Kokoro Clover Season 1 mini-review

Kokoro Clover’s conceit is undeniably clever: the game is presented like a serialized anime. Twelve episodes flaunt the traditional characteristics of Sunday morning animation. From recaps of previous shows, title cards, commercial breaks, eye catches, and even closing credits, the game offers a loving tribute to late twenty-century children’s television.

Lead character Treffy attempts to channel the infectious optimism of magical girl anime like Sailor Moon and Cardcaptor Sakura. The game’s inaugural episode details the treasure-hunting Valx attempting to steal the game’s eponymous artifact from his brother. But the villain’s plot is foiled, and the powerful gem falls into a forest where Treffy is seeking a misplaced spirit. When Valx announces his plans to burn the entire woodland to find the Kokoro Clover, a fight with Treffy ensues, launching the game’s plotline into motion.

Episodes are exposition-heavy, making Kokoro Clover feel just as much a visual novel as an action platformer. While the intermittent voice acting and Anthony Dinoffria’s localization are skilled, dialog boxes display Japanese text while subtitles are rendered at the bottom of the screen. As such, having both languages on-screen can feel disruptive.

But developer Hikoteru clearly understands the source material. Although the game’s visuals are a bit plain, appearances by large ally spirits, mechanized enemies, and different environments for the episodes provide a bit of charm. Likewise, the dialog isn’t memorable, reflecting the simplicity of yesteryear’s animation. But it’s effective at maintaining interest and delivers a few playful puns in the process.

Sadly, gameplay doesn’t fare as well. Built on the Pixel Game Maker MV platform, movement lacks the smoothness of even a sixteen-bit era game. Treffy can jump, shoot projectiles with her wand, and has a dance animation that makes her immune to enemies. But few of the hero’s actions feel responsive, with dancing taking a split-second to commence. Firing is confined to distinct horizontal planes, so launching spells at foes at platforms slightly above you is ineffective. Hit boxes are a bit oversized as well. So, expect some frustration when a portion of your health is taken even when sprites don’t make contact. Oddly, Kokoro Clover doesn’t even let you play with the analog stick; you’re forced to use the directional buttons. And yes, the whole thing is presented in a 4:3 aspect ratio.

Worse, Treffy’s dancing is ripe for exploitation. Often boss fights can be beaten by simply dancing and taking short breaks to send out a volley of wand fire. Kokoro Clover attempts longevity by offering choices of different cards, playables, and assistant characters before each episode. But in execution, the decisions make little difference since Kokoro Clover is such a pushover.

On the upside, Kokoro Clover Season 1 feels like a DVD collection. Beyond being able to jump into any of the twelve episodes, there are a selection of standalone stages, rudimentary rhythm and gacha mini-games, a boss rush mode, a music player, an expansive library, as well as a shop that allows you to purchase unlockables using currency earned through play.

Kokoro Clover Season 1 certainly exhibits charm. At its best, the package evokes being captivated by televised animation. With plucky leads, ever-loyal companions, and villains destined for failure, the title recreates the delights of classical escapism. But when it comes to play, Kokoro Clover feels like an eight-bit game that probably should be forgotten. This is recommended only for those who are hopelessly nostalgic.

Kokoro Clover Season 1 was played on Switch
with review code provided by the publisher

Edit: Localization was mistakenly attributed to the Pheonixx. The work should have been credited to Anthony Dinoffria.