I both agree and disagree with this. One the one hand I agree with the dev's post above that he is making the game according to his own vision - it's his game after all.
But at the same time I do agree that in many sandbox adult games the sandbox actually adds more hassle than it adds value. The sandbox system only really works out if most content is optional, but most adult games end up requiring the player to do the content for all the girls/characters anyways to progess the main story - which completely kills the point of a sandbox (which is freedom to do and NOT do whatever you want). Though in that regard the implementation of optional side quests in the latest update actually IS a step into a direction that justifies a sandbox system.
Ultimately this just boils down to a conflict of interest between developer and players, so there is no clear right or wrong. (GoodbyeHapiness, don't see this as a demand to change your approach, just stating my opinion for consideration).
P.S. Thanks for addressing your community's concerns, GH! It's always good if a dev ensures his players know their feedback has been heard - regardless of whether the feedback ends up bringing changes or not. And on that note, the above easy mode seems like a good compromise that allows players to choose how to experience the game while also allowing you to (mostly) stick to your vision for the game. Plus offering a choice is preferable over only doing option 1 or option 2 since there will always be people in favour of option 1 and others in favour of option 2.