I mean what's the point in that? It would just turn two posts into one as playing more of the game doesn't lessen my distaste for the general premise.
You do have quite a bit of options to be cheeky, but it still feels like you're getting janked around like a goddamn toy to their whims however. The chat with Kaiju was cathartic though, I must say. It's better than basically every other game that uses the "overhanging big bad shadow entity" trope but it still leaves a lot to be desired for me.
Yeah I'm not surprised that the thread is split on them, it's one of those things that you either don't mind or you hold abject hatred for it.
And yeah, MC didn't really have much choice which is also a large part of why I despise this trope as it just throws player agency out the window, it's basically a kinetic novel in that regard where it simply doesn't give you a choice at all regarding it. I'd also be VERY surprised if we're given the choice to detach after Dad comes back, game seems to be gearing towards manipulative shadow agency that doesn't give a flying fuck about human lives or anything outside of their closeminded agenda (Templars) vs fantasy turbo racists (Elves) and a third party (Almost certain it will be some sort of random human greedy shitbag that just gets into a contract with Hellspawn and tries to control them and "rule the world").
Yeah, out of the novels that employ this premise, this is absolutely the best of them. It still leaves much to be desired from me but MC's writing when he expresses his displeasure and anger are very well done, I was pleasantly surprised about that. As you said, most of these games that have this premise and choices to express anger almost always feel like a child throwing a tantrum, it's another thing that annoys me with these premises, but luckily this game avoided it nicely.
Now, onto the LI's;
Elea- Probably my favourite character out of any VN I've played thus far, and I play a LOT of them. She's cheeky, she's nerdy, she has no qualms throwing some banter and it doesn't feel forced, it's very naturally written. She has her insecurities with her nerding out over mythology, drives a fucking 69' Charger that's a Dukes of Hazzard tribute car and has specific boundaries she has for herself but seemingly willing to compromise when she find someone she likes. She's very rational and seems to be very caring and have no issue going full extrovert and just dancing at clubs when she wants to. Her banter with "Uncle Hank" was endearing as fuck aswell. 12/10, personally this is a character that I'd love to meet in real life, basically right up my alley.
Helena- Very calm and collected, seems to have a fair few professional boundaries but toeing on that line seems to be almost fetishistic for her given the taboo factor. She seems to go out of her way to help those she likes, she's mature in her view of things but something gives off the vibe that she might have her childish sides as well, not saying that as a bad thing either. 9/10, very solid older woman type character, again very realistically written and I am a fan.
Anissa- Hard to get a good grasp since you don't really have that many interactions with her, but she seems interesting for sure. One of the few LI's you encounter in games that have no issue starting off more casually which is a plus in my book. Seems fairly laid back and easy to get along with. 7/10, will be higher once she gets fleshed out a bit more.
Fiona- Competitive, silly, certainly loves animals. Seems very genuine despite being entirely mysterious and without a doubt connected with Neverwhere, even before she admitted it, it was pretty clear cut that she's into some shady shit as her "hobbies". Undoubtedly carries some trauma, seems to be very lonely.
10/10, usually don't enjoy "mysterious" characters as they're very frequently written in a way where it feels like the MC is purposely kept in the dark because the MC doesn't "deserve" to know, but she comes off as more hiding things due to personal trauma, which is much more palatable.
Kaiju- No idea, don't give a shit, didn't interact with her and won't give her the time of day.
Non LI's;
Jess- 100/10, absolute hawaiian pizza fueled gremlin and she's fucking
fantastic. I'll protect her with my life and support her gremlin antics against the Templars any anyone else for that matter.
Overall; absolutely hate the premise but it's done in about a good of a way as possible. The characters are the real shining gems here, they're all written very realistically, a lot of attention paid towards them having an actual existence and backstory within the world instead of feeling like characters that are just dropped into the setting which is somewhat rare to find in VN's nowadays. They're all distinct enough from eachother aswell which is also a plus, as some VN's have characters that almost blend into eachother a bit.
I am a fan of mythology so it's a bit novel for me to see names like Durendal show up and a lot of the other references, and don't think I didn't catch Sound of Silence in there.
Honestly, even with me hating the premise, I'll absolutely follow this and wait for future updates, the character writing is more than good enough to bridge the gap of my disdain for the premise.
