I love all the discussion around how Himiko dying would make the game unplayable when her whole story is about how impermanence of a thing doesn't diminish that thing. It's hilarious.
Maybe I missed it, but I don't think anyone said that the game would be unplayable. Pretty much everyone has praised the dev's writing, and understand what her story is about.
But at the same time people don't like to see their favorite characters being killed off.
I think most of us probably can think of examples in tv series, where one of the characters dies and even if it made sense storywise, because you felt a connection to that character and they are not there anymore, you kind of stop being interested in the show. It doesn't mean the whole show is bad or unwatchable.
I think the way people experience AVNs is very different from other types of media. Unlike reading a book or watching a tv series/movie, in AVNs you as the player, through your choices, have a lot more control over what happens in the story and how the relationships between the characters are shaped. So the connection with the characters ends up feeling a little more personal. That is why for some people, things like seeing their favorite character die, feels worse than if they were just reading it in a book or watching it on tv.
I hope what I am saying makes sense. English is not my first language so sometimes it's hard to fully express what I am trying to say.