Thanks for taking the time to answer!
who said they would be left behind ? you're just assuming. getting the people that are close to the opened portal first, then at least, you have a team to go back for the remaining friends.
but instead your argument here should be that it's easy to point out things in hindsight, and that MC and Hannah are too upset and panicked to make reasonable, sound and well thought out decisions. You did a good job in portraying a distraught Hannah there.
even if that is not 100% the case, nigh shifts are more relaxed and less alert, it's a pretty common trope. making the mercs and their leaders/customers wait longer also make them more tired, or drop their guard and attention.
at least, if you don't want to go that route, you can mention it to cover your bases, and make the chase more urgent by emphasizing the fact that the magic trail is already almost gone. there is a very quick mention of it, when MC summons the portal but the urgency of it is diminished and diluted because the link with Kaylee makes it "the right time" instead of adding the fact that they can't really afford to wait.
it would also give them time to, maybe, ambush one of the mercs and interrogate them for more info.
good for you if you add branching. finding the ring just as the very end when they go in the prison cell was too "on the nose". it'd have preferred to have that scene before, so it could be a bit forgotten when the cliffhanger comes, to add more tension. for example, instead of the encounter with the female orc, finding the ring and having the same banter with the whole group about the potential female djinn inside would work too. as of now, the female orc scene seems like a waste, even if it helps balance the "bad" of murdering the kidnappers and adds to world building a little bit. there is so many things to wrap up in chapter 10, there is very low chance to see her again.
it would mean one less person needed to be rescued. Oscar could also pass along all the information he saw or heard to MC and Hannah. and it's one more head for a makeshift plan for the rescue. Oscar is more level headed than both, even if Kenny is involved, and especially when Bailey is concerned, MC and Hannah can't form a coherent thought. also, if they end up having to walk to the prison, having one more tracker is very useful. none of them know if MC can actually open follow up portals. that was a huge gamble.
sure, it gives you more creative freedom, but you are still bound to the coherence of your setting and characters. Alora is very respectful of their relationship, their bond and the boundaries that go with that. She knew before the meeting that it would need an intimate physical contact. There was no coherent reason for her not to include Hannah there. and having Hannah there for the solo route would increase the contrast between Alora and Alorine.
it's a small detail, but it breaks immersion. just like if you choose to have Bailey watch MC and Hannah having sex, she ends up apologizing twice for it, the second time as if she didn't already apologize the first time when it was already resolved.
even classics and other stories have issues and some incoherent elements. they are still analyzed and criticized in even more detail by many more competent people than AVN fans.
but you're just deflecting here. whataboutism doesn't solve anything.
did you really have to go there ? personal attacks ?
first, it's just an online profile. i'm not required to put anything in it. you don't know what I actually understand or not IRL. making assumption like that is completely baseless and useless.
second, readers do have a level of understanding. even if they can't completely articulate it.
so instead of being so defensive about it, just see it for what it is. I took the time to provide feedback and constructive criticism, and I explained my points. You can just take note of it and maybe use it for the remaining chapter, the potential next games, or even a hypothetic rework... or you can just ignore it.
I didn't come here and say " this game sucks, see ya loser".
Like I said in my first comment here, your game had potential. there was a very long prologue, which is ok. and the main story feels like it begins when the crew is isekai'd. but then the story feels like it is rushed to end in less chapters than the prologue.
I saw the game on steam in a bundle, and I was debating with myself on where to support it from. steam or patreon. that's how much potential the game had.