Wow, just WOW. I have so many emotions right now:
First, you represented in a very simple and accurate way how low self-esteem works. You implemented it very well in Mychael, who, by the way, is simply very well written. Leaving him as a “Yandere boy” seems little to me, he is his own character, his own person. It is not to belittle other Yandere characters, but I feel that the Yandere personality is usually very poorly explored in the way it should be.
Most games could be summarized in something like this:
*The game warns you that the love interest is dangerous. -Ok, but why is he dangerous?
*Because he is crazy. -Well, and why is he crazy?
Many Yandere characters share the cliché of using “madness” or any synonym of emotional problems to justify their behaviors. However, the clues you leave about the origin of Mychael’s problems allow me not only to make sense of his behavior, but even to identify with him. In two days you knew how to lay the foundations to have an idea of how Mychael’s mind works. You knew how to tell a lot with very little, which left me with a lot of theories in my head. I’m not wondering “why”, I wonder when, how, you already gave enough pieces to put together a chronology, to the point that all I have to do is wait to see which of the theories is the most accurate.
For now, I can only agree with some things. Mychael is someone who was forced to live alone for who knows how long. He genuinely cares about us, but at the same time, he is desperate not to be alone again. He has a perception of reality and of himself that is somewhat radical and negative based on what he experienced in his past (something very identifiable), especially thanks to the way the protagonist also tries to help Mychael.
I congratulate you on your hard work, I am aware that there are other works that explore the psyche of their characters well. But this one in particular, has caught my attention a lot.
Low self-esteem is not a topic explicitly addressed in this type of games, and seeing it reflected with fascinating illustrations, creative writing and with an interesting premise makes you immerse yourself a lot in this story.
I wish you success, many congratulations.❤️❤️🥰