I'm tired of these devs that try and forget they are - when it comes down to it - making a porn game. Instead, they try and create the next best AAA title. Then they end up failing at both.
I didn't try the VN mode, but the sandbox is an absolute mess. It's a wasteland of nothing to do and clicking everything over and over again, only to realize that - yup - there's actually nothing for you to do that day so please go and make three separate mouse clicks to just advance the time.
- Why do I have to look at the fucking car animation over and over again?
- Why do I have to go to the world map to advance the time?
- Why does half the phone functions work on the map screen but not on any other screen?
- Why even bother sleeping at Jason's, Heather's, the Motel, the Hotel, or in the Car, when very little ever happens? Just make a fucking SLEEP button, instead of making players click through a dozen things to end up right back on the next morning.
- In a game where the main story line is supposed to be the MC taking over as a "BOSS", why is it I can't do anything at the bar? And the very first employee I meet just sits in the office with no options other then "Nothing". The first girl I pick to have my attention also has no content. Maybe, just maybe, some of these core story elements should have been written in before the game was released? You think?
- Why is a glass of wine $2100 in a freaking corner store and a tux is $69000? But my day job gets be $150 per day??
It's too bad really. The dev certainly has some rendering skills and there's amazing sequences with the girls and the music and what not. But he should have concentrated on what he/she/they were good at, instead of trying to make this big ass sandbox.
There's this absolutely plum story element right there! The whole trying to find a place to sleep could be a game in itself. I was actually hoping to have encounters at the buddies house... maybe do some sloppy seconds, sleep groping etc. I was also hoping to be able to have more event's at his home when Heather let him in. Same with the seedy motel. But it was just a few singular events in between days of mindless clicking with nothing to do.
Honestly, if I was this dev, I would reach out to one of the better game designers on here. Someone like Faerin or Mr Dot, and make a deal... hand over all the assets, and let them 'build' a better framework to present it all. Because right now, this game is a complete mess.