Kioku: Last Summer

I went into Kioku: Last Summer genuinely excited. The Y2K setting, nostalgic atmosphere, and focus on friendship and collecting immediately caught my attention. Unfortunately, my experience with the game left me more disappointed than I expected. The hardest part is that the potential is clearly there. The charming visuals, fun collection mechanics, and overall concept create a strong foundation for a memorable summer adventure. There are moments where the game captures exactly what it is trying to be: a nostalgic trip back to a simpler time. However, the technical issues, inconsistent progression, save problems, and lack of direction made it difficult to fully enjoy the experience. Too often, I found myself focusing on what was not working instead of getting lost in the world the developers created. Right now, I have a hard time recommending Kioku: Last Summer in its current state. I truly hope the devs continue improving the game because there is something special here. With more polish and fixes, this could become the summer adventure it was clearly aiming to be. Pros +Strong nostalgic Y2K premise +Charming visual style +The game clearly has potential Cons -Save/progression …

Buggy. Wait until everything is fixed.

[h3]Not sharing the summer[/h3] I must have picked up this game around the same time I played The Last Hike. And the contrast is huge even though the games share a word in the title. [h3]For the Love[/h3] We play games for the love of the feeling they give us, or at least I do. I have delayed writing up this review for a few months, it's because I like to give small publishers a chance to fix their bugs. As a software tester in my day-job I attract bugs, but have lately had a rash of infections and am writing them up for medical history. Because the number of abandoned games is quite shocking. When the developers are unable to fix a small cosmetic bug in the space of a month, the love has clearly gone out of the pursuit for them. And so it has for us gamers on this one. [h3]The good[/h3] A cosy game for kids, with a minigame with marbles almost like pokemon in some ways. You arrive on an island, and have to make friends quickly with the other children, being the studious type you have a diary and keep track of who is who. That's where the bugs for me started. Some of the people you have met, show in the diary and some do not show. Minor, but a cascade of minor issues eventually a…

Very cosy game! I'm a few days in and still exploring the island. cute aesthetic and characters, the Marubi minigame is so nostalgic. Love all the little details!

Don't get it. In between trying to find where to go next and the questlog not updating you spend most time just walking around. I guess you get a bike that makes you go somewhat faster but I've played so many cosy games and this is just plain ass. It also got stuck after you have found Bo and can't start a new day. I kept "walking" around like I was still in bed and once I talked to the dad I was teleported back to bed.

I was in of the lucky ones to play a demo of this game before it released. The passion of the creators is definitely visible while playing and I recommend this game to everyone who wants to enjoy a sweet, cozy, fun and beautiful game!