You didnt sound harsh xD
I got the save don't worry! But the feeling of being trown to the door for not randomly picking the good option in a discussion with a guy I don't vibe with, I got it too xD A button "try again?" instead of immediate title screen would've certainly ease that out a bit 🤔
I understand that the point was not to choose your endgame, and instead to get them all, that's why my suggestions pointed toward letting the player the choice of the order of the dates itself, and that I didnt complain about having to date, but having to date PERFECTLY (I failed with 7/8 hearts) But I also can imagine this solution not being suited for the experience you wanted for the players. That only was the first one coming to my mind in reply to the aspect of the game that lost me a little: the sentiment that my presence, as a player, made no difference. The game is neither skill based, nor is it creative, and it's not reflexion based either. So to me (and your view on the subject might differe here), what is left is choice. even minors ones, even only a handfull of ones, but some that make me feel like I am in the story and that I am the one leading it, you know! (and I dont count the "nah actually you cant choose that" and "you can choose what you want until you choose the actual right option" choices, because they reenforce that sentiment that I'm talking about)
My goal by sharing that opinion isn't to tear you down, it isnt neither to diminish the incredible work you made for this jam. I did it because I feel that jams are great opprtunity to have our game played by a lot of different people and see how they experience them. If our point came across as intended and what went lost in translation. So in short what I mean is that I tried, clumsily, to be useful to you 👀
I'm only one kind of player and I might just not be in your target audience. But I figured that for you to know if my taste aligned with your objectives, I had to talk about them, about what I did enjoy, and what I didnt resonate with.
Ho and after that text wall ponctuated with like near to 0 emoticones, might be a good idea to say that I come in peace: what can be percieved as aggressivity is just me being a really direct talker with no people skills xD