To be fair, I get not wanting to make the next KP clone. Of course, he was perhaps a bit too focused on steering away from that and not enough on making a good game. The card system could have worked. The VN angle could have worked. But only if they weren't frantic attempts to escape the KP formula. Burnout from working on the same thing for 2 years certainly didn't help, I imagine.
I'll admit to falling in the trap of expecting KP 2.0 out of this, and being disappointed that it's not what we're getting but, eh. In the end, no skin off my back.