@ithas2besaidkvo: to my recollection that aspect is one key theme that makes the pivotal plot points impactful. The fact one relationship ends up being presented one way, yet is revealed to be something absolutely horrific, that is what drives the final nail in the coffin.
I don't recall it as necessarily ableism, since the ultimate revelation is that the abled brother turns out a liar, a monster, and a person abusing his own brother's particular set of mental talent and social difficulty "for science." If anything my recollection of how the brother is treated in a paragon run is that of empathy by everyone else. You send him to a place where he can thrive, as a human with certain challenges and gifts others don't have.
An aspect of ableism to me is when an autistic person is presented as different from everyone else, and that is either a hindrance or a blessing. Neither of those things apply here, as I interpret it, since the villain of our story is the one creating the hindrance through abuse of the autistic person. It is then the player that liberates this person, and the player character is later (Mass Effect 3) shown to treat him with respect and empathy.
David is different, yes. But he is not presented as trouble simply because of his differences. You are not trying to change the way David is, but rather ultimately changing the unfortunate situation he has been placed in.
This is why I love it. This is why I disagree that the themes are problematic, because you as the player are presented with a typical ableist character (Gavin) but end up working against his agenda if a paragon.
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