EDIT: Ok, let me be helpful for a second, I play both because they're equally good in their own way, honestly, it's not like some games that you can see that you need to follow path X or you're not playing correctly, that's hard to achieve and probably two times the work of a "normal" game
Honestly my general preference is more gentle romance, but sometimes I just get in a dark mood and the brutal path works for me.
I appreciate the option being available even if it isn't used often. The benefits of fantasy I suppose. Things that wouldn't get me off in real life work in the realm of imagination.
For example a former GF had a rape kink, I guess. Like, she actually wanted to fight back and say no while I forced myself on her, which was an immediate boner killer. Maybe it was some sort of trauma therapy for her or something. I dunno. Nothing turns me off in RL like the idea of non-consensual intercourse.
But sometimes in a game it's fun to take the path you'd never walk (or even have a desire to walk) in real life.
Only Lovey Dovey path (wait there's a Lovey Dovey path in malignant? I think you meant less darker path lol) but anyway yes I only play the less darker path, more darker path is pretty useless to me.
I really enjoy this game. My favorite tags are Rape, Impregnation, virgin and this hits 2 of the 3 (so far) on the dark path but I also enjoy the non Rape path as well. As I also enjoy some casual corruption as well