Kokorogawari

I'm hesitantly recommending this game, but I'll go more into detail below. It tells the story of college student Asami and the challenges she faces in life - from navigating her relationships with love interests and family, to dealing with her own emotionally distant personality (she's a total tsundere and I dig it).
I have to say that the main reason I recommend this game (aside from the great music and beautiful art), is the writing, which in my opinion makes or breaks an otome like this. I thought the common route was intriguing, and I never got bored. The pacing worked well in my opinion, and I really liked how you can almost tell at certain scenes when a love interest begins seeing Asami in a different light or starts to have feelings for her.
Also, I liked how they really dived into Asami's relationship with art and painting. It made the story feel well researched and more personal. Some otomes might just use it as a backstory like "MC is an art student" as a way to move the story along, but KKG really illustrates how Asami's relationship with art is a large part of who she is, especially as she uses it as an outlet to express emotions she has a hard time understanding herself.
The love aspect was subtle and realistic. I thought Shinichi's route was fantastic. He's not usually the type I'd go for, but this game totally changed my mind. He was fucking adorable and his character was pretty fleshed out. I can't necessarily say the same about Yuuya, but that's more of a preference thing. Although I usually love his type in otome games, I ended up getting frustrated with his route by the end, feeling like certain angsty parts dragged on too long for the payout it had at the end. But like I said, some people might think differently and that's totally ok. No matter how I felt about Yuuya's route, I agree it was still well developed overall.
The only issue with the story that really bothered me was one of the twists you find out in the common route. Yes it's shocking and has the potential to add tons of depth to Asami and her relationships, but after it's mentioned, I felt that it was barely touched on for awhile in both routes (and not really even dealt with in a specific route). I should mention I've only played the good ends up to this point, so if it is clarified more in the bad ends then ignore this section. But honestly for something as serious as that, there really should've been more written about how the protagonist overcomes it. While I get that it explains more about Asami's personality, I don't think it's a twist that should be used without more consideration for how it's handled in the story. In Shinichi's storyline especially, I felt like it ended with a dark cloud hovering over an otherwise awesome route.
Now for more technical aspects, it's a pretty straightforward VN with occasional choices that raise your love interest's stats. I bought the game before the second patch, so I was one of those unfortunate souls who lost their save data. However the 'F.Skip' option allowed me to jump to the next choice, so I was able to return to my original place fast. I admire that the developers fixed the renpy traceback issue immediately, and I really don't have any current complaints about it. One more thing to add was that the auto text option remained a little slow for me, even at the fastest speed, so as a heads up clicking through the game is probably your best bet if you're a speed reader.
Also about three or four of the bonus extra options weren't playable (Ending list, etc.). I thought maybe they would unlock once the whole game was completed, but after reading some other reviews that doesn't seem to be the case. I hope they do, because I'd love to see those sections.
Finally, I've got to talk about Guillam. Out of all love interests, I somehow was most surprised by his personality in the common route, and I can't tell you how much I want to read his story. I really REALLY hope we can get his route as promised. If it's as good as it was set up to be in the first few chapters, then my 'hesitant' recommendation will become 'hell yeah buy this!' in an instant.
TLDR;
Pros:
- Loved the MC, she was a realistic tsundere badass I hope to become someday
- Great character development and story
- Beautiful artwork (the MC laughing is adorable, I can see why all the guys want her)
- Fitting OST with some stand-out tracks
- Shinichi is bae
Cons:
- Price is WAY too much for currently two routes. Would even be steep with three.
- Certain plot twists could have been concluded better
- Cannot access most of the extra material
- It felt like a tease to see Guillam (not really a universal con, but like I said I really want his route)
Overall: 7/10
I have to say that altogether this game was good, and if you're an otome fan like me I have no doubt you'll enjoy many aspects of it. However I'd almost say that as the game is now, it's probably only worth the price if on sale in the near future.
I can tell that the developers worked extremely hard on what they produced. I think Asami is a fabulous heroine for the genre, and the love interests aren't the average stereotypes. Some aspects of the game will feel incredibly relateable, it is slice of life done well. Honestly if the developers end up adding the last route and polishing the game, then there's no doubt in my mind that this could be one of the best english otome games I've played.

