The current indie game market is more competitive than ever, and every game need a unique hook to stand out. One visual novel has taken that a bit far, however, as it claims that it will prepare your 2022 US tax return for you.
Tax Heaven 3000 is a dating visual novel with the expected anime aesthetic. MSCHF Product Studios, the developer behind the game–note that’s the word “mischief” with all the vowels removed–describes it as an experience where you “romance Iris, a cheerful and easygoing girl who is oddly interested in your personal finances.” The gameplay video on the top of the Steam page features Iris asking the player something “really personal”–their Social Security number.
The game’s About section even includes a screed against tax filing software: “Corporate tax filing services are (by dint of extensive lobbying) predatory, parasitic bottlenecks that deliberately complicate the tax filing process in order to make it unnavigable by ordinary people.” And there’s nothing more romantic than that.