HaloBlues
2007
Not sure I'd call it a game, but it's a fun time waster and seeing this made me go back to play it some more. It's nowhere near as difficult as people say, I'd say I win against it maybe one in ten tries, and there are a lot of contradictory (e.g. "Is your character a minor?" "Yes" "Is your character over 40?") or repeating questions, but it's entertaining enough.
I actually kinda dug this. Pretty short (I wanna say around 3 hours on average?), not particularly scary at all, but it was pretty interesting for the cheap experience it was and it had some genuinely funny moments. The lore behind it was intriguing enough (moreso than most other little indie horror games that have cropped up lately), and it did have some genuinely eerie moments to its credit - the speech training with Amanda reading out things such as "baa lamb" and "pie man" and realising what they sound like was actually pretty chilling. Actually got impressively emotionally attached to Wooly and Amanda's dad by the end. I hope they do more with this someday.
2021
Before you all fall prey to consecutive heart attacks, this is getting a high rating for this singular episode completely in isolation. I thought it had potential, had some interesting elements (Huggy Wuggy leaving blood behind on the pipe comes to mind), the vent chase genuinely had me on the edge of my seat, and the glimpses of HW after he first moves but before said chase were pretty delightfully spooky.
That said, it's all downhill from there. The shitty developers, the NFTs, the dishonest prices, the downtick in quality in Episode 2, the seeming abandonment of continuing the game, the blatant merchandise begging, the scamming children, the controversy behind the scenes, the fact it's pretty much just Bendy but in brighter colours... Episode 1 was a blip of curiosity in a sea of what would turn out to be complete sludge.
That said, it's all downhill from there. The shitty developers, the NFTs, the dishonest prices, the downtick in quality in Episode 2, the seeming abandonment of continuing the game, the blatant merchandise begging, the scamming children, the controversy behind the scenes, the fact it's pretty much just Bendy but in brighter colours... Episode 1 was a blip of curiosity in a sea of what would turn out to be complete sludge.
2019
Can't quite rate it higher purely because of how short it is without much replay value, but this is a fun one with friends. The more people you're playing with, the more chaos and shouting will ensue. I'm a very laid-back and non-competitive gamer, so it's always funny to watch my friends have absolute meltdowns over this while I peacefully observe.
The problem with it is that once you've gotten through the game once (which will take you less than 2 hours, possibly even closer to 1), there's not much left. I think this game could've REALLY benefitted from Workshop integration and player-made levels, I was pretty surprised to discover that wasn't a thing. You get some element of freshness when you find completely different friends to go through it with, but you'll always know the solutions and it's just not as fun once you do.
Still, it's only $5, so I won't argue it's not worth it.
The problem with it is that once you've gotten through the game once (which will take you less than 2 hours, possibly even closer to 1), there's not much left. I think this game could've REALLY benefitted from Workshop integration and player-made levels, I was pretty surprised to discover that wasn't a thing. You get some element of freshness when you find completely different friends to go through it with, but you'll always know the solutions and it's just not as fun once you do.
Still, it's only $5, so I won't argue it's not worth it.
It's alright for what it is. It's too short and fast-moving for you to develop any kind of emotional investment or connection with the characters, but it does have some interesting ideas - the game revolving around a location rather than a character, each story tying into one another in some way, the potential callbacks to Season 1 (such as the possibility of running into Carley or Doug's body in Russell's story), the glimpse at different points in the post-apocalyptic timeline including the very first moments of the breakout, etc.
However, I'd go as far as to say the DLC was sold on false pretenses - I recall TellTale promoting it by claiming your choices would heavily impact Season 2, and that the characters' stories would serve as prologues to pivotal people in the sequel. This is really only true for a single character (who happened to be my least favourite), and even then the effects are utterly irrelevant. The rest pop up for a second each in one episode of Season 2, if they're lucky they get a throwaway line of useless dialogue for the sake of it, and then they disappear forever.
