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.
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Reviews
- The game offers a rich immersion experience with plenty of listening practice and the ability to toggle between English and Japanese, making it suitable for learners at various levels.
- Developers have shown great dedication and care in creating the game, blending JRPG elements with language learning effectively, which can help reinforce vocabulary and kanji recognition.
- The game is regularly updated with improvements, and many players appreciate the quality of life features that enhance the learning experience.
- The game suffers from significant performance issues, including long loading times and a lack of engaging gameplay, which can detract from the overall experience.
- The battle system is criticized for not effectively integrating language learning, as it does not require players to translate or understand the words used in combat.
- Many players feel that the game does not adequately introduce language concepts gradually, making it challenging for beginners and potentially overwhelming.
- graphics4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game's graphics reflect its 10-year age, showcasing a mix of detailed environmental art and character design, though it suffers from some noticeable glitches such as floating NPCs and odd animations. While these issues detract from the overall experience, many players feel that the rich detail and potential for patches can mitigate the graphical shortcomings.
“Graphically, the game is alright; it's definitely showing its 10-year-old age, but I'm surprised at how jam-packed it is with environmental art and characters.”
“I saw some graphical issues, like NPCs flying instead of walking, but it doesn't matter because I can see that all details were included in everything related to the characters and the learning experience.”
“There are a few graphical glitches, but nothing absolutely terrible. I'm sure that the majority can be patched out.”
“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.”
“I saw some graphical issues, like NPCs flying instead of walking, but it doesn't matter because I see that all details were included in everything related to characters, learning stuff, etc.”
- gameplay3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 100 % 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, starting out as a visual novel before introducing a battling mechanic that allows you to use the words you've learned to engage in combat.”
“The gameplay is incredibly slow and starts out as a visual novel before trying to introduce a battling mechanic where you use the words you've learned to engage in combat.”
“The actual gameplay was lacking, and the battle system wasn't clear on how you're actually learning the language.”
“The gameplay is incredibly slow and starts out as a visual novel before trying to introduce a battling mechanic where you use the words you've learned to engage in combat.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % 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.”
- 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've experienced several bugs that disrupt 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 polished and immersive, effectively transcending its edutainment roots to deliver a solid JRPG experience.
“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.”
