Loved By King Bs is an otome game by Day7 with a strange twist at the beginning. You’re already in a relationship with Ashton from the previous installment, Marked By King Bs. The same cast makes a reprisal with one added face. This review is spoiler-free in content and unlockable images.

The Suitors

Ashton Griffon is a “bad boy” trying to turn over a new leaf. He’s your boyfriend at the start of the game.

Nicholas Rosada goes by Nico and refers to you as “sis.” He’s sensitive, shy, and has certain childish mannerisms.

William Kal has been your neighbor and best friend since childhood. He attends the neighboring university.

Joel Barrett is a goofball with a bizarre way of speaking. He likes to drink too much.

Zack Snyder is a famous high-school baseball player. He has a stoic persona and is a man of few words.

Erick Blanche is new in this game, and he’s a sophomore at your university. You meet him the previous year when you’re lost on campus trying to find your way to the entrance exams. As a freshman, you accidentally take a sophomore level class, and he’s in your group. He’s hard to read, and you have to do your best to prove to him you belong there.

Gameplay

The game is structured like a visual novel with gated charm checks and multiple choices questions that earn you Like Points. A cool element that reminds me of Mystic Messenger is the interaction on the cell phone icon. Your phone will vibrate when you get a text or call in the story. It’s a unique and fun detail.

Charm is earned through purchasing clothing. There are four outfits in total, and each set grants you 25% charm. Charm is calculated by the clothes you own, so if you own all four outfits, your charm will be maxed to 100%.

During the story, there will be charm checks versus other female character rivals. Failing or passing these checks can alter the outcome of your story.

Like Points are earned in two ways. During the story, you will be prompted with three response options. They can grant +5, +10, or +20 Like Points. The points only affect the character to whom you are currently interacting with.

You can also earn Like Points by going on Dates. Each suitor has two dates with two unlockable special dates. Within a regular date, you can pay 1,000 gold to unlock an image and earn Like Points. Special dates cost 1,500 gold and include a special couples outfit. Regular dates earn +30 Like Points, special dates earn +50.

You don’t need to max out the Like Points completely to earn a happy ending, but the higher it is, the more likely you can unlock it. When the story is complete, you’ll have the option of picking who’s ending you want to view.

Bonus gameplay is found under the “My Room” tab. Each day you log in (for 6 total days), you unlock a mini-story. You can also play Gatcha to unlock decor items and increase your Memory Decor meter. At every 10%, you unlock a King B sub-story in the memory album.

Story

As mentioned above, the game starts with your character beginning her first semester at university. She attends class with Erick, who makes her life difficult when they are assigned the same group for a project. Meanwhile, your character maintains relations with the others, including her long-distance boyfriend, Ashton. Their relationship becomes rocky, and you may choose to salvage it if you want.

Loved By King Bs has a single story and you work on the affection of all characters at once. Which is weird, since you’re DATING someone through the first 75% of the story!

Some of the characters were hard to connect with. Joel’s cadence is difficult to read and his personality is over-the-top. Nico spends a lot of time whining. William is the classic strung-along best friend who’s feelings go completely unnoticed by the oblivious main character. Ashton is a jerk from the beginning. He’s possessive, jealous, and treats her like a child.

Final Thoughts

Honestly, the whole story feels like you’re trying to string along six men and cheat on your boyfriend emotionally at the same time. Other than Ashton, Erick, or William, the other three don’t feel like they belong in the story. Joel, Nico, and Zack randomly pop up at your place, and their roles in the story feel very forced.

The main character is naive, fragile, and is constantly apologizing. It’s a trope that many otome players find annoying. However, she later asserts herself and redeems this to some capacity. Miscommunication and missed texts/calls are used instead of action to drive the main plot in several points of the story. While useful as a one-off, the story relied on those tactics to carry conflict too often.

That said, the story itself is sweet, and my ending with Erick made the breakup work with his backstory. I don’t want to give away any key elements of the story, but I feel like the breakup with Ashton was necessary for the ending with Erick to feel even. I still played the game to the end and enjoyed it overall.