Kokorogawari is an intense ride with a tremendously satisfying payout at the end - and that's only with two routes completed as of yet! I can only imagine what the incorporation of the third route will add to the experience.
So, Kokorogawari (referred to henceforth as KKG) is at its core essentially what it describes itself as - a GxB otome human drama visual novel. Play as heroine Asami Matsubayashi and follow her as she makes some very difficult life-changing decisions regarding her future. If you're looking for a blank slate self-insert, you will not find one with Asami, as she is just as developed as every other character in KKG. She has struggles and flaws of her own, and she eventually finds comfort in the presence of one of the pursuable men - as of now, that means either Shinichi Koga or Yuuya Takahara. And you can't go wrong with either one!
I'll lay out the rest of my review as a Pro/Con comparison for easier reading, since I tend to ramble.
Pros:
Absolutely stunning visuals and music
Each route is easily 5-6 hours playtime - good end only! Bad ends are one "chapter" in length and are ~1.5 hours
Believable romance and drama
Well-rounded characters who break free of their tropes
Cons:
The price (I was a high tier Kickstarter backer so I paid more for extras anyway, but $30 for a game that at first only has two routes is steep, especially for indie game standards)
Can be a bit buggy at times - Asami's sprite won't display for a few lines at a time; textboxes have nonsense broken Ren'Py coding; some SFX seem to loop with a jarring "mic drop" sound
Obvious con, but there are only two routes available at the time of release. The third route will be patched in at no additional cost, but this is still a con.
Neutral:
A lot of content can be triggering to those with trauma (I won't spoil anything, but just keep this in mind)
There is a lot of emphasis on the importance of family (this is listed in the game's summary) and as such, expect to spend a lot of time with characters' feelings regarding their familial relationships
Non-renamable, non-self-insert heroine
In short, I highly recommend KKG to people who like slice-of-life, character-driven stories, heartwarming and sometimes bittersweet romantic buildup, and crying. This is a very well-written game that accomplishes what it promises.

TL:DR
Pros:
Great story, interesting characters, excellent immersion into the setting. Very nice art and music.
Cons:
Price. A bit short (overall - the routes were a reasonable length), especially for the price. Only two routes finished, and it's now been over 6 months since the game was released.
Note: I'm still having trouble getting the game to update. The dev was very responsive to begin with, but the problem was never resolved, and Steam keeps telling me it's up to the dev, and the dev is pointing back to Steam. The error I have isn't game breaking, but it's very frustrating, and also means I don't have the bonuses I was supposed to have, since extra wallpaper etc was included *with* the second patch - which won't install for me.
I recommend this game for several reasons: story, writing, art, main character (I *really* love Asami-chan, even when she frustrates me), and a tremendously immersive setting. Kokorogawari does home-school-work slice-of-life young-adult-romance much better than most. The game has lots that is expected and lots that is unexpected - it's a good balance. I rarely or never found it boring, and looked forward to each new meeting between the different characters. The game evoked more emotion for me than I've felt with a game in quite a while.
I expected Yuuya to be my favourite from the start, and he was - I'm just sorry to be finished his route. That said, I **really** wanted the romance to start even just a little sooner, so that we could see more of them as a couple, albeit a very awkward one to start. I would have liked to see the month - even week - after the final scene, since it revealed such an important and difficult part of Asami's past.
There is no doubt that a lot of thought and care went into Kokorogawari. I enjoyed it immensely. However, the price point to length is the one significant downside, and backers haven't heard anything recently about updates, which were supposed to include extra art, functions, and (most importantly) the third full route.
It's the usual dilemma: the creators deserve appropriate compensation , but it's a tough market, and a not-quite-complete product, despite it's existing and potential brilliance.
I still give this a thumbs up: backing this game on Kickstarter was worth the extra pennies to me, since I got a lot out of the substantial common route and the two fully-realized character routes. The quality is great, now we just need to see completion on the "quantity".
~ Imp

