I've said this before. My biggest complaint with DPC in terms of branch creation is that it doesn't allow you to play the way the player wants and doesn't give you the right to make mistakes.
Let's say the game is already out. I've never played it and decided to try to play it from start to finish.
I didn't know that Jade was Sage's mother, and besides, she said she wasn't interested in a relationship, so it was logical to assume that sex with Jade was just a one-time fling.
Then it turns out having sex with Jade is a terrible sin. But the player is not a prophet and can't get inside the head of DPC. But the game is designed in such a way that if you didn't know about it and didn't assume it, you're still guilty.
It's stupid. It's doubly stupid that the player can't tell Sage the whole truth and move on, but for some strange reason, for the sake of drama, DPC puts everything off until the Season 3 finale. Why it's the finale is understandable. The game will count ts and based on them give a verdict to the player.
If a player has a lot of ts, there is always Camilla (she kindly said that if he breaks up with Sage she will be there for him), Melanie, Zoey (even rejected!), maybe Josy.
Now the game is turning into basically counting ts instead of enjoying the game.
Anything all fans do is reading code instead of enjoying.
Have you felt a few asses? That's it - now you can't tell Josy you love her.
What the hell is this?
It's pretty funny to see that DPС himself realizes this and posted this funny meme. It basically forces players to replay the entire game instead of enjoying a blind run.
I understand the frustration with the Jade/Sage case, especially as the consequence comes a long time afterwards (whether in terms of content to play, or IRL time because you have to wait ages between episodes).
Episode 3 or 4, you commit the crime, episode 9 you realize what you've done, episode 11 you feel guilty, and episode 12 (or after) you suffer the fallout.
Some people have talked about morality to say that banging a married woman is wrong, and therefore justifies the negative consequences. I disagree, the MC at 19, Jade, the ultimate MILF, throws herself at his dick, it's 100% normal for him to go there. He's single, knows nothing about Jade and her husband's married life, so we can't blame him (on the other hand, the MC with a GF from episode 9 onwards can behave badly).
If DPC hasn't put in any other traps like this, I'd say it's acceptable.
On the other hand, I don't agree with the other grievances.
In episode 8, the MC can choose a GF. The choices made from then on are clearly made to make the player understand that it might not be a good idea to grab every ass he can get his hands on in episode 9. Before episode 9, I don't remember the MC groping every girl he meets. It's done deliberately at that point, yes you can grab asses, even being on the GF branch, but at some point the player has to realize that it's going to be a problem (especially since we know at that point that choices have consequences).
I'll admit, it's all handled in a rather confusing way. Sometimes you don't have a choice (ep 9 if GF branch, Rio rejected), sometimes you do (even if kissing Rio and touching ass aren't the same thing). Or Bianca, we can clearly go down the road of infidelity with her (it's not consummated yet, but we're clearly going there), but that only concerns Bella and Jill branches.
It's a bit the same with other elements (ILY for M/J or Sage, and returning with Zoey), but with a little twist, we have the final choice but to unlock it we have to fulfill conditions otherwise the answer is imposed. I find that good because it makes what happens before (the choices, the dialogues) important, and it doesn't leave the player as the only decision maker. In a way it makes the characters come alive.