True Colours

[b]Note:[/b] There is disturbing content, so I will do my best to say so in spoiler text, and with major story spoilers, I'll also put them in spoiler text. [i]True Colours[/i] is a romance visual novel developed and published by Borealis. You take on the role of an unnamed gender neutral MC (with a customizable name), working at the office. However, things change when your boss hires three new employees and assigns them to your section. The MC has been spurned by love in the past, but perhaps they may find possible romance with one of the new employees. However, are these new employees or even the MC whom they appear to be, or are they hiding some deep, dark secrets? With that, I'll end my story synopsis here to avoid spoilers. XD As for the gameplay, there are numerous choices presented throughout the story. There's a short introductory scene, and then you can choose from among the three employees to romance: Brianna (the female option who's lively and professional), Malik (the male bisexual who's funny and laid-back), or Ash (the non-binary option who is quiet and takes some time to get to know). Once you're on a route, depending on the choices you make, you'll get one of four possible endings. Three of them are bad endings, while only one leads to the good ending. Two of the bad endings occur in the first half of the story, and if [spoiler]the MC and romance option both survive it[/spoiler], then the second half plays out, where you'll then either get the other bad ending or the good ending. There are numerous CGs shown as well as a varied soundtrack and partial voice acting. Also, lots of Steam achievements are present although they won't count towards a user's global total until the game is out of "profile features limited". Now that I've gone over the story and gameplay, I'll move onto my thoughts. [i]True Colours[/i] has been on my must-play list for quite a long while. However, it took me a while to get around to it, and I want to extend my apologies to the developer. Hopefully, this review will be worth the wait. ^^ With that said, I'll first talk about the story. At first, it starts off pretty slow and mundane. The MC feels like your everyday person in which there's nothing particularly remarkable about them. Sure, they're looking for romance, but it's not at the forefront of their mind. Then the MC arrives at the office and after some banter with the co-workers, the boss introduces the new employees. Immediately, the MC thinks that this is a good thing since the new employees will make things more lively in the office (and maybe in their personal life). Then the boss tells the MC and their co-workers that in order to help the new employees to adjust to things in the office, they should pair up, and this is where the MC can decide whom to spend time with and possibly romance. From there, the events are pretty routine from the MC and the romance option becoming friends to romantic partners. However, here's where the surprise and perhaps shock come in. It turns out that [spoiler]when the MC plans a very special romantic date, it ends up becoming a psychological horror scene in which the MC turns psychotic and tries to entrap the romance option[/spoiler]. Even though I did read a few posts about the above, it still surprised me when I found out about the MC, and this crazy twist. I don't wish to spoil too much, but if you can't [spoiler]handle death threats, bit of gore, kidnapping, etc.[/spoiler], then you may have to brace yourself. However, if you can get the MC past this shocking part, then comes the second half. The second half is more of a [spoiler]healing route in which the MC realizes (with the romance option's help) that there is something emotionally wrong with them, and then they go about in different ways, depending on the route[/spoiler]. I know this part of the review has been quite lengthy, so I will say this. I actually liked the second half in that it's the MC's self-discovery and they're figuring out how to be a better person. With the right choices, the MC can even [spoiler]be on a great road to recovery and be with the romance option[/spoiler]. As for the characters, mainly mentioning the romance options, I liked how there's such a variety of personalities and such. Brianna is the bubbly character who's serious about her work. However, she hides a secret in that [spoiler]she used to have episodes similar to the MC, although maybe not to that extreme, and yet, she got help for it[/spoiler]. Malik is the funny, relaxed guy who likes sports, but his past is pretty disturbing in that [spoiler]he almost raped a girl in order to lose his virginity[/spoiler]. Finally, Ash is the quiet, sweet non-binary character who has a huge love for movies (can totally relate there :D). However, their past is pretty sad in that [spoiler]Ash fell into depression because their uni boyfriend cheated on them, despite that he was supposedly ok with Ash being binary. It put Ash into such a depression that they had to drop out of uni although they eventually got their degree[/spoiler]. I appreciate the variety and how the different routes lead to different ways that the MC can become a better person. I liked Malik's route the most because [spoiler]Malik suggests that the MC try to find hobbies to stave off the obsessions that are eating away at him, like what Malik did when he started to try out sports[/spoiler]. While I felt like Brianna's route was the classic [spoiler]clinical solution in which the MC has a doctor diagnose the MC's problems and whatnot, it can get somewhat heavy with the therapy and whatnot[/spoiler]. As for Ash's route, it was my least favorite, but that's because [spoiler]Ash basically tells the MC to try to resist giving into their dark side, knowing that they can overcome it. To me, this was the most hands-off approach[/spoiler]. Ok, I'm going way too long already with this review, so I'll just get to the other aspects briefly. With the writing, I felt that it was fine and paced well. I didn't notice any typos or such (and yes, I'm aware that British spelling was used even though I'm more used to US spelling XD). As for the art, the sprites and backgrounds are well drawn and colored. Especially, the CGs were done well although [spoiler]there are some disturbing CGs, like Brianna being tied up and held hostage, so do be aware of that[/spoiler]. In regards to the music, I like that the tracks are varied, ranging from the romantic theme to the sudden horror one. Also, I enjoyed the partial voice acting (but the MC isn't voice acted), giving life to the characters. Overall, would I recommend [i]True Colours[/i]? If you enjoy visual novels, want to play one with a major twist, and can get past the [spoiler]horror part[/spoiler], then this is worth checking out. I appreciate that the developer crafted a story that deals with depression and emotional problems, emphasizing the importance of recognizing them and how to get on the path to improvement. Depression is a topic that is dismissed way too often by many people, and I just want to say that even if you feel that someone's problems are insignificant, perhaps you (in general, of course) should take another look and try to understand how they feel, rather than dismiss them. I would say more about this topic, but yup, I think I went way over. XD Finally, I want to give thanks to Borealis for the review copy and for coming up with such a story. ^^ [quote]Flying free and writing reviews solely for [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/44702020/]The Introverted Gamer[/url].[/quote]

