And the final two initial play impressions from me this month:
Will Love tear us apart has a really cool art style, but wtf am I supposed to do? It just seems completely random and there is no way to read a reaction since he changes his reaction only after I chose a new card. I just flipped cards with him for about 10 minutes, frequently getting the "This is getting nowhere"-response and being rather annoyed.
I think you're thinking about the "game" the wrong way. I use the term "game" here very loosely. Here, the creator has a definite message that he wants to convey about a specific experience - in this case, love.
There is no "win" state. In the first stage, you're placed in an argument with your partner. (As in real life) the need to win each argument will only result in diminishing your partner to the point where you utterly consume her. The opposite, bowing wholely to the will of another, will result in you dying as an individual.
Simply mirroring the actions of your partner will get you nowhere. At first, I assumed that some kind of equilibrium was necessary - a sustained win/loss ratio (again, like real life lol) that would lead to some sort of harmony - but again, we're dealing with a message that the creator wants to convey.
So, instead of focusing and exploring the medium, we're left trying to figure out what it is he wants to say.
As far as I can tell, there are two more stages after the partner stage. Love ultimately "healed" me in my case, and I can't attest to the "tear us apart" or "snare" endings. If you think the first stage was frustrating, wait until you get to the second.
The only advice I can give you is to not think of it like a game.
Unfortunately, I don't think he did a great job. It will resonate with some people, but calling it a game I think detracts from your message because people will assume that you can "beat it" or "win." Having a message that you want to share through an interactive medium is great and all, but things can get complicated when your audience doesn't share your views on the topic. At best, they walk away with a new perspective on something; at worst, they get confused as to what they're supposed to do and give up.
I may try to run through again and see how things change, but I'll probably just play Gnomoria instead.
edit:
OK, yeah. I played through it again - this time with love "snaring" me. It's definitely a game with a message. My perspective has changed a bit from what I wrote above. The story starts with a doomed relationship, how we deal with it failing, and then how we choose to proceed with our life afterwards.
It's hard not to be too specific, so I'll just leave it at that and you can choose if you want to go through it yourself. I wonder if the ambiguity and obtuse mechanics are intentional though. Hmm...