VN Ren'Py Corporate Culture [v0.6] [sqwl]

[EndlessNights]

Let's continue on with my deep dive into the memorable characters of Corporate Culture. I originally planned to talk about Elsa, Alice, and Zoe all in the same post, but it was getting really, really long so I decided to break things up. Hopefully you guys appreciate my "restraint."

Alice, Edward's Favorite:

Alice is Edward's vision in white, his muse, his inspiration. In his mind, she's perfection, a dream to strive for, and a reason to live. Outside of his mind, she's a real person who is just trying to survive college and young adulthood, not to mention remain grounded despite the silver spoon she was born with. I actually like Alice as a person and like the dynamic of her relationship with Edward. Ed seems more engaged and less cynical around Alice. Even his humor becomes less biting. When he does reveal some incel tendencies, Alice pushes back against them energetically (in stark contrast to Elsa who seems to encourage all forms of cynicism and despair).

The trouble is Alice isn't who Edward wants her to be. No human possibly could be. She's a young, rich girl who probably has much more to figure out about life than even Edward does and that's a lot. She's a very good person for him to get to know, but I don't think she's up to the task of saving him or giving him direction. Edward might get to a place where he no longer expects or needs someone to save him, and at that point he and Alice could possibly give a relationship a go. Her dad probably won't be thrilled by the whole thing, but that'd be part of the fun of it I think rather than an insurmountable obstacle.

I'd certainly play an Edward-Alice path, but it's not the one I'm most looking forward to. I was always someone who worked hard in school so I must admit I was a little offended by Alice wanting Edward to do all her coursework for her. It's what you might expect to hear from a young, immature person...and Alice clearly still has some growing up left to do. Granted, Ed isn't the most mature person around himself.

Zoe, My Favorite:

There's someone who works with Edward every day and cares about him, but he barely notices her existence. She invites him to lunch, initiates conversations, is unfailingly nice and sweet, and yet our MC seems to only have thoughts and time for Alice and Elsa. That's further reminder if we needed it that Ed isn't a well person. He isn't good at seeing what's in front of him. He isn't good at reading or understanding people. He still thinks Elsa is his very good friend and Alice is a perfect goddess that dropped down from heaven.

If Edward could become healthy, I think he'd definitely notice Zoe and her interest in and concern for him. She's not someone the game has focused on much as a character, but if you pay close attention it's remarkable how many times she shows up in the scenes. She's a background character not because she isn't interesting or a worthy person, but simply because Edward to this point has been too oblivious and quixotic to get to know her. If I get the chance, I'm going to change all that even if I have to spend every last bit of Edward's money on Marvel movie tickets. I think Zoe could be great for Edward. She seems like she might be someone who could support him in his struggles and appreciate and accept him for who he is. I thought it was significant that she seemed just as interested in Ed before and after his Elsa-ordered makeover. For whatever reason, she seems to like him as a person above all else. Perhaps if she's as kind and loving as she seems Ed would simply end up using her like the other characters use him, but I still have hope that we'll be able to turn our MC into the kind of person who could love and appreciate someone like Zoe.

On the cautionary side, Edward does have reason to look warily upon redheads who like him. Perhaps Zoe would remind him of Jenny. Zoe also seems quite popular in the office among both the guys and the girls because of her sweet nature so old feelings of jealousy might bubble up to the surface if Ed and Zoe started dating. I still think Zoe's the best choice for him.

 

[EndlessNights]

I just have a few more important Corporate Culture characters left to discuss at some length. (I'll also do some quick takes on some of the less important or as yet underdeveloped ones later.)

Lucy:

One of my favorite parts of the game is when Lucy and Edward watch Game of Thrones together. Sqwl is a genius at slice of life -- he really makes the personalities of his characters sparkle brightly in their ordinary moments. At that point in time in the game, Edward is 100% all in on Alice and fully resolved to spend his nights austerely studying to make himself worthy of his lady love, but even in my least Lucy-focused playthrough I've never been able to pick the option to study instead of hanging out with the charming, curvaceous neighbor. They have such a great time watching a great show together that it seems entirely too cruel to deny them that moment of joy and fellowship. This scene is truly Lucy's time to shine as a character. I love their conversation and the lowkey flirting. She always feels like Best Girl to me right until the show ends and the magic of the moment gradually fades.

