Level Up At Intimacy 5/Playing With

Basic Trope: Working on your Relationship Values with other characters in a Video Game has tactical benefits.
 * Straight: Hiro has to work to befriend his teammates Mana, Pike, Ichigo, Kowalski, Cherry, Ayanami and Mark. As he gets to know them, they can team up for Combination Attacks, unlock Side Quests, and offer him gifts.
 * Exaggerated: The only way Hiro can raise his Character Level is by improving his relationship with his teammates.
 * On top of having to manage his relationships with all of his companions, Hiro also has to consider his relationship with important NPCs like Princess Velvet, her sister Satine, their maids Minako and Kaya, the head of the knights Issac, his best man Kelvin... the list goes on and on. Some of them can even join the party if he plays his cards right...
 * Justified: Hiro draws his powers from an Empathic Weapon that's explicitly powered by his social bonds.
 * Alternatively, Hiro's friends might decide to leave if their approval isn't high enough
 * Inverted: Hiro is a lone wolf and derives his power from that. As his teammates gain more trust in him, he gets less powerful.
 * Subverted: While Hiro can pursue relationships with his teammates, none of these choices have any impact on actual gameplay.
 * Double Subverted: While it appears at first to have no point, this actually effects which of the ending paths are open to Hiro.
 * Parodied: Hiro's companions tempt him to spend more time doing their side quests and such by casually mentioning the rewards.
 * Deconstructed: Hiro comes to view his friendships as merely means to an end; as soon as he judges he's gained all the 'rewards' for spending time with someone, he ditches them to focus on others.
 * Reconstructed: ...But is forced to backtrack when those 'rewards' are suddenly taken away from him. Hiro has to maintain his relationships if he wants to continue to enjoy the spoils.
 * Zig Zagged: ???
 * Averted: Hiro has no teammates or friends, so there are no such relationships.
 * Enforced: ???
 * Lampshaded: ???
 * Invoked: ???
 * Exploited: ???
 * Defied: ???
 * Discussed: ???
 * Conversed: ???
 * Played For Laughs: ???
 * Played For Drama: Some of the relationships Hiro can have are mutually exclusive, or practically so -- for instance, the Lawful Good Kelvin wants to arrest Mark for his myriad crimes. Hiro must tread carefully if he wishes to befriend both, or risk losing one or both.

In order to go back to Level Up At Intimacy 5, you'll need to unlock the date scene.