Well I'm sorry that you had a bad time with this VN. I think the main character isn't supposed to be an audience surrogate, meaning you're not chase and you shouldn't put yourself in his shoes (which he doesn't wear any), that's why the main character has his own name and you don't get to name him. Chase has his own past, his own characteristics, compare that to the MC in blackgate, he has literally no defining feature that is why you can assume his place/role easily, or compare Chase to the MC in adastra, you do get to name him and, like in many VNs that do the same thing, he has very few to no characteristics, this is because he is meant to be the audience surrogate. Echo isn't like a dating sim, it is a story which you see unfold through chase's perspective. It doesn't just suddenly turn into horror, there is build-up throughout the game. Maybe the same things shouldn't be expected from every single VN, if the author intended to evoke sadness, fear, heartbreak and other emotions as such, I think they achieved it, and it isn't something easy to do at all. There is nothing wrong with what you think and feel, you earned it. Just try to understand what the author is trying to do and maybe go easy on them.