I never really expected to be someone who played a lot of dating sims, but the genre has managed to capture me rather well over the past few years. Unfortunately a lot of the higher profile dating sims are focused on heterosexual relationships, and while I love a good Otome game full of hunks they just aren’t queer enough for this big gay gamer. Pivot of Hearts thankfully is not like these games, with an exploration of sexuality and poly relationships that’s absolutely refreshing in this space.
In Pivot of Hearts you play as Wen, a Brazilian/Taiwanese game developer in a bit of a funk. After a particularly painful relationship Wen has receded back into his shell, and only really focuses on work over relationships be they friendly or romantic. Thankfully for this struggling coder some new people will soon be entering his life, who will hopefully show him how to love all over again.
Caua has just joined the studio as an art director, and is as fun loving as he is creative. It doesn’t take Wen long to be drawn to his funky shirts and flamboyant nature, and before long you’ll probably start to love him too. There’s also childhood friend Etsuko, who you haven’t spoken to for years after you grew distant when you got your first girlfriend. You and her have lots in common when it comes to tabletop gaming, and she’s also a badass drummer. Wen suddenly gains a social life as these lovely people and their buddies come into his sphere, and it’s all rather heartwarming.
The way the story of Pivot of Hearts is told is rather interesting, because it so often flits back and forth between the past, the present, and fantasy. Wen so often thinks of his prior relationship and how it affected him, and you’ll see it all play out through flashbacks. There are also lengthy scenes that take place in character, following your “definitely not D&D” campaign. These are a bit dry and less entertaining I must admit, but they’re at least a change of pace.
In terms of gameplay, Pivot of Hearts is a rather traditional dating sim with a slight twist. Throughout the game you’ll make choices, as you’d expect, but these choices often grant you cards of the usual four playing card suits. Each suit corresponds to a different character trait, for example diamonds are logical while hearts are loving. When interacting with potential love interests you’ll have to spend these cards to take certain actions, which means there’s an element of intriguing resource management in this narrative based game.
If you play your cards right (quite literally) you’ll end up with a happy ending with your person of choice, or maybe people of choice. The polyamorous side of Pivot of Hearts means there’s no shame in engaging in multiple healthy relationships, and in 2025 it’s great to see this as an option. There are five distinct endings to experience with various lovers featured, and as a modern queer man with plenty of poly pals it made me very happy to see these options available.
There’s a lot of love to find in this lovely game, but Pivot of Hearts has a few issues as well. The writing is just okay, and this isn’t helped by the slightly inconsistent translation. This is a pretty big deal in a title that is all about reading as you might expect. The game also features a lot of Brazilian culture which I was incredibly interested to find out more about. Unfortunately this never happens, and this meant some scenes had me spending more time on Google than playing the game. Something like a little glossary to inform those unfamiliar with the culture would have been great, and would have alleviated the problem entirely.
Pivot of Hearts is a heart-warming dating sim with wonderful queer and poly elements, but its writing prevents it from being a must play. Wen is a likable and relatable character who I enjoyed playing as though, and his love interests are equally endearing. Despite its issues Pivot of Hearts is a game I’m so glad exists and am equally glad that I played, and for those looking for a change of pace in dating sims will find a lot to love here.