This is a very "LGBTQ" game. I imagine it gets a lot of hate for this fact, because it does seem contrived. How did they manage to have every character be gay, bisexual, non-binary, or transgender? It isn't exactly in-your-face with this, but as the characters are introduced and the story progresses, it becomes obvious that this is one of the major themes of the game. The first character that they introduced as gay, I didn't think anything of it. Not exactly mind-blowing. But as the reveals came more and more, I began to see what was going on. One character was gay, then another, then one used neo-pronouns. Then I realized they never used any gendered pronouns for one character. I see what's going on now... At first, it was distracting because it felt so contrived. But then I began to think, does it really matter? I didn't even *notice* one of the characters was not referred to by gendered pronouns the entire game. At the end of the day, almost all narratives are contrived. Would I stop watching a movie just because all the characters are black? Does it take anything away from the story telling? No, not really. Most of this stuff wasn't even obvious until 50% of the way through the game, anyway. On the subject of the game itself, I love it. One thing I absolutely love is low-number balancing in RPGs. 1 damage is normal, and 2 damage is high. That's the difference between 1 turn or 2 turns! One of the main mechanics of the game is Mario RPG-style QTEs. Pressing a button at a specific point buffs your abilities. There's basically 3 potential outcomes for every ability. 50%, 100%, or 200% strength. I would have probably given up after the first hour if it wasn't for the ability to turn these QTEs off. The punishment for not hitting the QTEs is massive, which would have really dampened my enjoyment of the game. The pacing is great, the characters develop well during the game, and the plot is compelling. I'd recommend it to anyone who is a fan of strategy RPGs.
