This game looks really fricken' great!! I do have a question though, are the date options going to be limited or can the main character choose to date whoever they want? It's not too clear in your opening post. :3
Awww, thank you!
The player can choose between 5 people. :] So, if you choose to play as Lucas, you can marry Diora, Marlene, Ren, Nadia, or Elsie.
The "canon" partners were thrown in just in case I decide to let the NPCs get married (still considering that one). If I did throw in NPC marriages, the NPC's top pick will be their canon partner. So, Lucas would choose Ren, unless the player married Ren already. For example: Let's say you play as Clyde and marry Ren (Lucas' canon partner). In that case, Lucas would marry Clyde's canon partner, Marlene. Does that make sense? :]
Something that I considered greatly before making the game was whether or not I would make the player a third person entirely, instead of letting the player choose between the bachelors and bachelorettes. On the down-side, it takes away an NPC from the environment in order to make that NPC a player. It also seems like it will be a lot of work to write for all the different characters, but I've found ways to work around this. On the plus-side, it gives the player a lot of options, personalities, and unique intros. It also helps to differentiate the game a bit from it's influence, the Rune Factory series. It's still a decision that I go back and forth on, but I think what's best is that I stick with it now and keep moving forward. :]