Love and Deepspace’s Biggest Mistake? Cancelling Valko

As Love and Deepspace continues to dominate the otome game industry, a decision to eliminate the debut of a sixth love interest has resulted in mass division. After Valko was introduced through a teaser trailer, upset from the game’s fanbase ultimately determined the never-to-be-released werewolf’s unfortunate fate.

Papergames probably wasn’t expecting such an explosive rejection or overwhelming negativity in response to another romancable boy being offered as an option for loyal players to grow closer to (all digitally, of course). Controversy didn’t directly hail from Valko himself, but from the undeniable mishandling of how the newcomer would integrate himself further into the game’s lore.

Valko’s Cancellation Comes From Deeper Cultural Implications

Papergames’ incorporation of Valko into Love and Deepspace resulted in concern around inadvertent references to Chinese-Japanese conflicts. GosuGamers reports that “one of the earliest concerns centred around an in-game human experiment file bearing the number 0731… According to discussions shared across social media and Reddit, some Chinese players alleged that the number was an inappropriate reference to Unit 731, the Imperial Japanese Army unit responsible for human experimentation during World War II.”

The Pacific Atrocities explains Unit 731 as “infamous for its human experimentation during its existence during World War II. At least 3,000 men, women, and children were subjected as ‘marutas’ or as logs to experimentation conducted by Unit 731 division at Pingfang alone.” It’s believed that Papergames’ intention wasn’t to directly reference such a horrific event, yet the decision to use a specific sequence of numbers is rightfully upsetting to those who are disturbed by such an unfortunate coincidence.

GosuGamer also looks to the “wolf in the house” Chinese idiom, which alludes to danger or betrayal in a place of safety. For some, Valko’s werewolf identity may be taken literally, and the negative perception around his character as a whole could result in more significant backlash from fans who feel threatened by the idiom’s meaning. It’s completely understandable, but a bit unfair to Papergames for suffering such intense calls for a virtual character to be dismissed as a whole. The gaming company could have been more mindful about how Valko was presented, though it’s not only cultural insensitivities that caused such distress.

Outside of the sociocultural concerns that resulted in Valko’s pending playability ultimately being revoked, the more unsavory side of the Love and Deepspace‘s fanbase pushed back so intensely against Valko that Papergames apologized on the character’s behalf. It’s baffling, really, in how united Love and Deepspace players felt so strongly over the appearance of a digital wolfboy. Love and Deespace devotees were disgusted by the idea that developers would dare introduce another love interest; they were revolted by Valko, and determined that he was not attractive enough to be an acceptable character to romance. The priority of those invested in Love and Deepspace ultimately belongs to Caleb, Sylus, Zayne, Rafayel, and Xavier.

Papergames Should Regret Cancelling Valko

It’s a bit silly to say that Valko is a victim — he’s not real — but at the same time, the cancellation of Valko should be deeply regretted by Papergames. It’s already been confirmed that Valko will never be truly seen in Love and Deepspace, as Papergames has stated their regret, but perhaps they shouldn’t have decided to dismiss the character as a whole so thoughtlessly. In the wake of controversy, giving way to fans’ demands may have been one of Papergames’ most strategic mistakes. It’s almost as if Papergames is encouraging fans’ decision to fight against the studio, rewarding their protesting, and giving in without a fight. Maybe there’s a want to appease a fanbase, but the loudest fans don’t get to determine creative decisions. Fan petitions and online advocates for seeking out justice for Valko in the wake of such a turbulent moment in the otome game sphere.

Those who discarded Valko carelessly don’t exactly speak on behalf of the entire fandom, either. The wants and needs of Love and Deepspace players stretch far beyond the disapproval of one unfavorable love interest. In fact, there are still some players arguing in favor of Papergames reversing their decision to ensure that Valko will never make his way into the gameplay properly. It may be too late to walk back upon the consequences of Valko’s lore that contributed to the initial apprehension about the werewolf’s once-planned arrival, though it shouldn’t be too late for Papergames to completely surrender the character due to the pressure of displeased fans. It’s ridiculous to presume that every Love and Deepspace player found themselves in favor of Papergames opting to cancel Valko as disapproval started to wear away at the developers — if anything, many are disappointed by the company’s weak-willed choice to give in to fan demands.

The backlash isn’t just against Valko — there’s backlash against Papergames for not defending Valko, or validating the idea that there can be new love interests brought into gameplay that won’t directly detract from Love and Deepspace‘s gaming experience. The mistake of cancelling Valko is an extremely limiting move from Papergames that interferes with how diverse otome game romances can truly be, and insults its fandom by disregarding personal preferences. Free will allows Love and Deespace players who are not attracted to Valko to simply not romance him — but what about those who do want to bring their werewolf romance fantasies to life? They’re depraved by Papergames’ rashness, left feeling just as neglected as Valko himself.

Love and Deepspace can be played for free on mobile devices.

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