tl;dr Excellent material for a lot of the possible paths, but the remaining paths are badly overshadowed by it and the main plot developments feel rushed.
You make some very good points, and you actually touch on some things I attempted to incorporate into game, but were either outlandishly difficult or Slockie
wouldn't let me. Because he's a bastard.
I am also aware of how top-heavy MASH got, and it was a glaring issue towards the end of production on chapter 4. We considered carving away a bit here and there for solo/throuple paths, but ultimately decided against it. We figured the majority of players would focus on HAM or MASH so we kept those scenes intact on those paths. But the discussion to separate them did happen. It's a lesson we'll be taking in to Heaven's Door once BW is complete.
I'm glad to see another fan of Zenda. I think a lot of players gave up on her early in the game, and didn't stick around to discover more about her later on. Which I understand: Zenda's attitude at the start of the game is a bit of a turn-off. It takes time to peel back some of those layers and see the woman beneath.
Thanks for the feedback, and for the kind words. Bare Witness has been a learning experience, and critiques like this help us tremendously.