Gotta say the wait was worth it. I can't remember the last time I laughed this hard or this long/much. This game and Summer's Gone are to me the best VN's on this forum or that I played ever.
I thought v13 was gonna be like v12, a quick play, but I was astounded by the sheer amount of content we got.
Holy shit, it took a LOOOONG time to even get out of the bar at the start on my Lexi path! I would wager like half an hour. And the Lake/pizza scene was faar longer than on another paths which were basically "er, Lake, i already know Lexi. Anyway, have fun, gotta go!". Despite being in a rush to go home MC even sat down and took his time. Granted that that's what he should've done considering it was his gf, but still shows a level of commitment he has on no other path.
Sure, I've only played Lexi, Layla, Val, Nikki and Elena to this point, but Nikki is not an LI (afaik).
People dis Lexi path for too much sex and claim that this means it's not a serious relationship and has no future, but they forget that sex IS a big part of any normal adult romantic relationship (and lack of it is one of the main reasons for death of marriages) and is the main thing that separates romantic relationship from friendship. Hell, this BS is completely disregarding the fact that with most marriages the first year is saturated with sex to the point it's called honeymoon phase.
Plus that they HAVE gotten to the stage of love already, it's not just sex, have admitted it to each other and are constantly re-affirming it. I can't remember any other path being this far, iirc not even with Layla have they said "I love you" yet even though they're already having sex.
Hell, as vague as it was, MC&Lexi
have already broached the topic of marriage and kids and timelines for that to happen (beach scene)!
Guys, think about that for a bit! An 18 year old already discussing having kids and marriage with his gf, no matter how light the discussion! PLUS he didn't freak out when she told him in no vague terms that she wants marriage in 3 years latest rather than 10 years as he proposed! Despite the 3 year timeline on him becoming husband hanging over him he didn't freak out, he didn't break up and they continue to go strong aside of the sister thing which is a deal-breaker simply because of Patreon. Hell, he even so casually stated that he'd be willing to take her family name that Lexi was surprised.
Plus, honestly of all the relationships I've seen him in MC acts the most stable with Lexi. Yes, there's a lot of horsing-around and playing and joking (to the point they seem more childish than even Layla sometimes), but that's because they have a fantastic chemistry and are relaxed with each other.
They're past the tense, unsure dating stage, are no longer in that early "getting to know one another" stage where the biggest discoveries are made and the rough picture of a person forms cause they seem to be very similar and can read each other, so the picture of the persons is already pretty detailed, it's just small pieces of backgrounds being added (like the kink discussion in v13 and from the choices to me role-play was the most fitting for myself and for MC and that again compounds how alike they are). Note that despite not having had a traditional date in a long time they still spend a lot of time together not having sex (that is usually what late dating stage is like before becoming a marriage).
Also, it's
biological fact that women have periods. It had to come up sooner or later and it's more of a conspiracy theory crap that that scene was added just so they wouldn't constantly have sex. Note that the period didn't really interfere, MC still got a blowjob, Lexi told him she can't stay either way and MC was then physically absent for almost entire period and then they had sex when he came back. Jesus, claiming that this is some kind of proof for the "this is sex only!" mantra is nothing but desperate grasping for straws.
To my eyes, they're rather acting as either a couple that's been dating for several years and are now comfortable and secure with each other or even a married couple, rather than 2 people that have been together for just a few months as they have. How long have they been together, 2 months? And they act like they've been 2 years.
By the end of v13 I would still say that of all LIs I can imagine a successful longterm relationship/marriage/family only with Lexi.
Layla is still a bit childish and he acts more like an older mentor with her (pounded in with the Spanish lesson in v13), plus they've barely started having sex and have not yet achieved the settled and comfortable stage of the relationship, are still tense and unsure. She's a very sheltered girl, has a lot of growing up to do yet.
Elena hasn't even begun yet and is a non-starter for many players from what I remember of discussions since you have to break Layla's heart for it to start and I can't honestly imagine a future for a relationship that can exist only on the shards of a destroyed best-friendship. Lovers come and go, but friendships remain is an old saying and there is a reason for it. Seriously, can't see at all Elena be willing to steal her best friend's boyfriend, even if MC is a slut and asshole enough to do it and then push Elena for it. She's really not the kind of person to do it, so I don't really understand Nyx yet again how she thinks this will fly with audience (or maybe there will be retconning done here as well).
Val, okay, there's been a LOT of progress with her in v13, especially in breaking through her barriers and helping her mentally heal from her assault, and he's earned a lot of trust from her, but they're barely at kissing stage. By the end of v13 they've barely started light petting and nudity. It can still go either way and Val can clam up.
Only Nikki can compare, then again, just like Lexi, she's older than the other LIs; and while pregnancy proved a false start, she didn't really show or claim to have experienced a freak-out or a panic over it's possibility (she handled the testing calmly and during v13 was actually pretty casual about the whole thing). The problem is, last I remember she's not an LI, just a side piece. Which is sad since she's a pretty fun character, not to mention sexy. I like her maturity, with her (just like with Lexi) the MC is not a maturer figure, but an equal partner. And because she's got a profession and a source of income, she's more confident and stable in her life, thus better prepared and cushioned for their relationship to become longerm. And her moving to Madison means she'll be around more and could become LI.
