi'', ''Afternoon'', ''Evening'', ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' an ...

announced that it would launch ''LovePlus'' spinoff manga serials starting in April through early May in five different Kodansha magazines: Manaka, Rinko and Nene each have their own storyline. # ''LovePlus Manaka Days'' by Mikami Akitsu in ''

Monthly Shōnen Rival was a Japanese monthly '' shōnen'' manga magazine by Kodansha that ran from April 4, 2008 to June 4, 2014. It was issued on the 4th of every month. As with Shueisha's '' Jump SQ.'' and Shogakukan's ''Monthly Shōnen Sunday'', it is aimed at la ...

'' # ''LovePlus Rinko Days'' by Kōji Seo in '' Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine'' # ''LovePlus Nene Days'' by Takaki Kugatsu in ''Monthly Young Magazine'' # ''LovePlus Girls Talk'' by Daisuke Sakura in ''Magazine E-no'' # by Hiroaki Wakamiya in '' good! Afternoon''

Sequels

A sequel was released for the

Nintendo 3DS The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo. It was announced in March 2010 and unveiled at E3 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS. The system features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS video games. As an eighth-generatio ...

on February 14, 2012 titled ''New LovePlus''. An updated version of ''New LovePlus'' called ''New LovePlus+'' was released for

on March 27, 2014.

LovePlus Collection

''LovePlus Collection'' is based on the original game, but it is made for mobile phones and uses a card battle system to develop the player's relationship with the girls. It also features a new character, Akira Yukino, a sophomore. It was released as a standalone app at

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...

and Google Play (although the player needs a GREE account to play) on April 18, 2013.

References

External links

''LovePluss official site
{{Konami franchises 2009 video games 2010 video games Dating sims IOS games Japan-exclusive video games Konami franchises Konami games Nintendo DS games Nintendo 3DS games Nintendo 3DS eShop games Seinen manga Shōnen manga Video games scored by Akari Kaida Works by Kōji Seo Video games developed in Japan