I discovered Charming Hearts through Steam’s recommendations, drawn in by my interest in FMVs. After completing the main game with 100% achievements and earning a perfect game, I feel confident in sharing my thoughts for anyone curious about diving into this game.

The setup is simple but effective: you play as Hao Mai, a guy starting a new job in the fashion industry. Your goal is to impress your boss, build trust with coworkers and clients, and balance a chaotic work-life schedule while possibly finding romance along the way. It starts off lighthearted but gets deeper as you move through the story, blending career drama with personal relationships in a really satisfying way.

Xu Yanmo: The standout character for me! (Waifu)
Xu Yanmo is the secret twin sister of Yanran and a total badass. She’s got that classic biker chick vibe: confident, brave, and unafraid to stand up for what’s right. Even when she barely knows you, she’s ready to back you up, though she’ll call you out if you mess up. Her route gets emotional too, as she struggles with feelings for you while knowing her sister likes you.

Shen Tang: Your old university teacher.
Shen Tang is kind and protective, she’s always ready to defend you, especially against her troublesome brother. As a porcelain expert, her passion for her craft adds a unique layer to her character but does get a little bit repetitive at times.

Xu Yanran: Your Coworker
Xu Yanran is your shy, hardworking coworker. Yanran tries her best at everything and genuinely cares about how you see her. Her determination to succeed and her timid personality make her super endearing.

Hu Luoyi: The Pop Star
Hu Luoyi A pop star and an old classmate. From the start, Luoyi is head over heels for you—almost obsessively. She’ll do anything to support you and even fire her assistant on the spot if you asked (which, wow). Her world revolves around you, and she isn’t shy about it.

Shang Youya: The rich love interest
Shang Youya is kind and sweet, yet mysterious, wealthy woman. There’s always something shady or secretive about her, leaving you wondering how she came into all her money.

Tian Yuning: Your boss
Tian Yuning is the leader at the fashion company. She’s flirty, confident, and has that dominant vibe throughout the game. She runs the company she inherited from her father with style and charisma.

Xiang Wan: Long time friend
Xiang Wan is a college friend who stayed behind to care for a stray cat you both loved. She’s often seen around the hospital and seems to be taking some big risks to raise money, which adds an air of mystery to her character.

The English translation isn’t bad, though there are some small issues, like mixed-up pronouns (you/I), that pop up often. Thankfully, it’s nothing major, and the story is easy to follow despite these small hiccups.

A lot of FMV games can feel clunky with mechanics like texting or exploration, but Charming Hearts keeps it simple. You can skip texts easily, and the exploration scenes are short and sweet. One of my favourite features is the in-game phone, where you can scroll through the characters’ Douyin (TikTok) posts. This makes them feel so much more real, adding extra depth and connection to their characters.

The music in this game is a standout feature. It’s super varied, with tracks from different countries (especially in the TikTok posts) that add to the game’s charm. The main menu theme and in-game music fit perfectly, and I found myself humming along more than once.

Charming Hearts was such a fun experience. It’s one of the longest FMVs I’ve played, and while the story is solid, there’s a weird twist toward the end that’s never explained. It left me feeling like I imagined the entire chapter. Even so, the endings are really satisfying, and the overall journey was absolutely worth it.

I can’t wait to see what you come up with next! Thank you for keeping FMVs alive and making something so enjoyable. Wishing the team and cast all the best for the future.

Rating: 7/10
Recommended!

Tian Yuning = Mei Baolai
Hu Luoyi = San Sui
Xiang Wan = Wang Zhi Yi
Xu Yanran & Xu Yanmo = Zhang Ke Ai
Shang Youya = Liu Ningxi
Shen Tang = Li Jia Xin

This is one of the best produced romance FMVs you can get and since it got full english support recently it only has 1 minor flaw left and that is:

You can finish a chapter without beeing able to progress to the next chapter. You then have to change some choices to reach the needed hearts to progress.

That is the only bad thing i can say about this game. Now lets talk about all the good the game offers:


The English subtitles are very good. Are they perfect? No but way better then most FMVs. You will never get confused.

The production quality is very high and unlike other FMVs never hinders the immersion or story in any way. Combine this with very excellent actors and you will feel very immersed while playing this game.

In most FMV games there is always 1 character that i do not really care about but in Charming Hearts i actually like all 6 girls aswell as the "secret" not so secret 7th girl. All are beautiful and have their own charm and destinct personality that sets them apart from the other girls. You would like anyone of them to be your girlfriend ;)

A big plus for me is also that there is no annoying friend character that just gets in the way. The screentime it entirely reserved for your beautys.

The story is presented in a way that makes it feel more realistic then most romance FMV games. The Happy Endings feel fullfilling and the Bad Endings are understandable and not unnecessarily cruel. The game is also quite long so you will definetly get your moneys worth.

