Simple Days

In-depth walkthrough, tips, and practical play strategies for Simple Days

Simple Days is a choice-driven adult visual novel that follows a young man’s life as you make decisions that shape jobs, relationships, and story outcomes, and this guide focuses solely on the Simple Days game to help players get the most from their experience. In this article I share personal playthrough insights, practical strategies for unlocking scenes and branching endings, and step-by-step advice to manage characters, time, and resources. Whether you’re aiming for a specific romance route, maximizing relationship points, or exploring alternate life paths, this guide will provide actionable tips and examples drawn from multiple play sessions to help you replay with purpose.

Core Gameplay and Mechanics of Simple Days

Mastering Simple Days mechanics is less about raw skill and more about understanding the clockwork ticking at the heart of your virtual life. Think of it as a life simulator on rails, but you’re the one setting the switches. If you don’t grasp how time, affection, and resources intertwine, you’ll miss out on the best moments the game has to offer. I learned this the hard way on my first playthrough, blundering past a key character event because I was too busy watching in-game TV to notice the time! 😅

This chapter will break down the essential systems—the day time system Simple Days, the delicate dance of relationship points Simple Days, and the economy of jobs and income Simple Days. By the end, you’ll know exactly how to trigger events Simple Days, when to employ save scumming Simple Days, and have a solid set of beginner tips Simple Days to launch a successful playthrough.

How the day and time system works in Simple Days

The day time system Simple Days is the relentless heartbeat of the game. Every action, from taking a shower to working a shift, consumes precious minutes. You don’t have unlimited hours to dawdle; a day progresses from morning to night, and you must choose how to spend each block. It’s a constant balance between self-improvement, earning cash, and socializing.

Here’s the crucial part: time only advances when you perform an action. Reading a book, visiting a location, or even just resting—each has a fixed time cost. This is where strategic thinking comes in. On one replay, I found myself stuck, needing more money but also needing to build skills for a promotion. I had to meticulously plan each day, grouping errands in the same part of town to minimize “travel” time. 🗺️

Pro Tip: The game’s internal clock is your greatest tool and adversary. Always check the time cost of an action in the menu before committing. A “quick chat” might cost 30 minutes, which could be the difference between catching someone at home or finding an empty room.

For players looking to speed up progression (especially on repeat playthroughs), there’s a well-known tactic involving the DayTimePeriod setting. Adjusting this can compress how quickly the in-game clock moves during certain actions. While it lets you blaze through slower days to reach specific events, use it cautiously! ⚠️ Speeding through time can also make you miss small, time-sensitive interactions or subtle cues about a character’s schedule. The pro is obvious: faster progression. The con is a less immersive, potentially error-prone experience where you might overshoot your goals.

To give you a clear picture, here are the time costs for common early-game actions:

Relationship and affection systems explained

This is where Simple Days mechanics truly shine. Building connections isn’t just about being nice; it’s a numbers game with hidden flags. Each character has invisible relationship points Simple Days (often called Love or Affection points) that increase or decrease based on your dialogue choices, gifts, and story decisions.

However, points alone aren’t enough to unlock scenes. Characters have specific attraction flags and special conditions. For example, to trigger a heartfelt confession with one character, you might need: 1) 80+ affection points, 2) to have visited the park on a sunny afternoon, and 3) to have helped them with a problem earlier in the week. Missing any one condition blocks the event. I spent an entire in-game week maxing out points with a character, only to realize I’d never chosen the single dialogue option that set a crucial “trust” flag back on Day 2! 🚫

The system also tracks states like jealousy and trust. Pursuing multiple romances simultaneously is possible, but risky. High affection with Character A might drop if they see you giving an expensive gift to Character B. My advice? Focus on one or two characters per playthrough unless you’re following a very specific guide.

