Surprised to see there wasn't a Katawa Shoujo thread up in TL, so I'm putting one up.
Katawa Shoujo is a visual novel game, which means it's for the most part like reading a great book, except at major points you get to decide where to take the story. The story starts with you as a high school transfer student enrolling in a specialized school for disabled people, and you quickly meet several different types of intriguing girls.
Let me say this -- I have never played a visual novel before, and I hate "harem"-type and fan-service heavy anime. But this novel has pulled me in with the depth of every character, the transformations that occur in both them and yourself, and has spoken volumes to me (and judging by all the reactions on forums elsewhere, it has to many others as well).
This game has made me laugh out loud, smile, cringe, lay down in confusion, and almost shed a tear (I"M A MAN I DON"T CRY). It has made me rethink my life, my past and my future, and my current relationship. (In all good ways)
And the best part? It's free. Everything was done on a volunteer basis.
I highly recommend this game to anybody. And please, if you do play, take your time. Treat it like a good book, a good read that takes time to process. Don't play through it with the intention of just beating the game, because it really is more of a book than a game.
There are sex scenes in the game, but they can be disabled in the Options, which I did for my playthroughs. From what I've read from people's posts, it seems they were tastefully done.
Was discussed in the anime discussion thread (which is more of a Japanese culture thread at this point ._.), consensus for the most part is that it's pretty meh as far as VNs are concerned.
The game was pretty good for being free. I just wish that they gave more choices to pick from. Some of the choices are so obvious lol. After Act 1, you usually only get 1 per act which is kinda disheartening. Although some of the story is pretty well written. Also some of the song are pretty catchy xD. Especially Rin song, that song is pretty catchy.
Maybe I am bias because I died the first time I played perhaps? Since I was going for Hanako arc and she shy as hell and she doesnt appear much. So it came down to me choosing to telling her best friend about the heart condition or not + Show Spoiler +
and I choose not because if I choose yes then there would be a chance that I might enter HER arc instead. So I though it was a better idea to wait out to see her and hoping that she will appear but she never appeared....and then I facepalm myself into the Kenji route and died...-.-
Ever since that I hated Kenji and when ever his theme songs comes on I massacre a bunny.
I think this game is amazing. Maybe I'm on the minority but I was kinda blown away by it. I wasn't expecting much and went in with an open mind and was pleasantly surprised. For a game spawned from 4chan it is incredibly sensitive and tasteful. It won't be everyone's game and if you're not at all interested in the genre then probably best to avoid, but if you're looking for something different then its worth a shot. Lots of reading though.
for people who actually want the sex scenes, there are some good flowcharts to be found on google. combined with skip mode you can get through an ending in about 10-15 minutes tops.
On January 16 2012 19:08 Jell wrote: Katawa Shoujo was the first VN I ever played, and I actually enjoyed it quite a bit. Can anyone recommend some really good Visual Novels?
Try Fate/Stay Night and Tsukihime if you don't mind long story. If you want some mind-f**ked, Umineko no Naku Ku Koro Ni would do.
Rin route is definitely on an another level. It's much more well written and probably made from personal experiences of a developer. Last videogame i cried to was bioshock 2. THESE.. FEELS..
On January 16 2012 19:08 Jell wrote: Katawa Shoujo was the first VN I ever played, and I actually enjoyed it quite a bit. Can anyone recommend some really good Visual Novels?
Kara no Shoujo is a good one to ease yourself into VNs
Considering how this novel was written by English speakers, I'm astonished at how bad most of the writing is (the emi route was literally written by a pubescent 12-year old). It makes me appreciate all the VN translators like mirrormoon much more, despite the language barrier.
There are some interesting moments, but it's mostly quite boring.
On January 16 2012 20:48 kaoxx wrote: Considering how this novel was written by English speakers, I'm astonished at how bad most of the writing is (the emi route was literally written by a pubescent 12-year old). It makes me appreciate all the VN translators like mirrormoon much more, despite the language barrier.
There are some interesting moments, but it's mostly quite boring.
This is pretty much as close to the truth as you can get.
As far as VNs go, and for a FIVE YEAR PROJECT, it was extremely bad, even compared to other original english language VNs (OELVN).
If this is your first Visual Novel, I just feel sad for you.
On January 16 2012 19:08 Jell wrote: Katawa Shoujo was the first VN I ever played, and I actually enjoyed it quite a bit. Can anyone recommend some really good Visual Novels?
It depends on what you're looking for, but some generally highly regarded ones would be Fate/Stay Night, Clannad, Ever17, Tsukihime and Umineko no Naku Koro ni. AFAIK they're all pretty long, vndb suggests 30-50 hours or more. Vndb.org is in general a pretty good place for looking up VN stuff.
Some I can personally recommend are G-senjou no Maou, Kana: Little Sister and Yume Miru Kusuri. They're more lightweight than the ones above, especially Yume Miru Kusuri, which is pretty similar to Katawa Shoujo, I think. More sex though. don't take it personally, babe, it just ain't your story, which RPS covered, is also worth checking out.
As for Katawa Shoujo, I think it's good for what it is. Knowing the origins of the game made it pretty easy for me to ignore a lot of the flaws mentioned on above posts. But, certainly, if Katawa Shoujo impressed you, do check out some of the VNs listed in this thread.
Yay a thread for this! I'd been following KS for about 2 years. I've read through Shizune, Lilly, and Hanako so far. Just recently I started on Emi's path and am pursuing Rin's last.
The soundtrack is easily the best thing about this game. I would enjoy it far less if not for it. All the music synchs up phenomenally with the scenes they're attached to. It's difficult to explain in wordd, but the soundtrack is so fitting. Especially the jazzy music playing during the scenes with the Nurse. Shadow of the Truth during the reveal scene from Lilly's sister Akira was jaw-dropping and made the scene have so much more impact. Sarabande from BMV1010, Musicbox seemed pleasant and inconsequential until it's reappearance during a scene in the end of Lilly's path and in that context it was tear inducing for me. Concord (played often alongside Lilly scenes) is very mellow and pleasant, highly enjoyable to listen to. Ah Eh I Oh You (Nurse's office) is a good tune as well. For me personally the song which had the most impact (tied with Lilly and the music box) was Painful History during Hanako's scar reveal in Act 4. I must have stared wide-eyed at the image for nearly ten minutes thinking to myself. That scene was so jarring it made me wince at first glance. That response is hard to find of me real-life let alone in fiction. There's still Emi and Rin's paths left unread. I hear a lot of people extol the Rin path as the best alongside Lilly's.
Shizune's path I was a little disappointed in, but in the end it was happy and upbeat. Shizune's personality was so intense, but I feel like it didn't probe into her character much other than showing off that. It did Misha justice at times especially with the unexpected reveal about her. I feel Misha told more about Shizune than Shiichan herself. The inside joke about drills made me laugh a ton.
Lilly's path blew me away. The word choice and how well conveyed her personality was I felt was excellently done. So far she's the only character I got a real solid sense of by the end of the story path. Considering films, books, anime, and comics nothing has ever been as moving as the music box scene near the very end of her story path. The idea of something minor coming back in such a meanginful way put a firm punctuation in that scene.
Hanako... It's hard to find a coherent thought to describe it with the scene Whispered Touch still lingering in my memory. During her path I found myself rolling my eyes at her treatment and how she was coddled by Hisao and Lilly. It wasn't until late in Act 4 I felt as if Hanako really began to be filled out. For a long time I felt as if the Lilly path did Hanako more justice than her own until Whispered Touch. Cute, but a little cliche is how I would describe it until Act 4 then it stands rather powerfully on it's own. On a personal note I suffer from Panic attacks and the scene involving such during her story path struck me pretty hard. Reading the author's view from the point of view of the onlooker's opposed to the one suffering the panic attack opened myself to something I'd never realized. It showed me how much I affect those around me, led me to understand why some see me rarely, and why the ones who stick around now are so important. Those who stayed after having to deal with my panic issues are treasures to me. I'm disgusted it took a story to bring that to my attention, but I'm thankful it did. Today I spent a lot of time calling people and thanking them for being so considerate with me for the past several years.
Emi I've just begun and Rin will be the last. I'm overjoyed at the existence of this story. It gave me some perspective I didn't have before on how to treat other people and how other people treat me, the reasons behind it as well. It's my first VN and I'm a little sad to see some's take on it. I highly encourage everyone to give it a go. It's made me smile a lot. In my world of uncertainty that counts for a lot.
Yay a thread for this! I'd been following KS for about 2 years. I've read through Shizune, Lilly, and Hanako so far. Just recently I started on Emi's path and am pursuing Rin's last.
