* Due to there only being a handful of places to read reviews I thought I would leave this here to help people who are buying this game for the romance *
*Slight Spoilers* -
After playing both the Book One in full (All Romances) And reading the current Demo for book 2, I was incredibly disappointed in the way the author handles the Male Romances, specifically the handling of the poly routes. As the author has stated both Milo and Gabe have Solo and Poly routes, but this isn't entirely true, and from reading some of the replies on the Tumblr, it's borderline sneaky.
Milo is non-monogamous with a locked in poly (Book 2), The MC can either be apart of that Poly or Choose to only date Milo while he remains in it. This wouldn't be an issue for me *At all* if it didn't become clear how little Milo actually care's for the MC. In his route, you are basically a walking doormat for him, you will always be a background character compared to the other RO in the poly and it's blaringly obvious. The other RO is special to them, that much is blaringly obvious... while our MC is kind of... there. I don't know if the author wanted to do this for Angst? Because they didn't notice? but it just come's across to me and a number of other reviews I read as basically "If you want to romance this character, you have to accept a non-monogamous relationship in which you're side-lined... because Character Trauma *TM"
This is all made even clearer in the Second book, to the point that the author plays on it. There's multiple scenes where the author pushes the narrative of Malcolm and Milo *immediately* getting close again, so much so he's accused of jumping into bed before your body is even cold. and how Malcolm even states he just sees him and Milo as *being on a break*, Through the Book 2 Demo, Malcolm and Milo consistently find one another, they consistently choose one another and Malcolm consistently defends Milo when the MC "goes too far". Though the author *has* tried to give M&M issues between one another, and put our MC more at the centre of the relationship rather than as a bystander, it doesn't shake the heavy feeling that if it came to it, M&M will always choose each other over the MC.
Gabe has similar issues but is far less "In your face" While Gabe *does* have a solo route, it becomes clear that that is *not* his preference... It's obvious that while you can Romance Gabe solo, he is constantly open to also including his Ex... which is an awful way of handling a Poly route. It come's across as though they're just "waiting" for the MC to change their mind and that's... awful. We learn that Gabe was and considering the poly route, still is, very much in love with Belladonna and he simply hasn't come to terms with that. The coldness and arguing between the two is a good way for the author to show that they have issues, that their relationship is not something that can easily be repaired... however... considering *you* the MC can have a similar relationship (If you choose the whole 'He was prepared to let you be butchered in a flesh pit' route) then it no longer seems as though they are quite against one-another as it first seems.
All in all, I believe that the Author really should let people know about these issues with the romances before people invest time and money, I understand if perhaps, these issues were made to be angsty or even as a specific trope, but it doesn't come across that way. Hopefully these issues are touched upon in the Book 2 Demo, All of that said and as harsh as I may have sounded, this book is truly lovely, the setting is beautiful and for someone to create such unique atmosphere is incredible, I was absorbed immediately and it really itched my "Dark Alice in Wonderland Vibes" love.