If that was true then more of the best games would be less popular.
(Not to mention shows like Game of Thrones would be dead.)
One trick to deal with sub-plots, however (as I have learned in writing is necessary) is to always tie them to the main story.
And to keep the distractions brief, you can always loop things back into the main line, while still keep the choices recorded so they affect the ending.
Like, say you choose to not follow the bird: Bad End: You're stuck with your uncle.
(Which, btw, is a mystery never explained, and I still wonder what he wants with you.)
Or you choose to twart the godess at every turn, or refuse to destroy the crystal: Bad End: The Lizard people won, and you probably died (unless you sided with them), and the modern world resemble Sith society.
At each point you do things like throw away the crystal she gave you, the game doesn't need to change anything (or maybe you wake up with the thing under your pillow) it loops back into the story that way, until at the end you have the same choice to destroy the orb or not, and after that you get to see the real outcome of your choices.
That way, choices both matter AND they don't disrupt the story.
I have seen smaller games than this with more endings that this game have.
If you let the choices the reader matter have a delayed effect, it may even affect only the ending, and thus not distract from the story until very close to the end.
I'm somewhat of a theistic satanist. I'd say I'd happily join her enemy if she pisses me off.
Hell is my first choice of afterlife. ^_^
(Granted, I'd prefer to work as a demon, but anything is better than blind obedience and bordom in the sky.)
I think if you ever made Purba a romance choice, that'd change the outcome of the whole story. lol
AND as he is a sneaky bastard, it wouldn't have to change the game much, because he could tell you to spy for him and thus have to act as normal in the village, with a few extra choices to snoop around.
(Maybe it'd even be why he seduced you to begin with, but if you make the right (fierce and brave) choices he might fall for you for real.)
And the main story goes on with a few extra scenes, but the ending changes massively.
It's probably Reksa. I never got his name.
I don't really care about collecting thing. Not that kind of gamer.
But I tend to have a tunnel-vision in romance game, and since I want the lizard-guy, no one else will do! lol
I honestly liked him right from the start.
He seemed like the kind of guy I'd like. ^_^
(By which I mean violent, potentially evil, and with a 50/50 chance he'd kill you if he gets the chance. lol
Manipulative guys (in addition to wickedness) are even better, but that one is sadly not an option, so Reksa it is.)
I'll try the walkthought. Thanks. ^_^