She is Mermaid
She is Mermaid
Game
Game2022
VARIOUS DAYLIFE
Developer Square Enix, DOKIDOKI GROOVE WORKS
Various Daylife is a role-playing video game developed by DokiDoki Groove Works and published by Square Enix. The game's development was led by key staff in charge of developing the Bravely Default and Octopath Traveler games. It was released on iOS, exclusively on their Apple Arcade service, in 2019 and on Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 4 in 2022. It was re-released on iOS as a paid version… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
168 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Lemmy) · newest Sep 2, 2026 · last updated Oct 8, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
34
Rotten
40 positive · 77 negative
95% range 26–43%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 40 | 77 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 9 | 2 | 31 |
| Lemmy * | 0 | 0 | 9 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Mostly Negative
40 of 120 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What people are saying
Summary pending — the reactions are listed below.
At a glance
VARIOUS DAYLIFE is a 2022 adventure rpg strategy video game, from Square Enix and DOKIDOKI GROOVE WORKS.
- 165 people have posted about this game on Steam reviews, Bluesky, Lemmy
- posts span Sep 13, 2022 to Sep 2, 2026
- 34% of 117 Steam reviewers recommend it (their own thumbs)
- Steam reviewers had played a median of 2 h when they wrote
Assembled from TMDB, Wikidata and Steam fields and our own counts, nothing written by a model. Method
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
VARIOUS DAYLIFE sits at 34% positive across 117 opinionated reactions from 3 sources. Fresh or rotten — where do you land?
Critics, per Wikipedia
Various Daylife received "mixed or average" reviews according to review aggregator Metacritic. TouchArcade singled it out as one of the highlights of the Apple Arcade service, in its weekly game update column, citing its "interesting battle system". Dedicated reviewers were less positive. Destructoid criticized the game for being "cumbersome", "lack[ing] polish", and "underdeveloped", but still conceded that it can "find ways to squeeze out a small amount of enjoyment from time to time as the world opens up". RPGamer agreed with the notion, concluding that it was hard to recommend playing or avoiding the game; they found the game fun to play in short 10 to 15 minute intervals, but bemoaned…
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 168 · most liked firstStraight up only reason i bought this game is that it made octopath traveller 2 cheaper. DO NOT BUY!!
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →So far, the story has been boring. The core gameplay mechanic is interesting in concept, but the way that they executed it seems to be... not the way to do it. Fundamentally, it's an RPG. You level up, get stats, do the thing. The interesting part is that you can do side jobs to increase your stats. Depending on what day of the week it is, there is a multiplier to increase stat gain or loss. The stats are very similar in concept to the Chao Garden in the Sonic Adventure series. The side-job…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I bought this with Octopath 2 since it was cheaper this way, therefore technically being given money to own this game and I still want my money back
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's $3 if you buy it bundled with Triangle Strategy, so it has that going for it. Is it worth $30? Heck no. Buy it on sale for $10-$15. Now the actual review. It's a Princess Maker clone. What could be better? Well, a princess for starters. Character creation is VERY bare. No female option, and only 3 face option (and each face corresponds to a unique voice). To those that don't know Princess Maker, the game-play loop involves choosing daily activities to increase stats. When you…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The credits roll abruptly with none of the plot wrapped up. The 'post-game' doesn't wrap up any of the dangling threads in a satisfying way- instead it accelerates into absurdity and ruins everything that was built up. The gameplay gets stale very quickly, and only gets worse as the game progresses. In the post game, the missions are extremely drawn out, the battles are padded by the damage limiter and excess stat growth, and the encounter rate is higher. It's sad to see the potential here…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →apparently this was an ios game back in 2019, which explains a lot. for a game that touts about how you can be whatever you want, it seems to really want you to be a sidescrolling rpg warrior and litterally nothing else. if you got it bundled it was apparently like, 3 bucks, but honestly i wouldnt reccomend this game even if it was free.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It reduced the price of Octopath 2 by $4 so I decided I mine as well give it a go. I like numbers going up, so I thought maybe it wouldn't be that bad. Problem is it takes about an hour of real life time to make one of your stats aptitudes go up by 1 number, and that entire time you are just watching your character walk out and into a room. The reviews are to be trusted, this game is very bad.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm not the type of person to require there be a female PC but I just can't see a reason why it's not an option in this game. I guess I'm just not willing to pay $30 to play a dorky looking dude in what was originally a mobile game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is the worst Square/RPG/Simulation/Idle game I have ever had the displeasure of 100%'ing. It could be categorized as a bot detection game and it still would only be 70% accurate. To the people deciding if they are brave enough to even attempt to open this game for a laugh. Stop. You are saving yourself the 3 seconds it would take to Alt+F4 and scrub the title screen from memory before it infects your subconscious with the letter V from the name. The only pros that I could even fathom…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Complete Garbage Obtained this game bundled with Octopath Traveler II during a summer sale, for a few dollars less than Octopath would cost on its own — in essence, Square-Enix paid me to add it to my library. All the same, I wish I could individually refund it because negative $4 is too high a price point for this self-torture software. It's a mobile game port, somehow weighing in at 2.4 GB despite looking like something that would be right at home on the Nintendo DS. Character models are…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Two words: Boring grind. I'll save you a long winded review and distill it down to: Save your money.