I'm a tad confused about the timeskip in Open Mode. I had assumed it was a year, based on Robin's hair and the month. Which would mean two years after Story Mode starts, but Emmitt's stated to be twenty in Open Mode. So what exactly is the timeline between the two?
I was aiming for 1-3 years, you're correct. The length of the main story varies from player to player, so disregard the starting date as an indicator of time. I do not have concrete ages for any of the characters, but Emmitt can drink in Open Mode so he's at least 21.
I kept the ages hazy so I wouldn't paint myself into a corner and the player could project whichever they liked. My personal projection is Emmitt starts at 18, ends Story Mode at 20 and comes back in Open Mode at 22. If I've stated Emmitt is 20 in Open Mode, that is a mistake because he should be at least 21. Do you remember where it was said?
Ah okay I can see the confusion. The line reads: "I grinned. Even if he was mature enough before, the stupid law said he needed another year. Now he had plenty." (At least in my current version. If it was re-written, my bad.) She's recalling the time he was 20. I'll fix to be more clear.
Okay, now it reads: "I grinned. The last time he was here, he still needed another year to drink legally. This would be his first \"brew.\""