Sadly for Nikki, as much as I love her, the gym date got so boring so quickly (with having 0 relevance on the story) that I ended up skipping most of it.
I screwed up with Nikki though since she's for some reason tied up in my Layla playthrough, so now my MC is cheating.
Need to start a new, clean playthrough for both of them.
---------------------------
ACHIEVEMENTS OF THIS PATCH
Thus in terms of amount of content Lexi was the winner of this patch.
In terms of breakthrough it was Val and that's only because she was so far behind and due to her past and stemming personal issues that ground that was covered quickly with others took a long time with her. Make no mistakes, she's still running far behind everyone in progress, iirc even Elena had sexual contact with MC at the hot tub game.
In terms of current stability for future prospects it was Lexi and Nikki.
Lexi path is so far ahead that they're doing nothing but strengthening their relationship before making major life changes at this point. I mean, what else is there to do now? They've met each other's parents and are regular guests at each other's homes, to the point they're almost comfortable there, they're regularly saying "i love you" to each other, they have regular sex, even the matter of periods was handled quite maturely (not touched yet by other paths). Adrianna even openly stated to her husband that she wants MC as part of her family... There is really nowhere less for them to progress to than move in together and then marriage/family. Of all possibilities they seem the most emotionally dependent and tied up couple. I see them as the most stable couple.
Nikki otoh got through what could've been a dramatic life-changing event with little more than a whimper and a small bump. Obviously an unexpected, unplanned pregnancy with MC wouldn't phase her, she's financially stable and with the pregnancy scare she's already gone through the mental and emotional readjustment and growth and thus is much more acceptable for such a scenario. But in other ways they're behind Lexi path cause their relationship while having many tender moments is somewhere between casual sex and serious relationship.
---------------------------
PREGNANCY
On topic of pregnancy... I can't decide whether Nyx sees it like she sees incest - a tool to troll her audience with - or an actual topic for the future.
There was a LOOOT of talk about it in v13, more than any previous update and while with any other dev (a dev who doesn't have such a history of making fun of their audience and wantonly retconning a lot of shit to correct players' emotions and narrative into the path she wants) I would've taken it as a pre-monition or even a promise of a future serious handing of the topic, I have no such compunction with Nyx.
Plainly spoken, I don't trust her. She's like the kid from those old Disney cartoons that annoys the lion in it's enclosure until he gets eaten or cries "wolf" just to giggle at people's reactions.
And, while again with other devs, I would see the majority of the main characters being born to their mothers when they were 18 as significant, I have the sensation as if someone is trying to jerk me around by my chain.
Sure, there can be false negatives on quick pregnancy tests and Nikki's supposedly growing breasts, a case of puking (that didn't repeat) and "craving" can be signs of a pregnancy, I think we're being teased. Besides, with the kind of hard impact training she does daily I personally see Nikki as a prime candidate for miscarriage in her first trimester, so that's another no against it. Plus her, afaik, unresolved status whether she's an LI or a side-piece. Again, I haven't been on this forum for most of the year and don't know if anything's changed. Otoh, aside from Lexi she's the oldest, most settled (has a job) and has proven that an unplanned pregnancy would neither send her into blind panic nor destroy her life/world.
Does it matter that 4 mothers in the game got pregnant when they were 18? I don't think so, I don't think it has any relevance to the current generation. If I get proven wrong, i will gladly accept it.
However from Nyx I simply don't get the impression pregnancy will appear in any LI path, unless it's in an epilogue or at the very end of the game, like it usually happens with movies or written short fiction. Which would be a great shame cause there is SO MUCH to explore with such an interesting plot device, especially when you're writing about young people.
Okay, there is one pregnancy that is not being a source of amusement for Nyx and is a real thing. Enzo and Adrianna are expecting another baby.
Though there was a weird comment by Adrianna about stealing MC if it was another girl, so they would finally have a boy in the family.
For me it was weird cause you only have that dinner scene if you're involved with either Lexi or Layla, which carries a possible future of him marrying into their family, so there would be no need to steal him. By marrying Layla/Lexi he WILL be part of their family. Or it's just another way for Nyx to milk amusement from her incest baiting what with making him into their child while he's having sex with one of his new sisters? As someone else said, she should be careful cause she's overdoing it and she may be karma'd with a Patreon ban for it.
---------------------------
THE TRIANGLE
I also think members here are wish-listing and reading far too much into the fuck-kill-marry game on the beach. From what I've seen, basis of the justification for their belief for MC-Erryn-Lexi triangle is that game. Which is nonsense and extremely weak reasoning.
Why?
