Trials of Kokoro

Fans of visual novels as well as strategic battles will have fun with this one. The special highlight, however, is the from beginning to end super written story with the well thought out characters. The story is a super-written roller coaster ride accompanied by really nice visual effects. The combat system is turn-based and comparatively simple, but on the higher difficulty levels still tactically challenging so that each move of the characters and in what order you want to act must be well thought out. If you only want to enjoy the story, you can also choose the easy mode, in which even absolute beginners will be able to cope and fully concentrate on the novel part of the game. All in all, an recommendable game, which serves 2 genres in a way that is probably not found in any other title.

Supercool game. Great storytelling, cool characters, good tactical turnbased combat! Yay! Edit: Yes, it's actually stunning how good this is. I'm enjoying this game SO MUCH. It's obvious the writer has looked into himself and others, based on the writing. His understanding of human nature shines through and it makes an already awesome game even better. Besides that it's filled with great values, like protecting those who care about, questions about meaning etc. Superhighly recommended. The turnbased combat is really nice as well, as is the variety of equipment, the ways you can build your characters, the skills etc.

I can't say I ever played a Visual novel Rpg before, never knew this was a thing tbh, but I really am digging this one. It is a great looking game, combat seems to be pretty straight forward, which to me is a great plus, sometimes adding a ton of mechanics just to say you have them is a drag.... so yea I am really getting into the overall plot of the story. Looking forward to diving into it a good bit more and if anything changes I'll update my review but my first impressions of this are pretty positive.

TL;DR: There is a lot of passion put into this game and the fact that ToK is so unknown is a loss for the gaming community. The gameplay is completely linear, which for some it may be a negative, but believe me that the developer made the best out of it and almost every battle feels unique and special. The characters are endearing and you can feel their growth as the story progresses. Probably my favorite part of the game. Quality of life features could have been improved though, especially in the menus. Like if I buy a new piece of armor, I would like the option to immediately equip it. The battle system is pretty much the classical turn-based RPG formula. Each character has a clear role and they complement each other pretty well. It feels quite polished and the overall experience was pretty fun for every battle. I think in part this is thanks to the fact that the number of battles is predetermined, so the developer was able to fine-tune the battles and make each of them feel challenging but rewarding. I really enjoyed the game and I hope with time it will become more well-known.

An unusual, but nice little combination of turn-based combat and a VN to read, Trials of Kokoro may be a little saccharine (and I personally wish it had a little more personality to its writing), but it's earnest and quite endearing. Likeable characters, lovely art, some nice music and surprisingly involving fights and equipment flinging. Pick it up on sale if you're unsure, but it's a nice little adventure that gets better as it goes on. 7/10

Trials of Kokoro has been on my radar since I first saw its screenshots and trailers. Finally got to play it, and it's a really neat visual novel with RPG battles in between story segments. I am really enjoying it. The VN portion is excellent. Characters are distinct, scenes are concise, and dialogue is snappy. The graphical and audio details really make the story immersive. There are tons of traditional RPG mechanics that provide depth to battles. They are gradually introduced through scripted battles that also serve as tutorials, so you never feel overwhelmed. In particular, I really like the row and aggro systems, which requires tactical strategy. Battles are overall tight, and each one feels like it matters, so you're more invested in the outcome of your characters. The transition between VN segments and battles are seamless and the pacing feels just right. Definitely give it a go, especially if you want a more involved VN. Please support indie devs--the dev is a great person to talk to.

About midway through this and I'm having a wonderful time. I should start by saying visual novels usually aren't my jam but the developer has reeled me in with a great plot and some fantastic characters. The game is super polished, and the story flows really well. What really won me over though is the combat. This is hands down some of the best turn based combat I've encountered in yonks, balance is great, all skills are useful and it constantly keeps you on your toes. Its exceptionally well designed. Would highly recommend this if you're a fan of visual novels or traditional jrpg's. Just an all round fun time.

Trials of Kokoro is not a bad game. In fact, it's rather good! I am however, debating on if the price is matching the experience though. The game (at this moment) is $13.99 USD and is roughly about 16 to 18 hours in length. There is no real replay value or any kind purpose to go back through the game a second time, compared to others of the similar price point. It is also not as long as some of those other games. No exploration as there are no maps as this is much closer to a visual novel than a traditional RPG. No different builds or unique encounters that come to mind and no achievements to hunt. The music is rather fitting and nice throughout, even though there is a weird jarring that the menu to manage your party has it's own music that can be vastly different than the scene you were in. Gameplay wise, it is rather straight forward. It is a ATB-Turn Based game where there is a variety of abilities to speed up, slow down, or even stun to keep someone from taking a turn. Though, the stuns will never work on a boss or feel like they don't work very often. However, the main issue is that there is some rather sudden difficulty spikes in the game. Primarily in the last two acts, there is a couple of boss moments, or rather the fights to even get to the boss. The difficulty suddenly spikes up where you will struggle to keep up, and if you don't have enough healing items stored up, you will struggle more. The game doesn't give you a lot of money, and you can sell stuff to get just enough for an upgrade, but you may need a couple healing salves for a pinch. Mechanic wise it is rather solid, with you having to balance out which abilities to spend your Power Points on, making an effective build with your team so that they can support each other and bounce off each other. Personally, I enjoyed giving Rhea the Encore ability and opening on Aedric (I renamed him Lorph) so we can just burst out the door with his own buffs. Though by the end of it, you can get most of the abilities with only a couple left off. Story wise it is rather fun and interesting. Taking over a person with amnesia who has random bouts of deep insight or knowledge of things he should not, was an interesting twist. There is also plenty of touching moments, inspiring speeches, and an optimism that things will work out, even when they might be rough. While there is a loose thread in the end, and the fact that they could have also shown a bit more of the Distant Ones and how the Gods battle against them, I feel like overall the story is rather good. Score: 4.5/5 - Kill the ♥♥♥♥♥♥' clown with extreme prejudice.