The soundtrack is easily the best thing about this game. I would enjoy it far less if not for it. All the music synchs up phenomenally with the scenes they're attached to. It's difficult to explain in wordd, but the soundtrack is so fitting. Especially the jazzy music playing during the scenes with the Nurse. Shadow of the Truth during the reveal scene from Lilly's sister Akira was jaw-dropping and made the scene have so much more impact. Sarabande from BMV1010, Musicbox seemed pleasant and inconsequential until it's reappearance during a scene in the end of Lilly's path and in that context it was tear inducing for me. Concord (played often alongside Lilly scenes) is very mellow and pleasant, highly enjoyable to listen to. Ah Eh I Oh You (Nurse's office) is a good tune as well. For me personally the song which had the most impact (tied with Lilly and the music box) was Painful History during Hanako's scar reveal in Act 4. I must have stared wide-eyed at the image for nearly ten minutes thinking to myself. That scene was so jarring it made me wince at first glance. That response is hard to find of me real-life let alone in fiction. There's still Emi and Rin's paths left unread. I hear a lot of people extol the Rin path as the best alongside Lilly's.
Shizune's path I was a little disappointed in, but in the end it was happy and upbeat. Shizune's personality was so intense, but I feel like it didn't probe into her character much other than showing off that. It did Misha justice at times especially with the unexpected reveal about her. I feel Misha told more about Shizune than Shiichan herself. The inside joke about drills made me laugh a ton.
Lilly's path blew me away. The word choice and how well conveyed her personality was I felt was excellently done. So far she's the only character I got a real solid sense of by the end of the story path. Considering films, books, anime, and comics nothing has ever been as moving as the music box scene near the very end of her story path. The idea of something minor coming back in such a meanginful way put a firm punctuation in that scene.
Hanako... It's hard to find a coherent thought to describe it with the scene Whispered Touch still lingering in my memory. During her path I found myself rolling my eyes at her treatment and how she was coddled by Hisao and Lilly. It wasn't until late in Act 4 I felt as if Hanako really began to be filled out. For a long time I felt as if the Lilly path did Hanako more justice than her own until Whispered Touch. Cute, but a little cliche is how I would describe it until Act 4 then it stands rather powerfully on it's own. On a personal note I suffer from Panic attacks and the scene involving such during her story path struck me pretty hard. Reading the author's view from the point of view of the onlooker's opposed to the one suffering the panic attack opened myself to something I'd never realized. It showed me how much I affect those around me, led me to understand why some see me rarely, and why the ones who stick around now are so important. Those who stayed after having to deal with my panic issues are treasures to me. I'm disgusted it took a story to bring that to my attention, but I'm thankful it did. Today I spent a lot of time calling people and thanking them for being so considerate with me for the past several years.
Emi I've just begun and Rin will be the last. I'm overjoyed at the existence of this story. It gave me some perspective I didn't have before on how to treat other people and how other people treat me, the reasons behind it as well. It's my first VN and I'm a little sad to see some's take on it. I highly encourage everyone to give it a go. It's made me smile a lot. In my world of uncertainty that counts for a lot.
Katawa Shoujo is worth the time.
Yeah, the soundtracks really bring out the melancholy, tension, and peace of all the key moments. I've got a playlist of them on repeat, they're so good.
:D Lilly was also my favorite I think it's cuz she reminded me most of my gf. Emi is second for me 'cuz she reminds me of a close friend of mine who I swear is an exact 100% mirror match to her in every way. Then Rin as third 'cuz damn her route is such an emotional rollercoaster, and she also reminded me of an artist friend I had in college who I couldn't understand in any way. Half the things my friend said I couldn't make sense of! And then ... Hanako and Shizune were really meh for me :T I think it's cuz I don't really know anybody like those two. I have a friend who suffers panic attacks, but she's such a cheerful and bubbly personality, she's actually more like Misha (who I think should have her own route! God, don't you just want to hold her in the Shizune route).
For those that liked this game and other VNs in general, may I ask why you think this game/genre is entertaining?
I am a regularly performing musician who reads novels and prefers drama over action movies, so I'd like to think of myself as sensitive and not without emotions, which was why I downloaded KS in the first place. I honestly gave it a good chance, playing for ~2 hours but in the end I just had to give up. It could be that I'm one of those people that could never get into anything anime, but I'd like to think that I could and am simply missing something here?
On January 18 2012 06:16 HardMacro wrote: For those that liked this game and other VNs in general, may I ask why you think this game/genre is entertaining?
I am a regularly performing musician who reads novels and prefers drama over action movies, so I'd like to think of myself as sensitive and not without emotions, which was why I downloaded KS in the first place. I honestly gave it a good chance, playing for ~2 hours but in the end I just had to give up. It could be that I'm one of those people that could never get into anything anime, but I'd like to think that I could and am simply missing something here?
To me a video novel feels like a slightly animated comic. I've always been a big fan of comics, but always wanted more to read about the characters. In comics dialogue is typically short. In this story format you get the visuals of a comic along with more detailed dialogue between characters. After reading through as much as I have of this VN (Shizune, Lilly, Hanako) so far it's really driven to me the point of sound. Reminds me of a stop motion a bit. Being a fan of online comics like Dr McNinja, Striptease, Shadowgirls, Flipside, Questionable Content, Paradigm Shift, Finders Keepers, and others that preference easily translated over to the video novel format. Add in my enjoyment of everything audio and it's amazing. I feel it's heavy anime influence is simply because the source material was a doujin. I'm sure with other styles of art it would have the same impact. At least for me it would, though that picture of Hanako from the Whispered Touch scene is just too amazing for me to believe it could have been drawn in any other style and still be as intense.
In summary I enjoy story-driven comics and VNs to me are just slightly animated comics with a soundtrack. It's like someone decided to take my favorite form of story media and make it more awesome.
I hope that provides a little insight. I can't speak for many, but that's what does it for me. It's the style of delivery not the style of art that attracts me.
i really enjoyed the game. this isnt my first visual novel, but i barely play them. im surprised by the negative feedback in the thread. If people feel that there are much better ones, im excited to further explorer VNs. That being said, my favourite parts of the game are the immense character development, and the songs which really helps to shape the mood.
This was also my first time every playing a Visual Novel. It was surprisingly touching. The writing did seem a little amateur at times, but most of it was well written. The art and music was quite good all the way through, though. At the end of the Emi storyline, I was a little sad that it was so short. I'm probably going to try and unlock the other storylines later, but I need some time to digest what I just went through lol. I'm a pretty sappy guy.
On January 17 2012 12:18 VATO_Gandair wrote: Yay a thread for this! I'd been following KS for about 2 years. I've read through Shizune, Lilly, and Hanako so far. Just recently I started on Emi's path and am pursuing Rin's last.
The soundtrack is easily the best thing about this game. I would enjoy it far less if not for it. All the music synchs up phenomenally with the scenes they're attached to. It's difficult to explain in wordd, but the soundtrack is so fitting. Especially the jazzy music playing during the scenes with the Nurse. Shadow of the Truth during the reveal scene from Lilly's sister Akira was jaw-dropping and made the scene have so much more impact. Sarabande from BMV1010, Musicbox seemed pleasant and inconsequential until it's reappearance during a scene in the end of Lilly's path and in that context it was tear inducing for me. Concord (played often alongside Lilly scenes) is very mellow and pleasant, highly enjoyable to listen to. Ah Eh I Oh You (Nurse's office) is a good tune as well. For me personally the song which had the most impact (tied with Lilly and the music box) was Painful History during Hanako's scar reveal in Act 4. I must have stared wide-eyed at the image for nearly ten minutes thinking to myself. That scene was so jarring it made me wince at first glance. That response is hard to find of me real-life let alone in fiction. There's still Emi and Rin's paths left unread. I hear a lot of people extol the Rin path as the best alongside Lilly's.
Shizune's path I was a little disappointed in, but in the end it was happy and upbeat. Shizune's personality was so intense, but I feel like it didn't probe into her character much other than showing off that. It did Misha justice at times especially with the unexpected reveal about her. I feel Misha told more about Shizune than Shiichan herself. The inside joke about drills made me laugh a ton.
Lilly's path blew me away. The word choice and how well conveyed her personality was I felt was excellently done. So far she's the only character I got a real solid sense of by the end of the story path. Considering films, books, anime, and comics nothing has ever been as moving as the music box scene near the very end of her story path. The idea of something minor coming back in such a meanginful way put a firm punctuation in that scene.
Hanako... It's hard to find a coherent thought to describe it with the scene Whispered Touch still lingering in my memory. During her path I found myself rolling my eyes at her treatment and how she was coddled by Hisao and Lilly. It wasn't until late in Act 4 I felt as if Hanako really began to be filled out. For a long time I felt as if the Lilly path did Hanako more justice than her own until Whispered Touch. Cute, but a little cliche is how I would describe it until Act 4 then it stands rather powerfully on it's own. On a personal note I suffer from Panic attacks and the scene involving such during her story path struck me pretty hard. Reading the author's view from the point of view of the onlooker's opposed to the one suffering the panic attack opened myself to something I'd never realized. It showed me how much I affect those around me, led me to understand why some see me rarely, and why the ones who stick around now are so important. Those who stayed after having to deal with my panic issues are treasures to me. I'm disgusted it took a story to bring that to my attention, but I'm thankful it did. Today I spent a lot of time calling people and thanking them for being so considerate with me for the past several years.
