Estelle is the only character available to romance in The Witch's Bakery (The Witchs Bakery), Sunny Lab's cozy 2D narrative adventure RPG. While protagonist Lunne forms close friendships with several Parisian locals throughout the story, Estelle remains the sole romantic path. Unlocking her route requires making specific narrative choices, spending time baking and dining together, and navigating a critical dialogue prompt during an invitation to the theater.
Can You Romance Other Characters?
Estelle is confirmed by developer Sunny Lab and official guides as the single romantic partner in the game. Characters such as Mawuli, Kei, Best, Mirembe, and Orio have their own multi-tier friendship bonds, complete with dedicated relationship achievements, but their storylines remain purely platonic.
Player discussions on the Steam community forums confirmed that Lunne's romantic story arc is predetermined rather than open-ended like an ensemble dating simulator. Players who spend time giving gifts or hanging out with male or female NPCs outside of Estelle will only advance platonic friendship meters.
How to Unlock the Estelle Romance Route
Lunne first encounters Estelle during Chapter 2 of the main storyline. After the initial introduction, building her affection relies on routine social activities during the Evening phase once the bakery closes at 6:00 p.m.
To steadily progress Estelle's relationship meter, prioritize the following actions:
- Bring her gifts purchased from shops around Paris.
- Cook and bake with her at her home.
- Invite her out to local Parisian dinners and leisure activities.
- Visit Estelle's Heart Palace during narrative progression to resolve emotional obstacles. While inside Estelle's Palace, players can interact with the manifestation of Sadness; petting Sadness five times unlocks the achievement "Sadness, I Would Burn The World For You."
- Accept invitations when she initiates hangouts, specifically her trip to the local theater.
Once Lunne and Estelle officially enter a relationship, players may observe unique narrative flavor, such as Lunne waking up directly at Estelle's home before heading to the bakery.
Critical Theater Choice: Avoiding the Second Heart Lockout Bug
In the launch version of the game, an unintended dialogue bug can permanently freeze Estelle's affection meter at relationship level 2. Developer Sunny Lab issued an official announcement explaining the exact point where the lockout occurs and how players should answer.
When Estelle's second heart fills, she invites Lunne to visit the theater. If you decide to go with her directly, Estelle's Art preference unlocks early in the theater dialogue and prompts Lunne with two dialogue branches:
- Top Branch: "You've always struck me as a poet"
- Bottom Branch: The "humbling" dialogue option
You must pick the top branch ("You've always struck me as a poet"). Selecting the bottom branch triggers a bug in the current version that locks Estelle's second heart permanently, preventing the romance from ever advancing to later levels.
How to Fix the Estelle Second Heart Bug via Save File
If you selected the bottom dialogue branch at the theater and found Estelle's relationship progression frozen at two hearts, the developers provided an official manual fix for Windows PC players before a patch is deployed.
To edit your save file and restore relationship progression:
- Close the game completely.
- Navigate on your PC to the folder: C:\Users[YourUsername]\AppData\LocalLow\Sunny Lab\The Witch's Bakery\GameFiles\Slot_0
- Locate the file named Save.lunne and create a duplicate copy in a safe location as a backup.
- Open Save.lunne using a plain text editor such as Notepad.
- Use the search function to locate the string effc1d56-d2a3-4fe5-bcb2-933781bdf8b5.
- Look for the relationshipLevelsLocked property within that section and change "true" to "false".
- Save the text file and relaunch the game.
Modifying this setting unlocks the second heart and allows future affection events to trigger naturally. While this skips the remaining dialogue of the theater scene itself, it prevents your save from being barred from subsequent story milestones.
Estelle Relationship Milestones and Achievements
Progressing your bond with Estelle triggers four distinct tier achievements as detailed in platform trophy and achievement lists:
| Achievement Name | Requirement | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| An Honest Partner | Reach Relationship Level 1 with Estelle | Unlocks through natural story progression, gifting, and spending time together. |
| A Romantic Play | Reach Relationship Level 2 with Estelle | Triggered after spending time baking at her home, gifting, and attending the theater. |
| A Sweet Dinner | Reach Relationship Level 3 with Estelle | Advanced through continued hangouts, dining out, and story support. |
| A Moment Beyond Words | Reach Relationship Level 4 with Estelle | Max tier. Tracked as exclusive to those pursuing the romantic route. |
Players should complete Estelle's romance route before clearing Chapter 5. Player reports note that the game concludes after Chapter 5 without an open post-game free-roam mode, meaning incomplete relationship quests cannot be wrapped up after the final epilogue.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you date male characters in The Witch's Bakery?
No. There are no male romance options. Characters like Mawuli and Kei have deep friendship questlines and level progression, but their relationships remain strictly platonic.
What happens if I miss the romance before finishing Chapter 5?
The game does not feature a post-story free exploration mode after the narrative finishes. Using the Continue option on the main menu after beating Chapter 5 replays the epilogue rather than dropping Lunne back into the daily bakery cycle. All romantic milestones must be attained before completing the main story.
Player reports on Steam indicate the bug was present on both PC and Nintendo Switch launch builds. While PC players can manually modify their save file text string to bypass the lock, console players must select the top dialogue option ("You've always struck me as a poet") during the theater scene to avoid getting stuck.