(Note recorded playtime for 1 route is not realistic. I am one of those people that leaves a game running whilst doing other things.) Like the other review said. Take the trigger warnings seriously! One of the scenes I found extremely uncomfortable. It was well written though, and not gratuitous in its approach (So it didn't feel like a shock factor just for the sake of it.). Strangely enough, I am giving this Visual Novel a thumbs up despite it not being exactly one for me. Because at the end of the day the worst kind of story is one that leaves you feeling apathetic, and True Colours certainly did not leave me feeling like that. I often felt uncomfortable, challenged, and some of the moments in the route I chose (Ash) to pursue were really adorably sweet. I will probably give another route a go in a few weeks as the first one was a roller-coaster, and I don't think I have it in me to just bounce onto another one. To quickly summarise: . Good prose . The individual route was perhaps a little on the short side . A special focus on the emotions of the scenes. . Clean art-style with decent sprites, and nice backgrounds. . Challenging story beats. . Potential that people may have varying feelings about the story route outcomes. A final major plus. I also want to acknowledge that the developer was really kind and thoughtful when I raised some concerns about their novel. So if you are on the look out for indie developers worth supporting then Borealis appears to be one of them. I will definitely be giving their other visual novel a go.

beware of the warnings, there are definitely some ♥♥♥♥♥♥ up things going on. this is an absolutely fantastic game though, i binged my way to a good end on day one. it seems to be roughly ten hours of content if you go for all of the routes. the nonbinary representation feels authentic and enjoyable. wholesome at times and extremely good. i would solidly recommend the game if you like romance with a little bit of craziness.

Well this game is well-designed, great character art, all art is good, music is impactful, voice acting is partial but sets the tone. I got scared out of my mind and confused but that is what a good psychological romance game is about - just hoping that after Ash's route the other two routes can compare to this. I feel like I played the best and scariest/most meaningful route first and I am hoping the other two are just as good! Great buy! Don't play in the middle of the night and don't imitate any of this story because it's horror not that you didn't know that.

The background music to the game really adds to the immersion, the characters have so much life to them that you feel invested in getting to know them all. knowing theres different endings as well gives the game massive amount of replay value. Truly a remarkable journey and i will definitely be replaying to witness the other ending. 100% would recommend this lovely game to anyone.

I've been looking forward to this game since the Demo came out. I'm new to Visual Novel / Dating sims and was positively surprised on how fun it was. Theres alot of self reflecting happening and the games writing is well done. It makes you second guess yourself and once you get to a certain point in the game, you will eventually be sucker punched. Very well made. I have played through 1 Route so far and it took me 9 Hours to complete (Not counting all possible endings) If that is any suggestion on how long the game overall will be, take this times 3. Its absolutely worth giving this game a shot, I had a blast!

Read my full review on Fuwanovel: https://fuwanovel.moe/2023/11/review-true-colours-what-lies-beneath-the-facade/

