Lonely Girl is a free role-playing game from indie developer fleximindg. This story-based simulator lets you build a bond with the titular character, an unnamed female protagonist who talks and interacts with the player. The game lets you invite her out, talk to her, and ultimately try to make her happy.

With a straightforward premise and intuitive controls, Lonely Girl feels like an anime version of My Talking Tom or Pou, but with a more immersive experience. Instead of simply taking care of a pet, you befriend this virtual character and guide her, making it closer to A Girl Adrift.

Make the Lonely Girl happy again

The first thing to note about Lonely Girl is its simple interface, with a chibi anime-style character reminiscent of Gacha Club. With different backgrounds available and the titular character often at the center, it immediately builds that familiar environment. While the background music could definitely use more work to better reflect the girl’s mood or the game’s progression, the visual presentation is enough to hook even experienced players.

Adding to its addictive potential is the gameplay itself. You start with the girl having a short fuse and is almost often disappointed, greeting players with a challenge as soon as they start playing. However, progressing in the game unlocks more features and makes her open a wider emotional range. Its downside is that the game does get easier as you start earning more in-game currencies, making it predictable later on.

Also, while the game supports multiplayer, this part of the app isn’t well fleshed out. Ideally, you can play together with friends and work together to earn more coins. However, not only is it difficult to invite and connect, but it also tends to intermittently disconnect. The game also features a lot of ads that could be detrimental to the experience.

Fun and immersive, but with a few flaws

Overall, Lonely Girl works best as a single-player experience. It has a cute central character and a gameplay approach that incentivizes being concerned for her. With her range of emotions and the variety of activities you can do, this game is something to get hooked on for hours. Although experienced players might find it predictable late-game and its multiplayer features wonky, it’s still a fun and immersive sim.