I just read a recent review from
MikesDK, and I'm gonna reply. Of course, he can't know certain things, and under that assumption, he might actually have a good point. So, I'm gonna try to clarify some things that have been discussed quite a while ago on my Patreon and that, as I said, you wouldn't necessarily know here...
Starting with the topic of forced choices, which was even discussed here a while ago... There isn’t a single game that doesn’t make you do things according to the needs of the story. Some games just make it more or less noticeable. Here, maybe at first, it stands out more. You can’t control who’s part of the harem… because this isn’t about managing a harem. You can’t choose your team members because I need control over future events… and those future events are the competitions.
Every character in the game has their own stats, even though this isn’t an RPG. If anyone bothers to check the code (which isn’t even hidden, it’s right there for anyone to see), they’ll notice a ton of variables assigned to each character. A good chunk of them will be used in competitions… Besides stats, there’s also a random factor that helps determine the outcome of each competition. The idea is that things never play out the same way when you replay.
Before each competition, you'll have two choices. You can let things unfold naturally, making several decisions along the way and dealing with whatever risks come with it… or you can play in easy mode, where everything is scripted, and there’s no real danger for your team (but the story events will still happen as intended).
If you let things play out naturally, that’s when variables and stats take over, and I have to plan dialogues, create scenes, and then render everything. This means I have to create two or three temporary paths for every decision… For example, at the start, there’s a race where you have to try and catch up with the women who started several minutes ahead… Do I start sprinting at full speed? Path 1. The race is pretty long… Do I go at a medium pace? Path 2. Do I start slow? Path 3… Each of these paths leads to different events, and within those events, there are even more choices, creating more and more branching possibilities… Now imagine what would happen if I didn’t have control over who’s on the team… What you’re asking for is simply impossible. I’ll say it one last time—this is not a normal game.
On top of that, and this isn’t the first time, people assume things that haven’t even happened yet as if they were facts, as if they had already taken place. This is what he says in his review:
"And ofc one of the main aspects of gaining points is by having sex aka forced sex with whoever whenever and that makes it feel very very kinetic and it is 100% kinetic right now, all you decide is who to fuck first and that’s it."
You're falling into the trap. You're assuming that everything Emma says is the absolute truth, without considering that she doesn’t know everything and that some of the things she
thinks she knows are actually outdated information... even Mother told MC not to fully trust what Emma says... and here you are, thinking Emma is the embodiment of truth.
And I feel (just my personal opinion) that you're being unfair about the
Kinetic thing... Like I’ve said before, the first decision you make creates a completely different route where you meet characters you wouldn’t see until much later in the original path. The reasoning behind this has already been discussed, though I don’t recall if it was here or on Patreon.
There are also two other choices that might seem irrelevant for now, but that’s
by design—you wouldn’t notice their significance unless you looked at the code. These two choices affect a behavioral variable in MC and will have consequences later, starting from the first competition. Right now, MC has a rather naive and impulsive personality. That is
completely intentional—I made it that way because it’s necessary for future changes to feel meaningful and natural. If MC were sharp, analytical, highly perceptive from the get-go… there wouldn’t be much room for growth later.
And you're overlooking one of the most important choices... If you pick the wrong option, MC can die. What’s
Kinetic about that?... Are you completely sure you actually played before reviewing?.
"
Theres also some weird side plot where people are mutans of some kind and that includes the MC."
Okay?... No, you didn’t play... This isn’t some weird side plot. It’s part of the main plot. The only reason everyone is there is because they’re mutants... If you're going to skip the text, I’ll say it again: this isn’t a normal game. You’re going to miss important stuff that helps understand the story. This game is all about the story and the competitions.
Yeah, there’s sex, sometimes a lot, sometimes just a little, but this isn’t really about the sex... It’s just an added part of human nature. This isn’t about controlling a harem, it’s not about romance or love... It’s about human relationships and how they change in extreme situations. It’s about surviving. When survival’s at stake, no one is purely good or purely bad. Although, yes, there is one genuinely evil person...