It does have some neat protagonists, though, and it does pretty well at making each story feel unique and distinct in tone and concept. My personal favourites to play through were probably Vince's and Russell's, though Wyatt's dynamic with Eddie really brought his up.
It's 100% skippable without missing anything, but if you have the Definitive Edition and it's included anyway, it's worth giving it a shot for the sake of it.
Favourite Male Character: Vince
Favourite Female Character: Stephanie
First Character I Liked: Vince
Favourite Character Design: Vince
Favourite Moment: I thought the shootout with Russell and Nate vs. the diner inhabitants was pretty fun
Least Favourite Character: Bonnie
However, I'd go as far as to say the DLC was sold on false pretenses - I recall TellTale promoting it by claiming your choices would heavily impact Season 2, and that the characters' stories would serve as prologues to pivotal people in the sequel. This is really only true for a single character (who happened to be my least favourite), and even then the effects are utterly irrelevant. The rest pop up for a second each in one episode of Season 2, if they're lucky they get a throwaway line of useless dialogue for the sake of it, and then they disappear forever.
It does have some neat protagonists, though, and it does pretty well at making each story feel unique and distinct in tone and concept. My personal favourites to play through were probably Vince's and Russell's, though Wyatt's dynamic with Eddie really brought his up.
It's 100% skippable without missing anything, but if you have the Definitive Edition and it's included anyway, it's worth giving it a shot for the sake of it.
Favourite Male Character: Vince
Favourite Female Character: Stephanie
First Character I Liked: Vince
Favourite Character Design: Vince
Favourite Moment: I thought the shootout with Russell and Nate vs. the diner inhabitants was pretty fun
Least Favourite Character: Bonnie
One of my least favourite Telltale games I've played, beating out only Minecraft: Story Mode.
To preface, I was never much a fan of Game of Thrones - you'd think I would be, because I love the general dark fantasy setting and the complex world-building, but every time I attempted to watch the show I was just bored out of my mind and didn't click with any of the characters. That said, Telltale has pulled me in with IPs I didn't like before, so I gave it a shot.
I do like it better than the show, so there's that, but it's just so shallow and dragged-out. Really wasn't a fan of the visual style they went with in this one, and although I'd usually advocate for Telltale to give their games more than 5 episodes, the fact that this is the one that got 6 is annoying because by the end of it I was wishing it would hurry up and be over already. I absolutely dread replaying it for that reason.
I enjoyed Asher and Beskha, Gared and his Night Watch brothers' dynamic was fun (particularly Gared and Cotter), and I liked the Ethan twist at the end of Episode 1. That's pretty much it. Everything else was a borderline chore to wade through.
(Sidenote I include with all Telltale reviews, though it's less apt for this one as The Enemy Within has plenty of more obvious changes: Telltale's games often get a bad rap for having your choices not influence the story, but to me this misses the point of what they do. Variant endings are a nice bonus in games, and I enjoy them when they do pop up in Telltale's stories, but for the most part your choices aren't here to change where you go. They're there to change how you get there, who you are when you get there, and often who you get there with. They influence and change your relationships with the characters around you. The joy of replaying these games is to experience the different dialogue, the different reactions to you, the different routes you can take on the way, the different bonds you can evolve with people - not to have a wildly different ending. I think this aspect is overhated and sadly misunderstood by a lot of players, so if huge, game-changing differences are what you're looking for, I'd temper your expectations.)
Favourite Male Character: Asher
Favourite Female Character: Beskha
First Character I Liked: Ramsay
Favourite Character Design: Gwyn
Favourite Moment: Asher and Beskha's escape from the Legion(? can't for the life of me remember their name) at the start of their first appearance was fun
Least Favourite Character: Ludd and Gryff
To preface, I was never much a fan of Game of Thrones - you'd think I would be, because I love the general dark fantasy setting and the complex world-building, but every time I attempted to watch the show I was just bored out of my mind and didn't click with any of the characters. That said, Telltale has pulled me in with IPs I didn't like before, so I gave it a shot.
