made an account not to rate (i will not), but because I don't want my friends to read. Spoilers ahead obv
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From my understanding, the biggest reason this game is getting hate, is for its "insensitive depiction of suicide", but tbh, I'm a bit confused because that's not how I saw the ending?
People keeping comparing it to DDLC and Sayori's ending (yes, I see the visual similarities), but they're completely missing the references the game tells you about. "Death Notebook", "Ryuk", "fond of apples". Ryuk is literally shown in the ending CG, so I don't know how else the game can spell it out for you.
For the benefit of those who haven't seen the anime (which I can only assume most of the people who've hated this haven't), in the show, there is a notebook where you can write a person's name and the cause of their death, and within the next 40 seconds, they will die like that. Yes, there are instances where suicide is the cause of death shown. V graphic and depressing, but story wise, makes sense.
We know from the second ending that MC wasn't just in the mood to randomly stab Zilas; that it was a sudden urge. He literally says "it's not your fault, i can explain". If we can safely conclude it was some external forces that compelled MC to, and that Zilas was destined to die one way or another, why have we all collectively just assumed he committed it out of his own volition? And if that's not the case, then there would obviously NOT be any signs to show. Because it was not suicide out of depression.
You cannot tell me how weird or dumb you think it was for Zilas to get cancelled for something he didn't mean, when you're out here doing the same (played one time, missed the hints, and decided it was okay to harass someone for sth you didn't like). I would expect some more empathy from the people who talk about mental health. (this is not a jab at anyone. some comments have been respectful, but some are just awful).
I'd like to clarify that I am not here to defend the devs. I write this (and here's the part I hope my loved ones never know), as someone who has dealt with suicide ideation for the most part of their teen and young adult years. Who still has a stack of letters tucked in the back of my cupboard, because there was one night where I was so sure it was the end. I write this as someone who still cannot trust myself with heights or high places. My mental health is something I must protect, not a random game developer. Why read the content warnings, press okay, and still complain?