So, how to trigger events Simple Days reliably? It’s a mix of diligence and experimentation.
1. Increase Points Consistently: Always choose positive, supportive dialogue. Remember birthdays with gifts.
2. Fulfill Visible Conditions: If a character says “Meet me at the cafe Thursday night,” be there! The game often tells you what it wants.
3. Unlock Hidden Flags: This often requires specific sequences. Saving before key interactions and exploring different dialogue trees is key. This is the perfect scenario for save scumming Simple Days—saving before a choice, seeing the outcome, and reloading if it doesn’t trigger what you want.

Think of it like cultivating a garden. You need the right amount of water (points), sunlight (specific conditions), and you have to remove the weeds (avoid negative choices). Do that, and the events will bloom naturally. 🌸

Resources, jobs, and decision impacts

Your wallet and your career path are the engines of your progress. Managing jobs and income Simple Days is fundamental to accessing better gifts, nicer clothes, and even opening up new social circles. Early on, you’ll be stuck with basic part-time work, but these jobs are more than just a paycheck.

Each job subtly increases related life skills. Working at the bookstore might slowly boost your “Knowledge” stat, while the construction job increases “Stamina.” These stats are silent gatekeepers for advanced careers and even some character events. One of my favorite replay moments was when I switched from a retail job to a tutoring gig. Not only did my income become more stable, but it also made a bookish love interest view my character as more intellectually compatible, unlocking entirely new conversation branches! 📚

Your decisions here create branching life paths. Choosing to spend your evenings studying at the library instead of working overtime leads to different long-term outcomes—perhaps a university scholarship versus an early management promotion. The game is full of these irreversible choices, so think about your character’s ultimate goal.

Here’s a breakdown of early jobs and income Simple Days:

For beginner tips Simple Days, your early-game tactics should be ruthless in their efficiency:
* Prioritize Stats: Focus on one or two core stats (like Knowledge or Charm) that align with your desired job or romance path. Don’t try to boost everything at once.
* Spend Money Wisely: Early cash should go towards stat-boosting items (books, software) or reliable, affordable gifts for your target character. Avoid frivolous purchases.
* Create Save Points: This is your number one tactic. Save at the start of each day, and before any job interview, major purchase, or story conversation. This creates perfect save scumming Simple Days opportunities to retry failed checks or explore different dialogue without losing hours of progress.
* Rush a Stable Income: Your first goal should be to secure a job that covers basic expenses and leaves a little surplus. Stability gives you the freedom to pursue relationships and skills.

To wrap up this deep dive into the Simple Days mechanics, here is your actionable checklist for the critical first five in-game days. Follow this to build a strong foundation. ✅

• Day 1: Exploration & First Save. Talk to everyone you can to unlock character profiles. Visit key locations like the Community Board (for jobs) and the Shopping District. Save your game in a new slot at the end of the day.
• Day 2: Secure Initial Income. Apply for and start your first part-time job. Use the money earned to buy a simple, universally liked gift (e.g., flowers or a popular snack).
• Day 3: Targeted Socializing. Use your free time after work to gift your target character and have a conversation. Make supportive dialogue choices. Save before the interaction.
• Day 4: Skill Foundation. Dedicate a time block to boosting your chosen primary stat (e.g., read at the library for Knowledge). Check the community board for better job listings.
• Day 5: Consolidate & Plan. Review your relationship levels and finances. Plan your schedule for the next week, balancing work, skill-building, and social time. Create a new master save file.

Stick to this plan, and you’ll navigate the beautiful complexities of Simple Days with confidence, ready to bring your unique story to life.

Simple Days offers rich branching storytelling and deep relationship mechanics that reward intentional play and multiple replays. Throughout this guide I outlined the game’s core systems, how to pursue and unlock character routes, advanced replay strategies, and practical troubleshooting steps drawn from hands-on play. Use the checklists and planning templates provided to structure your runs, make deliberate saves before high-risk choices, and experiment with different priorities—career, romance, or exploration—to reveal new scenes. If you found these tactics helpful, try planning three short playthroughs with distinct goals and share your experience with the community to learn new approaches.