I do like it better than the show, so there's that, but it's just so shallow and dragged-out. Really wasn't a fan of the visual style they went with in this one, and although I'd usually advocate for Telltale to give their games more than 5 episodes, the fact that this is the one that got 6 is annoying because by the end of it I was wishing it would hurry up and be over already. I absolutely dread replaying it for that reason.
I enjoyed Asher and Beskha, Gared and his Night Watch brothers' dynamic was fun (particularly Gared and Cotter), and I liked the Ethan twist at the end of Episode 1. That's pretty much it. Everything else was a borderline chore to wade through.
(Sidenote I include with all Telltale reviews, though it's less apt for this one as The Enemy Within has plenty of more obvious changes: Telltale's games often get a bad rap for having your choices not influence the story, but to me this misses the point of what they do. Variant endings are a nice bonus in games, and I enjoy them when they do pop up in Telltale's stories, but for the most part your choices aren't here to change where you go. They're there to change how you get there, who you are when you get there, and often who you get there with. They influence and change your relationships with the characters around you. The joy of replaying these games is to experience the different dialogue, the different reactions to you, the different routes you can take on the way, the different bonds you can evolve with people - not to have a wildly different ending. I think this aspect is overhated and sadly misunderstood by a lot of players, so if huge, game-changing differences are what you're looking for, I'd temper your expectations.)
Favourite Male Character: Asher
Favourite Female Character: Beskha
First Character I Liked: Ramsay
Favourite Character Design: Gwyn
Favourite Moment: Asher and Beskha's escape from the Legion(? can't for the life of me remember their name) at the start of their first appearance was fun
Least Favourite Character: Ludd and Gryff
2016
This review is based on me... avoiding having to pay, so this review doesn't factor in pricing and paywalls.
This game is so neat. I genuinely love the concept, I love the art, I love the characters. The story is surprisingly dark for such an otherwise bright and fun game, and the twists and turns are engaging and interesting.
The translation is pretty good - it's a little goofy in places where certain jokes or figures of speech in Korean don't quite land the same in English - but there's nothing that doesn't make sense.
It's a time commitment for sure if you're playing it as intended; the game lasts for 11 real-life days, with chats triggering once every hour or two up to around 3AM, and unless you want to deprive yourself of sleep you will miss some. I don't play it this way because frankly I hate missing out on content, so I tend to run through routes all at once via my... evasion.
I'm still yet to play V and Saeran's routes, as well as all of the character-specific runs through of the DLC chapters, but from what I have completed:
Jaehee: My first route, and the one I'm most fond of. I love Jaehee - she's probably my favourite character from the game as a whole, and I think she's wildly underrated (I can't blame people, considering most of the people who play this are likely straight girls, but c'mon! At least for the content!). It's sweet, cozy, wholesome, and the least dark of all the routes; the main antagonist is literally capitalism. It's light on the romance and more implications and "gal-pal"ing in the main story thanks to censorship, but it's more explicitly romantic in the DLC episodes.
Yoosung: Yoosung is a sweet one, and the character I probably relate to most. I enjoyed his route by the end, but the first half of it can be pretty frustrating due to his repeated insistence on comparing you to Rika, calling you Rika, telling you he pictures you as looking like Rika, etc. Not exactly inducive to a good romance. He does get over it if you're on the right ending, though, which I was relieved by (that shit did feel pseudo-incestuous at times).
Zen: Zen is probably my least favourite of the main five characters, but I don't dislike him per se - I just find his habit of making everything about him and doing nothing but complaining in every single chat he's in exhausting (seriously, keep track of how many chat rooms he just comes into and complains in when you're not on his route). That said, his route was still sweet; he's very straight-forward and romantic, which is a nice change of pace from the more slow-burn options. The antagonist in his route pissed me off for very personal reasons, and she's pretty much cartoonishly evil, but I suppose there are people out there like that.
