Damn, that was wild. Gal Beth is hot as fuck. Anyway, game discussion time.
With all the back and forth whiplash of this game of who you wanted to root for as each update came out, I'm ending with rooting for Sam. (Putting most/all sense of realism to the side so we can properly judge this story.)
Nobody deserves to be gaslit into insanity or verbally and physically abused like that, which ultimately turns them into a lifeless puppet. Sure, Sam should have been able to come to a conclusion that everything wasn't alright and pick up enough clues for himself with how bold Beth and Drew eventually got, but as we've been shown, Sam's been gaslit so hard that he's convinced himself that it's all in his head with no exceptions. Sam doesn't want to do anything that could break that conclusion he's made for himself because of how badly it turned his life upside down when he did otherwise. (Especially now that there's a punishment involved for doing so, a manipulative condition he only agreed to because of his gaslighting.) Sam is trapped, and he doesn't have the mental fortitude to personally seek help because of his mental illness, and Beth fully intends on keeping him that way, preventing his escape. As someone who can empathize with Sam's past as well as his mental condition/people with mental illnesses, it's so vile that it leaves a sour feeling in my mouth and heart. I don't care if you're hot, Beth, I want to beat the shit out of you like Sam did to William. (Poor William... Just an innocent bystander dragged into all of this.) Don't think for a moment that you're off the hook either, Drew.
Everyone in the story are all bad people, but Beth and Drew are completely irredeemable compared to Sam. I know not all stories need to have good endings, but after the rollercoaster that was this game's development and final story, I want one. Speaking of endings.
The game still feels incomplete or that more could have been done. I know the dev probably just wanted to finally move onto their next project though, so, oh well. But the ending felt like it was rushed, and it ends in a way that isn't conclusive or properly open ended for a story. It felt like it just ended abruptly, and not in a good way. Perhaps some passionate members of this game or even myself can get around to maybe modding it for extra story/tweaks/CGs.
In the end, this game is a solid 3/5, amazing for what it went for and presented to us, but falls flat on some of it's ambitions/has shortcomings, and it's clear that near the end, the dev just wanted to move onto their next project. Regardless, the fact that your story could evoke these kinds of emotions and deep thought in people (or at least in me) and stay riveting to the very last line is a testament to your writing skill. (Even if the character development/fall of Beth leaves a lot to be desired and was a weak point in the story that required suspension of disbelief, and not in the good way.) IDC if people saying me liking this game's writing means I've got trash taste, maybe I do, but whatever.
Best of luck with the development of your next game, HSelf. I am convinced to support it and hope that this time around, you'll be more able to achieve what you set out for yourself in development. (And have as few development hiccups as possible.)
Ok, I promise I'm done editing this post now. Enjoy the feedback, dev.