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I try to make it a point not to believe every review I read but holy#*&*# should I have listened to this one. This was an obvious mobile port that they didn't even bother trying to do anything with when they brought it to steam. While Square is probably my favorite in gaming they did this one dirty. Playing holding the right key and clicking on very obvious chains to beat monsters the game is just not satisfying at all and the very generic plot holds no weight. This could have been better,…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Played way to much for what that game is actually worth. That game is bad... just really bad. I understand that it's ported from Ios and maybe Android. It's meant to be a game you lauch for 15-30 minutes, do some "quest" or "exploration" then close. It's not a real RPG game like Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest or anything you would get lost into for 3-4 hours and want to return to see how the stories progress. You don't feel involved in your caracte/party development. Leveling up feel more…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I enjoyed this game more than I would've thought. Just like what other reviewer have said, if you play this game with the expectation of JRPG, you will be severely dissapointed. But, if you play this game as town building simulation or adventurer simulation, you will get a fun roleplaying game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Don't get me wrong, I actually enjoy this game. But when asked if I would recommend it for other players I have to say no. I'm a diehard Square fan, even when half the games they churn out are flaming dumpster garbage. But that being said, sometimes their bad games, like this one still have some charm *and* I am easy to please. But there is nothing that stands out about this game, and the fact its a $30 game that was released on IOS a few years ago is pure unadulterated Square Enix greed,…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I was having trouble falling asleep Until i played Various Daylife Now i can't go further than 5 minutes in the game before falling asleep, coma style, in my chair What magic is this..Zzzzz?? ZZzzzzzzZzzz
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's next to impossible to justify the price for this game. I slogged through this 60h experience so you don't have to. By itself, it's a whopping $38.99 here in Canada. Doesn't sound like much compared to other Square Enix titles but the amount of ingenuity and content in this game doesn't come close to 1/3 of other flagship titles. This game has also gone to sub-$5 in other mobile/arcade storefronts and has that overall feel of a mobile game. I'll start off with the many negatives, and try…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Between the price and just how little there is going on, I really don't know what I was expecting. But, it sure wasn't this. The team continues to have lofty ideas but smothers them with the most basic puddle deep gameplay loops entirely that threaten to bore you into submission. There's not enough interaction between characters. The actual adventuring segments are aggressively repetitive. The game unfortunately isn't pleasing to the eye through either a combination of the modelers or the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My expectations were low and I am still disappointed. It's like an idle game without the idle because you have to keep hitting the continue button to advance. -No sense of exploration or getting around -Cutscenes written as if you have a choice in how to respond but you do not (literally only one option) -barely any choices at all at the start and what choices there are seem irrelevant -Combat might as well be automated because of the three Cs system constantly flashing in your face -You have…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →30 eur. is a bit steep, square enix.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you're interested, and you can get it at an extremely low price, it might be worth a try. Definitely had some potential, but it feels unpolished and shallow. You can likely find a more satisfying play for your time, even at a discounted rate. If you like time-management elements in RPG's, this was a okay play. Not great by any means, and if you don't have a deep love for the genres touched on here it likely won't hold the necessary appeal for you. Don't think 'adventure'- you aren't…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Summary: - abysmally poor writing - poor battle mechanics - linear paths undercut theme of exploration You are introduced to the four protagonists more or less straight away. Each is a caricature of a person. The dialogue is vapid and uninspired. I was skipping the dialogue boxes within twenty minutes of starting the game. The voice acting is so poorly done as to be grating on the ears (it's a gibberish language, but even the intonation patterns of the voices are ridiculous stereotypes). The…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Extremely grindy gameplay, if you can call it that, combined with lackluster execution in both story and presentation. Pass up unless heavily discounted.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →its bad. like really bad, the controls suck, gameplay suck, writing sucks, graphics sucks, i got soflocked in the options menu. its laughable how bad this is
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →i bought this game knowing that it was bad, but I didn't think it was THIS bad this is the type of that'll make you wanna quit gaming forever this is the type of game that exists solely to waste your time and provide literally nothing in return this game takes all the worst parts of RPG's and mashes them together in to this game there is nothing good about this game don't buy this game unless you like playing bad games, in which case, this game is perfect for you
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I do not recommend this game to anyone who doesn't like calculators or slow JRPGs, I have brain rot.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →TL;DR - you need 1.2mil for 5 levels on 3 characters, and you make a max of 14k per job without the rare 3x bonus. Absolutely not worth the full price. I'm 5 hours in and incredibly bored. It's an extremely grindy game, and the majority of your time will be spent working until you have enough cash to train your characters several levels to be able to keep up with the recommended level. For reference, a job pays at maximum ~14k without bonuses up to the point I've played. Every now and then…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →While I definitely think 28.99 is insane for what this game is, it's basically free if you were gonna buy Triangle Strategy anyway...and as a free game, it's great!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is a multi-use 15% off coupon to buy with other SE games