Jumin: My favourite of the Deep Story characters, but I'm not sure how I feel about his route itself. His bad endings can be pretty wack, and the first time I played through his route I was left with such an uncomfortable, cornered feeling - and that's with getting his good ending. It wasn't what I expected at all, and there were some truly questionable elements in it. I did eventually come to appreciate it for what it is, but if you have a history of any kind of abuse or non-consensual encounters etc. you should probably know what his romance entails before starting it.
Seven: This one is the fan-favourite, and I do see why, even though it doesn't quite click with me as much as it does for others. This is the most plot-heavy and relevant route, and there's a lot going on here; there's a reason most people say you should leave this one for last. I don't personally like the 'Seven is aware of your replays' theory (it makes me feel guilty!), but I suppose that's another reason to leave this one for last.
Favourite Male Character: Jumin
Favourite Female Character: Jaehee
First Character I Liked: Jaehee
Favourite Character Design: Jumin
Favourite OST: My Half is Unknown
Least Favourite Character: ECHO Girl
This game is so neat. I genuinely love the concept, I love the art, I love the characters. The story is surprisingly dark for such an otherwise bright and fun game, and the twists and turns are engaging and interesting.
The translation is pretty good - it's a little goofy in places where certain jokes or figures of speech in Korean don't quite land the same in English - but there's nothing that doesn't make sense.
It's a time commitment for sure if you're playing it as intended; the game lasts for 11 real-life days, with chats triggering once every hour or two up to around 3AM, and unless you want to deprive yourself of sleep you will miss some. I don't play it this way because frankly I hate missing out on content, so I tend to run through routes all at once via my... evasion.
I'm still yet to play V and Saeran's routes, as well as all of the character-specific runs through of the DLC chapters, but from what I have completed:
Jaehee: My first route, and the one I'm most fond of. I love Jaehee - she's probably my favourite character from the game as a whole, and I think she's wildly underrated (I can't blame people, considering most of the people who play this are likely straight girls, but c'mon! At least for the content!). It's sweet, cozy, wholesome, and the least dark of all the routes; the main antagonist is literally capitalism. It's light on the romance and more implications and "gal-pal"ing in the main story thanks to censorship, but it's more explicitly romantic in the DLC episodes.
Yoosung: Yoosung is a sweet one, and the character I probably relate to most. I enjoyed his route by the end, but the first half of it can be pretty frustrating due to his repeated insistence on comparing you to Rika, calling you Rika, telling you he pictures you as looking like Rika, etc. Not exactly inducive to a good romance. He does get over it if you're on the right ending, though, which I was relieved by (that shit did feel pseudo-incestuous at times).
Zen: Zen is probably my least favourite of the main five characters, but I don't dislike him per se - I just find his habit of making everything about him and doing nothing but complaining in every single chat he's in exhausting (seriously, keep track of how many chat rooms he just comes into and complains in when you're not on his route). That said, his route was still sweet; he's very straight-forward and romantic, which is a nice change of pace from the more slow-burn options. The antagonist in his route pissed me off for very personal reasons, and she's pretty much cartoonishly evil, but I suppose there are people out there like that.
Jumin: My favourite of the Deep Story characters, but I'm not sure how I feel about his route itself. His bad endings can be pretty wack, and the first time I played through his route I was left with such an uncomfortable, cornered feeling - and that's with getting his good ending. It wasn't what I expected at all, and there were some truly questionable elements in it. I did eventually come to appreciate it for what it is, but if you have a history of any kind of abuse or non-consensual encounters etc. you should probably know what his romance entails before starting it.
Seven: This one is the fan-favourite, and I do see why, even though it doesn't quite click with me as much as it does for others. This is the most plot-heavy and relevant route, and there's a lot going on here; there's a reason most people say you should leave this one for last. I don't personally like the 'Seven is aware of your replays' theory (it makes me feel guilty!), but I suppose that's another reason to leave this one for last.
