Article written by im.souraa @ Threads
(Thank you for allowing us to repost this! 🩷)
Some people used to think Love and Deepspace was successful simply because “male characters sell.” But the more I play, the more I realize the game is built around emotional attachment and psychological engagement.
This game doesn’t just sell cards. It sells closeness, intimacy, longing, affection, comfort, memories, and the feeling of not wanting to miss moments with characters you’ve grown attached to. That’s why many players keep spending, not only for battle but also for collection, affinity, emotional value, limited outfits, poses, and fear of missing out.
Core Content and Spending Culture
And honestly, the game’s core content doesn’t expand fast enough to match how intense the spending culture has become. Main story and World Underneath updates take months, while SHC, the only consistent diamond source, resets every two weeks. Meanwhile, banners, limited outfits, paid features, and new monetized systems continue arriving one after another.
Even newer systems like the journal and home features feel increasingly focused on immersion, customization, emotional attachment, and monetization rather than meaningful long-term gameplay expansion.
Chocolate Shop and Free Rewards
Meanwhile, older systems like the chocolate shop feel almost abandoned now. Instead of adding more valuable free rewards like poses or outfits, it mostly gets filled with things many players barely care about, like journal stickers. At the same time, newer systems continue creating more opportunities for monetization while free rewards gradually feel smaller over time.
Merchandise and Emotional Marketing
Even outside the game itself, the monetization never really stops. Wedding rings, perfumes, plushies, accessories, and other romantic-themed merchandise are constantly sold using the emotional attachment players already have toward the characters. Some of these products are even criticized for feeling overpriced compared to their actual quality, yet people still buy them because the emotional value attached to the characters is what’s really being sold.
Fandom Culture and Competition
At times, even the fandom starts feeling driven by competition. Popularity wars, spending culture, revenue comparisons, and constant debates over which LI generates the most money or attention. The emotional attachment surrounding the characters slowly becomes tied to status, spending, and fandom rivalry as well.
Revenue Incentives and Spending Loop
There are revenue ranking events where players compete to get their main LI to the top spot. Why? Because the rewards are tiered:
· Top 1 = 20 free pulls
· Top 2 = only 10 free pulls
If your LI doesn’t reach top 1 or 2, not only do you lose the extra pulls, but it also becomes a source of mockery from other fans. The pressure isn’t just from the game anymore, it’s from the fandom itself. Players are encouraged to spend more, not only for their own sake, but to avoid embarrassment and to prove their LI’s popularity.
Annual Pass Trap
The annual pass, which only appears during New Year, gives rewards every Monday for an entire year. On the surface, it seems like good value for players who plan to stick around. But that’s exactly the trap. Once you buy it, you feel obligated to log in every single week for a full year, because not doing so would feel like wasting money. It transforms optional engagement into forced commitment, disguised as a discount.
No Competition, Full Confidence
The game doesn’t even have real competitive modes. And yet, the developer seems absolutely confident that emotionally attached players simply won’t leave. The truth is, many players are unhappy with how greedy the game has become, but they keep playing, keep spending, keep topping up. Because the emotional bond to their favorite LI has been carefully cultivated and now feels inseparable from the game itself. The developer knows this. That’s why they don’t need to be generous. They just need to keep you attached.
Schedule
On top of the slow core content and limited diamond sources, the banner schedule itself feels deliberately exhausting. Some LIs get back-to-back banners. Multi-banners are followed by reruns, which are then followed by more reruns. Everything feels rushed, but without any meaningful increase in diamond income. You’re constantly pressured to pull, but never given the resources to catch up. It’s not just FOMO anymore. It’s exhaustion disguised as excitement.
Profit vs Exploitation
Someone might say, “Well, that’s the purpose. It’s made to make money.” And they wouldn’t be wrong. But acknowledging that a game needs profit doesn’t justify every method used to get there.
Of course, spending is still ultimately a personal choice. I understand games like this are expensive to produce— 3D animation, voice acting, story content, and constant updates all require a huge budget. But at some point, it starts feeling less like appreciation for players and more like confidence that emotionally attached players simply won’t leave.
Profit is necessary. But there’s a difference between earning fairly and leveraging emotional attachment too heavily.
Waiting and Waiting
The game often feels like it revolves around waiting. Waiting for story updates, waiting for SHC resets, waiting for something new, something meaningful. But when banners keep coming nonstop, that waiting turns into pressure instead of anticipation. The only reliable diamond source is SHC, which resets every two weeks. Even as a low spender focusing on one LI, it doesn’t always feel sustainable.
My Definition of a Low Spender
And about my definition of a low spender: it is not about price alone but about how much value it actually gives versus the emotional and financial cost. Even with monthly pass, annual pass, and occasional packs, you can still get the card you want, but your resources are completely drained. The feeling is not always victory, but sometimes exhaustion. If spending at that level still leaves you anxious or empty, then the experience becomes more complicated than it looks from the outside.
F2P, Low Spender, Rich
If the game isn’t friendly to low spenders, imagine how much worse it is for F2P players. No monthly pass, no annual pass, no weekly, no packs, just the bare minimum diamonds from SHC and dailies. For them, every banner is a distant hope. And that’s exactly the trap. Over time, the frustration builds. Some will eventually be tempted to spend “just a little.” Maybe a monthly pass, maybe a small pack. But once that door opens, the cycle begins. Because a little is never enough. A little gets you nothing. So you spend a little more. Then a little more. Until you’re no longer F2P, but a low spender who still feels empty.
Even for those who can afford everything, the system still feels stingy. It’s not about money, it’s about whether the game respects your time, your loyalty, and your attachment. Paying doesn’t feel like supporting something you love. It feels like being an ATM that the developer knows will never close.
Personally, I’ve become more distant from the game. I still love Zayne, but I see the system more clearly now. I’ve reduced my spending significantly. Even then, my feelings are mixed. I still feel curiosity and excitement for new banners and updates, but I no longer want to return to my previous spending habits. My experience with Zayne feels more complicated now, shaped by both attachment and awareness of the system behind it. I don’t know how it will be in the future, but I can’t unsee what I’ve seen.
