KiNoKoe : Tree’s Voice

Beautiful game that deserves more exposure. It's fun to explore and find semi-hidden areas. The puzzles are easy so far, hopefully the difficulty will increase as I get further in to the game.
Try the demo and you'll know whether this is for you or not.
No regrets buying this game but a couple of issues at the moment, I'm stuck on the color combining puzzles and I seemed to be locked out of the game ending, maybe a glitch, maybe not.
Completed 100%

A cosy, chill little adventure with nice puzzles, a neat voxel look, and a relaxing soundscape.
It is a real treat for our eyes, ears, and neurons. We need more games like this one!

Fun idea of discovering the language of the trees is stuck between obnoxious backtracking, slow speed, and no accessibility options for puzzles.
The game puts you in the shoes of Hiro, an average man going about his daily activities. But one night, he notices an unusual light emanating from a large tree in the park. The following day, he investigates and discovers a piece of bark with weird symbols. This sends him throughout the city, where he discovers that he may be able to understand the language of the trees.
You will visit three locations, each with beautiful art. It looks like a postcard from Japan, with long roads lined with shops, shrines, building complexes, and falling cherry blossom petals. Although people walk or sit about, you can’t talk to them unless they’re part of the story.
Each location is one long road that occasionally extends into a larger place. Because your running speed is more akin to a slow jog, it takes a long time to get from one end to the other on foot. However, you cannot become lost or wander around without knowing what to do because a compass points to your next goal.
Aside from hurrying about the city and completing the current objective, the game also includes puzzles. They are integrated into the game's progression, such as when you need to open a door. It begins with blocks that you must turn to make them all the same, then it progresses to mazes in which you must reach the end by following paths with nodes. Mazes, in particular, will emerge regularly throughout the game.
The main puzzles are located in three shrines, one for each location. Each solved puzzle will open a gate with a scroll that translates one of the symbols. Some of these puzzles are optional because you only need to complete those that are relevant to the present objective. Sadly, there are color puzzles that are impossible for everyone with colorblindness due to lack of accessibility features.
The objective is to find a color by matching two other colors. The problem is that you have to choose among a lot of different colors. Although there’s usually a hint nearby on which colors to use, this means nothing to people suffering from colorblindness because you’ll have two or more colors that look exactly the same. While you can brute force the solution with two colors, you’ll be lost with four or more.
There are a few other side activities found in three locations. For example, you can snap photos of prominent locations, search for spirits at night (you switch between day and night at benches), and solve extra puzzles to earn additional translation scrolls. Your notebook records everything for each locations, and your compass pulsates when you are close to something interesting.
Another critique is the excessive backtracking and going from one end to the other. Sometimes it feels like the game deliberately wastes your time. Like when you get to the shrine, then instructed to go talk to someone, and then immediately told to go back to the shrine. There is fast travel from bus stops, but you must watch the bus animation each time, and most places still require walking because traffic there is not allowed.
Equally annoying are parks or forests where there’s only one entrance. Since there’s no jump, you have to walk around the entire area, tiny fence, or vegetation, just to find a small opening. You can save at any time, but the time of day resets to daytime when you load. This forces you to walk through the open area, find the entrance, run back to the main street, and find a bench.

"KiNoKoe: Tree's Voice" is a visually stunning and emotionally rewarding adventure game developed by Flying Shiba. Set in a voxel-style representation of Japan, this slow-paced and poetic journey takes players on an exploration of the country's cities and countryside while delving into the mysterious language of trees.
As you traverse the beautifully crafted environments, you'll encounter numerous characters to interact with, gaining insight into the world and its secrets. The game's touching narrative, rooted in the connection between nature and humanity, unfolds at a gentle pace, allowing players to fully immerse themselves in the experience.
Throughout your journey, you'll encounter dozens of puzzles and riddles that test your logic and reasoning skills. As you progress, you'll gradually learn the unique language of trees, comprised of over 60 symbols, adding depth and intrigue to the gameplay. Additionally, there are dozens of hidden bonuses scattered throughout the game's vast landscapes, rewarding players who take the time to explore every corner of this digital world.
"KiNoKoe: Tree's Voice" boasts a vibrant voxel art style, showcasing the beauty of Japan in a distinctive and visually pleasing manner. The game features keyboard controls, allowing players to either walk or run, as well as game controller support for those who prefer a more console-like experience.
While there is no option for window mode, the game's automatic zoom ensures a cinematic and focused view of the environments. The game's difficulty is well-balanced, providing an enjoyable challenge without being too overwhelming.
Players can save their progress at the end of each in-game day, allowing for a convenient stopping point for those who need to take a break. The game is available in English, French, and Japanese languages, making it accessible to a wide audience.
With 16 achievements to unlock, "KiNoKoe: Tree's Voice" is an immersive, voxel-styled adventure game set in Japan, combining engaging puzzles, a poetic narrative, and a unique tree language for players to uncover as they explore the game's vast landscapes and interact with memorable characters in a serene breathtaking world.
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I've been playing lately a lot this game, and I'm enjoying every part of the story. 🤩 I found it the perfect game for cozy gamers who loves puzzles and voxel art, also for anyone attracted to Japan.
Apart from that, the art is amazing, the recreation of the cities, challenging puzzles, a family of trees to help, some cryptic language to discover and an ancient culture to know from a closer look.
More than 50% of the game progress completed. Great experience so far.
Highly recommended.