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I'm probably in the minority that doesn't care too much for the smut in these VNs so it's pleasant surprise reading one about a nascent sex demon that offers much more. The characters well-realized through both the expressive, clean art and the detailed characterization. I found their interactions very endearing. Many of them got a good chuckle out of me too. The writing also doesn't linger too much one character or scene when it doesn't need to and this is very much appreciated.

One thing I don't see often in other VNs is how detailed the action scenes are in this one. You did a great job weaving together techniques and tactics while escalating the action. I'm looking forward to seeing what you can do with them as the influence wheel fills out.

Every choice you make is implied to have been done by Sam since he is possessing Chase. The ending scene shows that Sam has lost all influence over Chase.

The point of the bad ending was to show that Jenna isn't too different from the people she criticizes. What better way to show that than to have her do what Heather would have done? There's hints here and there to her selfishness and lack of self-awareness and her overall derisive attitude towards others. It's not surprising what happens when you provide her with enough excuses to head down that path. Micha and Leo are honest enough to call her out on her her bs while Chase is a bit of a simp so you won't that impression from his internal monologues...

so it's a good thing it's actually up to Sam to set her straight

Spoilers...

I agree mostly. Jenna does get quite a bit more favoritism in her route, but there's also themes to take into consideration. Jenna's character arc is basically her achieving self-awareness and empathy. She projects her own faults onto others, especially Heather who she calls the "eternal victim," until Chase provides counterpoints to her views. Leo on the other hand is a tragic love story that only has tragic endings which, in my opinion, is perfectly fine. He was driven mad by through a feedback loop of Echo and his love for Chase. This is rectified in other routes like in Jenna's where he snaps out of his delusions and in TJ's where he kind of ghosts Chase after seeing that he's not interested and seems to handle it pretty well without the hysteria driving him insane. He's a perfectly reasonable guy outside of the town's influences.

I definitely do see the favoritism though. I think sometime after people criticized Jenna for being obnoxious some of her lines were rewritten to be less grating and more understanding of the player character. One was even inserted to compare her to another female character who was really likeable, though that was probably a throwback.

From day 10 onwards the writing style shifts to one that is melodramatic and monologue-heavy. Can't say I enjoyed it as much as the plot driven days of 1-9. There needs to be action between moments of contemplation and those moments are best when the mc is interacting with other characters. Monologues are best kept succinct otherwise they tend to feel like they drone on and on. It's best to monologue what's absolutely necessary and leave much of the meaning to be understood through the subtext.

Spoilers...

In the latest William update (currently a Patreon exclusive) what Murdoch describes to have happened is implied to have been a hallucination of something that happened in the past. The group finds a minecart that was supposedly used to transport the body in a condemned portion of the mine that leads to the lake, but Nik states that the supports are rotted through and could collapse at any moment. One of the structures does indeed collapse as William argues with the group to cross it after seeing someone who wasn't really there. The tunnel is too dangerous to have been used recently but was probably safer in the past when it was being maintained.

In Murdoch's route Murdoch and Ralph describe the place at the lake as being evil and capable of causing people who've experienced trauma to see hallucinations in photos. The entity that possesses Sam says "I'm coming" before the murder happens which implies that what the group saw and heard was a supernatural event caused by echo.

Spoiler

"Sam" used Flynn's desire to learn the truth to mutilate Flynn into a body that he can use to ride the "ebb and flow" of Echo. Flynn desperately wanted to know what happened to Sidney and he was ultimately denied that possibility when he traveled back in time to the incident and his eyes dissolved. You'll see more of the Sam/Flynn monster in other routes but it doesn't seem to be evil. In fact it seems to play the part of a vigilante at times. "We make the justice we are given"

Spoiler

Leo states in the Van in Jenna's route that Shadow Chase was created from his perception of Chase and that the real chase is different now. Chase still dates other guys or Kudzu while outside from echo where he can't even hear Sam.

James Sr. is one of the people who founded Echo in the mid 1800s. He left to start an ice cream business and then died before TSR began. The James seen in alive and well in TSR is his descendant

Spoiler

Chase is gay even when Sam's influence was its weakest and there's no indication he wasn't. Leo isn't in love with Chase or the thing possessing him. He's in love with the Chase in his memories which Echo made an image of to manipulate Leo.

Just finished what was available of Jenna's route. Everything up to it has been fantastic, but I think the lengths the last few updates goes to explain certain paranormal elements takes the edge off of the atmosphere. My preference in horror is for the answers to be revealed through inference and implication but the characters straight up spell it out for you and that sort of kills it for me. Regardless I'm still invested in seeing how this all ends and I can't wait for the next update.

Also spoiler

It's ironic that going after an obnoxious know-it-all who belittles and emasculates Leo might end up bringing about an actual good ending for Leo. The events in Jenna's route line in a way for Leo to realize his delusions as well as give him a cause to externalize the blame for it, whereas in the "good" Leo ending he ends up being tormented for years before being able to let go. Flynn's route is probably the next closest where it's implied that Leo dumps Chase after finding out that Chase killed Sidney. Now we just need a route for Kudzu where he reaps the consequences of making the horrible mistake of falling in love with Chase.

It might have to do with the cipher that you find in the library.

Spoiler...

The errors in the poem spell out "check the basement." The pic looks more like an attic though.

Getting bad vibes from Yao right now. How does he hide his fluency when he does translation work?

While the different routes of echo are, tonally, very similar at least until day 6 I appreciate that TSR's are a lot more varied. William's route is refreshing in that starts off with Sam absolving himself of guilt, and thus reducing Echo's influence on him, only to be pulled into schemes that will no doubt build up plenty of guilt later on.  It's got that Wild West Crime drama feel that I absolutely love and it is also my favorite one thematically as well. We know how it all ends up but you can't help but root for the virtuous sheriff as the Echo slowly corrupts the town. 

Murdoch's is perhaps my second favorite being the most horror-oriented route. Even if I didn't like the idea of getting close to someone so obviously two faced (or only apparently due to the echo seeing as no one else notices), Murdoch is a very interesting character.