no difference in these paths, caras and nikkis paths are the exactly same, only the location is different (nikki will go to the beach with the MC instead), thats a big dissapoinment too... Even most of the dialogues are the same. They say the same and so on... thats felt kinda lazy to me. But yeah... her comebacks are completly wasted. (the visit on the beach is a little bit more fun to watch though)
The whole episode is kinda "one way" doesnt matter wich girl you chase before, in this episode it makes no real difference... yeah totally a filler episode with slim to none progress, really. Maybe its the quiet time before a storm... hopefully in episode 10 there is much more progress and more going on.
The cliffhanger is kinda harsh, and it can be asumed its erryn, maybe got abused, beaten or raped. But my gut feelings tell me, its not erryn behind the trash we can see... Just a cliffhanger on purpose to make us cringe. I would think, there is not much major impact behind this. The worst would be... another new character and potential LI. But my feelings tell me, its not Erryn.
On Nikki/Cara, I don't mind their paths sharing the same overall structure, and I appreciate Nyx giving them distinct events. It would have been better to minimize reused dialog (to keep their 'voices' as distinct as possible), but I think their content was pretty good purely in terms of seeing the two in action again.
My problem is entirely with the lack of progress in their overall stories. We can pull the plug on the relationship once and for all - though that isn't a conscious choice by the MC, it's a side effect of showing them no immediate affection. And if we do show them affection, there's no effort to start sorting out the tangle. Even if the MC tells Nikii/Cara he's started seeing someone else, she'll be happy to stick around and screw the MC without any apparent concern. Nor can we discuss this development with the other girl (much less break up with her in favor of Nikki/Cara). I get that not every player would jump at the chance to turn down girls, but at this point the MC's life is sufficiently complicated that it really needs to be an option.
As for the cliffhanger, I'm still at a loss as to what to make of it. I mean sure, it could be a complete false alarm - and that might even be the best choice. But it's still a
terrible choice! It would be a cheap trick that undercuts the drama of any future cliffhangers. Meanwhile, the alternative - having Erynn badly beaten or even dead - would overshadow everything else in the game to an unworkable degree. I don't see any remotely good options here.
I think the Zach situation was written more to show how manipulative Ethan is rather than how dumb Zach is. Ethan played Zach like a fiddle, Zach thinks because the MC can get girls, he is not helping Zach, when it is actually Zach can't accept that his personality is the reason he can't get laid. It doesn't mean he can be forgiven but it just shows how bad Ethan is.
He certainly played Zach, but playing a fiddle takes real effort. This was more like playing a triangle.
Ethan didn't just get Zach to take his side over the MC's, he got Zach to assault the MC out of the blue for pretty much no reason. It's not like Ethan revealed our dirty secrets (assuming we even had any to reveal) or caught Zach when he was having a particularly bad day. He just pointed out that girls prefer the MC to Zach and it was off to the races. If that's all it takes, it's hard to see how Zach's relationship with the MC lasted this long in the first place.