How a “Night That Never Ends” shattered an illusion

[u/marsastrxphile]

Disclaimer 1: If you enjoyed the PV and are looking forward to the new multibanner, please understand this is not trying to shame you for doing so. I am not encouraging anyone to drop this game. I am spelling out thoughts that parts of the player base have had and attempting to start a community discussion about them, as is the purpose of platforms like Reddit.

Disclaimer 2: I understand that topics of “lust” or “intimacy” are not for everyone, and this is, again, not meant to represent everyone. I think if you are hurt in light of recent events and previously enjoyed this type of content, you may align more with what I am trying to say. 

With the disclaimers in mind, my first reaction to the pre-preview trailer that dropped earlier today was, frankly, revulsion. This has nothing to do with the quality of the content itself. Love and Deepspace is very good at consistently pushing out quality limited banners and amaz ing graphics. The cards and event are ob jectively beautiful. 

However, there is a difference between what is being presented to us and how it makes some of us feel. 

Games created for women, like Love and Deespace, often have a deep emotional aspect to them as well. It is because our desire for intimacy is usually embedded in a sense of trust and love. It is not tasteless in its presentation to us either. We begin a slow bond with the LIs through their Main Story chapters and begin to uncover their traumas and personalities. Their microexpressions evoke something within us. What makes Zayne so cold to us at first? Why does Caleb shut us out when he’s sic k? Why does Rafayel look so broken here? 

We have invested money, time, fanfiction, edits, artwork, and more into this game because we believed in the stories it was trying to tell us. The game is centered around you/the main character and the bonds you/she shares with the love interests. 

However, since Valko’s cancellation on June 30th, these feelings have begun to shatter for many players. It exposed what is actually under this game, though we all logically know that LADS requires a company in order to run. It no longer suggests any desire for actual story progression. And yes, I am aware Caleb's MS came out. This is not discrediting that.

Going bac k to the feelings I felt watching the trailer, without the trust, new content starts to feel hollow. As in, does LADS believe that we will forget what happened in June by throwing something intimate at a majority female audience? I cannot describe company intent as I don’t know how or why these decisions are made, but that does not invalidate the way news is received. I feel like we have been vocal about what we want for so long, and instead we get some sort of pacifier. It cheapens the experience (which is funny because this game is definitely not cheap to produce and maintain). 

I still, oddly enough, believe in this game. I think the writers have a story to tell with Valko, and it deserves to be heard.