And then everything suddenly changes. It has always seemed abrupt to me how Edward decides Lucy is a gold digger and someone to be grouped in with other women who've wronged him in the past. If I really, really drill down on their conversation during the show, I can begrudgingly see the basis for Edward's conclusions, but it all still feels more than a little rash and unfair. Judging someone's whole character based on a few throwaway lines in a casual conversation isn't a very reasonable thing to do. I know from this forum what choices to make in order for Edward and Lucy to have sex, but in practice I've never quite been able to bring myself to choose those options. Making those choices would require me to assume the worst of Lucy -- someone who has been uniformly nice and friendly towards Edward up to that point in my estimation -- and accept that she is someone who can justifiably be manipulated and deceived in the name of "revenge" and getting Edward laid.

Instead, I prefer to have Ed not lie and go for the kiss...and he gets friendzoned every time as a result. Surely it's not the worst thing in the world to end up with a friend to watch Game of Thrones with...many people don't have even that much in their lives. I still prefer to believe that the best version of Lucy and the best version of Edward could hook up without the need for lies and subterfuge. Perhaps there'll be a path like that to be revealed later on. Even if there isn't, I have no regrets about my choices.

Emma:

Edward has exceedingly few good things to say about Emma Reid. He calls her bitchy where I'd call her professional. Every boss I've ever had has wanted me to do my damn job, and Emma is honestly not particularly abrasive when she tells Edward to get to work. I find her to be an interesting character. To succeed at EO as a woman in a workplace where sexual harassment appears to be rampant, she had to have been tough, professional, and persistent. Elsa says Emma didn't sleep her way to the top; if that's true, how did she get there? Is she just extremely hard-working or did she scheme, blackmail, and do whatever is necessary to rise?

Edward feels like a personal victim of Emma's scheming because of the way she purportedly stole his report and presented it to Jack Brown as her own work. I'm very much looking forward to hearing Emma's explanation for that situation. It'll be the most important moment for her character in the game. My pet theory is the whole report stealing story might be manipulation from Elsa; I know some people don't think Elsa would actually lie like that, but she's also very much an end justifies the means sort of girl. If Elsa is correct, Emma might argue she didn't steal anything since Edward works under her and it's all company work product. It's perhaps not exactly like Dane Cook stealing a joke or Led Zeppelin ripping riffs. She could also say it doesn't really matter who gets credit for the report since she's taking Edward under her wing and offering him the chance to rise under her guidance. I like her and want to see a redemption moment come out of all this, but perhaps it'll still be worthwhile for Edward to work with her even if she's just as bad as Elsa says she is.

An Edward-Emma romance seems unlikely at the present time, but it'd be interesting to see unfold for sure. Based on her professional and cold demeanor, I'm going to guess Emma doesn't have a lot of people in the office she can banter with or call a friend. Probably no one would want to watch Game of Thrones with her. It's lonely at the top, and that has to be especially true at EO given the power struggle currently going on in the company. Under the circumstances, there's a slim chance Emma might just appreciate Ed's jokes and Edward himself just a bit more than Elsa seems to. I could've sworn she was smiling on the inside in a few of the renders from their last meeting, but maybe that's just wishful thinking on my part. I look forward to learning more about our boss lady beyond her obsession with reports and her stunning sense of style (definitely the best dressed woman in the office in my view).

Fleur:

There sadly (or happily, depending on your point of view) haven't been enough scenes with Fleur in them yet for me to come up with three paragraphs of analysis, but she's great. I think she'd be my Alice if I were Edward. She's stunningly beautiful, charming, humorous, nice, best friends with the nicest girl in the office, and a department head. What's not to like? The only problem is how on Earth Edward is going get a woman like that to notice him. I'm not sure, but based on past events it probably involves running head first into an immovable object. I'm not sure anything else would work at this point.

 

[Kionashi]

nice character analisis, I gotta say Im totally on your side with the whole Zoe situation, she deserves better than an oblivious MC who doesn't notice the good things he has in his reach by shooting at the absolute stars. I hope she gets a nice ending

 

[EndlessNights]

nice character analisis, I gotta say Im totally on your side with the whole Zoe situation, she deserves better than an oblivious MC who doesn't notice the good things he has in his reach by shooting at the absolute stars. I hope she gets a nice ending

Thanks, man! I always enjoy reading your takes on the updates. Could you possibly be about to officially switch over to Team Zoe from Team Elsa? I'm definitely feeling the Zoementum starting to shift in this thread.

