If you’ve been on Twitch, you might have heard of a channel called Salty Bet. It’s channel devoted to hosting matches of M.U.G.E.N, an extremely modifiable fighting game engine, which people bet on with virtual currency used only in the channel. There’s nothing quite like betting to see whether the Japanese version of Ronald McDonald can beat up some character from an anime you’ve never heard of. BadCupid is an interesting side project from Kitfox Games, makers of Moon Hunters and Boyfriend Dungeon, that takes a page from SaltyBet. The game has users on Mixer watching AI-controlled characters go on dates and they bet on whether the two fall in love or not. Ever wanted to see if Jane Austen would date the titular villain of Crypt of the Necrodancer? Now’s your chance!
The game’s pretty simple to understand. Players first vote on a locale, like a library or a tropical beach. Next, players spend arrows, a virtual currency used solely for BadCupid, on the two revealed lovebirds. The list of characters, which is being expanded on, includes a variety of historical figures and indie game characters. The game then features several rounds of dating, the results based off of the personalities of the daters. Eventually, either love triumphs or they don’t hit it off, and the players who voted for the correct result get more arrows. The game automatically gives you more arrows if you run out. You can also become an Angel if you subscribe to the BadCupid Mixer channel, which lets you see character stats for better bidding strategies and gives you more arrows when you hit zero.
BadCupid can be played for free on the game’s Mixer page. You can also take look at the official page or look at the list of characters. You can even submit your own.