Emi I've just begun and Rin will be the last. I'm overjoyed at the existence of this story. It gave me some perspective I didn't have before on how to treat other people and how other people treat me, the reasons behind it as well. It's my first VN and I'm a little sad to see some's take on it. I highly encourage everyone to give it a go. It's made me smile a lot. In my world of uncertainty that counts for a lot.
Katawa Shoujo is worth the time.
Saw this mentioned in the anime thread so I thought I'd try it out. I haven't done Lilly, and I'm like halfway through Hanako.
I fully agree with the Shizune path, though it's kind of depressing because + Show Spoiler +
you don't really get a good ending either way. You either get one where Misha feels a bit better, but Shizune pushes everyone away to reconsider how she manipulates people, or you get one where Misha presumably pretends to feel better without any real resolution other than "We're sure we'll see each other again." Just a strange love triangle amongst very likable characters with a lot of never-really-resolved awkwardness.
While it was upbeat, the language was not up to par with that in the other arcs, and using terms like "dickish" really reveals the lack of homogenity in the authors' writing styles and levels of education.
Rin was, of the ones I've played, the most flushed out beginning to end, on one hand, but on the other the most microcosmic. Nothing is ever said of Rin's family or her condition. Her disability is almost entirely irrelevant except for some (humorous) inconveniences that pop up now and again. This story arc is purely one where you watch a talented girl struggle through an emotional self-discovery. That being said, I thought the emotionality and melodrama were well-presented and well-executed but were underpinned by comparatively sparse plot details. There were no plot twists, or even much of a plot to begin with. It was somewhat self-consistent, though, with its central theme of living in the moment. Definitely worth playing through.
Emi arc made me -_______-'' every other scene and doesn't really make sense, considering + Show Spoiler +
it is completely obvious from the first scene with Emi's mother onwards that her dad died in the car accident and the rest of the freaking plot revolves around the protagonist failing to figure that out. The only twist is what Emi says about it at the end. On a bright note, this is the only arc I've played through so far that uses Iwanako's letter as a legitimate plot device. Also, this is the only arc I've played through that had some sense of the future and continuity.
Glad to see that there's a thread about this amazing VN on these boards - it deserves all the attention it can get.
As far as being "well written" goes...no, its not up to Hemingway's standards, and I was a bit disappointed by the quality of Emi's writing, but it gets right what it needs to: the characters and the story. I think the best point of reference is J.K. Rowling - the sentence-to-sentence stuff of her books is a bit schizophrenic, but her characters and narrative structure are spot-on, and so the big picture comes together astonishingly well, much greater than the sum of its parts. KS is a lot like that, each path written by a different amateur writer. As in the case of Emi's route, sometimes they can't put together either a sentence or a narrative, but in all the other paths I thought they succeeded well in both regards.
Moreover, the feels, man, the feels. Anything that can make me emote on the level that KS did accomplished what it set out to achieve, regardless of just how many big words they used to get there.
Definitely not the best VN around, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
Hanako route was definitely my favorite, but I haven't done Rin's yet. I enjoyed Lilly's, Emi's was enjoyable but the entire route had me thinking the protagonist is an absolute retard, and Shizune's route was boring as hell for the most part.
Regarding other VNs, I don't really go through them all that often; I know I'm missing out on a lot of quality titles, but I just don't take the time. Give me a good Alice Soft game though, and I'll be occupied for weeks.
On January 18 2012 06:16 HardMacro wrote: For those that liked this game and other VNs in general, may I ask why you think this game/genre is entertaining?
I am a regularly performing musician who reads novels and prefers drama over action movies, so I'd like to think of myself as sensitive and not without emotions, which was why I downloaded KS in the first place. I honestly gave it a good chance, playing for ~2 hours but in the end I just had to give up. It could be that I'm one of those people that could never get into anything anime, but I'd like to think that I could and am simply missing something here?
Basing an entire genre on a single piece is not the way to go. I recommend you try some more widely acclaimed VNs. Fate/Stay Night, Umineko No Naku Koro Ni, etc.
I've just finished act 2 of Emi's path and thought to talk about my impressions of it.
From what I understand after following it's development the Emi path and art were dramatically changed at a couple points. I noticed this first in the art and then realized it in the writing when comparing act 1 to act 2. She gives me the confident and direct vibe that Shizune gives off. Right now I'm still unsure about Emi's path. Personally I enjoy her dialogue. The word choice feels appropriate enough for a person in their last year of high school. It doesn't seem too out of place thus far. It is nice to see the Nurse get more developed in this path. The side characters have always been a curiosity and Miki's minor presence in Hanako's path felt appropriate and seemed whole not just added-in haphazardly. Miki fit in well and here the Nurse fits in well also.
Consternation and Maudlin are two words I did not know the meanings of going into this VN. Whenever something teaches me a new word I get excited. That's another part of the reason I enjoyed Lilly's path. The copious amounts of Concord playing in the background helped matters and Sarabande from BMV1010, Musicbox still is the cornerstone of my favorite scene in any story. Her dialogue was also well written. I feel as if the author had either a firm grasp of the character in their mind or otherwise went to great lengths to ensure it was conveyed properly. Her character feels complete like Hanako's.
While I was a little critical about Hanako's path after something reconsidering I feel she was handled well. In the first two acts of her character path I didn't respond favorably and felt bored at times. Though I think this extended display of Hanako's discomfort and shyness emphasized it well enough to make later reveals have the impact they were meant to. With that in mind I like her path a lot more than I did in my earlier post in this thread. Going back and reading some of those scenes over again gave me a little more perspective than my first impression playthrough. I still have only gotten one ending for each of the three character's I've completed.
I'll agree with an earlier post about the Shizune path not really having any closure and being kind of awkward. While I did enjoy what there was of Shizune it felt very split between Shizune and Misha. Had Misha a path of her own I feel it would have made the story better even if she was simply a split off from the Shizune path after a certain point. That story left me wondering what became of them.
I'm looking forward to finishing Emi act 3 and 4 tonight. I do hope they're longer than Act 2 was. It felt quite short much like Shizune act 4 did. Sorta blew by rather casually and left me curious, but not expecting of much. I will note that following up Shizune with Lilly really caused Lilly's path quality to take me wholly by surprise. If anyone is reading this VN I'd suggest Shizune first. It ends very neutrally and helps highlight the emotion of other paths better. I'd say go with Lilly or Rin last because I know Lilly's is amazing and I hear nothing but good things about Rin's which I'll be reading last.
Does anyone know where to download the full version for Windows? I'm not talking about using torrents, but as a download. On the website it says that it's "coming soon" so all I have is Part 1.
I played VNs before and it is the best free non-professional VN out there but you can feel that it was made by foreigners, the h-scenes feel somehow inappropriate to me. Nevertheless I'd give KS 8/10, a must play.
On January 22 2012 05:08 VoO wrote: I played VNs before and it is the best free non-professional VN out there but you can feel that it was made by foreigners, the h-scenes feel somehow inappropriate to me. Nevertheless I'd give KS 8/10, a must play.
After playing through 100%, I think a few of the H-scenes were without a doubt inappropriate, random, and probably could've been cut (cough cough Emi cough cough) but the majority have some sort of meaning to it. Some have weird meanings (cough cough Rin cough cough) but they add to the already exististing, completely TT worthy, and amazing stories.
On January 18 2012 06:16 HardMacro wrote: For those that liked this game and other VNs in general, may I ask why you think this game/genre is entertaining?
I am a regularly performing musician who reads novels and prefers drama over action movies, so I'd like to think of myself as sensitive and not without emotions, which was why I downloaded KS in the first place. I honestly gave it a good chance, playing for ~2 hours but in the end I just had to give up. It could be that I'm one of those people that could never get into anything anime, but I'd like to think that I could and am simply missing something here?
Basing an entire genre on a single piece is not the way to go. I recommend you try some more widely acclaimed VNs. Fate/Stay Night, Umineko No Naku Koro Ni, etc.
I absolutely recommend all Nitro+ VNs, you can start with ChäoS;HEAd which, I think, will appeal to the TL audience.
On January 18 2012 06:16 HardMacro wrote: For those that liked this game and other VNs in general, may I ask why you think this game/genre is entertaining?
I am a regularly performing musician who reads novels and prefers drama over action movies, so I'd like to think of myself as sensitive and not without emotions, which was why I downloaded KS in the first place. I honestly gave it a good chance, playing for ~2 hours but in the end I just had to give up. It could be that I'm one of those people that could never get into anything anime, but I'd like to think that I could and am simply missing something here?