 

[EndlessNights]

OK, it's time to finish up my little Corporate Culture character study with some thoughts on some of the game's minor or hitherto less developed characters.

Anita:

Anita is the nice brunette who liked Edward in college but lost out to Jenny. I think she's a great example of the one who got away -- the person who in retrospect seems perfect for us, but we didn't choose her or circumstances intervened to keep you and her apart. There are girls I knew in college who seem endlessly fascinating and alluring when I think about them now, but at the time I hardly noticed or thought much of them. Sometimes I'll have clear memories of a great conversation or two I shared with someone and then realize I never even bothered to ask her for her number. Never asked her out to coffee. Never found out if she had a boyfriend. All those missed opportunities can really start to weigh on you as the years go by if you let them...sometimes I do.

I'm not sure Edward will ever be coming face to face with any of the people from his past that we've seen in the game, but I'd definitely rather he run into Anita again instead of Jenny or the "friend" who betrayed and resented him. Anita was cool. Just maybe Ed will get another chance to make up for his missed opportunity. I really don't want to start the Internet's only Anita from Corporate Culture conspiracy theory, but I think there's a vague possibility Anita might work for EO now. Anyone else notice the dark-haired woman who talks to Joyce in the hallway when Edward is on his way to meet Emma? I think there's a physical resemblance there for sure.

Ashley:

Ashley's the one Corporate Culture character who doesn't seem to have any depth or complexity to her. She's a girl who likes muscle hunks, and that's pretty much the end of the story. Probably the only erotic VNs she plays are by EpicLust. If you were to ask her if she thinks Summer is ever going to come back, she'd look at you quizzically because she doesn't know who Summer is or that she's gone. Edward has his issues, but surely he deserves better than THAT. Even Elsa I'm sure at least plays both Tess and Darktoz games so there's at least a bit more variety.

I will fault our protagonist for asking Ashley out when he already knew there was no chemistry or rapport there, but that still doesn't excuse her behavior. If they do ever end up on another date, Edward should insist they take Ashley's grandma along so the evening isn't a total waste if Ash has to suddenly drop everything and chase down a wandering muscle dude. And so GILF Quest begins!

C. (Bar Girl):

The bar scene is one of the most creative and memorable in the game, but because it is completely devoid of dialogue we don't get to know C very well. Even Tommy who set her up with Edward doesn't actually know her name. So she's definitely mysterious, but based on the limited time we've seen her I think she's pretty, fun, and kind. You better believe I'm taking that number. No idea what was up with those guys in the bar, though. Are they the ex-boyfriends of C and Tommy's date? Brothers? Just drunken regulars they happen to know? Or is this some sort of swinger fight club situation we've haplessly wandered into? Eddie needs to call C up pronto so we can finally get the lowdown.

Elsa's friends, Katie & Emily:

Those who feel "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls was in fact a hidden Corporate Culture walkthrough and that Scary Spice is the foremost time traveler of our time have to be disappointed with the poor start to Edward's relationship with Elsa's best friends. Katie completely ignores him at the jail while Edward completely ignores Emily when he's getting lunch with Elsa. True to form, our MC doesn't do a good job of noticing other girls when Elsa and especially Alice is around. So far, Emily seems nice and Katie doesn't, but we really need some more data to go on to form a definite opinion of them. I'd have liked the option to ask Katie if she has a ride home and to at least say hello to Emily, but our Eddie just hasn't leveled up charisma to that degree just yet.

Jenny:

Jenny is a nuanced character for a cheater. I liked how the game showed the fissures in their relationship prior to the betrayal. It didn't seem like there was any chance that relationship was going to last. Edward didn't seem that serious about her (to the point of actually not treating her very well at times) and they were both very young. Their connection would probably have fizzled out gently on its own given enough time, but instead it went out with a big bang and ended up absolutely devastating Edward who was betrayed by not just by his girlfriend but also his childhood friend. I'm not going to call that resentful freak his best friend because that title clearly belongs Tommy both now and then.

