Is it worth/rewarding to try and play this legit or should I just cheat from the getgo?
it's kind of a mind numbing grind if you play legit
The game is designed, balanced, and optimized for gameplay, around playing it legit so if you want to know what the actual game is like, and why anyone liked it enough to even create mods for it, it is always worth playing legit without cheats.
The cheats are really more for those of us who start again with each new version just to see what has changed, and have already mastered the mechanics several times over. They also take some of the RNG out of it by letting you make choices, but they absolutely can be an instant 'win' and remove
all challenge and gameplay from the game.
Considering that the models, both in looks and poses, are one of the most criticized aspects of the game, cheating around all the challenge just to get to some rather disappointing 'sex scenes' would be pretty pointless.
Many of us hope that the models and scenes might be remastered when the gameplay is all completed, but none of us are expecting this to ever have gorgeous and hot 4k renders, nor any animations, really. In other word, the game mechanics really *are* the point of the game.
That all said, at least one of the available mods actually adds story and content, or at least aims to - Starbuck's Mod. There's also mods that add to the range of serums and effects, add new events, etc. However, even those are best appreciated after playing the vanilla game first, so that you can at least see what is new.
If more players were playing this legit, without cheats, my guess is that Wren would get more honest feedback on the game, and be better able to tweak the experience he's aiming for. It is, after all, his aim to create an engaging and interesting game that holds a player's attention and entertains them.