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Hanabi 28 Aug @ 2:53pm

Questions about sexuality in the game.

I'm going to preface and be blunt.

I don't like much sexuality, romance or sexuality in my games. I'd been considering getting this game for a while and on the fence repeatedly back and forth.

Then I notice all the people talking about questions like 'is this a dating sim?' and other questions.

For reference I am a Straight, White, Caucasian Male, Christian. I believe people should be allowed to make what they wish to make, play what they wish to play, and have no problem with people making games that explore the subjects that matter to them.

Except I have no interest in Romance literature, and as I am straight I have less than no interest in LGBTQ+ Literature.

With all the above in mind, I'm asking in good faith.

1: How much is romance a factor in this game?
2: If you play for no romance, how much of the game's story will be lost?
3: How good are the romances in the game from a scale of Bioware Garbage to 90s Final Fantasy Depth?
4: How much forced romantic and LGBTQ+ Exposure is in the game even if you're focused on other areas of gameplay?
5: What are four other games that this game is most like?

I would appreciate some honest answers to the question to decide rather this is for me or not. I usually like to go into games blind so I appreciate a lack of spoilers so this is basically aimed at subjects like theme and subject.

What I'm seeking is just to get the questions I have answered so I can make an informed decision as to rather this game is something I'd enjoy or not.

Much appreciated.

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Originally posted by DataNinja:

Can't answer 3 and 5, since I don't have that sort of game knowledge, but:

1. Romance is completely optional - while some NPCs will get together on their own, your player character has to go out of your way to get into romantic interactions, and you have to opt-in (there is always a 'just friends' type prompt.)
2. You basically lose one brief scene with the character, a handful of conversation snippets, and an addendum to the ending.
4: a) This depends on what you're asking for "romantic exposure." If you ignore the relationship options, then there's nothing that involves your character. There are several NPC relationships in the game (most are heterosexual, but there's at least one that's homosexual), and them being in relationships does come up at times, but you can avoid those conversations almost entirely if you choose not to go to the areas where you interact with said characters.
b) - Your character can use male, female, or non-binary pronouns, and you can choose what puberty you go through regardless of choices. (Body type and pronouns are also adjustable from a menu at any time during the game.) All of the NPCs your age can be romanced regardless of these choices (barring the one who is explicitly aromantic and asexual).
- There are multiple nonbinary and trans characters, though the latter often only comes up in offhanded mentions and you can go multiple playthroughs without the fact coming up for some of them.
- One of the more prominent side relationships between NPCs is male/male, and other homosexual relationships are implied.

This is a game that's inclusive of all genders and sexuality, so if you aren't comfortable having them just exist and be as unremarkable as cisgendered folks/heterosexual relationships, this is unlikely to be the game for you.

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DataNinja

28 Aug @ 6:30pm

Hanabi 28 Aug @ 7:47pm

Originally posted by DataNinja:
Can't answer 3 and 5, since I don't have that sort of game knowledge, but:

1. Romance is completely optional - while some NPCs will get together on their own, your player character has to go out of your way to get into romantic interactions, and you have to opt-in (there is always a 'just friends' type prompt.)
2. You basically lose one brief scene with the character, a handful of conversation snippets, and an addendum to the ending.
4: a) This depends on what you're asking for "romantic exposure." If you ignore the relationship options, then there's nothing that involves your character. There are several NPC relationships in the game (most are heterosexual, but there's at least one that's homosexual), and them being in relationships does come up at times, but you can avoid those conversations almost entirely if you choose not to go to the areas where you interact with said characters.
b) - Your character can use male, female, or non-binary pronouns, and you can choose what puberty you go through regardless of choices. (Body type and pronouns are also adjustable from a menu at any time during the game.) All of the NPCs your age can be romanced regardless of these choices (barring the one who is explicitly aromantic and asexual).
- There are multiple nonbinary and trans characters, though the latter often only comes up in offhanded mentions and you can go multiple playthroughs without the fact coming up for some of them.
- One of the more prominent side relationships between NPCs is male/male, and other homosexual relationships are implied.

This is a game that's inclusive of all genders and sexuality, so if you aren't comfortable having them just exist and be as unremarkable as cisgendered folks/heterosexual relationships, this is unlikely to be the game for you.

Thank you for your answers. I appreciate your candor.

kyotod

29 Aug @ 11:20am

Well the game plays inside a small interplanetary colony in a hypothetically future, where some basic biological modification is a thing and most characters in the game have some kind of open mindness out of survival necessity.
As was stated above, your own involvement in any kind of romance is completly optional, but since it is a "growing up" type of game, sexuality is a topic that is present throughout the game and cant be completly avoided. LGBTQ is kinda the standard mindset, in the sense that everybody can be however he/she is, but most offical pairings still have the traditional build up. Apart from some survival rules nobody is forced to act in a certain way, people look out for each other and there are no gender bound roles in the society. That of course although means that no gender-opinions or discussions are forced on the player.. The game doesnt tell you, how you have to think or aproach the topic, nor does it try to "teach". Everything is up to yourself. The game itself is mostly about "normal" survival and teenage problems. The romances feel natural but arent very flashed out, they are more about the process to reach them, and less about enjoing the romance itself.
That said, if the presence of LGBTQ vipes, is a no go for you, the game definitly isnt either.
If you can compromise with the topic, the game is a fascinating journey that will leave behind a lot of lingering thoughts.

Wraith_Magus 29 Aug @ 4:51pm

To add to what the others have said, there's a demo, which should probably tell you everything you need to know except how far things go. In the main menu (including in the demo), there is a content warning menu that mentions what topics will be in the game (mostly focusing on things like major character death, fantasy animal abuse, and an abusive relationship although the warning page itself says you can just stop talking to those people to avoid having to hear about it.) It says directly that the devs have a "fade to black" policy for romantic content that mostly focuses on getting to know people (in the non-euphemistic sense) and leaving the rest implied. (This is a game cares so little about what gender your character is that there's an option available to change it usable at any time, and nobody reacts in any way differently depending on your character's gender, so sex scenes would be pretty weird if they were totally agnostic to that sort of thing.) This is the sort of game I tend to call a "spreadsheet strategy," where a lot of gameplay focuses on trying to get a broad range of stats up before events that can wind up with people dead if you don't have the right stats or make the right choices. A "good ending" is measured less in "I'm going out with the character I like" and more "most of my friends aren't dead," and a focus is on reducing the body count.

Also, there's a gender and pronoun choice with a "they/them" and "custom" option, with the MC using the same portrait regardless of gender until they're in their later teens. It's clearly made to be LGBTQ+ friendly without limiting player choices as to what they do with their own life, but if even seeing the option for a "they/them" pronoun gets you mad, you're going to get very mad with this game.

Last edited by Wraith_Magus; 29 Aug @ 8:58pm