I can understand to an extent why Jenny cheated and actually don't feel as angry towards her as I do the false friend she cheated with yet I also have zero interest in seeing her back in the story. Ed shouldn't waste energy hating her or trying to get revenge, but he should totally move on and consign her away with all the other ghosts of his past.

Joyce:

Joyce is Emma's assistant. We only see her a couple of times in the game, but I'd definitely like to see more of her in the future...she's nice. Who knew candy of all the things would turn out to be the key to taming Emma's temper?! The main reason I wanted to mention Joyce here is because I wanted to give a quick shout out to sqwl for the little things he does to make his characters seem more vivid and alive. In the case of Joyce, he changes her hair color and style between scenes in a dramatic enough way I actually had to go back to make sure it was the same character. It was...she just changed her look up a bit as millions of people do in offices around the world each day. Sqwl also does a really nice job of giving all the characters different outfits to wear. Little touches like that really increase immersion and make the game world more realistic.

Tommy:

What a great friend. Seriously, this guy is the best. He's the one person who seems to always be there for Edward and who always tries to build him up. He has to have felt disappointed and frustrated with his depressed best friend a thousand times, but giving up on a friend just isn't part of his code of ethics. He's shown at times to be a rather single-minded skirt chaser; however, I can't think of a single time where he actually prioritized going after a woman to being there for Edward.

 

[Ottoeight]

So, guys, what are the latest news from the Author?

 

[drisarter]

...

I don't have anything to add to any of this I'm afraid - my memory is not the best at the best of times so don't have my own observations to offer and also don't have anything particular to say in reply to yours - //but// do just want to express that I really enjoyed reading your thoughts on all the characters. Hope to come across similar posts in the for another game I follow at some point in the future. Thank you for taking the time to write all this.

 

[EndlessNights]

I don't have anything to add to any of this I'm afraid - my memory is not the best at the best of times so don't have my own observations to offer and also don't have anything particular to say in reply to yours - //but// do just want to express that I really enjoyed reading your thoughts on all the characters. Hope to come across similar posts in the for another game I follow at some point in the future. Thank you for taking the time to write all this.

Thank you so much! I'm with you on the bad memory thing. I had to replay the game from start to finish three times over the course of a week just to get all the details and character names straight in my head so I could do my character study. I'm sure I won't remember Elsa's friends' names in another week or so. If you do ever have some thoughts on the game coming off of a fresh replay you'd like to share, I'm sure we'd all love to hear them.

Out of curiosity, what's the other game you'd like to see a character analysis for? I've thought about doing something similar for Karlsson's Gambit or New Coral City, but those VNs have so many characters it would likely take me 20 posts or more to cover them all unless I learn the art of brevity (which I probably won't).

 

[KeksimusMaximus]

Out of curiosity, what's the other game you'd like to see a character analysis for? I've thought about doing something similar for Karlsson's Gambit or New Coral City, but those VNs have so many characters it would likely take me 20 posts or more to cover them all unless I learn the art of brevity (which I probably won't).

Your write ups were great, loved them and def got me to think about Zoe more. Ngl, my last playthrough of this had my tunnel vision on Elsa, so I honestly barely noticed Zoe. I'd love some of your thought on the girls (and guys ig) in Nothing Is Forever, which has some of my favorite character writing out of all the AVNs I've played.

 

[Kionashi]

Your write ups were great, loved them and def got me to think about Zoe more. Ngl, my last playthrough of this had my tunnel vision on Elsa, so I honestly barely noticed Zoe. I'd love some of your thought on the girls (and guys ig) in Nothing Is Forever, which has some of my favorite character writing out of all the AVNs I've played.

man of culture

 

[Niahrleak]

at some point on the scene of the coffee shop i expected the mc to walk away losing hope on life itself being hit with all the depression he has, elsa was too harsh to much, in short time, so he just going to try to die, even being extreme, seemed kinda fitting at that point, maybe a source of shock to the instigator. the mc has a lot more mental problems than just "loser" "alpha" stuff.

 

[dreamgoat]

Just got caught up from the beginning. Not a lot of difference in character since the start of the game when it comes to MC but small improvements, don't know the life of this game/novel but ill hold my opinion when I get a clear depts on what's going on. Keep up the good work.

