Gonna preface that, as an actual black guy, I went into this with an exceedingly low expectation. All the same, I did humor this project in its current state. I played only the "Bull" route, since that's the one that pertains closest to anything I'd care about for obvious reasons. Here are my thoughts so far:
First of all - and this is by far one of my biggest gripes - for a town that supposedly has nearly no black people in it, there sure is a normal amount running around the college. Several on the football team, several on the track team, and so on. Doesn't seem like it's all that rare at all, yet the descriptions/reactions of several of the characters featured would suggest that the location was practically a sundown town. Huge narrative disconnect there. If we, in that role, are supposed to be a rare commodity as is the general intent of the kinks portrayed in this work, stick to that or amend the story to state otherwise.
My second concern is more of an acknowledgement of the obvious, but the expectation to be a particular sort of black man comes off pretty strong. Again, I realize that this is entirely the point for the audience of this. Still, it feels odd to have the option to play from a perspective I actually possess and yet some of the most obvious of stereotypical encounters are met with the weakest of rug sweeping for the sake of the narrative. Case and point, the hyper 3rd wave professor (who seems to teach the only class we're taking somehow - we must have some very rich parents with weird sensibilities towards housing, 'cause there's no way we qualify for most financial assistance or scholarships lmao) is such an astounding caricature that I spent every scene she was involved in wondering if her degree was real or not. Plus, we're somehow always late to her class, yet have time to wander the campus and watch our crush ogle some of the aforementioned other black peers that exist only when convenient. Again, huge continuity conflict.
My third and final gripe is a small one. There's not much to do in this route at the moment, which I understand is simply due to it being an early iteration of the game. Not much to really say there. I know more content is planned. That said, what content is currently here for this route is pretty bland so far. There's a joke to be made there, but I'll spare you the cooking lesson.
Overall, this game is clearly not made for me. I am aware of this. The themes the game centers around are for a very specific audience with very specific tastes and... Assumptions, we'll call them. I'm intrigued by the idea of having the option to play from the other perspective and the possibility that we can play from that perspective while defying some of the stereotypes and still managing to get to the fun bits (though I'd understand if some routes were cut off by doing so). I won't hold my breath for the chance of that though. Again, this game is not aimed at that audience and I am aware of that fact. I'm sure there are is an audience that will find this style of content deeply appealing, as they often do with others of its kind. To you - the self-identifying "limp dick white boi", as it's often said (no disrespect intended) - enjoy to your heart's content.