Because Nyx set it up just to get this result from the players (she certainly can be a very good psychologist at times). There were no other choices. There were 4 players and each player had to pick 3 people for 3 roles. There was no way to drop a player out of running for any role cause there were no extra players. Had there been 5 players the results could've been far different.
Further more, Iris is MC's ex (who also took his virginity) so she's already on Lexi's shit list (and the we-never-broke-up crap didn't help matters with Lexi), besides the fact that Erryn, no matter how rocky their relationship might be at times, is still Lexi's BFF. Don't know if people've missed it, but
Lexi is extremely possessive of MC (and equally completely devoted and clearly thinking very-longterm)
. And while she's demonstrated jealousy I would not call her a jealous person as default. Hell, there were plenty of times she's shown a lot of trust in him and didn't get jealous by a person or situation when she could've.
So, really, who else could she have picked?
She's straight and iirc (thank god) she never "experimented". So of course she's gonna choose her boyfriend (and the only guy among the players) for the "marry" choice.
For "kill" and "fuck"... I mean, really... How could those choices be anything but what they were? She's not gonna "kill" her BFF so "fuck" was the only option to keep her alive, plus she prefers Erryn over Iris in everything anyway, even if she wouldn't actually ever want to have sex with Erryn.
Otoh, Irish IS kinda an enemy being MC's ex and being VERY casual with PDA and touching to the point she would raise ANY girlfriend's hackles, not to mention the crap about never breaking up. That was definitely not a way to show she wasn't a threat to his new relationship and to Lexi.
If the group was bigger, say 10 people, and had more males in it than just MC I think the results (except "marry") would be completely different.
There is still a very good chance that Iris would end up as a "kill", but I seriously doubt Lexi would choose Erryn again as a "fuck" option. She might go with another guy cause she's straight, but I would sooner think she'd choose a girl she doesn't care about to show MC he doesn't have to fear and that there is no-one to threaten him and their relationship (men sooner see other men as a threat than a woman even if sometimes it proves a wrong belief, but that is very rare). Cause think about it, how many people, if they had to choose someone for one time of meaningless sex with no future, would choose a friend and thus threaten a life friendship over a stranger that means nothing to them?
This is of course if we treat them as actual humans and not just the result of Nyx's plotting.
---------------------------
CARS
While as a petrol-head I really appreciated Lexi's scene where she shows MC her family's vehicles (the cars were a continuous point of interest for me from the start of the game) and seeing Ferrari Enzo (yes, it was a model, so the name Enzo on the plate was for more than just the owner's name) in the garage was appreciated, but it also had me rolling my eyes.
Not only was it cliche, but honestly an unexpected (freakin' Zo seemed pretty down to Earth and normal guy to that point) case of sheer narcissism. A guy called Enzo buying a car called Enzo and putting Enzo on the license plate. Cringe fest.
It was also hilarious to me that aside of Lambo and Enzo, MC's own motorcycle has the rest of the cars beat in performance and for several times more price the only thing they can do is offer only luxury.
The facepalming part was about Layla learning to drive on a Lambo. And that Lambo staying in one piece. Anyone with a lick of a sense can see why putting a complete newbie behind the wheel of a +700HP monster would be a bad idea. I can't imagine any parent doing that. Hell, that goes for any young driver.
Besides overwhelming horsepower, torque, acceleration; almost 0 visibility anywhere except of front (and even that being limited), no way for the instructor to override driver's foot-pedals (especially the brake) to stop her from killing them, extremely difficult parallel and reverse parking that puts to the test even experienced drivers, a transmission that would be more of a hinderance trying to drive other cars (Lambo having flappy pedals on the steering wheel rather than a stick shift or even traditional automatic; dimensions that are really bad for a new driver to adjust to, and for so many other reasons.
In reality the probably that the Lambo (iirc Aventador?) would end up as a mangled pile of plastic, metal and carbon before she even got her license is out of proportion. I don't know why Nyx included that cause it made no sense at all.
---------------------------
Lastly, it's a peeve with grammatical error that's been consistently present throughout the entire game.
Nyx, if you're reading this, you don't DRIVE a motorcycle, you RIDE it. Like a horse or a bicycle (yes, again ride, not drive)!
To most of you this may seem something silly to get upset about, but it just bugs the hell out of me. Maybe because it's a reappearing error that was never fixed, maybe because as a rider it's one of the misconceptions non-riders have on a topic that they're particularly staunch about or I'm just old and easily annoyed.
Does anyone know what nationality Nyx is even? I'm guessing she's not a native English speaker.
---------------------------
SUMMARY
Excellent update, with a worthy wait. LIs are as attractive as ever and becoming more interesting as characters.
I think Nyx is settling in for the long haul, I can't see this game being finished in the next 2 years at least, not with how infrequently it gets updated and that even for the currently farthest progressed relationship the wrap up ending looks nowhere in sight. Plus, Nyx has now added yet another girl to the mix.
Despite wishes of player, I simply don't see either pregnancy or triangles becoming part of gameplay. I could be wrong, only time will tell, sadly I don't think I'll be able to play future patches and thus find out.