 

[supman1337]

You must be registered to see the links

duuuude the choice of this song in some scenes man, extremely powerful atmosphere

 

[Canto Forte]

Thank you so much for your appreciation posts about characters not that honest to themselves or MC.
The friends might be guilt tripping over Ed in showing him this or that girl whom he does not click with,
also girls have the complex of helping pent up guys by being sweet to them while friend zoning them hard,
which result in blue balls more often than not.

Let's continue on with my deep dive into the memorable characters of Corporate Culture. I originally planned to talk about Elsa, Alice, and Zoe all in the same post, but it was getting really, really long so I decided to break things up. Hopefully you guys appreciate my "restraint."

Alice, Edward's Favorite:

Alice is Edward's vision in white, his muse, his inspiration. In his mind, she's perfection, a dream to strive for, and a reason to live. Outside of his mind, she's a real person who is just trying to survive college and young adulthood, not to mention remain grounded despite the silver spoon she was born with. I actually like Alice as a person and like the dynamic of her relationship with Edward. Ed seems more engaged and less cynical around Alice. Even his humor becomes less biting. When he does reveal some incel tendencies, Alice pushes back against them energetically (in stark contrast to Elsa who seems to encourage all forms of cynicism and despair).

The trouble is Alice isn't who Edward wants her to be. No human possibly could be. She's a young, rich girl who probably has much more to figure out about life than even Edward does and that's a lot. She's a very good person for him to get to know, but I don't think she's up to the task of saving him or giving him direction. Edward might get to a place where he no longer expects or needs someone to save him, and at that point he and Alice could possibly give a relationship a go. Her dad probably won't be thrilled by the whole thing, but that'd be part of the fun of it I think rather than an insurmountable obstacle.

I'd certainly play an Edward-Alice path, but it's not the one I'm most looking forward to. I was always someone who worked hard in school so I must admit I was a little offended by Alice wanting Edward to do all her coursework for her. It's what you might expect to hear from a young, immature person...and Alice clearly still has some growing up left to do. Granted, Ed isn't the most mature person around himself.

Zoe, My Favorite:

There's someone who works with Edward every day and cares about him, but he barely notices her existence. She invites him to lunch, initiates conversations, is unfailingly nice and sweet, and yet our MC seems to only have thoughts and time for Alice and Elsa. That's further reminder if we needed it that Ed isn't a well person. He isn't good at seeing what's in front of him. He isn't good at reading or understanding people. He still thinks Elsa is his very good friend and Alice is a perfect goddess that dropped down from heaven.

If Edward could become healthy, I think he'd definitely notice Zoe and her interest in and concern for him. She's not someone the game has focused on much as a character, but if you pay close attention it's remarkable how many times she shows up in the scenes. She's a background character not because she isn't interesting or a worthy person, but simply because Edward to this point has been too oblivious and quixotic to get to know her. If I get the chance, I'm going to change all that even if I have to spend every last bit of Edward's money on Marvel movie tickets. I think Zoe could be great for Edward. She seems like she might be someone who could support him in his struggles and appreciate and accept him for who he is. I thought it was significant that she seemed just as interested in Ed before and after his Elsa-ordered makeover. For whatever reason, she seems to like him as a person above all else. Perhaps if she's as kind and loving as she seems Ed would simply end up using her like the other characters use him, but I still have hope that we'll be able to turn our MC into the kind of person who could love and appreciate someone like Zoe.

On the cautionary side, Edward does have reason to look warily upon redheads who like him. Perhaps Zoe would remind him of Jenny. Zoe also seems quite popular in the office among both the guys and the girls because of her sweet nature so old feelings of jealousy might bubble up to the surface if Ed and Zoe started dating. I still think Zoe's the best choice for him.

I just have a few more important Corporate Culture characters left to discuss at some length. (I'll also do some quick takes on some of the less important or as yet underdeveloped ones later.)