Basing an entire genre on a single piece is not the way to go. I recommend you try some more widely acclaimed VNs. Fate/Stay Night, Umineko No Naku Koro Ni, etc.
I absolutely recommend all Nitro+ VNs, you can start with ChäoS;HEAd which, I think, will appeal to the TL audience.
Chaos Head <3 That VN is epic amounts of epic, I do think that everyone who enjoys mindbending stuff would enjoy that ^^
Never before have i stuck reading a visual novel seriously , but this one hooked me up with its plot . I just randomly donwloaded it to see what it was all about since i read good comments about it , and then it helped me fail two of my exams , but it was worth it . It's a fresh alternative to the usual shonen mangas and animes that i enjoy . Visual novels are something between manga and anime where you get to choose where the plot will go and since i couldn't be bothered reading romantic and dramatic novels or books at all this feels much more entertaining .
Playing it out naturally not knowing what the hell it is all about i ended up completing Emi's path . After that i hunted down and completed Hanako's and Shizune's path . All the happy endings felt very well written , but i also choose to complete Shizune's sad ending where i choose to cheat on her with Misha and was a bit disappointed and felt it could have been better made . Over all i think it is a good read and will complete it after my exams finish -__- ...
On January 22 2012 07:02 Blasterion wrote: Looks like you really like Hanako arc
If this is directed at me then yeah i liked it alot :D . It still could have been better though , like i didn't understand why there were choises like Kenji asking me is Hanako cute or not or that girl later in Hanako's arc asking me if i like Hanako or not which will determine the next plot and they seem like pointless questions .
Man, does anyone think Hisao is total piece of shit? I was playing the Rin storyline, and I never thought I could rage at a Visual Novel, but hell, I was mad at him. Dude doesn't know how to socialize to save his life.
So, after so many of my friends were talking about this, I decided to read up on it. Not really caring too much previously for visual novels or anything else I thought "ermh, so is this one of those games you play to get something to masturbate to...? Sheesh, some people sure are wierd". But after more and more of them started playing it and gave it "so good reviews", I thought I'd at least read it and just quit if i thought the sexual themes took over and made it a bit boring.
Oh boy was I wrong :o I found the stories very interesting, I've done 3 arcs so far and 5 "endings"(Does the Kenji one count as an arc?) and the only one really predictable/dull one was Emi's, which happened to be my first one. Though the other characters seemed very interesting, so I decided to play again, but + Show Spoiler +
avoid the running, which seemed to mean that I didn't end up with Emi
which brought me to Hanako.
I am not really a person who cries but don't really show my feelings on the outside, which makes a lot of people who don't know me think I lack any sort of empathy. But this arc actually got me sitting there crying when + Show Spoiler +
she had her panic attack
, and the (it seemed to be) good ending was very emotional aswell for me. It was really beautiful.
After that I ended up at Shizune's route (cause I knew that if I sided against Lilly, I'd likely end up there) and it was very straight forward but in a wierd way kinda interesting. I did it twice for both endings and the bad ending was suprisingly the most interesting one. It wasn't tear-enducing like Hanako's but with the music it was still made one feel sad.
It really felt like that somehow everything would be OK despite Hisao sleeping with Misha and stuff, but then it drops down like a bomb and the ending scene with Shizune just sitting there...
Then I tried to check out Lilly's route but ended up with Kenji. Fuck, that guy so insane. But a very interesting character after having done Shizune's bad ending.
So now I still have to do Lilly's arc and Rin's arc, but I think that reading these arcs already and witnessing how much things actually can snowball from simple choices (despite Hisao being probably the biggest retard ever) really got me thinking too much for now. >_>
Best part is the music btw, very well synched with the situations, and sorta helps the immersion despite the sometimes crude language (which someone already mentioned in this thread).
I didn't really care too much for the sex scenes, while the "goal" in the end is to pursue some sort of relationship, it doesn't feel like they were a big part of it all. It's like 9 lines of text and 1-2 pictures, and you can turn them off if you feel like it. It's not like it's some fucked up game where the entire game revolves entirely around having lots and lots of sex, which was my first impression after reading from 4chan, reddit(god knows why I read on that site...sigh) and some of my more immature friends.
Holy shit, this ended up as a massive wall of text LOL. But I guess TL;DR would be that it was easily worth the time invested.
The people early in the thread are technically correct, compared to other, professionally made VNs, Katawa Shoujo is very middling, not top of the line.
However, it's very heart-felt. I enjoyed every route (aside from maybe Shizune's), and yeah, I had tears come to my eyes more than a couple of times. It has the distinction of being hand crafted, and you can feel the creator's emotions infused in every relevant scene.
While it doesn't have the best writing, or art, or anything like that, I can honestly say it's one of the most emotional games I've played in a while, especially Lilly's route.
Katawa Shoujo is a visual novel game, which means it's for the most part like reading a great book, except at major points you get to decide where to take the story.
are you sure this go by the definition of a "videogame"?
Katawa Shoujo is a visual novel game, which means it's for the most part like reading a great book, except at major points you get to decide where to take the story.
are you sure this go by the definition of a "videogame"?
That's always been a point of contention with VNs.
Very technically, it's a game, since it's on a game console (or computer), and you have control over what happens. Technically.
However, it's more of a book or comic than anything. It's mostly reading, you're just directing the flow. If it doesn't appeal to you, that's cool. If it does, that's cool too. It's only very technically a game, but it isn't what you think when someone says "video game".
Either way, VNs are sort of an aquired taste, and no two are really the same.
Katawa Shoujo is a visual novel game, which means it's for the most part like reading a great book, except at major points you get to decide where to take the story.
are you sure this go by the definition of a "videogame"?
That's always been a point of contention with VNs.
Very technically, it's a game, since it's on a game console (or computer), and you have control over what happens. Technically.
However, it's more of a book or comic than anything. It's mostly reading, you're just directing the flow. If it doesn't appeal to you, that's cool. If it does, that's cool too. It's only very technically a game, but it isn't what you think when someone says "video game".
Either way, VNs are sort of an aquired taste, and no two are really the same.
Ok, i wasnt sure, now that I read my own post it sounded quite sour.. Definetly not a game of my taste but regardless, ty for an informative reply :=)
i finished this a few days ago after my friends recommended it and I saw the escapist article on it. I've done 2 complete run throughs of it.
Just a word of advice for anyone about to play this game, grab a box of tissues before you start and don't make any jerk-ish decisions. The game has a powerful way of getting you emotionally involved in the story; expect to laugh and cry and just enjoy the emotional rollercoaster that is katawa shoujo.
On January 24 2012 03:07 Elem wrote: After that I ended up at Shizune's route (cause I knew that if I sided against Lilly, I'd likely end up there) and it was very straight forward but in a wierd way kinda interesting. I did it twice for both endings and the bad ending was suprisingly the most interesting one. It wasn't tear-enducing like Hanako's but with the music it was still made one feel sad.
It really felt like that somehow everything would be OK despite Hisao sleeping with Misha and stuff, but then it drops down like a bomb and the ending scene with Shizune just sitting there...
Yeah after doing the Shizune bad ending, I was in a bad mood for the rest of the day. It completely screwed up my laddering, lost ten games in a row.
I just couldn't get past the guilt trip of psychologically destroying 3 beautiful and intelligent people.
On January 24 2012 03:07 Elem wrote: After that I ended up at Shizune's route (cause I knew that if I sided against Lilly, I'd likely end up there) and it was very straight forward but in a wierd way kinda interesting. I did it twice for both endings and the bad ending was suprisingly the most interesting one. It wasn't tear-enducing like Hanako's but with the music it was still made one feel sad.
It really felt like that somehow everything would be OK despite Hisao sleeping with Misha and stuff, but then it drops down like a bomb and the ending scene with Shizune just sitting there...
Yeah after doing the Shizune bad ending, I was in a bad mood for the rest of the day. It completely screwed up my laddering, lost ten games in a row.
I just couldn't get past the guilt trip of psychologically destroying 3 beautiful and intelligent people.
Sadly, though, I think her bad ending was better done than her good ending. While it was depressing, it had a sense of completion and finality, while her good ending kind of trailed off and felt half-done to me, which was sad because the story was pretty interesting.
Anyone know where to actually download the FULL game / install file instead of torrenting it? There is no DLL for the full version so I'm stuck with Act 1.
On January 31 2012 11:08 NationInArms wrote: Anyone know where to actually download the FULL game / install file instead of torrenting it? There is no DLL for the full version so I'm stuck with Act 1.
On January 24 2012 03:07 Elem wrote: After that I ended up at Shizune's route (cause I knew that if I sided against Lilly, I'd likely end up there) and it was very straight forward but in a wierd way kinda interesting. I did it twice for both endings and the bad ending was suprisingly the most interesting one. It wasn't tear-enducing like Hanako's but with the music it was still made one feel sad.
