hi, i will just make some points about the paid guides' issue- you dont need to use them to play the game.
simply playing, paying attention to conversations and checking the mission log will be enough to get you through the game. the discord server for the game exists exactly for cases where you are not sure about something and getting stuck. you can and should ask there for help, and other players will be happy to help you. there are also some guides for the romance part. interacting with other players can add to the experience.
will you miss out content without the extensive guides? most likely. will you make mistakes? yes. not every run is perfect, and thats perfectly fine. the paid guides were supposed to be for patreon's vanir backers only. they are sold here seperatly because players asked for another way to get them.