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →TLDR; I would describe this game as a beginner entry into MIN/MAX Raising RPG Sim. I would recommend this game if you like those kind of things. This game is one where you can shut your brain off and do minimal so its great in combo if you play other games or need to step away often. It is a slower paced game, but it doesnt feel to me like its slow in a way where going through menus or combat is slow, its just the day-to-day repetitiveness makes it feel that way. As someone with ADHD, this was…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=af8Iehuyzpo This video shows what most of the game is. This and dialogue. There's a turn based combat system as well, but most of the game is this, choosing jobs, most of which are the same job and watching a lot of boring dialogue. I don't mind games with story, but this, so far, hasn't given me any reason to get invested in theirs. I'm told this game gets better after TWENTY HOURS of this... To that I say, do not buy this game. The character creation…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A lot of JRPG's with weird punctuation and seemingly neverending titles or made-up words. - Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days and Re:Chain of Memories and Dream Drop Distance and χ Back Cover and 0.2 Birth by Sleep and Re Mind and -HD 1.5+2.5 ReMIX- and HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue - Legend of Fantasy: Monstrum Refantazio - Death end re;Quest - Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth3 V Generation - UNDER NIGHT IN-BIRTH Exe:Late and II Sys:Celes - Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs The…
neutral · AI labelView post →it's a terrible number treadmill/skinner's box mobile port to PC. don't buy this.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Interesting concept and ideas. It's pretty easy to see that the game was originally intended for mobile devices, but it transitioned well to a port. That makes it unlike other "more standard" games, which may be a good or bad thing. Gameplay may be fun or terrible depending on the kinds of players and people playing it. It is repetitive but comforting, and interesting enough to keep playing. You may have to grind to progress, but by thinking about the options available, intensive grinding may…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Good concept, but poorly executed. Way too expensive for a mobile game port.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →6/10 for me. There's so little interaction between characters and opponents during combat, It's hard to tell who is attacking whom, and there seems to be so little strategy in this game. The quests are boring too. You can't control your character's movement, it's just some boring walking animation, then you run into dull monster fight.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Once upon a time, there was a game released on the PC called "Princess Maker". It was one of the first of a niche genre known as the "Raising Sim", where the point was to raise a young girl to adulthood, and hopefully make her as graceful and strong as a princess, or even queen! Should be. It was a fun game that was soft and gentle, but had adult themes hidden that young me honestly couldn't understand until I was older. It was one of my favorite games. Cut to now, when Various Daylife…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →wow this is horrid lmao glad i got this for negative bucks
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm not gonna lie, this game was way too boring for me. It was interesting for being bundled in the Triangle Strategy preorder, but I don't think it's anywhere remotely near its listed price.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Honestly thought it would be worth it since it's basically free bundled with Triangle Strategy, but it's just so droll that I'm returning the bundle and going to buy Triangle Strategy separately on sale in the future. Cuz yeah, this may technically be free, but it's costing your time. And, for me, that's too high of a cost.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Boring combat and leveling, slow start, nothing special to keep your interest.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Boring, clunky, generally not fun. Got it for free and still don't want to play it.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Do not buy this outright - only bundled with Octopath Traveller 2. Pretty bad, boring and with very little gameplay - I understand it's the port of a mobile game. There's worse things out there but struggle to know why you'd choose to play this really.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I wouldn't recommend this at full price, but at $10 or less it's fine. It gets a lot of bad reviews because people see square and the images and expect a jrpg, when what you really get is a phone game that is mostly on rails with light life simulation elements. There are no maps to explore (missions are on rails), the battles are very simple, and the calendar/events not all that complex. You mostly play through a scene, boost some stats, see a bit more story, and then move on the next…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I don't want to be too harsh on the game but my initial response talking to a friend about it is that it plays a little like a mobile game but without any microtransactions. From the art style to the interface, it has a very mobile appearance about it. Turns out it was one of the only games pulled from the Apple Arcade after underwhelming performance on the platform. I was more surprised to find out that zero work seems to have been done in the last two years to tighten up the experience,…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Various Daylife is a very good contender for the worst RPG I have ever played. Its shocking that this was made by the Octopath Traveler devs, in which I consider Octopath Traveler II to be one of my favorite RPGs ever. If the mostly negative reviews didn't stop you, allow me to share my experience I had with this game. The Gameplay/Various Daylife This game really didn't feel like it had any soul in it at all. To start, when traveling to different areas is always 2D, which is not…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Octopath Traveler II + Various Daylife bundle on Steam is currently cheaper than just buying Octopath Traveler II. I noticed this and thought it was funny. I wonder if someone at Square Enix is trying to juice sales numbers for Various Daylife.
