Romance is a social gameplay mechanic that allows the player to date and eventually marry any eligible marriage candidate, regardless of gender. Not all characters can be romanced.
This feature is present in both My Time at Sandrock and My Time at Portia.
Romanceable characters[]
The romanceable characters were added or confirmed during various points of the game's development. Romance candidates in My Time at Sandrock have their own personalities and stories to make them more individual.
Romanceable characters can be recognized by having a relationship gauge denoted by hearts in the Social tab in the Menu.
The following characters are romance candidates:
Bachelors[]
![Owen[1]](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/mytimeatsandrock/images/d/db/Owen.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/70?cb=20210622231325 "Owen (22 KB)")
![Qi[1]](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/mytimeatsandrock/images/4/4d/Qi.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/70?cb=20210622231340 "Qi (20 KB)")
Bachelorettes[]
![Amirah[1]](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/mytimeatsandrock/images/a/ae/Amirah.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/70?cb=20210622231106 "Amirah (21 KB)")
![Elsie[1]](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/mytimeatsandrock/images/8/84/Elsie.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/70?cb=20210622231140 "Elsie (20 KB)")
Flirting[]
Some dialog options during missions or events are marked with a 
heart icon to indicate that they are flirtatious. Flirty dialog often has no effect other than a unique response from the character being addressed, where they may respond in kind, not catch on, or even become uncomfortable. However, flirting a given number of times or at key moments can result in a reverse confession.
Confession[]
| “ | The red rope is tied together to form a knot, representing two interwoven fates. Give this to someone if you want to take your relationship to the next level... | „ |
| — Heart Knot description | ||
Romance can only begin after the player confesses their feelings to a character by gifting them a 
Heart Knot. The player can confess after reaching Friend status (
(or 400 points) with an eligible character. The Heart Knot for confessing can be purchased at By The Stairs.
If a character accepts the player's Heart Knot, the confession is successful, the player gets 24 relationship points with the character, and their relationship status changes. However, there is a chance the character will reject the player's confession; the higher their relationship with the player is the higher the chance of successful confession. The chance of success starts at 30% at the Friend level and maxes out at 70% at the high end of the BFF level.
Conditions[]
Some characters will not accept a confession until some unique criteria is fulfilled:
-
Fang will only accept a confession after completing Eagles in the Oasis. - Logan will only accept a confession after completing The Outpost.
- Nia will only accept a confession after completing Builder Cruise x Operation Flowergate and witnessing the post-conduct events that come with it.
Reverse confession missions[]
Some characters will confess to the player under the right circumstances, resulting in entering into a romantic relationship without the need of a Heart Knot. These confessions occur during missions or events, and are typically the result of choosing flirt dialogue options during conversations leading up to the confession. The player will have the choice of accepting or rejecting the confession.
| Character | Mission / Event |
|---|---|
 Arvio
|
Blessing in Disguise |
 Catori
|
The Stars Align |
 Grace
|
Graceful Farewell |
 Heidi
|
An Unexpected Outcome |
 Jane
|
Heartbreak Drama |
 Logan
|
Cornered Beasts |
 Nia
|
A Secret Under the Tree |
 Qi
|
Hand-Foot Co-ordination |
 Unsuur
|
Crush |
 Venti
|
Venti Cup of Sadness |
Confession settling missions[]
Some characters will be conflicted or undecided upon receiving a Heart Knot, and the player must undertake a mission before the character will formally recognize the nature of their relationship as a romantic one.
| Character | Mission / Event |
|---|---|
 Amirah
|
Promise for a Rose |
 Fang
|
Words to Betray the Heart |
 Pen
|
Simply the Best |
Relationship levels[]
After a successful confession, a character's relationship status with the player changes to a romantic one, and their relationship gauge changes to a four-heart scale.
| Boyfriend/Girlfriend  |
|||
| Downgrade | Level Start | Level End | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Relationship Points | 150 | 150 | 600 |
| Birthday Gift Chance | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| New Interactions |   |
||
| Other Notes |
|
||
| Sweetheart  |
|||
| Downgrade | Level Start | Level End | |
| Relationship Points | 600 | 600 | 900 |
| Birthday Gift Chance | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Proposal Success Chance | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Other Notes |
|
||
| Lover |
|||
| Downgrade | Level Start | Level End | |
| Relationship Points | 800 | 900 | 1100 |
| Birthday Gift Chance | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Proposal Success Chance | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Soulmate |
|||
| Downgrade | Level Start | Level End | |
| Relationship Points | 1100 | 1100 | 1200 |
| Birthday Gift Chance | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Proposal Success Chance | 100% | 100% | 100% |
Dating[]
Dates[]
After a character accepts the player's confession, they can be taken on romantic dates instead of platonic play dates once per week. The activities and rewards on platonic and romantic dates are identical; however, the starting and ending lines for romantic dates are different from the lines for playdates, and the player will hold hands with their partner while on a romantic date. Additionally, the player gets more Social Energy points on romantic dates. [ verify ]
Jealousy[]
| “ | A bear that seems to melt even the coldest exteriors; it's warm, beaded eyes will make anyone you've wronged forget all about it. Please use responsibly. | „ |
| — Apology Bear description | ||
The player can romance several characters at once. They will not get a penalty unless they are caught by one character they are romancing while on a romantic date with another character. If the player is caught while on a date, the date ends immediately and both their date partner and the character who caught them give unique lines and get -50 relationship points penalty each.