Lucy:

One of my favorite parts of the game is when Lucy and Edward watch Game of Thrones together. Sqwl is a genius at slice of life -- he really makes the personalities of his characters sparkle brightly in their ordinary moments. At that point in time in the game, Edward is 100% all in on Alice and fully resolved to spend his nights austerely studying to make himself worthy of his lady love, but even in my least Lucy-focused playthrough I've never been able to pick the option to study instead of hanging out with the charming, curvaceous neighbor. They have such a great time watching a great show together that it seems entirely too cruel to deny them that moment of joy and fellowship. This scene is truly Lucy's time to shine as a character. I love their conversation and the lowkey flirting. She always feels like Best Girl to me right until the show ends and the magic of the moment gradually fades.

And then everything suddenly changes. It has always seemed abrupt to me how Edward decides Lucy is a gold digger and someone to be grouped in with other women who've wronged him in the past. If I really, really drill down on their conversation during the show, I can begrudgingly see the basis for Edward's conclusions, but it all still feels more than a little rash and unfair. Judging someone's whole character based on a few throwaway lines in a casual conversation isn't a very reasonable thing to do. I know from this forum what choices to make in order for Edward and Lucy to have sex, but in practice I've never quite been able to bring myself to choose those options. Making those choices would require me to assume the worst of Lucy -- someone who has been uniformly nice and friendly towards Edward up to that point in my estimation -- and accept that she is someone who can justifiably be manipulated and deceived in the name of "revenge" and getting Edward laid.

Instead, I prefer to have Ed not lie and go for the kiss...and he gets friendzoned every time as a result. Surely it's not the worst thing in the world to end up with a friend to watch Game of Thrones with...many people don't have even that much in their lives. I still prefer to believe that the best version of Lucy and the best version of Edward could hook up without the need for lies and subterfuge. Perhaps there'll be a path like that to be revealed later on. Even if there isn't, I have no regrets about my choices.

Emma:

Edward has exceedingly few good things to say about Emma Reid. He calls her bitchy where I'd call her professional. Every boss I've ever had has wanted me to do my damn job, and Emma is honestly not particularly abrasive when she tells Edward to get to work. I find her to be an interesting character. To succeed at EO as a woman in a workplace where sexual harassment appears to be rampant, she had to have been tough, professional, and persistent. Elsa says Emma didn't sleep her way to the top; if that's true, how did she get there? Is she just extremely hard-working or did she scheme, blackmail, and do whatever is necessary to rise?

Edward feels like a personal victim of Emma's scheming because of the way she purportedly stole his report and presented it to Jack Brown as her own work. I'm very much looking forward to hearing Emma's explanation for that situation. It'll be the most important moment for her character in the game. My pet theory is the whole report stealing story might be manipulation from Elsa; I know some people don't think Elsa would actually lie like that, but she's also very much an end justifies the means sort of girl. If Elsa is correct, Emma might argue she didn't steal anything since Edward works under her and it's all company work product. It's perhaps not exactly like Dane Cook stealing a joke or Led Zeppelin ripping riffs. She could also say it doesn't really matter who gets credit for the report since she's taking Edward under her wing and offering him the chance to rise under her guidance. I like her and want to see a redemption moment come out of all this, but perhaps it'll still be worthwhile for Edward to work with her even if she's just as bad as Elsa says she is.

An Edward-Emma romance seems unlikely at the present time, but it'd be interesting to see unfold for sure. Based on her professional and cold demeanor, I'm going to guess Emma doesn't have a lot of people in the office she can banter with or call a friend. Probably no one would want to watch Game of Thrones with her. It's lonely at the top, and that has to be especially true at EO given the power struggle currently going on in the company. Under the circumstances, there's a slim chance Emma might just appreciate Ed's jokes and Edward himself just a bit more than Elsa seems to. I could've sworn she was smiling on the inside in a few of the renders from their last meeting, but maybe that's just wishful thinking on my part. I look forward to learning more about our boss lady beyond her obsession with reports and her stunning sense of style (definitely the best dressed woman in the office in my view).

Fleur:

There sadly (or happily, depending on your point of view) haven't been enough scenes with Fleur in them yet for me to come up with three paragraphs of analysis, but she's great. I think she'd be my Alice if I were Edward. She's stunningly beautiful, charming, humorous, nice, best friends with the nicest girl in the office, and a department head. What's not to like? The only problem is how on Earth Edward is going get a woman like that to notice him. I'm not sure, but based on past events it probably involves running head first into an immovable object. I'm not sure anything else would work at this point.

