Cocoron

Cocoron (ココロン) is a 1991 video game developed by K2 and published by Takeru for the Famicom. A version for the PC Engine was announced, but was not released.

Gameplay
Cocoron is a side-scrolling action game. It features full character customization, allowing players to build a character from a toy box filled with spare parts.

Development
Cocoron was directed by Akira Kitamura, who had previously designed the character Mega Man. Kitamura had left Capcom to form the company Takeru. The score was created by Takashi Tateishi, who also did the music to Mega Man 2. According to Tateishi, Kitamura requested "more cutesy" music for the game than previous titles. The artist for the game was Takashi "Utata Kiyoshi" Kogure.

Capcom wanted to release Mega Man 3 to market before Cocoron, and they refused to delay the title despite internal problems of production.

Release
The game was released in Japan on May 3, 1991.

A port of the game to the PC-Engine, titled PC Cocoron was announced, and was previewed in various magazines, including Weekly Famitsu, and Console Plus #28. Ultimately however, it was not released, and a copy of PC Cocoron is in the possession of the Game Preservation Society.

Reception
Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu gave it a score of 26 out of 40.

Family Computer Magazine readers voted to give it a 19.7 out of 30 score.

Wired writer Chris Kohler called the game boring, repetitive, and difficult.