Disclaimer: This review contains heavy spoilers for the game. Do not read if you want to keep the plot a surprise. Intro: I first played this wonderful and original visual novel back when it was first released. Due to personal reasons, I waited until now to review it. I feel that now is the right time to write about how this masterpiece that explores marginalized groups and how a terrible person can redeem themselves affected me and what I loved about it. And don’t worry, this won’t be nearly as long as my previous Venus: Improbable Dream review! So, now let’s get into my overall thoughts and conclude after that. Overall Thoughts: What I think that True Colours excels at compared to most other games like it is how masterfully its characters’ struggles and themes are intertwined and complete each other so well. Each of the three routes and their corresponding characters have their own struggles that the protagonist has to work with in order to redeem themself and rekindle their broken romantic relationships. I like how all of them, despite each route having a similar structure, manage to portray different things and feel tonally separate while showing different aspects of the protagonist that the other routes don’t. Such as Brianna’s route, which shows why the protagonist acts the way they do by going into their past and getting the professional help they need. Or Malik’s route, which shows how societal pressure can cause someone to go too far and that a lack of support can cause people to do terrible things, and gaining more confidence with that support can change people for the better. Or Ash’s route, which shows the importance of boundaries and how society can exclude marginalized identities, which leads to the lesson of learning to rely on others and reduce impulsive thoughts. This also effectively gives us a look at all the main characters. Brianna is a wonderful character that has a lot of depth and reveals the most about the protagonist and arguably makes them change the most out of anyone. Malik is a cool guy that has a really dark past and doesn’t want the protagonist to repeat his mistakes. This is the only game I’ve ever seen that uses the term “incel” correctly and it’s not cringe at all. And Ash might be the best character to me, who is marginalized just from them existing and really emphasizes how important there needs to be boundaries in a relationship. As a genderqueer person myself, their struggles really spoke to me. The three side characters are also nice as well. With Sean and Lydia providing some good comic relief and the Boss being the voice of reason that ties everyone together. And then there’s the protagonist themself. I think it’s a stroke of brilliance to have them appear to be nothing more than a typical blank slate person before being revealed as an abusive, manipulative stalker. The disconnect that a first time player sees at realizing this character was not just a self-insert, but an established character that you’re forced to reconcile their horrible actions with is so effective. And while I have mixed feelings about the rebranding of the game revealing this from the get go, the more impressive part is still so amazing and preserved for new players to discover. The most unexpected thing about this game is that you can actually redeem the main character’s actions and it doesn’t feel forced or lazy. It genuinely feels realistic and worthwhile while stressing that their past actions’ consequences won't go away and everybody deserves a second chance. This really makes it special and worth experiencing it for this alone, along with everything else like the diverse representation and well-written narrative. The game’s art and visuals are a step up from the developer’s previous game, with the sprites and CGs looking particularly nice. And the music is so good as well. A wide range of funky to cheerful to horrifying sound effects/ambiance are present and makes me wish that I could find the music by itself somewhere… And I like how there are so many endings, too. Each bad ending felt well thought out and I enjoyed seeing all of them, despite how violent and dark they are. I appreciate how the deaths and violence didn’t feel gratuitous or there just for shock value, they were all trying to say something or make you care about the characters’ fates. Every good ending was also completely satisfying, too. And all the choices felt important and like your decisions mattered, as it stung when you figured out that what you chose hurt the love interest. And the length was perfect, not too long and not too short. Also, all the romances felt well done to me. I’m not typically interested in romance, but the excellent writing and themes made me engaged from start to finish. In addition, the voice acting, while partial, was quite good and brought the characters to life even more! There are also many little things I loved quite a lot. The puppies in Brianna’s route made me happy! The representation of borderline personality disorder felt real while not feeling ableist, which was nice to see something that isn’t discussed enough. I really loved the Venus: Improbable Dream reference! It was nice to see online friend groups emphasized, as more modern support methods are really rare to see in fictional media. It’s also nice to see transphobia be fought back against so genuinely in a game, as many don’t truly commit to it. And it was nice to see that once again, Borealis kept this game firmly rooted in reality, which helped the situations feel more scary and real. Plus, this game is so unbelievably well-made, you wouldn't guess that this was only their second game! Conclusion: To end all this, I think you should absolutely play it! The price is good, there’s a lot of replay value, it’s so engaging and soulful, and there’s plenty of content warnings and even an extended demo if you’re unsure. Sadly, some people seem really put off by the protagonist’s actions, but I’d say if you’re playing it, get to the good end of a route before you judge it fully. The villainous actions don’t last long and if you pay attention enough, you can definitely redeem them. I feel like this protagonist and their redemption, along with the themes and other characters around them, is what makes the game so special and worth experiencing. And I’d say it’s absolutely worth it to experience all the routes and endings, they’re so fun and you learn much more about the main character through them. As for what I thought of it, I loved it so, so, SO much! I have literally no criticisms with it, and it’s also one of my favorite visual novels of all time, along with the developer’s previous game. I cried a couple of times and I felt horrified, surprised, and I laughed at the same time. Its themes of redemption and encouragement of support really stick with me. And once again, it’s a shame that this game has so few reviews... It’s so well put together and has so many appealing aspects that does something new with the dating sim genre. Regardless, I really liked playing it and I feel good getting my thoughts out. I could write A LOT more about True Colours, but I don’t want to make this too long and have to go through the trouble of posting it as a guide later. So, to close this out, it’s never too late to rely on others, and make sure you get the help you need!