OK, it's time to finish up my little Corporate Culture character study with some thoughts on some of the game's minor or hitherto less developed characters.

Anita:

Anita is the nice brunette who liked Edward in college but lost out to Jenny. I think she's a great example of the one who got away -- the person who in retrospect seems perfect for us, but we didn't choose her or circumstances intervened to keep you and her apart. There are girls I knew in college who seem endlessly fascinating and alluring when I think about them now, but at the time I hardly noticed or thought much of them. Sometimes I'll have clear memories of a great conversation or two I shared with someone and then realize I never even bothered to ask her for her number. Never asked her out to coffee. Never found out if she had a boyfriend. All those missed opportunities can really start to weigh on you as the years go by if you let them...sometimes I do.

I'm not sure Edward will ever be coming face to face with any of the people from his past that we've seen in the game, but I'd definitely rather he run into Anita again instead of Jenny or the "friend" who betrayed and resented him. Anita was cool. Just maybe Ed will get another chance to make up for his missed opportunity. I really don't want to start the Internet's only Anita from Corporate Culture conspiracy theory, but I think there's a vague possibility Anita might work for EO now. Anyone else notice the dark-haired woman who talks to Joyce in the hallway when Edward is on his way to meet Emma? I think there's a physical resemblance there for sure.

Ashley:

Ashley's the one Corporate Culture character who doesn't seem to have any depth or complexity to her. She's a girl who likes muscle hunks, and that's pretty much the end of the story. Probably the only erotic VNs she plays are by EpicLust. If you were to ask her if she thinks Summer is ever going to come back, she'd look at you quizzically because she doesn't know who Summer is or that she's gone. Edward has his issues, but surely he deserves better than THAT. Even Elsa I'm sure at least plays both Tess and Darktoz games so there's at least a bit more variety.

I will fault our protagonist for asking Ashley out when he already knew there was no chemistry or rapport there, but that still doesn't excuse her behavior. If they do ever end up on another date, Edward should insist they take Ashley's grandma along so the evening isn't a total waste if Ash has to suddenly drop everything and chase down a wandering muscle dude. And so GILF Quest begins!

C. (Bar Girl):

The bar scene is one of the most creative and memorable in the game, but because it is completely devoid of dialogue we don't get to know C very well. Even Tommy who set her up with Edward doesn't actually know her name. So she's definitely mysterious, but based on the limited time we've seen her I think she's pretty, fun, and kind. You better believe I'm taking that number. No idea what was up with those guys in the bar, though. Are they the ex-boyfriends of C and Tommy's date? Brothers? Just drunken regulars they happen to know? Or is this some sort of swinger fight club situation we've haplessly wandered into? Eddie needs to call C up pronto so we can finally get the lowdown.

Elsa's friends, Katie & Emily:

Those who feel "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls was in fact a hidden Corporate Culture walkthrough and that Scary Spice is the foremost time traveler of our time have to be disappointed with the poor start to Edward's relationship with Elsa's best friends. Katie completely ignores him at the jail while Edward completely ignores Emily when he's getting lunch with Elsa. True to form, our MC doesn't do a good job of noticing other girls when Elsa and especially Alice is around. So far, Emily seems nice and Katie doesn't, but we really need some more data to go on to form a definite opinion of them. I'd have liked the option to ask Katie if she has a ride home and to at least say hello to Emily, but our Eddie just hasn't leveled up charisma to that degree just yet.

Jenny:

Jenny is a nuanced character for a cheater. I liked how the game showed the fissures in their relationship prior to the betrayal. It didn't seem like there was any chance that relationship was going to last. Edward didn't seem that serious about her (to the point of actually not treating her very well at times) and they were both very young. Their connection would probably have fizzled out gently on its own given enough time, but instead it went out with a big bang and ended up absolutely devastating Edward who was betrayed by not just by his girlfriend but also his childhood friend. I'm not going to call that resentful freak his best friend because that title clearly belongs Tommy both now and then.

I can understand to an extent why Jenny cheated and actually don't feel as angry towards her as I do the false friend she cheated with yet I also have zero interest in seeing her back in the story. Ed shouldn't waste energy hating her or trying to get revenge, but he should totally move on and consign her away with all the other ghosts of his past.

