Ah yes, I forgot to mention that I really enjoyed both Strive's gameplay mechanic. It is really addictive ,and is one of the core reasons on why both games are among my favorite. I've always believed that romance is best as a secondary genre than a primary one, so with Fantasy RPG as the primary one, I think it'd be an incredible combination since they both complement one another.
As for the sexual encounters vs romance interaction thing, I could only think of Strive Conquest's scenes. Most characters in the game constantly try to reward the player, so most scenes naturally develop into a sexual interaction. You do X character a favor, then they reward you with sex, or something similar. It's pretty common in adult games, if anything it's almost a requirement since the players came specifically looking for those scenes.
Without that requirement, most scenes are not restricted to developing into sexual tones. Instead, it can emphasize the development of affection or admiration of said character. Both Strive games already have a lot of this aspect, mostly Cali's route in my memory. Her overall character feels like an actual companion rather than a female character that the player recruits for sex, in a nutshell. That's how I personally differentiate sexual encounters vs romance interaction. One is more sex-driven, the other is more relationship-driven.
I don't know if the demographic is predominantly female centered though. I'm a straight male that loves vanilla content a tad too much, just for additional context.