neutral · AI labelView post →I wish there was a neutral review. Its an ok RPG; definitely feels like it was made for cell phones or tablets; but the art is nice, the characters are fun, and the story is ok.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Gameplay gets somewhat better after 20h. Story gets somewhat better after credits roll in for first time (about middle of game story). By the end of the game i could have what feels like custom team which is rare in these types of games. 5$ seems like fair price as it's comparable to some indie games.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →love the game (graphic and combat), Just wish that there is a way to skip all the auto walking. if u purchase with TRIANGLE STRATEGY, this game is almost free. Relax game
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Bravely Default was the first of its kind, it gets a pass. Considering it started off as yet another spin-off of Final Fantasy, it's better that they tried to distance themselves from FF because it very much isn't FF*. It was definitely a gimmick to go with naming the game after the mechanic. But they've definitely gone too far with the others. Octopath and Diofield are at least unique words, though Octopath Traveler is equally as on the nose as Bravely Default, oCtO = 8 There's no excuse for…
neutral · AI labelView post →i'm gonna be a controversial girlie here and say i love this game. it's definitely not for everyone, and the review scores certainly tell that much. i played it through on switch and am currently replaying it years later on steam deck. it's a great game to play while watching tv or youtube, or just chilling out. sincei twas originally on apple arcade, it makes sense that it's not a full attention game. story and characters - while the story is a little sparse, it is there, and has an…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Bland as hell. It's like if oatmeal were a game. I can't recommend this at any price point but definitely not full.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This isn't even a game. I'm honestly confused, it's just a series of dialogue boxes that you click through while people go on and on and on and on about work and jobs and going to work and having jobs and working at their job. Nothing actually happens, you just keep clicking the screen for new dialog boxes. After 15 straight minutes of nothing but dialog box clicking, I was like, ok, I'm done.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →VARIOUS DAYLIFE is a disappointing RPG that struggles to justify its existence outside of a mobile platform. The concept is interesting on paper: a mix between visual novel, life simulation, and lightweight turn-based RPG, with a fantasy world created by Square Enix. Unfortunately, the execution feels extremely limited. The gameplay systems are shallow, the progression is repetitive, and the RPG mechanics never reach the depth expected from a traditional JRPG. The biggest issue is that the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Perfect Game For Nihilists, Game punishes you for working to much, Game punishes you for walking, Game punishes you for buying it.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →There is a sub-genre of RPGs/Sims where you function more as a party manager than an active participant in the moment-to-moment combat and decision maker. Heroland, FFCC My Life as King, Dragon Ruins, and the much-maligned Various Daylife. I love this style of game.
positive · AI labelView post →It used to be a good deal - you're buying one SqE game with it for a little more than the game alone - and then you can buy another SqE bundle and make your money back + save some money. Now it's no longer bundled with anything - it's not worth getting it. Game itself is just some phone level shovelware - and it costs twice as much as chrono trigger - are you crazy to even consider buying it?!?!?!
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →So Various Daylife is kinda weird. The general gameplay loop is stay in your house and accept quest. If your mood or stamina is low you'll fail and waste a lot of stats you were trying to get. Then in order to not have that happen you gotta waste like 60 percent of your income to keep your mood and stamina high. To me thats a terrible mechanic. Sure you could save scum but why she you have to do that when thus is supposed to be a very casual port of a mobile game? Overall terrible game 3/10 and…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →if you buy it bundled with Triangle Strategy it a good game, if you not buy it bundled wait for buy OCTOPATH TRAVELER II
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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