It really felt like that somehow everything would be OK despite Hisao sleeping with Misha and stuff, but then it drops down like a bomb and the ending scene with Shizune just sitting there...
Yeah after doing the Shizune bad ending, I was in a bad mood for the rest of the day. It completely screwed up my laddering, lost ten games in a row.
I just couldn't get past the guilt trip of psychologically destroying 3 beautiful and intelligent people.
Sadly, though, I think her bad ending was better done than her good ending. While it was depressing, it had a sense of completion and finality, while her good ending kind of trailed off and felt half-done to me, which was sad because the story was pretty interesting.
Hm I dunno. I still think it gave you too many questions for it to feel like a real end, but the bad end is still significantly better.
Also after finally manning up and doing Rin's and Lilly's arc, I really don't see why my friends generally liked Lilly's so much. >_> It was better than Emi's and Shizune's (at least better than the good ending) but it's still a bit nyeh. The good end was a bit cute but I guess you'd have to had done the bad ending first to really get any emotional reaction from it.
And well, Rin's arc is well...it's just Rin, lol. Think that explains it the best. You can't explain her or her arc at all, it's just amazing. It's this ridiculous kind of witchcraft which somehow makes you like it. Soooo many choices there too compared to other arcs, though after doing it twice it didnt seem to affect the story that much.
also LOL at implying that Hisao is intelligent. probably the biggest tool ever.
If you answer "Yes" instead of "Maybe" on the training flag, and then decide to overdo it when running and end up at the nurse's, you will end up on the Emi arc/route unless you went hardcore for Shizune in which case you will get to choose which one to eat with.
.
There are flowcharts for it if you google, but I think that they'd ruin the experience for you. :o
On January 31 2012 11:08 NationInArms wrote: Anyone know where to actually download the FULL game / install file instead of torrenting it? There is no DLL for the full version so I'm stuck with Act 1.
If you answer "Yes" instead of "Maybe" on the training flag, and then decide to overdo it when running and end up at the nurse's, you will end up on the Emi arc/route unless you went hardcore for Shizune in which case you will get to choose which one to eat with.
.
There are flowcharts for it if you google, but I think that they'd ruin the experience for you. :o
Yeah I used them to get to arcs then didn't use them.
I've only got Rin to go now and I'm done (including Kenji...dat manly picnic), art and stuff doesn't interest me and I'm not that interested in her character, but everyone on + Show Spoiler +
/v/
is saying it's the best arc, so I guess I'd better do it.
Okay...... I've started reading this. Got through Hanako's route. Was going through Shizune's...
Okay. There are some visual novels that I label as "unloved". This means that I believe their creators put absolutely no love into their work at all. This results in a bland and boring product.
Katawa Shoujo, is not one of these VNs. I feel that every detail's been meticulously refined and perfected and there's so much attention that went into creating this.
However, I am finding it incredibly hard to stay interested in it.
The characters are not all that funny or interesting aside from their disabilities. The day-to-day chat is boring and does not compel me to continue reading. It's really hard to keep interest. Were it not for the huge number of people playing it, I would've dropped it already.
For now, I'm going to move on to A Profile, and will continue reading Katawa Shoujo whenever I feel like it. Whether this be in segments or in huge marathons, I don't know, but right now, I do not feel like reading it at all.
Shizune's is dull, it's very much a story with little to no development. The three you didn't experience are considered the best three, though Hanako's is looked upon fondly.
If you answer "Yes" instead of "Maybe" on the training flag, and then decide to overdo it when running and end up at the nurse's, you will end up on the Emi arc/route unless you went hardcore for Shizune in which case you will get to choose which one to eat with.
.
There are flowcharts for it if you google, but I think that they'd ruin the experience for you. :o
Yeah I used them to get to arcs then didn't use them.
I've only got Rin to go now and I'm done (including Kenji...dat manly picnic), art and stuff doesn't interest me and I'm not that interested in her character, but everyone on + Show Spoiler +
/v/
is saying it's the best arc, so I guess I'd better do it.
Totally worth it. Didn't expect it to live up to the "hype" after being superdisappointed with Lilly's route but was suprisingly good.
On February 04 2012 10:08 jbui wrote: are there multiple endings for the same char?
Yes. All characters have 2 endings apart from Rin and Hanako who have 3 a piece, unless you count Kenji which is pretty much just 1.
So I've been following and eagerly awaiting this for years, I'm not a huge VN fan but i've played and enjoyed a few and I was really curious to see how a bunch of people thrown together would develop something. Now that I've finished I'm left with mixed feelings.
Lilly: The first route I went for, the one I was anticipating the most and this one for me really delivered. Despite the super cliché plot of gf having to leave you to run home for a mysterious unexplained summons from family it was overall well written and balanced. My favourite route by far.
Emi: I figured I would go for the route I was looking forward to least for the next and it lead me to the surprising stand out route that blew me away to become my second favourite despite my aversion to the demo route. Again it had a pretty silly plot and with how almost overblown Emi was towards the loss of her father I was double and triple thinking myself into what had actually happened rather than my first correct conclusion. By the end I had come to think that her father had abandoned her or something equally heinous after the accident due to the force with which she was resisting hisao. In the end it was a bit of a case of 'oh its just that...' but it was fairly well done after all if a little overdone. The route had a lot of other good points and decent humour to make up for it though.
Shizune: Shizune was 3rd and the co most anticipated alongside lilly for me, however this route really failed to deliver. I feel like the writer gave up half way and we ended up with two separate half developed plots. This route was all character development and no plot. The writer had a lot of really good characters in here but failed to capitalise on any of them really. Kenji was especially awesome in this route with his humour. Overall this sits in fourth for me.
Hanako: Hanako sat alongside Emi as the two routes i was least looking forward to but actually ended up okay. I like how it was a classic white knight trap and I enjoyed many of the scenes especially towards the middle of the route. It sits a fairly comfortable third for me.
Rin: I was really impressed with her character in the demo route despite not liking the theme so much. This is my least favourite route and one I can't summon the desire to finish. To be blunt it feels overwritten and im less than keen on art so it didnt really hit it off for me, Rins character overall wasn't able to save it as she went downhill overall for me until I just lost the desire to keep playing.
Overall they did a good job for something thats free, but obviously it took far to much time (which they admitted to) for what was eventually plated up. It had a good feeling throughout mostly, was tasteful and generally well presented (especially the animations at the start of the routes). I feel like having five writers was its downfall in the end, too much of a jarring disposition between how the write and present the routes. It became obvious what was satisfactory for some was far from it for others which left some routes really lacking.
I'm new to visual novels. I've played Crescendo once and deleted it then (there was little to no choice and a very boring school environment ) and Conquering The Queen once (but again - little choice with a lot of hentai... wtf ).
Then I played this and... with little to no experience I've got I'm still sure this is the best visual novel ever, lol :D. I related to so many things there, it almost made me want to cry QQ.
On February 07 2012 19:56 Nancial wrote: I'm new to visual novels. I've played Crescendo once and deleted it then (there was little to no choice and a very boring school environment ) and Conquering The Queen once (but again - little choice with a lot of hentai... wtf ).
Then I played this and... with little to no experience I've got I'm still sure this is the best visual novel ever, lol :D. I related to so many things there, it almost made me want to cry QQ.
indeed! this was my first visual novel and it got me into trying to find more like it
i havent played any routes besides Lillys yet though maybe i should get on that
Played it yesterday, finished all routes. I liked the writing. The characters are a huge step up from the generic moeblobs. The fact that you don't just cure their issues with your magical healing dick makes it worth recommending. Especially Emi's route, and her bad ending. That was so very lifelike.
Lilly's route felt rather nice, but a little traditional. Emi's route is definitely the best. Rin's route was difficult to understand for me, as I couldn't really identify with being an artist. I felt the writing for her was a little wonky too, sometimes she's a total autist, sometimes she's almost normal. Hanako's route was a little more boring and moeblobby than I would have liked in the beginning, but the final few scenes and the ending made the route worthwhile for me. The student council's route was a little tough to get through, and you only get one relevant choice very late, so it's mostly reading, but it wasn't bad. WAHAA~!
Play it, it's really good. The characters and the writing are at least a couple of notches above the usual dreck.
On February 12 2012 08:09 NationInArms wrote: Just finished Emi's good ending route. First time ever playing/reading a VN. n_n I seriously don't know if I want to go through the other routes.
Emi the worst wrote lol. It was so bluntly obvious and so anti climatic sadly. I am pretty sure a large majority would say Rin or Hanako is the best arc here. Rin arc was a bit too lengthy though so I had to say Hanako was the best.
