Finally got to play this game that was on the backlog since day one. and by sheer luck, the new update got released the day I finished the previous one
First, I'm surprised it's now at a 3.5 stars rating. It's about as good as many others that are rated at 4.5. Though it needs sound and music to really deserve a 4.5. some of the scenes would really transcend with a good song.
the writing is really good. some is not as believable because of the situation. but the characters all feel different, and they all influence each other.
but the dev really needs to run the text through some kind of spelling and grammar correction app. all the basic errors with "your, you're, were, we're, its, it's, to, too" make my eye bleed each time. they also need to stop calling it "supper"
it's killing the mood!
I was not a fan of the style of the models, but it grew on me as the story progresses, and the render quality kept on increasing so it helps a lot. the most noticeable is Beth. the environments are basic for Daz, but have enough details and props to get a pass.
I saw a few comments here about the MC being disliked. the issue might be that it is in first person perspective, and his name is customizable. that makes it seem like the dev want players to identify with the MC, but at the same time, they clearly state at the start of the game that it's story focused, already hinting that the progress and choices won't align with what the players want and are used to. it creates a disconnect that breaks immersion too strongly, as well as the suspension of disbelief.
But if we distance ourselves from the MC a bit and treat him as another character from the story, then he is not that bad. Clearly, he is far from the alpha male type. He is surrounded by strong females that have carried him for his whole life and fought for his attention. Since childhood, he was shy and lacked confidence, but he makes up for it by being kind, caring, loving and good. He has always gone with the flow without being able to push back. The fact that he got with Shannon first is proof enough. Jess taught him a ton about women and himself, she boosted his confidence so losing her made a big dent in it. Shannon and Crystal also taught him a lot, even if much less than Jess. But even now, in his midlife, he gets taught and pushed around by the strong females around him. Basically, he is a good guy with a big dick that can't say no (both the dick and the guy
).
That leads me to think that the actual main character is not the MC himself, he is just the bait, and the real MC is Becca. she is building her harem around her lover. Just like Heidi in another game that ended recently, except in this one, MC doesn't have a choice at all. the harem will get built and he will participate whether he (or the player) wants it or not. Becca is the most complex character in the story, to me. She still has a huge amount of layers to unravel. The main one being the identity of her bio father. There are many hints and clues that point towards MC being her real father. She constantly says "Lilly's dad" "her dad" when referring to Trevor, she is very specific about never calling him her own dad. I think she only slipped once and it was probably to make a point, during lilith's side story. Then there is a timeline. She is 23, her birthday is march 15th. MC and Shannon broke up in June 24 years before the story began. June being 9 month before march, that would be when she was conceived... So either MC knocked up Shannon before she left, or She cheated on him. Both reasons are classic tropes for not contacting the MC and not telling him about the pregnancy. Chances are higher that Shannon didn't cheat then. Being how she is, Becca most likely knows. We don't know if she thought Trevor was her father before. but even if she did, the fact that she found out she now had her real father back would certainly and he was not that asshole, it would clearly help lessen the trauma of being abandoned. Now, did she figure out MC's identity to her before or after she fell in love with him? we will never know until she says it herself in the game. Did she feel an instant connection to him because of their blood ? which turned her into a daddy's girl, which she mistook for actual love ? we don't know either.
the most interesting thing for me in that hypothesis is that MC never corrects her when she says "lilly's dad" or "her dad" when referring to Trevor, but he still says "your dad" or "your father" when he himself talks about him. Does MC know that Trevor isn't Becca's real father ? does his subconscious understand that he might be her real dad ?
I found an inconsistency, though, in the timeline. MC is 39 now, his birthday in coming in a month and a half at the start of the game. but the flashback of him moving next to Jess is 25 years before. which means he should be 15 (as the flashback is at the end of may), but he says he moved when he was 16. so either the dev made a mistake with MC's age, or the flashback "25 years ago" is an approximate and could be 23 or 24 instead. but then Becca could not be 23 years old...
When Jess came to meet MC, she was probably already attracted to him, and began to flirt right away. She most likely didn't want to make the same mistake with him as she did with the asshole that took her first time, so she took it slow and began by being friends with MC and getting to know him better. She probably was in love with him quickly after that, and everyone around him knew it, except our super dense MC. We don't know how she reacted to him getting with Shannon instead. But it seemed she stayed single while they grew up together. Then why would she go and start dating some random guy in college instead of confessing? at least she should have confessed before dating that guy. so she could get some kind of closure. dating a guy while still in love with another is certainly not healthy, nor fair to that new guy.
but then, the big question: why didn't Jess want a kid with MC after they got together? after all these years longing for him, she made a big mistake, but it brought them together. now there is no doubt that she would want to "correct" that mistake by having another kid with him. it might not be reasonable financially, but she didn't seem like the type to think like that.
Beth and Nessa seemed more like quick side chick that the dev introduced to get some early lewd scenes and keep patrons horny and happy. But now they took on a bigger role, and it feels like they will join the family sooner or later. The upcoming vacations might be a big turning point for them. Now that Beth feels guilty that Nessa could feel left out and neglected, the potential foursome is already strongly hinted at and approaching really fast. But a truly caring MC could be suggesting something else before that. He is already part of their relationship. even if Nessa is not interested in men, "mechanical" sex still works for her, raw "mechanical" pleasure can still be induced (with toys for example). MC could suggest a way to reinforce and strengthen their bond. MC could take Nessa's virginity, but if he never appears in her field of view and they never make eye contact, while Beth fills her field of view instead, and stimulates Nessa's erogenous spots, kissing and looking deep into her wife's eyes, it could create an illusion or feeling that Beth is taking Nessa's virginity instead, and thus deepening their bond and feelings that much. Then Beth might feel secure enough in their relationship to begin sharing Nessa too. if Becca is there to watch it all happen, she could join in to seal it all
They all know Becca is fiercely loyal to MC, so there is very little risk. That could be the start of Beth and Nessa joining the family in time. they could both enjoy all the members, in a safe place, without any risk of Beth's reputation being damaged for when she takes over the company.
Abby is setup as the slow burn character of the story, and the dev uses her immaturity to justify it. But honestly, with how she acts, she seems like she actually understands her own feelings quite a bit but is still held back by the taboo of it, and the fear that it will make her dad leave her. is she trying to behave like his wife and replace her mom by his side ?
either way, she will find out about the DPG. there is no point in hiding it. she wouldn't leave her dad because he suddenly has girlfriends. though she will be jealous that she was excluded and that she no longer is the closest to her dad, especially as she is in love with him too. will she
regret being with Lilly then? the obvious course of action will be to get into the DPG and share Lilly, share her dad, and being shared herself. it is a harem game, after all. but it also makes sense intrinsically for the character. it would be her ideal place. among her sisters, everyone happy, with her dad and "husband", as a loving family. the more people happy around her, the more happy she is. after coming to terms with her jealousy, she might even join Becca's schemes into pulling more girls for MC to fuck
Finally, the game executable still has "CH1" in it. does it mean we are still in chapter one of the whole story after all the updates ?
does the dev has that much more story to tell with these characters ?
