1) The creator needs to implement a style guide for the artists.
The art and writing is so inconsistent because of so many different artists and writers that it does take me out of it and it feels less like a legitimate game and more like a potluck. I find myself remembering a specific experience, the Matiha's Revenge quest. I saw Berwyn then Astraea and had to take a minute because the art styles were so different that it was jarring. When different artists working on the same game or show, they usually have some kind of style guide because consistency is key. But this game clearly does not have that and it suffers for it. There is some artists who can do complex shading and poses and some who can only do flat color art and standing still poses, which isn't necessarily a bad thing on those artists, but they shouldn't be BOTH working on character sprites.
2) Writing.
There is also the writing, which I feel is way worse of an issue because this is a text based game, if the text is inconsistent then the entire game is inconsistent. When I have to avoid certain parts of the game or certain characters because I don't like that particular writer, that's a big problem because if the game was consistent then I wouldn't even be able to tell if it was a different writer. It feels like playing a Batman game, but Batman switches around randomly from being the Adam West, George Clooney, or Christian Bale Batman while trying to be a serious competent game. Which, especially after playing the first COC, I really don't think this is.
3) Kasyrra ("Don't you DARE critize my original OC!!!")
I can understand why some people like this character the same way people like Whitney from DOL, it's a kink thing, and to those people know this is not directed at you. Other than horny there is nothing redeemable or likable about this character in my opinion. If she was simply a chaotic evil character wanting to sexually subjugate the world I would prefer that, because trying to reform her feels idiotic at minimum. This character has done so many sick and disgusting acts that trying to excuse it or reform her feels like a hybristophiliac trying to excuse her favorite serial killer's actions and thinking their love alone can save the person from repeatedly raping everything. Not only that, the game almost tries to guilt you when you do anything against her, such as being soulbound. If the game has a bad ending at all, even in the slightest, or if there is some bs with the T R U E ending being locked behind having to romance and redeem Karyrra, then I'm losing it. I remember the story of someone who found a loophole to actually beat Kasyrra in a fight, then the creator stopped that. Hey, creator, if the fight is unwinnable... Don't add it. It rarely is anything but annoying for the player, there is very rare instances of unwinnable fights actually having the effect of "oh WOW this character is so COOL and STRONG."
But above all else, there is the one trope I hate the most with Kasyrra. "You see this villain or badass female character? You see she actually has a tragic backstory... She has fertility issues she just wanted to be a mother ):" I get that isn't exactly the situation with Kasyrra, it's actually worse because Kasyrra DOES have multiple children, just not any biological ones. Sorry, Aileh.
4) I agree with all criticism towards Kiyoko, her writing, and her being dick locked. Yeah, I am aware it being under the "No we are NOT going to change it
" section, I can still absolutely criticize the fuck out of that stupid decision as much as I want though. ("Don't touch my PRECIOUS kitsune you HEATHENS, there is NOTHING wrong about her writing, it is actually complex and you don't understand it!") If there was a companion character with about a similar level quantity of content vagina locked then I think it would be fair, such as just making a genderbent Kiyoko adjusted to fit the scenario. Even in COC1 there is a character who is dick locked, but you can still recruit her through other means, just not have sex with her.
5) I agree with all criticism towards the game having a clear preference towards female NPCs and especially companions.
Agnimitra, female and possibly herm.
Arona, female herm.
Atugia, female.
Azyrran, female,
Cait, female and potentially magicock.
Etheryn, female futa.
Kiyoko, female.
Viviane, female and potentially herm.
Then there is Quintillus, who I am surprised hasn't been forced to have a fem transformation route (yet), then Brint. Brint, one of the few male masculine characters in the game and of course that's not allowed so hi Brienne, you could have been just another character because you are completely different personality wise from Brint but whatever. If someone wants to say there isn't a bias, tell me, in any Fenoxo game is there a female character who can get masculinized? I'm not talking getting a dick. I am talking the female character now using a male name, male appearance, male pronouns, and a dick.
Of course you as a game creator are allowed to have a preference, but seeing the creator swear up and down that there isn't a preference is eye rolling.
6) A game that lets you be a trans woman (identify and be referred to as a woman with traditionally male genitals) or trans man (identify and be referred to as a man with traditionally female genitals), should also let you be nonbinary. I have seen the creator address this before but I personally do not buy the explanations provided, and since you are selling this product, getting funding for said product, and even getting contributions through several different artists and writers to lighten your workload considerably, I do not see there being a reason to not do this unless there is a more personal reason for doing so and like I said with my previous point, I would rather the creator just admit to that instead of pretending otherwise. The game can't even use the excuse that it is a biological sex geared game when there is an option to set what gender you are referred to as.
I guess all around, I didn't realize what made me dislike this game so much until I played the first one and actually did really like the first one. I only spent $10 on this, so I'm not too bothered, but :/
