I am so conflicted about this game. It is designed for the queer community and has been heavily scrutinized. This is often the case as the queer experience is not universal - we tend to want to critique things that do not fit the definitions we have forged from our own trauma. I can appreciate what this game does. It opens the door for polyamory, exploring intimacy with and without sex and it also sometimes forces you to face rejection. In this way, it does a good job of emulating the mess and wake of human relationships. It also has some genuinely funny moments, many of which are hinged on the game's primary conceit - you smooch swords.

However! It is deeply unfortunate that this game is just sort of... Mediocre on all fronts. It tries to do so many things between the genre mash up and the cast of characters that it doesn't do anything masterfully. The action RPG is truly just button mashing. At times the writing for dialogue feels rushed or cut short. The hype for this game has certainly worked against it. Everyone was looking for it to be so much more than it was.

Of course there is the stalker character and the controversy surrounding him. While I don't think that developers should shy away from topics that could make people uncomfortable, it needs to be done with a little finesse. In this instance, the character... is simply not written well. His character arc resolution is not believable. At times you are forced to interact with him, even by your own cousin. Another aspect of this game which suffered from its brevity and lack of depth.

Overall, I did enjoy my time at Verona Beach and I maxed out each weapon just wanting to get to know them. It is a step towards queer representation and an interesting concept. I just wish the execution was as good as the premise.