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Did the dev post that on twitter or tiktok or something, or is that just a theory? Because according to hints in game and others in the comments, the cat isn't just a demon, but apparently Ryuk from Death Note? I'm a little rusty on the series, but I don't think that was how things worked.

If you are right, then the question remains WHY the hanging and murder? Zilas could've just dropped dead when his heart stopped or our character could have found him frozen like he should have been originally, which imo would have been more poetic and less gross than the route the dev did take with the endings.

Nah, it's just obvious rate bait.

From reading older comments, people are getting banned trying to artificially boost the game too. :/

I think people who have been through it just don't want it sensationalized or used as ratings bait or emotional shock just to make someone attached to their character. I played with my friend the other day and neither of us saw Zilas' endings coming, and found them all around gross and confusing. If it doesn't make sense with the pacing and feels like it comes from left field, why add it if not to upset people?

DDLC wasn't a game written in a month either and it really shows. You can't use one game that did it well to excuse all the games that do it poorly, you know? Sayori's depression is actually talked about and referenced in DDLC and something she dealt with most of her life, so the suicide wasn't bizarre and out of place like Zilas'. Not having any reasonable cause or lead up to Zilas' apparent suicide makes the jumpscare CG of him hanging incredibly jarring, confusing and disturbing. Insensitive and unnecessary.

Going Live's endings just feel like a more weakly written copycat that pulls from other people's work (DDLC, Death Note), but the writer doesn't have the time, skills or knowledge to pull it off half as well. Which is a shame, because the parts of the game that were original were the only bits I enjoyed. Pull out the badly attempted DDLC endings and the silly cat villain, and it was really fun.

EDIT And as yet another depressed individual who felt a little bit catfished by this otherwise cute game ((seriously, kudos to the artists and voice actor tho)) I can only speak for myself but I use darker humor similar to your DDLC example a lot to cope.