Ok so I need to this, I need to rant about Stan. Idk if Eva will see this, but she needs to hear this criticism.
STAN IS TRASH! It’s not because he’s a disgusting loser fatty who creeps on Lena. It’s that he knows he’s a loser but can’t develop a relationship with Lena unless she fucking babies him. Thats the problem with his route. All options with Stan that address his creepiness or his terrible lifestyle reduce relationship points. The idea that Stan is self aware about his problems but can’t handle anyone but himself saying anything to him about how he shouldn’t be so self-pitying is fucking asinine. His character right now serves as fetish fulfillment, because all of Lena’s ideas about him are literally just about manipulating him (sexually). You can’t advance their relationship without it being insincere from Lena. Lena understands this guy is a total loser so she literally cannot become his girlfriend no matter what options you choose, but she still is ok with making out with him.
So Stan is supposed to be an alternative to Ian? So Lena can have a) her shitty ex-boyfriend b) a guy cheating on his girl c) a limp noodle with no personality (Robert) or d) a complete fucking hikikomori shut-in loser. I guess she has Seymour too but their relationship is unbalanced cause of the power dynamic. At least in GGGB Ashley could choose between three semi-interesting guys. Lena has Ian and everyone else is a loser or dickwad. If Stan is supposed to be the second true vanilla option, something has got to change about his route. He a) cannot only be open to changing himself in chapter fucking 11. This is much too late and basically means you have to be hyper committed to Stan if you want a route with him. If he’s the secondary straight option then he should already be romanceable by the halfway mark of the game, it only takes until chapter 8 for Ian to romance Cindy/Holly. b) has to be at least 20% less of a loser (he either has to be slightly more confident, have some kind of social life or less of a slob/more attractive). If you don’t want the core of his character to change, that’s fine, but he has to offer something in a relationship with Lena. Maybe he plays D&D with a group of nerd friends and invites Lena to join. His role in her life can not simply be the cameraman. c) Lena should be allowed to be honest with Stan without Stan getting mad. Stan’s room is a mess, he’s anti-social, he spies on his crush during sex, he’s a slob and he’s fat, he doesn’t have social skills or awareness, he’s hostile to other men, and he has no friends. Worst of all he’s content. Lena being honest with him should bring them closer, not push them apart. Stan cannot go from being this type of person, never receive a wake up call, and be a viable romance option in like 2 or 3 chapters. It simply doesn’t work. Unless Eva wants to say that if you’re a fat recluse just wait for a slutty girl to move in with you and eventually she’ll fall in love with you despite you doing nothing to improve. Like fucking Perry is a loser but by now he’s already started to change. He’s working a job, dating girls and getting outside of his comfort zone. That’s fucking rad.
Ian got options bruh. All the girls he can date are at least 9s. He got a chick who straight wants his babies, a chick sick of her boring life so she’s working at a career change, a chick who makes bomb art, a chick who be doing activism and shit, a milf cheating on her husband with him, and an author extraordinaire chick. Like the women in this game are varied and have at least a little to offer.
I hope Eva doesn’t have to spend time doing yet another remaster where she goes and re-writes Stan, but she will if she doesn’t start fixing him fast. Otherwise Stan cannot be the second vanilla romance option. You don’t even need to create some new dude, introduce Lena to Wen or Yuri. Heck if she wants to date a loser she can date Perry. But can we please improve Lena’s straight options? Like it baffles me that Eva was aware of this issue a year and a half ago and her solution was to make Stan a bigger loser. Insanity.
He'll be devastated...