Favourite Male Character: Jumin
Favourite Female Character: Jaehee
First Character I Liked: Jaehee
Favourite Character Design: Jumin
Favourite OST: My Half is Unknown
Least Favourite Character: ECHO Girl
I've played through this more times than I care to admit, but I finally settled on five solidifed playthroughs/characters, one for each route (including the love triangle option).
All the usual selling points of Choice of Games/Hosted Games titles are here - massive amounts of player choice, diversity, character customisation, fun stats.
The four love interests are varied enough in personality, though my opinion on them is coloured by the later developments in each romance; it's difficult for me to stick purely to Book One in my thoughts here.
The Wayhaven Chronicles is a good choice of CoG game if you're interested in a more typical YA-style vampire/supernatural romance; although you play as a detective, I wouldn't go for this purely for the mystery/detective work aspect, because there really isn't a lot of it in this one.
I admit I mostly like this series for Mason.
All the usual selling points of Choice of Games/Hosted Games titles are here - massive amounts of player choice, diversity, character customisation, fun stats.
The four love interests are varied enough in personality, though my opinion on them is coloured by the later developments in each romance; it's difficult for me to stick purely to Book One in my thoughts here.
The Wayhaven Chronicles is a good choice of CoG game if you're interested in a more typical YA-style vampire/supernatural romance; although you play as a detective, I wouldn't go for this purely for the mystery/detective work aspect, because there really isn't a lot of it in this one.
I admit I mostly like this series for Mason.
A minor step down from the first game when it comes to the central plot and the antagonists, but still enjoyable enough. The routes progress well and I really enjoy that they don't do so at the same speed and you won't be hitting the same plot beats with each route; F and N are more overtly romantic and so are quicker to commit to actual relationships, M is very sexual and open to friends-with-benefits but the romance element is more slow-burn, and A is so slow-burn that you won't be anywhere solid with them at all let alone doing anything with them. I'm eager to see where the series goes over time.
Unsure why mobile isn't a platform option here, I played it on iOS.
My view on this one was a little dampened at first as I'd played the publicly available demo, which turned out to be 90% of the entire game, so when I purchased the full version I was pretty let-down by the fact that I'd already experienced almost all of it. I'll keep my expectations tempered for future demos.
Ignoring that personal issue, though, Retribution is even better than Rebirth, which was already well-loved and oft-recommended for a reason. Retribution adds Argent, Herald, and Steel as possible romance options, as well as fleshing out the Ortega/Herald, Ortega/Steel, and Ortega/Argent polyamorous routes, which is massively appreciated as I found the initial two options of Ortega and Mortum in Book 1 to be a little sparse.
I'm emotionally invested in my protagonists for this series at this point, and I'm eager to see how they end up.
My view on this one was a little dampened at first as I'd played the publicly available demo, which turned out to be 90% of the entire game, so when I purchased the full version I was pretty let-down by the fact that I'd already experienced almost all of it. I'll keep my expectations tempered for future demos.
Ignoring that personal issue, though, Retribution is even better than Rebirth, which was already well-loved and oft-recommended for a reason. Retribution adds Argent, Herald, and Steel as possible romance options, as well as fleshing out the Ortega/Herald, Ortega/Steel, and Ortega/Argent polyamorous routes, which is massively appreciated as I found the initial two options of Ortega and Mortum in Book 1 to be a little sparse.
I'm emotionally invested in my protagonists for this series at this point, and I'm eager to see how they end up.
Again, played on iOS which for some reason isn't a platform option.
Can't give this one a star rating yet because despite the fact I've played this five times (one for each route) I've completely forgotten everything that happened. That could mean the game is forgettable, or it could mean I just haven't gone back to it as often as the two previous games (all of my playthroughs were back-to-back as soon as it released), but either way I'll have to play it again sometime before I offer more concrete thoughts.
I do remember thinking the villains were pretty lackluster this time around, and I remember loving Mason's romance route as per usual. Mason honestly carries this series for me.
