Koe (声): Part 1
- April 18, 2024
- Strawberry Games
Get on Steam"Koe : Part 1" is a narrative-driven JRPG-inspired language learning game, where you play as a high school exchange student in a rural Japanese city. As you make friends and learn the language, you discover a peculiar shrine that transforms you into a warrior. In the world of Koe, your words are your weapons, and you'll use them to battle and explore while returning to Sakurachou to strengthen your arsenal. The game aims to introduce players to the Japanese language and culture.
Reviews
- The game offers a unique approach to learning Japanese through an RPG format, providing immersion with voiced dialogue and vocabulary exposure.
- Many players appreciate the effort and dedication put into the game's design, with enjoyable battle animations and a polished JRPG feel.
- It serves as a good supplementary tool for those already familiar with Japanese, helping to reinforce vocabulary and kanji in a fun way.
- The game's execution is marred by slow pacing, excessive loading times, and a lack of meaningful gameplay interaction, making it frustrating for players.
- The battle system is poorly designed for language learning, as it does not require players to translate or engage with the vocabulary meaningfully.
- The game is not suitable for complete beginners, as it throws players into complex language without adequate preparation or gradual learning.
- gameplay3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The gameplay is criticized for its slow pace, initially resembling a visual novel before introducing a battling mechanic that utilizes learned words. However, players find the battle system unclear and feel that the overall gameplay lacks depth and engagement.
“The gameplay is incredibly slow and starts out as a visual novel, then introduces a battling mechanic where you use the words you've learned to engage in combat.”
“The gameplay is incredibly slow and starts out as a visual novel, then tries to introduce a battling mechanic where you use the words you learned to do combat.”
“The actual gameplay was lacking, and the battle system wasn't clear on how you're actually learning the language.”
- graphics3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's graphics reflect its 10-year age, showcasing a mix of impressive environmental art and character design, though it suffers from some graphical glitches like floating characters and odd animations. While these issues are noticeable, they are not deemed severe and may be addressed in future patches, resulting in an overall mixed reception.
“Graphically, the game is a mixed bag.”
“There are a few graphical glitches, but nothing absolutely terrible (characters floating, gliding, popping in and out of existence, weird animations). I'm sure that the majority can be patched out.”
“Graphically, the game is alright; it's definitely showing its 10-year-old age, but I'm surprised at how jam-packed with environmental art and characters the game is.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Users have reported significant memory performance issues, indicating that optimization in this area is lacking and may affect overall gameplay experience.
“The biggest issue is memory performance.”
“The game struggles to run smoothly even on high-end hardware.”
“Frequent frame drops and stuttering make it hard to enjoy the gameplay.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Overall, users report minor graphical glitches such as floating characters and odd animations, but these issues are not considered severe and are expected to be addressed in future patches.
“There are a few graphical glitches, but nothing absolutely terrible (characters floating, gliding, popping in and out of existence, weird animations). I'm sure that the majority can be patched out.”
“The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable at times.”
“I experienced several bugs that disrupted my gameplay, including freezing and unexpected errors.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, with reviewers noting that it feels immersive and polished, showcasing the developers' commitment to creating a genuine JRPG experience rather than a mere educational tool.
“I completely forgot this was an edutainment game—the atmosphere is great, and it's clear the developers put in the effort to make a solid, polished JRPG, not a 'vocab tool shaped like a JRPG.'”
- story1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The story is engaging and well-developed, with enjoyable characters and combat, reminiscent of traditional JRPGs.
“Honestly, I was enjoying the story, characters, and combat even if it was just a normal JRPG.”
