Kare wa Kanojo

Man, I don't like leaving negative reviews, but... This game very much appears to be transphobic. I wanted to give it the benefit of the doubt at first, it is indeed set in 1997 so some element of it in the protagonist's response after the character comes out was likely inevitable, but the combination of the sugary sweet "I'm going to accept you for who you are! Love is love!" approach the protag and her friends go into afterwards, combined with how casually the transphobic remarks drop without being addressed right til the very end (least of all by the trans character herself)... With no awareness or examination of that element shown... It gives the impression that it's less so a reflection of the time period, and moreso the author fundamentally misunderstanding trans people whilst trying to do a positive portrayal. I have only done Sakura's route, so theoretically it could be addressed and discussed, but at the same time... I've done her route. The main one focusing on her. Bros... The writing is also too fast paced and quite flat, it wouldn't be that fun an experience regardless. Maybe I'll do the other 2 routes out of curiosity.

I remember when I was in middle school, I played the beta version for the first time. The Kare Wa Kanojo I remembered was wildly different then the version of today. I feel very nostalgic playing through this now after many years since then. Despite its flaws, it has become a childhood relic of mine.

Positive: 📖 Kare wa Kanojo is a free visual novel that delivers an engaging story with multiple routes and meaningful choices. What begins as a simple school setting quickly evolves into deeper emotional moments, secrets, and different endings that encourage replaying. 🎨 The character art is clean and expressive, and the pacing keeps the experience enjoyable without dragging. Negative: 🔄 Compared to longer and more complex visual novels in the genre, the overall experience is short and fairly simple, with limited depth outside of its narrative paths. 🏆 Completionists & Achievement Hunters: There are 20 Steam achievements, but they are bugged and require a specific workaround/manipulation to unlock properly. Once the method is known, all achievements are still obtainable. Most achievements are tied to story routes and key choices. ⏱️ If you’re only playing for achievements and use fast skipping with the workaround, 100% completion can be done in under 5 minutes. Overall: Kare wa Kanojo is a solid free visual novel with engaging storytelling, multiple endings, and extremely fast completion for achievement hunters once you know the workaround. A great pick for fans of narrative…

ACHIEVES D0NT W0RK BUT DID 'D0WN-L0ADED HEAP' 0F TIME AG0 & IS GREAT BUT STIL P0TAT0

peak game, loved the story gets a 120/10 because tsundere girl and that it doesnt take 30 hours to 100%

Please fix Steam Achievement LMAO