The tampons scene, is the best scene in the VN lol. For anyone who went down Rin arc knows what I am talking about hahah
On February 12 2012 08:09 NationInArms wrote: Just finished Emi's good ending route. First time ever playing/reading a VN. n_n I seriously don't know if I want to go through the other routes.
Emi the worst wrote lol. It was so bluntly obvious and so anti climatic sadly. I am pretty sure a large majority would say Rin or Hanako is the best arc here. Rin arc was a bit too lengthy though so I had to say Hanako was the best.
The tampons scene, is the best scene in the VN lol. For anyone who went down Rin arc knows what I am talking about hahah
...well boop you. I can actually "relate" to Emi since I'm a runner myself. Each to his own.
On February 12 2012 08:09 NationInArms wrote: Just finished Emi's good ending route. First time ever playing/reading a VN. n_n I seriously don't know if I want to go through the other routes.
Emi the worst wrote lol. It was so bluntly obvious and so anti climatic sadly. I am pretty sure a large majority would say Rin or Hanako is the best arc here. Rin arc was a bit too lengthy though so I had to say Hanako was the best.
The tampons scene, is the best scene in the VN lol. For anyone who went down Rin arc knows what I am talking about hahah
...well boop you. I can actually "relate" to Emi since I'm a runner myself. Each to his own.
Well I am just saying overall the quality of the writing seems to be better in Rin and Hanako. Everyone entitled to their own opinion. I havent played Lilly arc or shizune arc so I cant really shouldnt of said which one was worst. I dont have much expectation of Shizune arc as well because she mute and deaf so I think in a way it would lack quality and depths too which is why I pretty much ignored that one. Just from what I have played so far and from what most people opinion that I have listen to in RL and on this forum, it seems to favor Rin and Hanako.
On February 12 2012 08:09 NationInArms wrote: Just finished Emi's good ending route. First time ever playing/reading a VN. n_n I seriously don't know if I want to go through the other routes.
Emi the worst wrote lol. It was so bluntly obvious and so anti climatic sadly. I am pretty sure a large majority would say Rin or Hanako is the best arc here. Rin arc was a bit too lengthy though so I had to say Hanako was the best.
The tampons scene, is the best scene in the VN lol. For anyone who went down Rin arc knows what I am talking about hahah
...well boop you. I can actually "relate" to Emi since I'm a runner myself. Each to his own.
Well I am just saying overall the quality of the writing seems to be better in Rin and Hanako. Everyone entitled to their own opinion. I havent played Lilly arc or shizune arc so I cant really shouldnt of said which one was worst. I dont have much expectation of Shizune arc as well because she mute and deaf so I think in a way it would lack quality and depths too which is why I pretty much ignored that one. Just from what I have played so far and from what most people opinion that I have listen to in RL and on this forum, it seems to favor Rin and Hanako.
On February 12 2012 08:09 NationInArms wrote: Just finished Emi's good ending route. First time ever playing/reading a VN. n_n I seriously don't know if I want to go through the other routes.
Emi the worst wrote lol. It was so bluntly obvious and so anti climatic sadly. I am pretty sure a large majority would say Rin or Hanako is the best arc here. Rin arc was a bit too lengthy though so I had to say Hanako was the best.
The tampons scene, is the best scene in the VN lol. For anyone who went down Rin arc knows what I am talking about hahah
...well boop you. I can actually "relate" to Emi since I'm a runner myself. Each to his own.
Well I am just saying overall the quality of the writing seems to be better in Rin and Hanako. Everyone entitled to their own opinion. I havent played Lilly arc or shizune arc so I cant really shouldnt of said which one was worst. I dont have much expectation of Shizune arc as well because she mute and deaf so I think in a way it would lack quality and depths too which is why I pretty much ignored that one. Just from what I have played so far and from what most people opinion that I have listen to in RL and on this forum, it seems to favor Rin and Hanako.
No, lol i didnt think the game as that popular to begin with. Its an OK visual novel but it wasnt amazing so I didnt think there would be that much talk about it. What the opinion of the reddit people?
On February 12 2012 08:09 NationInArms wrote: Just finished Emi's good ending route. First time ever playing/reading a VN. n_n I seriously don't know if I want to go through the other routes.
Emi the worst wrote lol. It was so bluntly obvious and so anti climatic sadly. I am pretty sure a large majority would say Rin or Hanako is the best arc here. Rin arc was a bit too lengthy though so I had to say Hanako was the best.
The tampons scene, is the best scene in the VN lol. For anyone who went down Rin arc knows what I am talking about hahah
...well boop you. I can actually "relate" to Emi since I'm a runner myself. Each to his own.
Well I am just saying overall the quality of the writing seems to be better in Rin and Hanako. Everyone entitled to their own opinion. I havent played Lilly arc or shizune arc so I cant really shouldnt of said which one was worst. I dont have much expectation of Shizune arc as well because she mute and deaf so I think in a way it would lack quality and depths too which is why I pretty much ignored that one. Just from what I have played so far and from what most people opinion that I have listen to in RL and on this forum, it seems to favor Rin and Hanako.
No, lol i didnt think the game as that popular to begin with. Its an OK visual novel but it wasnt amazing so I didnt think there would be that much talk about it. What the opinion of the reddit people?
It's currently the second played game their right now on /r/gaming. n_n A lot of people like Emi, but those are mostly new I guess (like me). Hanako is also cool while Rin is worth it. Something like that, I don't spend that much time reading spoilers since I don't want to spoiler myself if I eventually do the other routes. :S
actually for a free visual novel, I would say it was pretty well done. Only problem I have with the game is that there isnt as much choices that I would of liked. You can get through like a day or two and there wouldnt be a single choice and when there is a choice, the choice are usually pretty blunt and obvious. It almost feel forced to be there so that just my little rant on the game but it free so I cant really say much crap about it because of so. It exceeded my expectation nonetheless.
Like a lot of people are saying after reading through most of the endings (I need shizune, lilly, hanako, and emi bad endings) I'll agree that it overall feels slightly "rough". To me the characters feel full, but sometimes it lacks a bit in direction as if simply trying to pass time to an event with little more than a few lines of dialogue connecting them. At times it also feels a little bit too descriptive. I'm big on long and full descriptions, but sometimes it felt unnecessary like when a room was bring described. The art was nice overally, but in some images Emi looked a little dopey. The Hanako picture from whispered touch is striking and I wish they made a high-res available for it. That's the "this is all of me" scene.
Rin's path was difficult to understand. It had a fair measure of humor as well as heavier themes. The wall of text scene (Dandelions) with the song Parity playing in the background was abrupt and amazing. Appropriate music and the sheer surprise make it one of my favorite scenes along with the Lilly music box scene (Under a Bright Sky), Hanako scar reveal (Whispered Touch), and Misha confession (Look Ahead) scene.
One of Rin's scenes struck me on a very personal note much like Hanako's panic attack did. It's a scene that made me step away from the game and review events in my life and better appreciate my friends who I so often complain about.
In the Rin's path scene Raison d'être there was a line. It's a though from Hisao and not spoken dialogue. "I remember myself, thinking of the purpose of friendship. To put up with anything and everything, to be there for your friend." The days that I was reading Rin's path I had been arguing with a very dear friend of mine. The most vicious arguments people can have are over money and this was no exception. I knew I owed her, but she didn't need to continually drill that point home. I had not forgotten and nearly had all the money ready to give her. Hearing her acidic speech one day when she explained to me her opinions on my behavior was scarring. She's never had that much anger towards me even on my most inconsiderate days. I went home and buried myself in reading or gaming. I opened those little windows who's view was of something consistent that made sense. Then on another day she had a minor blowup on me about a doughtnut which was also related to money. A few days later she pressed me into talking about something I repeatedly declined to comment about and became upset with me answer even after digging for it. Two days later I was reading the aforementioned Rin scene.
Crying is something I hate, but was unable to avoid upon reading that. My controller fell without notice from my hands as my eyes absorbed the words on the screen. It was so minor, she was already upset over things and isn't one to vent usually, I could just let the little shit go and worry about bigger problems, and then I asked myself would she have shunned me as I was now? Not having spoken to her in almost two weeks when we typically see each other once a week or more was to us a long silence. She would not have abandoned me and in-fact she reached out to me during that time and I rejected her. On my worst and cruelest of days (rare) she endured my anger and then we simply talked. Here I resisted every attempt she made at talking. I was upset that I could have neglected someone who never said "no" to me even when she was not having a good day. Then I called her and as I thought she didn't decline to talk to me, but she was busy. Today I apologized and now things are somewhat better. Hopefully things recover in time, but for now I know that the sound of her voice will forever marr my memory. The comfort I used to have will hopefully return, but maybe not, it's tough to know. I'm happy though because as stubborn as I was I may not have ever tried to contact her again.
