Typing this essay down right after finishing this build since I desperately need to get my tumultuous thoughts out there otherwise I'll go insane. And first off I can definitely say that I wouldn't have survived if I didn't wait for this build before reading builds 0.6 and 0.7 as well. The cliffhangers probably would have sent me spiralling.
SPOILERS BTW I HIGHLY RECCOMEND READING THE WHOLE VN FIRSTTTTTTTT
First off (in fear of this review comment sounding too negative) I love these characters. Seeing Zander's thoughts and the way his character progress throughout the story is amazing and I love learning about his and all of the other characters' past (literally no one has a good father like my god (AND THAT GOES DOUBLE FOR REDLINE LIKE JESUS HE NEEDS TO BE HAPPY OTHERWISE I WILL EXPLODE) Especially seeing Bruce's backstory, I felt like while Bruce was becoming more understandable throughout the series it was still unclear where it all came from. So seeing actual vulnerable emotions and thoughts from him was a splendid move and raised my opinion of him very high afterwards.
However, development like this isn't the only thing that characters need. Not every moment can be them working out their issues and reflection. There's also obviously plot where (typically intense and serious) things happen and the characters undergo stress and pain. These are also obviously important, plot needs to happen (even if certain events force me to step away from my screen for a moment).
My problem is that the characters barely get any time for actual rest and characterization. For the plot to slow down and for the characters to develop their relationships with each other organically without it having to be said out loud. Of course, there are moments of calm and peaceful development (Redline's beach party, Bruce's assistance in gym etc.) but even these moments are frequently cut short through serious events (Cole appearing and homophobia being thrown at Red respectively.) Of course these are good too, they show that even with moments of peace these characters never really truly experience calm, times where they can just be themselves, but I feel that it hurts their relationship development as a result, causing it to not truly feel like a pause in the plot but rather an extra impactful event that keeps the tension high. And straight after, the next big plot thing happens, with no time inbetween for the reader to cool down and tension to lessen.
This is especially sad when the VN does the whole "7 day skip" where Zander usually trains before fighting Bruce again. This is time that the VN could sorely use to take some time to develop the characters and their relationships further by showing more moments with them just hanging out together. And while the characters may INDEED be doing that, it doesn't feel that way for the reader. And before they know it the characters are thrown into the next insane loop with tensions firing on all cylinders.
What this all leads to is an extremely heavy plot that's constantly running at 110% wherein the characters and reader hardly get a moment to relax and just enjoy the characters before the next plot point comes along to throw everything through the meat grinder once again. And before anyone asks, no, moments of serious character development don't count. Yes, they're important but they are just as heavy and don't truly count as a moment for the characters and reader to cool down and recalibrate (especially since they typically follow high tension events (eg. Redline and Zander's beach scene following the Cole gym scene)).
Now for the worldbuilding. Probably already said but I called it from the start. Even after only their first meeting it was easy to tell that the commish was some sort of freak. Decisions like this don't come from someone who's only thinking of pure profit. Especially when it comes to brutal fights of this caliber, bad PR is practically inevitable (although from what I've seen of this universe, it seems brutallity is never in short supply, so maybe violence is more commonplace and isn't as looked down upon as much as, say, real life). Brutality, bloodshed, gore and one-sided massacares being the MAIN SELLING points of the league would never fly unless the society they live in is heavily skewed morally.
Of course, when you consider this, perhaps the commish IS operating on a pure profit mindset. Just with an even bigger disregard for human life than normal. Their society clearly seems to allow it, hell, DESIRE it even (how else can you get away with broadcasting borderline snuff on live TV?). The only issue is that fighters would typically start resigning once they start seeing the league for the death trap that it was becoming which leads me to my second point:
Secondly, the commish kinda just... does what he wants. Granted, he's literally the boss but the way the first few patches played out he gave the distinct impression of a master manipulator with strings in every single nook and cranny of his fighting empire and PR. That's what you'd need to be in order to keep a bunch of rowdy fighters in check and unsuspicious right? Well... he never needs to since absolutely nobody in the league questions anything ever. You'd think that after the fifth fight or whatever and seeing Zander's face people would start raising suspicions over the schematics behind the bouts but generally people, within and without of the league, are always ready to overlook the unexplained and downright violent (this also causes the majority of FANG's participants to feel not like actual people with their own wills but just faceless dumb crowd fodder given the lack of named side characters in the VN). Not even Zander and the main characters question the comissioner much over the course of the story (at least until that happens...). Rather, Zander hopelessly stresses over his situation without thinking of ways to alleviate it or question why it's even happening at all. Whatever contract he signed must've had an addenum at the end saying "Everything labelled in this contract can be amended and/or altered at any point by the comissioner at his discretion" judging from how the majority of the league's guidelines boil down to "just whatever HE decides."
What I mean to say is, I love this VN. The characters are great, (even Bruce, he grew on me so hard after 0.8), their interactions are so cute, the sprites and CG's are stellar, and despite my gripes, I love the plot and setting. I just hope that the finale reaches a lighter tone when it nears its end. I know furry VN's tend to cover heavy topics and be super serious to make the lighter moments feel all the more richer but writers need to know that the moments of dark cannot outweigh the moments of light. You need to give the characters (and by extension, the reader) time to enjoy life despite the gritty reality the plot has set them in. You need time for the characters to actually heal otherwise the story just starts feeling hopeless and miserable. Sometimes, readers just want a VN to be a VN and see their favourite characters being happy together.
This is why I hope the next patch isn't the last we see of these characters and their stories (I do doubt it considering that the "final patch" would be version 0.9). There is too much left unsaid, undone and unheard from them and I'd be severely disappointed if this was the tone they are left with.
I can't pretend I know what the finale will look like, but whatever happens, I wholeheartedly wish that the characters get some kind of epilogue in the end where all the trials and tribulations they endured during the plot gets a resolution of some kind.
I just want to see them happy together man :'(