Joyce:

Joyce is Emma's assistant. We only see her a couple of times in the game, but I'd definitely like to see more of her in the future...she's nice. Who knew candy of all the things would turn out to be the key to taming Emma's temper?! The main reason I wanted to mention Joyce here is because I wanted to give a quick shout out to sqwl for the little things he does to make his characters seem more vivid and alive. In the case of Joyce, he changes her hair color and style between scenes in a dramatic enough way I actually had to go back to make sure it was the same character. It was...she just changed her look up a bit as millions of people do in offices around the world each day. Sqwl also does a really nice job of giving all the characters different outfits to wear. Little touches like that really increase immersion and make the game world more realistic.

Tommy:

What a great friend. Seriously, this guy is the best. He's the one person who seems to always be there for Edward and who always tries to build him up. He has to have felt disappointed and frustrated with his depressed best friend a thousand times, but giving up on a friend just isn't part of his code of ethics. He's shown at times to be a rather single-minded skirt chaser; however, I can't think of a single time where he actually prioritized going after a woman to being there for Edward.

Kind a refreshing reading all of this compared to my cold cutthroat understanding of how and why
Ed gets thrust into these spectacular circumstances where he gets tricked in being funny and helpful
when girls are being cruel and condescending, mostly Ed be reading the social cues all wrong.

Good gaming should come of all our debates, game oN!

 

[EndlessNights]

Kind a refreshing reading all of this compared to my cold cutthroat understanding of how and why
Ed gets thrust into these spectacular circumstances where he gets tricked in being funny and helpful
when girls are being cruel and condescending, mostly Ed be reading the social cues all wrong.

Good gaming should come of all our debates, game oN!

Corporate Culture is pretty unique among AVNs in the way it makes us players spend as much time worrying about Edward as we do lusting for the hotties. I totally understand where your harsh takes on Elsa and Alice come from: you don't want to see our Eddie used, abused, and sent further down his pit of despair. I can totally relate to that sentiment, and I think even Elsa's biggest fans basically feel the same way...they just think Elsa would do a better job of running Edward's life than Ed can himself. We all want to see our MC survive the darkness and find a better life for himself. You and I can't view Elsa as the white knight who will rescue the "princess" because of her cruel words and suspicious behavior, but I get why people would want to see her swoop in and somehow save Ed from himself.

On another note, it's really cool to be here having this conversation with you, Canto. You're one of my favorite posters, and I'm a big fan of your poetic and inimitable writing style. *Fanboy mode OFF*.

 

[Ragnar]

I'm a simple man I want to fuck Elsa and Alice.

 

[Canto Forte]

This game ponders a variety of pitfalls for players, many of which are a direct consequence of MC
being double or tripple faced about himself and each and every hottie.

The start of his discovery is believable, like him reading a bunch of self serving novels about
personal development, but he failed hard in implementing it, which is unbelievable.

First he startts to be friendlier to his neighbor and gets to have shared movies experiences with her,
but he treats the office hotties differently, not opening up, still being overly judgemental.

MC still harbors deep seeded disgust and pathetic hatred towards Elsa for the fact she keeps using him,
he feels helpless to stop it from going on, most of all that seemingly coming from the fact that she pushes him
into becoming a pet for her and his superior hottie, the babe boss who uses his work while he keeps being berated by Elsa.

The moment MC is not shown as being in tripple or more minds about anything and he trully embraces
his teachings, the lot of books this game advertises him as having read and the fact he got to be successful
in getting at least one hotie in his life, yes, she is hot the nighbor and fun, more fun than the two babes using him for target practice, this game will take off.

Until then, all we got is incomprehensible blabber form MC either at his mouth or in his head that is
driving us into being uncertain about what choice does what in the dialogues.

 

[Ottoeight]

I'm a simple man I want to fuck Elsa and Alice.

Me, I just want to know if the next update comes out in 2022.

 

[EndlessNights]

I'm a simple man I want to fuck Elsa and Alice.

...at the same time? My guess is that's going to be a very difficult path to find. We might need some help from Sancho and a team of highly dedicated guest renderers to make Ragnar's dream a reality.

 

[Den187]

Me, I just want to know if the next update comes out in 2022.

Since first part of this update (0.4.5) already was released, I hope second part should comes out until end of this year.