I just want to talk about the game with other people who finished it and did everything. (Heavy Spoilers)
I absolutely adored this game and it drives me nuts that so many people wrote it off because of a 'shift in tone' (that didn't actually happen, but we'll get into that), but it's hard to tell people why I loved it because some of the most beautiful moments in the game are when it completely blindsides you with stuff like Joseé announcing your betrothal (and then genuinely committing to becoming a lesbian power couple over the rest of the game), Holly turning into a streamer, Zenon's intro (holy shit, they went all out on that. put it on broadway).
Like it sucks that people probably saw that out of context and thought 'wow, this lost its edge' because no, that's the point. These people were all doomed to suffer just as badly if not worse than everyone in CV1, but our intervention allowed them to actually have a life. The stark contrast between their tragedy and the life they live if they avoid it is part of what makes me appreciate it so much.
It's honestly a pretty good allegory for society and where we might be if so many people with heaps of potential weren't chained to the grind of capitalism. But like, part of what makes this click is allowing yourself to get flashbanged by the sudden wackiness of certain moments and naturally coming to realize that this was the life and personality these people were robbed of. It's a different approach than CV1, but this is absolutely a worthy sequel and I just wish more people would realize that.