Cupid Parasite

Cupid Parasite is an otome visual novel developed by a third-party studio. The player takes the role of Lynette Mirror, top bridal advisor at the Cupid Corporation and, in secret, Cupid, the Goddess of Love from Celestia. Set in the city of Los York, the story follows her attempt to prove that love involves more than bows and arrows by finding partners for the Parasite 5, a group of the company’s most troublesome members. These are Gill Lovecraft, a freelance editor still recovering from a broken heart; Shelby Snail, the company’s founder and CEO who is publicly thought to be married but is actually single; Raul Aconite, an action film star; Ryuki F. Keisaiin, a fashion designer from a family dynasty; and Allan Melville, a senior employee at a designer bedding store. The five are voiced by Ryohei Kimura, KENN, Taku Yashiro, Junya Enoki and Makoto Furukawa respectively.

The story is driven by choices. At various points the player selects a response, and the character involved will react differently depending on what is chosen, raising or lowering a Love Level. Answers a character likes trigger a Love Surge, an animation that can be switched off in the menu to make the game more demanding. Reaching a set Love Level is required to reach a route’s true ending, and some decisions can lead to negative outcomes. Lynette also arranges practice dates for the Parasite 5 to prepare them for future partners.

Which character’s route the player follows on a first playthrough is determined by a dating questionnaire, as each member of the Parasite 5 corresponds to a different love type. New Game+ allows routes to be selected manually and may unlock further connections. A Flow Chart records story progression and lets players jump back to previously seen scenes to change decisions or redo routes, while an Event CG gallery collects unlocked artwork for later viewing.