Hi Crimsonring46,
Thank you so much for the kind words, and "top 5 of all time" is way more than I deserve right now, but I'll do my best to live up to it! You raised a really good point about patience and emotional connection. That's exactly what I'm trying to build here, and I'm glad you see it that way. It means a lot to hear from someone who gets what this project is going for.
As for that part you mentioned in the edit - yeah, I have to be honest, that wasn't best work. I felt something was off while writing those scenes, and looking back, I think I just wasn't ready to do them justice yet. The quality there doesn't match what I want from the rest of the game, and I know it.
About Emily's Tale 0 - every character's Tale 0 covers the story of their first encounter with MC. Emily and MC actually met long before the main story begins, back when they were both around twenty. That part of their history will be told as a flashback sequence in future main story content. So for now, it stays a mystery :)
Thanks again for playing and for taking the time to write all this. Really appreciate it.