Your choices do matter in so far as you visit diffrent places and have diffrent interactions with the girls. You can not get all endings in 1 playthrough and i recommend 2 full playthroughs and then finish the missing scenes via the storyboard.

Lets talk about the storyboard and heart feature for a bit:

Heart changes from all choices you make accumulate (both negative and positive) and do not replace each other. This means the storyboard allows you to change any choice without forcing you to replay from that moment on.

For example you need to NOT do a specific action to get a certain result in the end. Instead of replaying the entire game from that moment on you just click on your wrong choice and change it to the correct one and then just click where you were and tada you have your desired outcome. This works with multiple changes too. Achievment/Ending hunting was never this convenient.

A nice touch is that while playing you unlock more and more video clips of the girls which you can watch on your phone by most of which are unique so you get more to see of the girls. Keep wishing up to not miss any.

Also on your phone you will unlock more and more pictures of the girls. You can then download them and view them on your PC in better quality.

I have not encountered a single bug playing this game.

I can highly recommend this game its one of the best romance FMVs you can get.

Here is my FMV Ranking:

1. Knowledge or know lady
2. Ouch! So many beauties! --> Most Sexy FMV get it on Epic
3. Charming Hearts
4. Director Simulator
5. Drive Me Crazy --> now working
6. My destiny Girls
7. Secrets of the Heartbeat --> Buy on Steam Epic is missing Patches
8. Love is all around
9. Seduction of Beauty --> CENSORED on Steam buy it UNCENSORED on Epic
10. Beauties! They're All After Me
11. Intonight --> Get it on Epic Steam banned it.
12. Customized Girlfriend
13. In Search Of You
14. To Be In Love With Girls Group (the Chinese one)
15. My love with the GirlsGroup (Korean)

Decent but not as good as S-Tiered FMVs like《Knowledge, or know Lady》or《Love Is All Around》,《Charming Hearts》is more on the same tier as《I've Fallen For You》which is around the spectrum of A-tier but without the Leaderboard feature where you can vote which girl is your fav. My favs are 沈棠 Shen Tang, 田语柠 Tian Yu Ning and 尚悠雅 Shang You Ya. Only get this game during sales, otherwise it's better to skip this game unless you're a collector of FMVs.

Charming Hearts is a pretty great first-person FMV romance adventure, and probably the best so far (just above Love is All Around). The story is quite grounded and remains sensible / believable throughout, which helps a lot. You play as a talented artist who gets a job at a fashion company and stumbles into romances. The game’s length is good; it will take about 3.5 hours to run through the first time, with another 5 hours of side content through all the options and romances.

Most of the six women are awesome. Along with their obvious beauty, they are appealing in indirect ways, which makes the choices harder. The boss finds you useful, and she might bring you medicine when you’re sick. Your colleague needs your help often and loves you for it, cooking you food. A famous singer knew you when you were younger, and she spends big to impress you. Your old art teacher appreciates your artistic vision and feels she has a deep connection. A fellow quiet student seems to have more to say and cares for a cat you helped to look after. Even a mysterious widow, with her army of bodyguards and money, needs your support. There is also a hidden romance option, but it is best discovered by playing.

Most of the romance endings are nice and can be achieved by just going back to the final choice. You typically get an interaction scene, then a bonus scene, then flashbacks in a montage. Some flashbacks you might not have seen, depending on choices. One cool thing that doesn’t seem like it can be accessed from the menu are the little videos you get on your phone throughout the game, related to your choices, although some feel more like promotional material than part of the story.

The set locations are fantastic. It has so many diverse backdrops including a pottery studio, mansion, school, office, club, park, beach, yacht, nightclub, dormitory, and more. There are a few times when you explore areas and investigate items, but you tend to be punished for it since it is seen as snooping. It would have been nice to see more interaction without the punishment side. The camera direction offers a decent number of panoramic shots, and the acting is quite good standard.
The affection meter uses numerical values, which is great as you can see exactly which decisions mean more or less. Generally there is not a huge penalty when you pick one person over another (e.g. +6, -1, -1). You can navigate back through the chapters to change paths, but it seems to take a cumulative value; after unlocking all scenes, all the affection meters were at max. The game has a few “quizzes” too, some of which happen at the end for romances, but you don’t have to get everything right to progress, just not get everything wrong. It only takes a few tries to get the right answers. There are several routes that do result in a chunk of missed content, and so it does not feel like you’re being funneled into the same path (even though you are).

Lots of failed romance endings too, which is awesome, including one where you are beaten to death, another where you just become the male best friend, and another where you just don’t get the job at the start. (There is even a horror ending). It also has a few really poignant lost romance conclusions, which demonstrates the story’s maturity.

Translation to English is alright, but quite often the characters use “I” instead of “You” and this adds regular confusion. All up, Charming Hearts this is definitely one of the better FMV romance options because of its story, characters, locations, and plentiful branching paths.