Can't give this one a star rating yet because despite the fact I've played this five times (one for each route) I've completely forgotten everything that happened. That could mean the game is forgettable, or it could mean I just haven't gone back to it as often as the two previous games (all of my playthroughs were back-to-back as soon as it released), but either way I'll have to play it again sometime before I offer more concrete thoughts.
I do remember thinking the villains were pretty lackluster this time around, and I remember loving Mason's romance route as per usual. Mason honestly carries this series for me.
2020
Played on iOS (why is mobile never a platform option for CoG/Hosted Games on here?)
All the usual selling points of Choice of Games/Hosted Games titles are here - massive amounts of player choice, diversity, character customisation, fun stats.
This one gets a bad rap, in my opinion. I've seen people criticising the protagonist for being 'helpless', less of a combatant than the companions, etc. but that wasn't my experience at all. I know in my playthroughs I certainly had some badass battle moments (including one where my character leapt through the air and stabbed a dragon in the head, single-handedly killing it), so I'd assume if someone genuinely is failing in fights at every turn and needs to be saved, it's down to stats or the choices they're making, not the game itself.
Anyway, the game itself is interesting and enjoyable. I loved the concept of the Soul Stones and the fact that which one you're bonded to is dependent on your personality traits - the amount of variety in the Stones and in the weapon forms they can take was fun to play around with in replays. The characters are pretty charming, and I enjoyed the option of polyamorous routes.
Although, because I am a certified villainfucker, Manerkol was obviously my favourite.
All the usual selling points of Choice of Games/Hosted Games titles are here - massive amounts of player choice, diversity, character customisation, fun stats.
This one gets a bad rap, in my opinion. I've seen people criticising the protagonist for being 'helpless', less of a combatant than the companions, etc. but that wasn't my experience at all. I know in my playthroughs I certainly had some badass battle moments (including one where my character leapt through the air and stabbed a dragon in the head, single-handedly killing it), so I'd assume if someone genuinely is failing in fights at every turn and needs to be saved, it's down to stats or the choices they're making, not the game itself.
Anyway, the game itself is interesting and enjoyable. I loved the concept of the Soul Stones and the fact that which one you're bonded to is dependent on your personality traits - the amount of variety in the Stones and in the weapon forms they can take was fun to play around with in replays. The characters are pretty charming, and I enjoyed the option of polyamorous routes.
Although, because I am a certified villainfucker, Manerkol was obviously my favourite.
2020
Played on iOS.
All the usual selling points of Choice of Games/Hosted Games titles are here - massive amounts of player choice, diversity, character customisation, fun stats.
This one had the potential to be really cool. It had some neat world-building and ideas, the characters were interesting, and I really enjoyed Q as a romance option. The ideas taken from The Wayhaven Chronicles were obvious in things such as the varying flavours of flirt dialogue, the love triangle option, Azuridian (I forget their female-variant name) vs. Adam/Ava being extremely similar, etc., but it's not like it was plagiarised; just inspired by. I do think people were far too harsh on it for that - no idea is completely unique, and more of an enjoyable thing is still an enjoyable thing. It wasn't crossing the line into blatant copying, and I was interested in seeing where it would take the series in its own vein.
Unfortunately, the series has been discontinued, I gather in part because of the backlash and comparisons to The Wayhaven Chronicles. It's a shame, but because of that I can't really recommend it as the story will never be finished and it ends on a cliffhanger.
I do hope the author returns with another game someday, whether a revamp of this one or a new idea entirely.
All the usual selling points of Choice of Games/Hosted Games titles are here - massive amounts of player choice, diversity, character customisation, fun stats.
This one had the potential to be really cool. It had some neat world-building and ideas, the characters were interesting, and I really enjoyed Q as a romance option. The ideas taken from The Wayhaven Chronicles were obvious in things such as the varying flavours of flirt dialogue, the love triangle option, Azuridian (I forget their female-variant name) vs. Adam/Ava being extremely similar, etc., but it's not like it was plagiarised; just inspired by. I do think people were far too harsh on it for that - no idea is completely unique, and more of an enjoyable thing is still an enjoyable thing. It wasn't crossing the line into blatant copying, and I was interested in seeing where it would take the series in its own vein.
