still playing through routes so ill have a fuller opinion/review when im done but here are my thoughts after playing through at least one ending with each character! (trying to be vague/spoiler free but heed caution)
for reference the endings ive unlocked so far: Crazy Ex-Boyfriend, Bloody Hands, Gone, Shattered Ties (YALL CRUSHED ME WITH THIS ONE OMG), Not Even a Goodbye, It's All Over, Sandmen, Exiled and Free
a lot of these werent 'good' endings lol but i still enjoyed them nonetheless, looking forward to finding happier ones
really interesting setting and characters! i really enjoy learning more about all of them, and there's really cute moments for each. even the ones you disagree with are still easy to empathize with (except the mayor lol)
the games writing does excel at both casual, funny moments, and more impactful hard hitting ones
unfortunately the mc has pretty selective agency in the story, there's a lot of moments where they simply brush aside something that feels like it could be a major choice. like "oh i dont wanna bring this up" and im sitting here shaking them like YES YOU DO JUST TALK ABOUT IT OMG
i was a bit annoyed they were immediately suspicious of the mayor and you only get to influence your opinion of him AFTER he actually starts doing shady stuff. i wanted to give him a chance but by the time im actually suspicious of him the mc seems to have chilled out over him like?? NO YOU ACTUALLY SHOULD BE SUS NOW
so far the most frustrating element of the game is the all or nothing approach to the coup. like u either have to be 100% on board with supporting the mayor' decisions or 100% willing to partipate in a violent takeover. i think replaying the game after knowing this is the ultimatum makes things a bit easier but on a first or second playthru its not super clear.
i also wish you could play a more active role in showing your support for either side BEFORE the big showdown at the end. like during the protest scene i really wished there was an option to join in. definitely got my heart broken being on the opposite side of things as my lover rip. (very effectively written 'bad' ends!)