On catching up with some of my favourite games after a prolonged absence I must say that the protagonist of Life With Mary continues to be one of the most satisfying to play. He comes across as an all round decent guy, if a bit shut in, unlike the selfish dicks in 95% of other games.
The introduction of MC's cheating (in my playthrough...I would be very interested to know how many players went for the opposite option) ex-girlfiend has been particularly enjoyable: the way it brought out the steel in Mary with her uncharacteristically combative reactions (her "What a cunt" still makes me chuckle!), the way his reasonable interactions with her, despite what she did, highlight MC's maturity and the way she plants a seed of doubt (but a convincingly realised doubt given their age difference and situation) in his previously rock solid relationship with Mary. Also, the way that her motive for doing so can be viewed as genuine concern, malicious intent or even lingering feelings for MC, depending, perhaps, on the circumstances of their split (something I would be keen to discover more of). Not that I would want any kind of return to their former 'relatons', obviously.
However, there is one aspect of the recent storyline that I do dislike very much, and that is the shift towards including Simone as a love (well sex really) interest. Don't get me wrong, I think Simone is a great character and I find her even more physically attractive than Mary (except that Mary has the sexiest feature of all: she is in love with MC) and I realise my opinion is not the popular one. BUT, one of the things that made Life With Mary special from the very start was it's almost unique focus on one girl, building an authentic romantic relationship (almost Likesblondes' mission statement). Emphasis on one girl, emphasis on real. Now, after the last update on the Simone route, we are explicitly left with the goal of trying to convince the woman we love to let us fuck her friend (and, judging from a couple of previous incidents, indulge in some lesbian action with her). For me this is neither romantic nor realistic, but one of the most bog standard male fantasy scenarios present in so, so many porn games, and, because it is all about the sex, it devalues the great love story we had into the porn game it had transcended.
Maybe I would feel differently if MC was in love with Simone and vice versa. But clearly he loves only Mary. Simone is a free-spirited wild child. She may be lonely, may be a bit jealous of what Mary and MC share, may like him and may be curious about him sexually, but is she in love with him? No, of course not (unless Likesblondes says otherwise, obviously). The Simone route has the appearance of being implemented not for creative or artistic reasons but for practical or commercial ones, to please patrons and fans who want sex scenes with Simone. At least it is optional (and one I will follow on a separate playthrough because I am one of those players who are a bit OCD about seeing all content) but it is an option I anticipate enjoying a lot less.