What comes next depends on the characters the player is dating.
Some characters will be willing to give the relationship a second chance. They will give the player unique jealous lines when chatted with and will not accept gifts, but can still be gifted an Apology Bear (purchased at Game Center Shop for tokens) to repair the relationship and return to normal. If the player fails to gift an Apology Bear within six days, their romantic relationship with that characters ends, the character sends them a breakup letter and drops down to a non-romantic status in the social list.
Other characters are less forgiving and will immediately end their romantic involvement with the player and drop down to a non-romantic relationship level. For several days they will give the player unique jealousy lines when chatted with and will not accept any gifts, including the Apology Bear. There is no way to reverse that penalty: the player will have to rebuild their relationship with that character from zero if they wish to once the character returns to their normal behavior.
Arvio
Burgess
Heidi
Jane
Justice
Mi-an
Miguel
Nia
Owen
Pen
Qi
Unsuur
Venti
Break up[]
| “ | A branch that has completely withered, symbolizing a relationship as dead as wood itself. It's a bit harsh, but giving one is the most direct way to break up with someone. | „ |
| — Dead Branch description | ||
The player can end their romantic involvement with a character at any time by gifting them a Dead Branch. The Dead Branch can be purchased at By The Stairs. The player gets -20 relationship points penalty with the character they give it to.
A character the player is dating will never refuse a Dead Branch. Once they are gifted a Dead Branch, the romantic relationship ends and their status with the player goes down to Associate, Buddy, or Friend, depending on the character. The character will still interact with the player normally and will be able to chat and accept gifts.
The player can get back together with a character they have broken up with before, but only after a minimum of a week has passed. If the player tries to give their ex another Heart Knot too soon, they will reject it with unique dialog. After that initial week passes, the player can confess to the character as normal; the chances of them accepting the player's confession will be the same as if they have never been in a romantic relationship with the player before. However, most romance missions can only be done once and will not trigger again.
Marriage[]
| “ | Under the refraction of light, it emits a dazzling light; this sparkling diamond ring would impress anyone, and helps one to make a successful marriage proposal. | „ |
| — Engagement Ring description | ||
In order to marry a character, the player first needs to expand their Workshop yard to level 5, unless the player get proposed by their partner; in that case Workshop level requirement will be waived. The player can propose to any character they are Lovers with, using an Engagement Ring either during a date or directly. The ring can be purchased from the Mysterious Man when he visits Sandrock on the 20th and 21st day of each season.
The player can only marry one person; if they are dating more than one character and successfully propose to one of them, all their other romantic partners will lose relationship points and revert to a non-romantic status, as if the player has given them a Dead Branch, and they will send the player a break-up letter the next morning after the engagement.
After a successful proposal the player and the character they have proposed to are considered married. The player can choose to have a wedding ceremony at the Temple for 3,000 Gols. The ceremony can be held immediately or scheduled up to seven days in advance.
The character the player successfully proposes to immediately moves into the player's Workshop and will help them with chores if assigned any tasks. When marrying Catori or Logan, Alo or Andy will move in as well. The boy will also refer to the player as his parent.
Exceptions[]
Pen is the only romanceable character that cannot be married. Some other characters will not accept a proposal until some unique criteria is fufilled:
- Catori can be successfully proposed to only after Alo has moved to Sandrock. [ verify ]
- Elsie can be successfully proposed to only after the player completes Chasing Elsie and waits until she returns to Sandrock.
- Grace can be successfully proposed to only after the player completes Graceful Farewell and waits until she returns to Sandrock.
- Owen can be successfully proposed to only after the player completes Big Story on Little Stage, unless they accept the reverse proposal during this mission.
Proposal missions[]
Certain characters have a mission or event around the occasion of proposing to, or being proposed to by, them. These missions trigger when certain relationship and timeline requirements are met, without the player needing to give the character an Engagement Ring first.
| Character | Mission / Event |
|---|---|
| Catori
|
One of a Kind Proposal |
| Logan
|
True Love's Treasure |
| Nia
|
In Bloom |
| Owen
|
Big Story on Little Stage |
| Venti
|
Take a Guess |
Romance missions[]
Some characters have romance missions which can only be triggered if the player romances them or confesses or proposes to them.
Not in this list:
- the friendship missions that offer one or more options to flirt,
- the friendship missions where a character confesses to the player,
- DLC missions.
Exclusive items[]
Some items can exclusively be obtained by engaging in a romantic interaction with a character. The player does not necessarily need to be dating the character; at a minimum, they may only be required to use a romantic dialogue option. For example, the Masquerade Ball Mask can be obtained by using a romantic dialogue option to trigger Arvio's romance mission Blessing in Disguise, but the player is then free to turn down his reverse confession.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 My Time at Sandrock Kickstarter update 6. Published November 6th, 2020.