Just finished one playthrough of the demo. I'm pretty excited about this game and will definitely follow its progress.
My favorite LI so far is probably Donovan, followed closely by Helen. I decided to just flirt hardcore with every love interest, out of pure curiosity, since every game is a bit different in how one lands on a route. (Btw, I like how pre-route affection appears as compatibility calculations during the device test run scene.) Donovan's brash exterior did melt pretty quickly once Emma pointed out his poor behavior, and we surprisingly find out a lot about him just in that first interaction, what with the Q&A. I'm honestly surprised he would reveal that much, but it has also succeeded in making me curious about how a romantic route with him would go. Teach me the ways of the world, Donovan.......
I also liked Helen and the dialogue she has with Emma about being the sword. I'm assuming there will be another scene in the full version before the test run where Emma gets to make her choice... but I was internally screaming at her, "SAY YES!"
Aiden is cute and Hiro seems enigmatic, what with his talk about his dark side, and Dalen has potential as the sweet childhood friend. All in all, I think the love interests are interesting, and I'm looking forward to see where you take the story romantically, especially with all those delicious flirty options.
As for overall feedback... The premise is super interesting, and I can't wait to pick back up where the demo leaves off. I love the discussion between Aiden, Dalen, and Emma about how the forces-that-be will prevent certain paradoxes from occurring, as that is something I haven't seen in media that uses this plot. (Trying to be vague to avoid spoilers...) What I loved the most was how there were not only options to flirt/be friendly/be professional/be rude, but also options within those categories! I haven't seen that before, so it was really cool to be able to choose to flirt coyly or be upfront, or to be rude/blunt.
I love the background art so much - it's absolutely gorgeous! The sprite designs and CG are beautiful too. One question, though - why are there two apparent sprite styles? Aiden, Helen, and Hiro share the same style, and Dalen, Emma, and Donovan share a different style. The CG style is also really different from both. Most players prefer consistent styles at least between the CG and sprites, and with the sprites as well.
Also, assuming the final version will be edited more... Otherwise, this was a really fun jam game! Adding it to my to-track list.