Kokorogawari, or KKG is different to most otome games that I've played. Most otoges omit any other relationship that isn't between the MC and the love interest, yet KKG clearly paints a story of not only romantic love, but familial love as well. This game has great premise, and I definitely recommend it for other fans of the genre!
With the two routes, I recommend to go with Takahara's good route -> Shinichi's good route -> Any bad ending. Alternatively, going bad ends first then good ends will protect yourself from the heartache.
The love meter is quite useful in this regard, with bad endings unlockable at 70%. Walkthroughs are unnecessary in this game.
Pros:
Lovely artwork
Sweet music
Well rounded love interests
Riveting routes and endings
I truly enjoyed the presentation of KKG's story, and I felt that I was growing to care for the love interests as well.
Cons:
Unfinished game
Quick game (for speedreaders)
Plot points are not fleshed out
Steep price
Other than Guillam's route being delayed due to unfortunate circumstances, 3.5 out of 7 "extra features" are unavailable. 0.5 being the "art" section of the CG Gallery, Ending List, Game Completion and Omake. I cruised through the game hoping that other features would be unlocked but I was sadly mistaken.
As a speed reader, I managed to clear all possible endings in 5 hours. At a price point of $30USD, I'm sitting at $6/hour. I honestly enjoyed the game but for others like me, you may want to wait for it to go on sale.
Not so much a con but as Luxray has also pointed out, there are plot points that are traumatic and I felt like they were resolved too quickly in order to advance the relationship. KKG hints them even in the prologue, but the way they are dealt with are not satisfactory and just feel like an aside to the "family" concept.
I understand that this game was published quite quickly in order to fulfill backers' expectations, but for future buyers, please note that you might not get your full money's worth until a few more DLCs. Guillam's route is slated for an end of year release.
Overall:
KKG has been a pleasant experience. Team Precatio have worked very hard despite the issues, and for an indie developer, you have done amazing! I look forward to all future content for this game, and hope it comes out soon.

Wow... All I can say is... I teared up more than just once while playing this game! The unexpected plot twists caught me by surprise multiple times and I must say, it was really a fantastic read.
The characters' sprites were extremely expressive throughout the game, and I especially enjoyed the various reactions of not only the love interests but also Asami's facial expressions. As a heroine, she's extremely well-developed and I could relate to her raw emotions many times throughout the story. Asami's character growth was heartwarming and truly brings home the title 'Kokorogawari', or change of heart!
The soundtrack was also a great fit for the game and some of the pieces really stuck with me. I found myself humming those catchy tunes in the shower ahahah.
I highly recommend this game to anyone who would like to experience an immersive slice-of-life romance. Many say that slice-of-life is boring, but I most certainly did not feel this way while playing. It took me a long time just to finish both routes for Shinichi and I am still literally shaking by just how impactful the story was.
What I disliked about the game however, were the certain renpy coding lines which broke some of the story-telling. I hope that it can be fixed soon.
To wrap it up, I agree with Luxrayrocks that the story indeed accomplishes what it promises and I am definitely enjoying the game so far! :-)

I haven't yet finished this game, but so far it looks quite promising. Just thought that I'd leave a review first!
Overall, there is a great effort put into creating a relatively strong narrative, along with carefully crafted characters and a generally well-composed original soundtrack. Asami is not only strong-willed, but her character art depicts her with a cool look, which is a little less common in the otome genre. She also isn’t instantly lovestruck, and has thoughts of her own which gives her a much more solid characterization.
Perhaps certain sound effects (e.g. opening umbrella during raining loop) can be improved. Some are quite jarring and may require further leveling or trimming for a more consistent, seamless loop.
While the colors are gorgeous and fit the theme, the menu UI colors can be further tweaked to give it more contrast instead of just a sheet of bright colors. Also, the buttons for config options can be fixed for consistency, furthering a better user experience.
On a final note, it’s a pity Guillam’s route is not available now, but absolutely looking forward to it! Good job Precatio, hope to see more coming from you guys.
P.S. Is Chiharu dateable in the future? 13/10 would date!!!!

This isn't going to be an in-depth review or anything of the sort, it's just some commentary about my thoughts.
Basically, I enjoyed the story, characters, artwork and will be eagerly awaiting the final route for Guillam which isn't out yet as of this review.
From the prologue I guessed that I would like Guillam the most then Shinichi then Yuuya. The order for the last two is holding true as of now so I guess I'll just have to wait to see if my initial feelings are correct.
On another note, it's really easy to get whichever ending you want (which I seriously appreciate since I don't always have the time or patience to do trial and error approaches).
Anyway, if you want something fun to read and look at and enjoy otome games then I'd recommend getting this. Although I do understand that the price can seem kinda steep for only two routes but the third will be added in a patch for free once it's done so at least there's that. :3