Developed by Hikotel and co-produced by Phoenixx and Gotcha Gotcha Games, Kokoro Clover Season 1 has been announced to release on August 4 for the Switch, and PC via Steam. But who are the names behind this release’s development?
Gotcha Gotcha Games is a well-known organisation, a subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, responsible for having its hand in the development of the RPG Maker series, as well as associated titles.
However, you may be unfamiliar with the developer, Hikotel, and for good reason.
Hikotel is known solely for its development of the Kokoro Clover series. Before this release, the company worked on a ‘Part1’ and ‘Part2’ from July 2020, which have both received fairly positive reviews.
Meanwhile, Phoenixx has been around since February 2022, producing smaller titles, ranging from Touhou Project series fangames to other small Japanese releases of a vast number of genres. Basically, they’ve backed a bunch of indie titles from sole and inexperienced developers, none of which have truly caught critical acclaim. And while Kokoro Clover Season 1 mightn’t seem to be any different, let’s discuss the game itself, and see if it’ll convince you to make the $18.99 for Steam for PC, or the Switch.
Kokoro Clover Season 1 is a 2D platformer attempting to mimic the charm of, for many, Sunday morning Japanese anime shows of the past. Being more than a simple thematic gimmick, the game’s storyline is a literal ‘season’ split into 12 separate episodes, and even includes the addition of opening and ending animations, and commercials. To add some extra fuel to the nostalgia fire, the art style has a simplistic yet distinct pixelated quality, and the soundtrack consists entirely of chiptune!
Our only concern lies with how the game actually plays. ‘Part1’ and ‘Part2’ of the series, although very cute, have received some criticism over their mundane and repetitive gameplay, leading to concerns over whether this upcoming release – which clearly has its heart set on its charming theme and premise – will follow suit. Fingers crossed the experience from previous titles will help to elevate this one, because it shows a lot of promise.
