Kyoto Colorful Days
- June 14, 2016
- InterOne Inc.
"Kyoto Colorful Days" is a romance visual novel set in the picturesque city of Kyoto, where the protagonist, a jobless young man, discovers his path in life through encounters with locals and two girls in particular. The game features a fully voiced Japanese cast, including the Kyoto dialect, and includes a mode to learn local greetings and phrases. It also offers opening and ending songs with Japanese vocals.
Reviews
- The game offers a refreshing take on visual novels by focusing on real-life issues and cultural insights, particularly about Kyoto and its dialects.
- The art style and character designs are well-executed, and the inclusion of Japanese voice acting adds to the immersive experience.
- It provides educational value with a comparison of everyday expressions in both Tokyo and Kyoto Japanese, making it beneficial for language learners.
- The story is considered shallow and clichéd, with a lack of character development and engaging plot twists, leading to a rushed feeling.
- The game is very short, with most players completing it in under 5 hours, which may not justify the full price for many.
- Technical issues such as slow loading times and crashes have been reported, detracting from the overall experience.
- story38 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The story has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it average, cliché, and lacking depth, often describing the characters as shallow and the plot as rushed. While some appreciated the light-hearted approach and the potential for emotional impact in certain routes, others criticized the limited choices and the overall execution, leading to a somewhat boring experience. Overall, the narrative is seen as simple and not particularly memorable, with a few players enjoying it for its short, immersive qualities despite its flaws.
“Madoka has the best route if you like some bizarre backstory and can handle endings with solid impact.”
“The story and writing are also decent, and I enjoyed it for the short time that it took me to complete.”
“This is a very light-hearted and enjoyable mini-game that provides a short but exciting story about two very kind-hearted girls and the protagonist living in Kyoto trying to find their way in life.”
“Pretty average and cliché story; the routes are not interesting at all, and some of the choices needed to get good/bad endings make no sense.”
“The way it tries to tell the story is off, with choices potentially sending you down a bad turn without any way of knowing it's coming.”
“The game was too short as a result of a poorly planned story.”
- music10 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 10 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many users praising its soothing and pleasant qualities that enhance the overall atmosphere. The original soundtrack (OST) is described as decent and fitting, complementing the appealing character art and voice acting. However, some reviews note inconsistencies, with a few mentioning that the music can feel standard or underwhelming in certain contexts.
“I will give something to KCD though, it has nice art, even partially animated, fully-voiced, and with pleasant music.”
“Amazing art, music, the ambience all around <3 totally loved this game.”
“The heroines are great, so is the art and music.”
“Solid character art and a decent OST are only slightly impacted by weird scene loading times and the odd audio cutout.”
“The OST is fine, but the design is consistent (if you have ever read Everlasting Summer, you know what I mean).”
“From what I was able to play, the character art was laughably mediocre, the music was bog standard, and the voice acting sounded like they were reading off a script.”
- graphics9 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 11 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are praised for their beautiful visuals and appealing art style, particularly in the character design, which shows more care for female characters. While the overall quality is high, some users noted a desire for more content and choices to fully appreciate the artwork. The combination of good graphics, music, and voice acting contributes to an immersive experience, especially in its cultural representation.
“VNs are known for their choice-based narrative, beautiful visuals, and compelling stories; at least, that's what the good VNs are known for.”
“The artwork is quite easy on the eye, and the soundtrack pleases.”
“The graphics are beautiful, the music is good, and the whole game has quality Japanese voice acting.”
“The graphics need significant improvement; they feel outdated and lack detail.”
“The character designs are inconsistent, with some looking great while others appear rushed and poorly rendered.”
“Overall, the visual presentation is underwhelming and fails to create an immersive experience.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
Tokyo School Life offers significant replayability due to its multiple routes and endings, allowing players to explore deeper character interactions and relationships. However, some users feel that only the good endings are worth pursuing, which may limit the overall incentive to replay.
“The different routes and endings also give leeway for replayability.”
“If you want to get something that's really worth it, I would recommend Tokyo School Life: it's twice or three times as long, the characters are much deeper, funnier, and there are three girls, so you get more replay value.”
“The different routes and endings also give leeway for replayability; personally, though, I think all the endings except for the good ones are not worth replaying to get.”
- gameplay3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The gameplay is primarily focused on exploration and reading, offering a light-hearted experience set in a historically inspired Edo period. It is recommended for players who enjoy simple and straightforward gameplay throughout the game.
“I recommend this game to anyone who would like to explore a city very akin to its historical period of Edo and to those who enjoy short, simple, and light-hearted gameplay from the start of the game and throughout until the end.”
“Gameplay is basically reading.”
“I recommend this game to anyone who would like to explore a city very akin to its historical period of Edo and to those who like short, simple, and light-hearted gameplay from the start of the game and throughout until the end.”
- character development2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Many users criticize the character development in the game, noting that it relies on convenient time skips such as "months later" or "years later," which undermines the depth and progression of the characters. This approach leaves players feeling that the characters lack proper development and growth throughout the story.
“When character development is finally getting underway, the game throws in cheap conveniences like 'months later' or 'years later,' and then poof!”
“There is no proper character development for any of the characters.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game has been rated 3/5, with users noting that it fails to evoke the intended relaxing and joyful experience of a trip, instead presenting a predominantly negative ambiance.
“A trip is supposed to be relaxing and joyful, but the atmosphere is quite negative here.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that the game's optimization is lacking, with frequent bugs impacting performance and overall gameplay experience. Players have expressed frustration over these issues, suggesting that improvements are needed for smoother operation.
“The optimization is terrible, and the game is riddled with bugs that ruin the experience.”
“I can't believe how poorly optimized this game is; it crashes frequently and lags even on high-end systems.”
“The lack of optimization makes it almost unplayable, with constant frame drops and graphical glitches.”
- humor1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players have shared humorous anecdotes related to gameplay, such as accidentally mapping controls in a way that led to an overwhelming number of screenshots, showcasing the lighthearted and often unexpected moments that can arise during play.
“But something funny did happen: I was playing this on my TV via HDMI cable, and I was using an Xbox controller to play it (using Steam improvisations, as it doesn't have onboard controller support). I accidentally mapped the screenshot button to my left joystick, so I ended up with over 200 screenshots.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game features an enjoyable and touching story that resonates emotionally with players, enhancing their overall experience.
“Enjoyable and touching story.”