Just started playing this game after hearing some good things about it and I've certainly been enjoying myself so far. The renders are fabulous and games of this quality, where the environments feel so real, are a rare thing and something I enjoy immensely. I understand why almost all other devs don't do this, what with limitations of their hardware, time, assets, and even skill in doing 3D rendering, so it's great when a game like this comes along. I've also been enjoying the plot progression and haven't really minded the slow build as it's more titillating that way. In particular, I've been enjoying the build up of the various incestuous relationships (mom/son, mom/daughter, sister/sister), and the various potential lesbian relationships Sophia could have. I had hoped/still hope we might see some movement towards some bro/sis incest (Dylan & Ellie), but there's still time and hopefully there will be something some day.
That being said, this Aiden blackmail storyline has really pulled me out of the enjoyment. I'm still on playable day 9 and haven't finished the current version yet, but the fact that Sophia is now faced with this dilemma really depresses me. I will say that L&P has done quite a masterful job in creating such an iron-clad, very literal, get-out-of-jail free card for him; an elite lawyer uncle who will defend his nephew no matter what he does, an aunt who lets him do whatever he wants, apparent "connections" to nefarious people who could quite possibly kill her and/or her family, a police force who will do nothing to him because of his uncle, and a school that will take no actions against him for the same reason as the police. It's impressively put together, but still an annoyingly and frustratingly perfect shield that Aiden has around him.
What's most annoying though, is that I've spent the entire game thus far avoiding any male character except for Dylan and now I'm essentially being forced to have Sophia do sexual things for this Aiden prick. Yes, I could reject his blackmail, but I don't like the idea of Dylan and Zac going to a boarding school let alone the fact that Aiden basically threatens her that Dylan could be attacked or killed by one his supposed goons and that Aiden will just start threatening some other poor kids. Maybe, depending on how this game goes, it might work out for Sophia regardless of which choice you pick, but the helplessness of the current situation as it stands now really sucks.
It made me wish that the characters of Mr Herman and Mr Gibb were written differently. Visiting them after the blackmail meeting with Aiden, I thought that it would've been cool if, during the first time Sophia took them out for a walk, one of them told her they used to "paint houses for a living" and the other one "did his own carpentry", which are mob terms for a hired killer and the guy that disposes of the bodies respectively. Then, either the next time she sees them or another time after that, she would feel the need to unburden herself and tell them what's troubling her and they would offer to help, telling her what they really did for a living. Having ex-mobsters who would still have connections in that world would've been great for Sophia as they could help her out with the Aiden situation.
But, I guess we're just going to have to wait and see how this plays out and hope she doesn't end up going too far with Aiden.
