Never played any of the games but it's the oldes i know and everyone was talking about her+the game all day long, so no chance for me at that date to not notice her.
Personally, the idea of playing as a girl was never something that I considered an attractive aspect of a game.
Pretty girls are sure always a good addition but I believe, considering the majority of the market, that they should be used like in Final Fantasy 7.
There are very rare exceptions that prove the rule as per Nier and Stellar Blade for the obvious reasons.
In this specific genre, Karryn's Prison will always be on top five for the sheer amount of content and creativity with the battle system incorporating the adult elements.