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š”“umpkin ✧ rated Beyond the Turquoise Stars

š”“umpkin ✧ rated a Turquoise Visual Novel 21 days ago
A downloadable Turquoise Visual Novel for Windows, macOS, and Android.

Spoilers Contained
That was truly a wonderful experience. Only one day worth of demo and you can already tell the game will be truly perfect upon Its release.
 
One of the greatest aspects of the visual novel for me and the main reason why I started playing It in the first place was the art style. The sprites, the character design, everything about the anatomy and way Turquoise is drawn looks beautiful and I love that. I am sick and tired of visual novel men with comically large chests and necks that seem so unproportional to the rest of the body. The build for his anatomy looks truly impeccable in my opinion, his face too and you don't get cringed out from the CG scenes. I also love how the art conveys what the story can't, and I will discuss more on that later in this review.

The best part of this novel though, with no doubt, is the psychological yandere aspect. In other words, this is absolutely revolutionary in the yandere genre, so If the author is reading this, congratulations on successfully altering my brain chemistry!

Not long before I started the game, I was decided I wanted It to be yandere-ish since this is my all time favorite genre. I like how love and horror mingles quietly into one - but to be quite honest, It's difficult to even remotely find the horror aspect within these games nowadays. Everything is strangely predictable, what the yandere will do is boring and you can certainly expect It right from the start. In the end, they are truly just pretty looking husbandos to simp for but with the creepy factor (that barely knocks the door) of them being a murderer or something, which is always extremely obvious. I started playing this expecting It would be the same, but the quality surprised me and went overboard. 

Turquoise, indeed, IS a yandere. For long part of the gameplay, I was wondering If I didn't press a romance game instead. He was sweet, he was composed, he was calm and he was quiet. The atmosphere of the game was relaxing and It's oddly immersive. In most gameplays, you will be expecting something bad to happen and feel disconnected from the MC, sometimes even wondering how can they be so naive. It doesn't happen in this one. Of course, you're bound to start the game wary, wondering what he will do or has done, but the song and the surroundings look such like paradise you can't help but feel safe too. Even his own persona doesn't seem like one that you should be careful of.

 Throughout the game, we keep getting small hints of Turquoise's self. Small and subtle details that seem weird but not deemable, as in, you can't point and tell he's a creep because of them, but you can sense there is something odd, even though It's always disappointing how It's never something major and you can't help but brush off the thought as If It's just a useless detail: exactly how the protagonist does. They notice something, they will not think critically about It. It's something small and not decisive, there is absolutely nothing wrong about that so you can not condemn him for anything. Aside, he has been so gentle and sweet to us until now so we choose to trust him, to believe him. Absolutely nothing in the game seems to scream he is a yandere - because he doesn't act out. You can tell he is a man deeply in love, obsessed (hints, always hints!), and you know that he has secrets and a sad past that seem to condemn him at his heart, but nothing more than that. To me, this is the perfect example of an actual realistic yandere. 
Often people assume yandere has to be related to horrible acts such as homicide, drugging or other criminous acts, but to root, yandere is all about one having a darker side to them that they may hide or expose in the name of love, a dark side that doesn't need to be exaggerated, but sometimes (and most times) only psychological.

For now, what we know of Turquoise is that he is manipulative, but not a single moment in the game you can strongly feel that. You search for his things in his room, expectant, and all is very organized and "normal". He doesn't seem like he has done anything wrong and It makes not only the protagonist trust him, but the player too. If that should be proved to be a mistake or a great decision later on, we will see... but in most relationships where the partie is obsessed in an unhealthy manner, this is exactly how It starts. This is very true to life. Turquoise IS a yandere, he wants MC to save him, and I have a feeling he would to anything to achieve that! The way you explore his mind and his past is really great and I'm excited to learn more when the full game is released. First person perspective is so perfect we completely let our guard down around him - he would never hurt someone... would he? (TwT We'll see!). The feelings are very mixed and this is utmost realism.

I will admit though, I partially lied throughout this review. I said there is nothing that indicates his manipulative side in the gameplay, but there is - and that is the art. What he says, the way he speaks, the scenery and what is happening, of course there is this hint of dreaminess as If there's something wrong, but that you can't truly comprehend so It just comes off as calming. BUT THE ART! The way he is drawn, the way he looks at the protagonist... The look in his eye, It tell us everything. Every single scene may look normal and homemade but the art itself seems to reveal and confirm suspicions. It's like one saying they are kind, but with a murderous look in their eyes (not that this is Turquoise's case, but just an example). Our MC eyes they see and convey us everything that our thoughts can't seem to process. It makes me extremely happy. 

Keep on with the good work ^^  To put It shortly, l love how you revolutionized the yandere genre bringing on more psychological aspects instead of going all in for the "oh my gosh this character is a murdererrr, so creepy :O" (when It was obvious from the start lol). I also adore the art and how immersive the game is due to everything happening being so discreet and almost unnoticeable - just like real life.
Thanks for the production! Excited to see more. :)