this game is an absolute narrative mess.
it is, basically, "pick the top option for ever choice given, or else."
if your points aren't maxed out with every character, you get nothing.
Choose to not give mom a hug, or accept what she says when she "explains" the situation to you?
Well, now you are seemingly locked out of any relationship with Sandra. Not just in the form of sex/incest, but even in conversation. After day 2, she pretty much never says anything to you again.
Not in a relationship with Sandra? Doesn't matter what your relationship with Lucy is... you will miss Lucy content, because no relationship with Sandra apparently means Sandra doesn't exist enough, in game, for her to have a scene with his sister.
Doesn't like Fiona talking to you as if she has a gun to your head and demand that you strip for her, and so you refuse to comply?
Well, it seems you are still at her utter beck-and-call, for no reason. She has nothing on you or over you. Why the fuck do you do anything she wants?
And so many scenes start or end as if setting up for another scene that never happens, because you don't have the points.
Maddie says "yeah, your here, now we can play a game!"
Literally, her next line. "Nevermind, I don't want to play anymore."
Taking the opening to a scene and short-circuiting it like that feels unnatural. Many scenes (mary and fiona specifically) if you choose to avoid them, play out as if a sex scene happened, and was just skipped. Enough so that the dialog still feels like it hints something happened, when nothing did.
Speaking of Mary. She gives you a chance to fool around with her. If you turn her down, she acts so disappointed. Where is her self awareness?
According to the actual in-game plot, a week ago the MC was actively contemplating suicide, but figured if he were willing to go that far, fuck it, maybe give his mom a chance. Aunt knows this. Your former life is utterly gone, your back with a mother who abandoned you ages ago, and your adjusting to a new life, and a family. Does she get dialog along the lines of "I'm sorry. I've been too forward. I should have been able to see that you need stability, and to be welcomed by family, and instead I've treated you like this?"
No. She just says "I'm disappointed we won't be able to have fun together."
No empathy. Just a whore who is bored with you, now, because you didn't play her game.
Maddie is the same. Seems great up until you tutor her. Then you have the option to whip it out at her demand, or no. Choose no, and she barely has two things to say to you after that, just gives you nasty looks, and is seemingly gone from the story.
At this point, I'm thinking that the creator made a huge mistakje making a game, instead of a kinetic novel, because it is utterly apparent that there is no diverging story lines, and no choices that matter. Either do everything the game wants you to do (pick the top choice) and see the story, or pretend the MC is an actual character and try to react differently in different situations, and basically be told "oh well, you fucked up. I have no scenes planned if you choose this, so we'll just go back to the main menu now."
Oh, for the sake of it?
I still have no fucking clue who Yvonne is. She is just thrown into the game and I'm told I already met her, and I seem nervous about her presence, despite the fact the cafe is the first meeting.
And I STILL think that your mom's story is full of shit. And even if it isn't you should have the choice to not believe her. Instead your choice is "believe her," or "do nothing" (in which the MC just thinks "wow, maybe I should have said something," and it implies he still believes her.)
Why is any chance at anything with each character dependent on having the maximum score with them, at all times, and anything less than maximum is essentially 0?
Why is any game option (in a game about a depressed, almost suicidal young man who is trying to piece his life together) that isn't the obvious "my life is a porno!" choice, the WRONG choice?
Why can I not choose who I want to romance/fuck, without it damaging my story line with other characters?
And if there is ONE AND ONLY ONE correct path through the game, that is so strict that the game creator interjects SEVERAL TIMES telling to to start over and pick "all the top choices" to really advance, then why make it a game?
Killer7, it is obvious you don't have a complex, branching narrative for us. You have a singular story that has one beginning, one end, and no turns in the road.
So, why go through the difficulty of making this a game, and why not just do it as a long form kinetic novel? It is painfully clearthat you don't want us to click the bottom choice, or seek any diverging story. So just... don't give us the option to. I'd have a lot less to bitch about if the pretense of this being a game with choice was removed.
edit: and who the fuck is Melissa?
With lucy on the beach,pass out, have a nightmare, wake up and tell her about it, and it seems to make sense to Lucy and the MC, but not to me. Who is Melissa? I have had ZERO interaction with whoever that person is.
Facepalm all you like, Dev, but come on. Your game is a mess. Who are these people? Why am I supposed to know who they are?