Unfortunately, the series has been discontinued, I gather in part because of the backlash and comparisons to The Wayhaven Chronicles. It's a shame, but because of that I can't really recommend it as the story will never be finished and it ends on a cliffhanger.
I do hope the author returns with another game someday, whether a revamp of this one or a new idea entirely.
I'm so fond of this funky little series. It's more railroaded than most CoG titles are, and I have my issues with the author, but this was the first title I played on the website so it has a special place in my heart. The first game is kind of shallow in comparison to where the story would go in The Hero Project and Heroes Rise: HeroFall (the sequels), and the romance is essentially not present at all here unless you count Black Magic who is basically forced upon you (BIG no-no in CoG games, they're all about choice and player agency), but in my opinion it doesn't deserve the sheer level of mockery directed at it these days.
Other CoG games are much better and offer much more player choice and variation in routes, but this is a good first experience of the genre to get used to the playstyle without getting overwhelmed, and it's still a story worth experiencing.
Other CoG games are much better and offer much more player choice and variation in routes, but this is a good first experience of the genre to get used to the playstyle without getting overwhelmed, and it's still a story worth experiencing.
A step up in quality and choice from the first game, though still behind the general CoG standard. I actually really liked the reality TV show angle this one went for; participating in the competition was fun, unravelling the conspiracy at the heart of it was interesting, and meeting a broader cast of characters, both new and returning, was great.
The Hero Project also introduces a new major romance option in the form of Lucky, and allows you to begin to feel out a relationship with Jenny, though the two most interesting options still don't come into play until the third game.
However! This one does have the infamous "LGBTQ+ exposition/debate dump" midway through, which I always thought people were exaggerating about, but no, it genuinely is that bad. As an LGBTQ+ man who LOVES inclusivity and diversity in my games and has absolutely zero patience for anyone who refers to that as 'pandering' or 'forced', trust me when I say this isn't the typical "baaah gayness exists in my game get it away from me". It's, like, three pages of a completely out-of-place argument between every character present about the correct terminology to use and fighting about which LGBTQ+ stereotype is more damaging and which of them has it worse. Relatedly, Sergei (the author) seems to think having his stereotypically attractive cis white gay man respond to every criticism from any other character he offends with "Oh yeah? Well I'm pretty and that's hard for me too! Didn't think about that did you!" is some kind of slam dunk gotcha every time. That exact conversation happens twice in this book and makes the same point each time and it always ends with this guy getting the last word. I don't know why you're trying to get me to side with the guy who refers to a trans woman character as "just a gay man trapped in a woman's body", but it's not working, my dude.
The Hero Project also introduces a new major romance option in the form of Lucky, and allows you to begin to feel out a relationship with Jenny, though the two most interesting options still don't come into play until the third game.
However! This one does have the infamous "LGBTQ+ exposition/debate dump" midway through, which I always thought people were exaggerating about, but no, it genuinely is that bad. As an LGBTQ+ man who LOVES inclusivity and diversity in my games and has absolutely zero patience for anyone who refers to that as 'pandering' or 'forced', trust me when I say this isn't the typical "baaah gayness exists in my game get it away from me". It's, like, three pages of a completely out-of-place argument between every character present about the correct terminology to use and fighting about which LGBTQ+ stereotype is more damaging and which of them has it worse. Relatedly, Sergei (the author) seems to think having his stereotypically attractive cis white gay man respond to every criticism from any other character he offends with "Oh yeah? Well I'm pretty and that's hard for me too! Didn't think about that did you!" is some kind of slam dunk gotcha every time. That exact conversation happens twice in this book and makes the same point each time and it always ends with this guy getting the last word. I don't know why you're trying to get me to side with the guy who refers to a trans woman character as "just a gay man trapped in a woman's body", but it's not working, my dude.