Love and Deepspace Accused of Hiring Fake Accounts to Trash-Talk Rival Games; 3D Models Mocked as 'Mantis-Faced'

Think those "real player reviews" you see online are from genuine fans? Think again — they might just be hired marketing accounts on Papergames' payroll.

A NGA forum user recently exposed that Papergames' new mobile game Love and Deepspace has been deploying fake marketing accounts across multiple platforms to trash-talk other female-oriented otome games. The OP shared a screenshot showing that the comment section under one such marketing account was filled with nothing but bot accounts — "not a single real person" — and noted this was far from an isolated case: "I've seen several of these accounts; I only screenshotted this one."

This quickly drew widespread mockery from the community. One user nailed it with a sardonic one-liner: "I know this one — whenever Papergames launches a new game, it immediately turns into a bloodsucker." The implication being that Papergames has a pattern of propping up its new releases by tearing down the competition.

As for Love and Deepspace itself, the 3D character models became the primary target of ridicule. Players were merciless: "Sure, there's a gap between 3D and 2D, but with those three ugly guys from Papergames, I don't think they hold a candle to 2D anime characters." Another commenter went even harder: "A husbando game with factory-assembled abs. They're ugly in the most industrialized way possible — it's honestly hilarious."

The modeling quality drew particular scorn. "Could they maybe practice their 3D skills a bit more? Every face looks the same, and they even look like that praying mantis makeup meme — total uncanny valley territory." This take clearly resonated. One user drew an especially biting comparison: "It gives me the same vibe as that awful Three-Body Problem animation ripping off the original. With 3D this bad, do they really think they can compete with 'block characters' (referring to games with simpler art styles)?" — comparing Love and Deepspace's 3D quality to the widely panned animated adaptation of The Three-Body Problem, dripping with sarcasm.

Beyond the shilling and modeling controversies, the game's monetization strategy also raised eyebrows. Observant players spotted that "Love and Deepspace launched with limited gacha cards right from day one — how desperate do you have to be to develop such razor-sharp money-grabbing tactics?" With the Chinese New Year shopping season right around the corner, the timing was clearly strategic. "Spring Festival is coming up. Who doesn't know exactly why they chose to launch before then?" — aiming squarely at players' year-end bonuses and holiday spending budgets.

More intriguingly, some users discovered that "the characters in Love and Deepspace bear striking resemblances to real-life celebrities — and not just one, but several." Some speculated this might be deliberate: "Attracting real-life celebrity stans to play the game by using their idols as 'substitute' faces on the characters — honestly, that might not be far-fetched." If true, it would be a rather calculated marketing move.

One user raised a particularly thought-provoking question: "Why isn't Tears of Themis (MiHoYo's otome game) on the trash-talk list? Is it because MiHoYo once funded Papergames, so they don't dare go after them?" This suggests the marketing accounts were deliberately avoiding Papergames' competitors that have capital ties to MiHoYo — a selective hit list, not random shilling.

Amid all the chaos, perhaps the most poignant comment was the simplest: "I'm genuinely terrified that Love and Deepspace will end up being a huge hit." After all, in a market where marketing accounts run rampant and bad money drives out good, the loudest barker doesn't necessarily make the best game — but trying to climb to the top by stepping on your competitors is never a good look.