Check my profile for my current ranking of FMV dating games

i rizzed my boss, it was great

The only Heart getting Charmed is your own

This is my forth FMV game and have I never thought that in just few minutes, I fell in love with the game. This is definitely the HIDDEN GEM among all of the Chinese FMV games that I have played. Do not be fooled by the few review numbers, fans and enthusiasts of this genre should definitely get this game as this bests others (at least from what I have played) in all departments.

Main Character (MC): He is normal, capable, and is not annoying.
Female Companions: The actresses are all very pretty. All of them are well capable actress as they portray their given roles very well.
Encounters: Meeting the women in this game comes natural and is slightly grounded in reality.
Dialogues: Most if not all are not cheesy and are natural.
Narrative: The overall strength of this game is the natural flow of the story progression.
Soundtracks: Surprisingly, a lot of good original soundtracks (OSTs) in this game and these do not come cheap. This is one of its strongest assets.
Settings: This is also one of the strongest assets as the places and background sets are well prepared, well placed, and are beautiful.
Video Quality: This is top level high quality FMVs that I have seen.
Extras: A lot of extras and all of them have done excellent jobs. Their actions have added the immersion of the game.
Subtitles: English subtitles are still iffy but somewhat understandable. Don't let this prevent you from playing the game.
Endings: A LOT of endings even good ones?!

Love Is All Around (LIAA) may pave the groundwork of these Asian dating sims, but this elevates it to the next level (even better than Knowledge Lady). Developers have poured out a lot of their hearts and efforts in this game and it clearly shows. Overall, a great Chinese FMV dating sim with great characters, narrative, background sets and soundtracks that should deserve more praises/accolades. This is my top one.

1. Charming Hearts
2. Knowledge Lady
3. Love Is All Around (LIAA)
4. My Destiny Girls

It's literally Love is all around, but! Much better.
1. Higher production value (better direction, more coherent, even if lacking in originality, story, better acting etc.)
2. Has a bit more serious vibe (than, say, LIAA or Knowledge or know lady). More dorama than anime, if that makes sense. Pesonally, i wouldn't be against an even more serious approach, but this one is good too.
3. Cast is actually one of the best among this types of FMV games. Literally every girl is pretty in her own way. Me personally liked the Tian Yuning (the boss lady) and Shang Youya (gangster widow) the most - both are just drop-dead gorgeous IMO.
Also , it may sound kinda strange, but i really liked the variety of locations here: it was very interesting to see not only indoors like offices or residental flats, but also parks, beaches, urban areas, panoramic views of the busy streets etc. It helps to immerse yourself in the world, however fictonal it may be. I've often pressed the pause button just to look at the sights ;)

All in all, this game deserves much more attention, than it does now. Try it if you have liked LIAA or similar FMV games.
Cheers!

Charming Hearts is a game that clearly wasn’t made with English-speaking audience in mind. It took them a week after release to even get English UI into the game, and the result looks like a very poor machine translation. While it is technically playable and you can get the general idea of what the story is all about, do not expect anything beyond that. But the problem is not just the translation: the game contains several tests for you to solve, with the questions that are on a timer and will likely make no sense to you unless you were born and raised in China. Thankfully, you can pick anything you want in those tests with little consequences, because…

Because your choices do not matter at all. You can ignore a girl throughout the game, and then get a marriage ending all the same. You can refuse to do something, but the protagonist still agrees, because the plot demands it. And this happens not twice and not even thrice. Indeed, the only thing girls’ “favourability” influences in the game is your ability to progress to the next chapter. So in every chapter, you have to make enough choices that make girls like you. In practice, it means you are forced to engage with the girls you don’t care about. As such, you can max out your relations with every girl. This leads to no replayability and the game being a “one and done” deal.

Beyond perhaps the first few chapters, the story is rather boring and fails to captivate. More than once I caught myself thinking I could be spending my limited time with electricity in the middle of recurrent blackouts in Ukraine on something more fun than this. It could to an extent be compensated with fan service, however there’s none – and any attempts to do something like hug a girl or pick her a risqué outfit lead to game over with endings like being buried alive and harsh messages like “you’re a pervert” or “you deserve to be single”.

The characters are the usual set of clichés – a dominant girlboss, a sad quirky girl, a childhood friend, a single mother whose kid you’ll have to pretend to be a father for. Why do those games insist on adding single mother characters? Who is even the target audience? Some personalities are definitely fleshed out better than others, and the characters are more idealized, with only a subtle showcase of their drawbacks.

Despite me being rather critical of recent Love is All Around, that game had style and felt distinct. This one however feels like there’s a factory out there somewhere that uses conveyor method to make similar games. It’s like after building with Lego you try a knock-off from AliExpress. While it only cost me $5 and so I probably got my money’s worth – there’s definitely nothing to write home about.

Oh, and you can safely divide my playtime by 2 – I fell asleep during playing this.