It's pathetic that it took a scene in Rin's path (Raison d'être) and Hanako's path (Falling) from a seemingly innocuous video novel to make me fully realize what I've been doing to other people and amned that. For all it's roughness Katawa Shoujo has has a wildly positive impact on me. Hopefully to others it's value is firmly placed despite it's blemishes.
Katawa Shoujo is not perfect, but much like life it doesn't have to be perfect to be meaningful.
The general consensus regarding Katawa Shoujo from the Anime Discussion Thread (aka Japanese Culture Thread) is that it's a good eroge visual novel and all, but there are much better ones out there.
Wasn't a good VN at all. Like many others have said a large portion of it was apparently written by a 12 year old.
Just overhyped by hordes of "babby's first vn reader" like OP (most fans have never read a VN in their life, and are simply trying to look cool). As negative as this seems it's an unfortunate truth, and I wish people would stop talking about this.
In reply to the two posts above me, I can see your point and you're both probably correct. However, Katawa Shoujo was fan created so it's obviously going to be sub-tier compared to the other VNs like F/S N and Clannad. It does serve as an introductory VN though. If you go on reddit/r/katawashoujo you will find posts about how good people thought Katawa Shoujo was and how it was their first VN. Even though it seems pathetic to you, it is their first experience with VNs and it made in impact. Believe it or not, more people who read through Katawa Shoujo are going to try out other VNs. Eventually they'll realize that KS isn't the best, but it'll still have a special place in their minds as the first one they ever read through. It's like the first anime someone watches, it sticks in their mind forever and at the time it seems like the most awesome thing ever (unless you watch School Days first, etc). And I'm not sure that they're trying to look cool. Who are they trying to impress, a bunch of anonymous otakus on the internet who spend their time watching anime and going through eroges VNs? Regardless, maybe Katawa Shoujo isn't as bad as you think it is. It made me think about things differently, and I still like Emi.
On January 18 2012 06:16 HardMacro wrote: For those that liked this game and other VNs in general, may I ask why you think this game/genre is entertaining?
I am a regularly performing musician who reads novels and prefers drama over action movies, so I'd like to think of myself as sensitive and not without emotions, which was why I downloaded KS in the first place. I honestly gave it a good chance, playing for ~2 hours but in the end I just had to give up. It could be that I'm one of those people that could never get into anything anime, but I'd like to think that I could and am simply missing something here?
Basing an entire genre on a single piece is not the way to go. I recommend you try some more widely acclaimed VNs. Fate/Stay Night, Umineko No Naku Koro Ni, etc.
I absolutely recommend all Nitro+ VNs, you can start with ChäoS;HEAd which, I think, will appeal to the TL audience.
Nitro+ also did Saya no Uta, which is definitely the most fucked up, deranged story I've ever read. It also has the advantage of being a few hours long instead of the usual 50+ for VNs, and it's one of the most popular and highest rated on vndb.
For people that want some gameplay and like puzzles, 9 Hours 9 Persons 9 Doors on the Nintendo DS is amazingly good too.
Went through it in the weekend, enjoyed it =) Only got to complete the Hanako and Emi arcs, and each had its own charm. I personally prefer the Hanako arc, the Hanako picture from Whispered Touch (mentioned by VATO above) was amazing.
Did the Emi story arc.Now people will just laugh at my opinion. Call me a sad puppy,but i tought it was really good.Almost brought a tear to my eyes.And not because she was disabled and stuff,but because chances of things like this happening in real life are really slim or 0.
Just my 2 cents.Also this got my interest up regarding the VN genre. And like other people said,even if i find other VNs,much better,Katawa Shoujo will have a special place in my heart!
I find it very interesting that the reception to this VN has been so varied. For some of us, it has touched our very hearts. For others, it was droll, unrefined, and overyhyped.
Well, in any case, I've added two polls to the OP, so you can vote for your favorite girl and route :D (I voted Lilly and Emi, respectively).
On February 16 2012 10:24 happyft wrote: I find it very interesting that the reception to this VN has been so varied. For some of us, it has touched our very hearts. For others, it was droll, unrefined, and overyhyped.
Well, in any case, I've added two polls to the OP, so you can vote for your favorite girl and route :D (I voted Lilly and Emi, respectively).
On January 18 2012 06:16 HardMacro wrote: For those that liked this game and other VNs in general, may I ask why you think this game/genre is entertaining?
I am a regularly performing musician who reads novels and prefers drama over action movies, so I'd like to think of myself as sensitive and not without emotions, which was why I downloaded KS in the first place. I honestly gave it a good chance, playing for ~2 hours but in the end I just had to give up. It could be that I'm one of those people that could never get into anything anime, but I'd like to think that I could and am simply missing something here?
Basing an entire genre on a single piece is not the way to go. I recommend you try some more widely acclaimed VNs. Fate/Stay Night, Umineko No Naku Koro Ni, etc.
I absolutely recommend all Nitro+ VNs, you can start with ChäoS;HEAd which, I think, will appeal to the TL audience.
Nitro+ also did Saya no Uta, which is definitely the most fucked up, deranged story I've ever read. It also has the advantage of being a few hours long instead of the usual 50+ for VNs, and it's one of the most popular and highest rated on vndb.
For people that want some gameplay and like puzzles, 9 Hours 9 Persons 9 Doors on the Nintendo DS is amazingly good too.
I can vouch for the quality of Saya No Uta, just go in expecting Lovecraftian horrors.
After much trial, tribulation, and drunken falls off of buildings I finally figured out Hanako's good ending. I have played through Emi and Rin's arcs too... Hanako's arc is by far the best so far.
On January 18 2012 06:16 HardMacro wrote: For those that liked this game and other VNs in general, may I ask why you think this game/genre is entertaining?
I am a regularly performing musician who reads novels and prefers drama over action movies, so I'd like to think of myself as sensitive and not without emotions, which was why I downloaded KS in the first place. I honestly gave it a good chance, playing for ~2 hours but in the end I just had to give up. It could be that I'm one of those people that could never get into anything anime, but I'd like to think that I could and am simply missing something here?
Basing an entire genre on a single piece is not the way to go. I recommend you try some more widely acclaimed VNs. Fate/Stay Night, Umineko No Naku Koro Ni, etc.
I absolutely recommend all Nitro+ VNs, you can start with ChäoS;HEAd which, I think, will appeal to the TL audience.
Nitro+ also did Saya no Uta, which is definitely the most fucked up, deranged story I've ever read. It also has the advantage of being a few hours long instead of the usual 50+ for VNs, and it's one of the most popular and highest rated on vndb.
For people that want some gameplay and like puzzles, 9 Hours 9 Persons 9 Doors on the Nintendo DS is amazingly good too.
I can vouch for the quality of Saya No Uta, just go in expecting Lovecraftian horrors.
After much trial, tribulation, and drunken falls off of buildings I finally figured out Hanako's good ending. I have played through Emi and Rin's arcs too... Hanako's arc is by far the best so far.
Hanako is a white knight trap. If you try to coddle her or protect her too much, you get yelled at for being a jerk. It's actually pretty funny imo, because that's most people's first reactions. It's a great story.
However, for those who hated it, and unless you just hated it because its anime-related, I'd give another visual novel a shot that's actually done by professionals and from the country in question. I enjoyed Katawa, the art was nice and so was the music. I'll admit half the writing is incompetently done, which is mostly due to the fact that there were so many different writers for every character which made the experience jarring and uneven. Lilly's was probably the best. Emi's route was incredibly weird, and reeked of extreme feminism projecting. And if memory serves correctly, Shizune's route was hastily finished due to the writer bailing on it multiple times. Then again, this is all just my opinion, which doesn't mean much.
Anyways here's my reccomendations;
((And if you want a better synopsis, just [search] type the title in at vndb.org, i wrote this pretty fast for shits and giggles))
Clannad [all ages] - (It's really long, and the art style is unique to Key's usual artist, however it is legendary in terms of further pioneering the semi-new nakige or 'crying/emotional' visual novels of its time. Wonderful music, and the true route (nagisa's) is unforgettable. It also has a superb anime adaption. Themes of family, love and death. 50+ hours)
Kira Kira [18+] - (Very fun read, hilarious dialogue, easy to find since its distributed by an english localization company (mangagamer) it uses themes of highschool, friendship and rock and roll/punk band kick backs, which as a fan of the genre was an even greater plus. 20+ hours)
Little Busters! [all ages] - (Another Key game, just recently completely translated. It's very long, as you need to clear every character to get to the final route, but the comedy is hilarious, and it has some touching moments. Lots of mini-games and great music. 50+ hours)
Kana ~little sister~ [18+] - (Touching story about taboos, life, and family. Don't let the title put you off if you can muster a little open mindedness, I don't think you'll regret it if a good romance is what you are looking for. 10-20 hours? can't remember.)
Shuffle! [18+] - It's bad. The premise is retarded, and its pretty much like a dating simulator compared to everything else listed here. If you're truly a beginner you can appreciate it next to katawa shoujo for example. The art is nice, the girls are cute and so is the music. 5-10+ hours?
