>>1839233
Unironically >>1839262
It's an evolution. Being a relatively successful game in China it's become something of a soft-template. Rover's still a bit of a bitch design, but it's far closer to a character a dude would want to be friends with or "be" than what came before. Not a drastic enough shift to completely turn away those that would never touch a hyper-masculine MC, but enough of one to appeal more to players that want their MC to have more grit than a young JRPG protagonist. It's cyclic and eventually we'll return to an era where every new MC is designed softer in an attempt to appeal more to women and to snag both gender's approval.
AP's customization seemed pretty good, but the redesign makes me think the story got a bit more dire and they want the MC actively doing more in it. Like the old design would feel out of place with whatever they'll have them doing.