Zack

Loser, puppy boy appeal. Need I say more?

He’s DOWN BAD for you.

He’s a bit wary in the beginning because he’s not the most friendly guy, but that doesn’t last long. He’s quick to warm up to you and will be fiercely protective and caring even before you start dating.

He’ll be the most obvious with his crush on you, even if he does his best to hide it.

His insecurities are the overarching theme of his story. He does his best to improve and be a better man for you, but he fails again and again, and yet he keeps getting up and trying just one more time, and another after that.

He’s the most popular dateable. As in, the players like him the most for themselves. His yumeships dominate his tag on social media.

He’s the fandom’s wife. His fan art always has him looking submissive, like in maid outfits or nurse costumes.

Slutted up on AO3 too, in all positions. He’s quite the all-rounder.

His bad ending makes the player look bad, but it is still implied that his door will never close for you if you choose to change your mind and come back to him.

Vasco

Earnest, simple-minded sweetheart.

Vasco likes you from the get-go, so his route progresses the quickest.

He’s planning your kids by day two, and tbh it can be a bit much for some players, so he’s not the most popular pick.

But he’s the purest-hearted guy in the gang. He wears his heart on his sleeve and will never lie to you.

His way of showing affection can be a bit unorthodox and you’d definitely need to teach him stuff about romance and how you want to be swept off your feet.

The execution can go either way, but you’ll never not feel his sincerity in everything he does.

His route is the shortest, but it’s definitely the sweetest.

His route can go really wrong, though. Vasco can easily misunderstand the things you say. The worst-case scenario is that he thinks you’re evil, and he’ll have to take you down.

In the good end, ya’ll already have kids and a happy home. In the bad end, he’s hunting your head for being the “bad guy”.

There are mid endings like the friend zone route, where he genuinely just thinks of you as a friend, and there’s no chance of it evolving into more. There’s also the ending where you date for a bit, but he breaks up with you because it’s for your “safety”.

His friendship route secretly unlocks one of the purest CGs in the game: him giving you a matching helmet.

Vin Jin

THEEE HARDEST ROUTE!

And it’s not rewarding either…

He’ll put you through the WRINGER for CRUMBS.

His route is the darkest, too. Like they have to put in trigger warnings before his flashbacks and cut scenes.

He’s rude asf when you first meet him and continues to be rude even if he’s interested in you. Almost everything you say decreases affection and no one gets his love ending on the first try, without consulting an online guide.

He’s funny asf though… has the best quips, especially in other routes. But in his own route, it’s just pain.

BUUUT he does stick around. He says the snarkiest things, but he’s never leaving your side like an annoying barnacle on a ship.

Polarizing in the fandom. People either hate him or would DIIEEE for him.

He gets the most slander on Reddit, but he also has more fans who bulk buy his merch.

His fans all have a savior complex.

Shit attitude aside, his route is incredibly well-written, and his good ending is pretty realistic, all things considered.

He’s not immediately sweet, but he shows that he’s willing to open up a bit more.

He has one good ending and three whole bad endings.

Jay

He’s the MOST popular character, full stop. Zack might be the most dateable, but Jay gets the most love because he’s highkey shipped with another male lead (we all know who this is)

His most popular tag is “x Daniel”, with “x Reader” as second.

But he’s you’re typical rich boyfriend. All your problems are solved because he’s rich and insanely sweet.

Probably has the blandest route icl and it’s not his fault. Most of his trauma is off-screened and you don’t get any elaboration on it because he doesn’t want to seem weak in your eyes (or the devs just didn’t care enough to add it).

The devs lowkey didn’t expect him, of all male leads, to be the most popular one… he might get an exclusive swimsuit DLC just to appease the fans.

He doesn’t really speak, so he’s big on actions. That also leaves a lot of his thoughts up to fans’ interpretation, so best believe that helps fuel his massive repertoire of fan content.

He doesn’t have a bad ending… It’s just one of the least romantic of the two endings he’s got.

Hudson

Done absolutely dirty by the devs.

He’s even excluded from a lot of the merch because the devs assume he won’t sell well.

He’s insanely hot, though, and rich with his self-made wealth.

He’s not actually that unpopular; his fans are just quiet. There’s ONE Hudson daily account and all his fans just like and retweet its posts, but they don’t make a lot of content themselves.

His route has the least main plot development, but it makes up for it with character introspection.

You learn a lot about Hudson, not because the story spoon-feeds you his backstory, but because of the sheer consistency of his actions. Compared to the others, he doesn’t change much for you. But instead, incorporates you into his working principles and philosophies. The Hudson you meet, and the Hudson the game ends with are the exact same; the sole difference is you.

He’s not the flashiest guy, but he’s an acquired taste.

His fans are a tight-knit group in one Discord server, and they all cheer at the crumbs he gets.

To a lot of players, they may not think much of his endings. But his endings, good or bad, are very meaningful conclusions to his character and his story with the player.

His route is the “most complete” in the sense that it wasn’t created to make you want more. All that’s left when you finish is a lingering courage that makes you want to stick to your guns a bit harder, just as Hudson would.

He’s the only one whose route epilogue directly acknowledges the player’s growth, and it’s played for both good and bad endings.

Bonus: UI Daniel

Secret route.

In his route, all the fragments of the plot are finally tied together to make the ultimate game conclusion.

In order to get his route, you need to unlock all of Daniel’s endings and at least one ending of each of the other leads.

Horniest fans known to man, oh my god.

He gets no advertising, though… to keep the mystery.

There’s a hidden stat called “moral standing” that only affects UI Daniel’s ending, but no one fully knows how it works.

His route is mostly plot, but at the end of it, you do get a little UI Daniel reveal.

Players are forced to pick between Daniel and UI Daniel, and if you pick UI… It’s the game’s overall bad ending.

But you do get a small cut scene at the end. In it, we see that he’s all quiet and distant, but he lets you do his makeup and touch his face with little to no violent reaction. So I guess he’s warming up to you?