Action/Mystery
Ever 17 [all ages] - (Trapped in an underwater theme park, you must uncovered the mysteries that follow and how to get out alive. This is a staple piece of it's genre, and how the true ending ties up all the loose ends and mysteries is incredible, which is something I will never forget that left me watery-eyed from joy at the end. Quite a journey, with memorable characters and voice acting. 30+ hours)
Fate Stay/Night [18+] - (One of the biggest names when it comes to the visual novel industry, written by nasu of acclaimed doujin work 'tsukihime'. It has multiple anime adaptions, and is pretty awesome. However, the long winded paragraphs and overall writing style of nasu put off many. Despite that, it has some of the greatest actions scenes of any visual novel, combined with historical references to mythology of around the globe and themes of magic, romance and growth. Great music and sprites, however many hours may be invested in order to get all three true endings. Cult following. 50+ hours.)
Sharin no Kuni, Himawari no Shoujo (Sunflower Girl) [18+] - (Fantastic read that combines themes of societal pressure/expecatations and accepting one's faults. Definitely a more mature read towards the end, but the ending is truly epic if you can over look some of the unrealistic plot holes. Great music, and cg. 20-30+ hours.)
Drama/Suspense/Dark
Swan Song [18+] - (If you like those stories where people are semi-isolated and have to fend for themselves and against humanity that loses touch with the outside world, this is for you. It reminds me of one of those post apocalyptic films without the zombies. It's a mature read with great music and atmosphere, that deals with the harshness of humanity. Very philosphical. There are some awesome characters in here. A must read for anyone looking for something a little darker with light at the end of the tunnel (true ending). 30-40+ hours.)
Hanachirasu [18+] - (Fantastic read. It's somewhat of a tragedy, and despite the misplaced sex scene near the beginning, it's almost perfect. This one has action elements to the plot, as it's about samurai in a modern setting, but it deals with themes of betrayal, friendship and atonement. There is great info dumps about swordsmanship and the true ending is fitting and bittersweet. Truly a dark gem among it's genre.)
I think anyone can find a visual novel they enjoy, whether they are a fan of anime-related stuff or not. I think what usually puts people off is the presence of sex scenes in (some) of them, creating a misinterpretation about the novel's focus--as such scenes are simply kind of a guilty pleasure to appease fans. I try to justify it as a semi-realistic portrayal of teenagers in love, but who are we kidding if its not included for masturbation material. It doesn't hurt the story if you crtl through the scene, i know that much (looking at you fate stay night). Despite the few short commings that are jarring towards newbies of the genre, I find that the stories rival some of the western's greatest, and if they were ever made into movies/novels that were enigneered towards a western audience, they would undoubtedly be hits.
Just finished Fate/stay night.Let's say it impressed me more then i expected. The thing that dissapointed me a little ... + Show Spoiler +
Is the fact that the endings we're a little less heartwarming then in Katawa.I did the Rin Tohsaka story arc.
Specifically the Brilliant Years ending.Well he likes her,she likes him..and all they could talk about was magic :<. I mean is no mention of the they're future.
And also saw on youtube the "Sunny Day" ending,the one which both Rin and Saber survive.Well that shows a more ..umm...suggestive Rin,regarding they're future relationship.
I'll take EMIYA's selection into consideration and try some more novels.
Emi's route was incredibly weird, and reeked of extreme feminism projecting.
Don't mind me asking EMIYA,but why ? I mean i liked that story arc for a single fact.It teaches 1 thing (i know it sounds silly that VN teach you something,but hear me out on this).
That thing is ..."If you really want something,don't be afraid to ask at the right time.Letting time pass and not doing things at the right time just because you you're shy or ashamed ,just means that later you'll just regret it for not having the guts."
I just played this game. I felt emotions I haven't in a long time. I find it to be an extremely touching game that caught a lot of people off guard emotionally. I think the main thing that made the game great was the music, which I enjoyed listening to thoroughly.
On February 21 2012 03:49 LucidityDark wrote: I just played this game. I felt emotions I haven't in a long time. I find it to be an extremely touching game that caught a lot of people off guard emotionally. I think the main thing that made the game great was the music, which I enjoyed listening to thoroughly.
What the guy said.
And to the people saying that some story arcs are too shallow.Well not everything should be too complicated no ?
I mean even in real life,there can be cases like the Emi story arc and by that i mean,boy meets girl,boy likes girl,she likes him too,girl has some emotional scars,she tries to push him away,finds out that she loves him and they settle they'r matters and the really big kiss in the end happens.
Good thing i was alone when i watched it.I'm not saying i cried,but man i was really close lol ;(.
On February 20 2012 19:27 Akash wrote: Just finished Fate/stay night.Let's say it impressed me more then i expected. The thing that dissapointed me a little ...
I did the Rin Tohsaka story arc.
Wait, what? I'm almost positive you have to play the main Fate storyline your first time. Tohsaka's story is meant for a second play-through. Did you install a 100% save file with the game/translation?
For anyone that isn't used to playing VNs, you should make sure that you start with a fresh install. If your download comes with some saves, wipe out the entire save folder before you play. These games are often designed for multiple play-throughs, and if the game detects that you've already beaten it, it'll skip intros and offer you different choices. Not a good idea if you haven't played the game before.
On February 20 2012 19:27 Akash wrote: Just finished Fate/stay night.Let's say it impressed me more then i expected. The thing that dissapointed me a little ...
I did the Rin Tohsaka story arc.
Wait, what? I'm almost positive you have to play the main Fate storyline your first time. Tohsaka's story is meant for a second play-through. Did you install a 100% save file with the game/translation?
For anyone that isn't used to playing VNs, you should make sure that you start with a fresh install. If your download comes with some saves, wipe out the entire save folder before you play. These games are often designed for multiple play-throughs, and if the game detects that you've already beaten it, it'll skip intros and offer you different choices. Not a good idea if you haven't played the game before.
It had saves.And i knew about that.It was not a problem.And the Fate main story is the Saber one ? I mean i know there are like 3 story arcs depending on what girl you pick ? Rin,Sakura and the white haired girl no ?
The sakura arc seemed interesting,but i ussually choose 1 story arc to play,especially of a long VN like Fate/Stay night,so i choose the Rin arc.I mean who doesn't want to get the popular girl ?:D
Yeah, you're meant to play Saber's story, then Tohsaka's, then Sakura's. The game won't let you play them out of order normally. It's been a long time since I played the game, but I think Tohsaka's was my favorite, although that still doesn't mean you should have skipped Saber's.
On February 21 2012 06:48 ShadowDrgn wrote: Yeah, you're meant to play Saber's story, then Tohsaka's, then Sakura's. The game won't let you play them out of order normally. It's been a long time since I played the game, but I think Tohsaka's was my favorite, although that still doesn't mean you should have skipped Saber's.
Well Tohsaka's story was my favourite too,mostly because she is a tough nut to crack.She is reluctant to admit she feels something for Emya even in the end.That angered me a little.
I mean...wtf....he put his life at risk for her much more then she did for me.That must ring a bell somewhere as in why.
I didn't expected the last scene to show them over 20 years with they're kids lol (o wait...i would had wanted :D ),but it was pretty dissapointing.
What i'm trying to say is that i'm a sucker for happy endings.And they were mildly happy.I'm talking about the Brilliant Years ending,the one i experienced.He will have alot of work cut out for him with her.
At least the other good ending "Sunny day" showed a less reluctant Rin and the possibility of a threesome.
Wait,did i say that outloud ? Must have slipped.:D
Played through this game quite a lot now (been twice through each of the storylines), and I must admit I did enjoy it a lot. While some of the girl's stories were obviously better written than others, not one of them didn't at some point appeal to the mushy romantic hidden deep inside me.
My two cents: In terms of pure love story, the best is almost certainly Lilly's; in terms of causing introspection and self-examination, I would rank Rin's and then maybe Hanako's first, since they revolve around the expectations of friendship and attraction, the impulse of creativity and self-knowledge, and how we should treat others who we don't fully understand in pretty interesting ways. Emi's I think is good simply because it's a nice slightly stilted but still touching romantic story (with lemons). Shizune's . . . well, I have mixed feelings about this one. It definitely shows that it's the roughest route of them all, and the tone isn't exactly cohesive, but the nice moments (Shizune's 'friendly' side, Misha's revelation ect.) I think give it enough good qualities to make it playable.
Another important point is that this game is eminently accessible, which is perhaps why you see a lot of people lauding it as their first VN. While some point to it it's relative mundaneness as a negative factor, I can't help but feel that this is why so many people have taken away relevant parallels to their own life (just see the number of self. posts on /r/katawashoujo). So, in conclusion, I would draw back to the point made that even though it's not perfect, neither is life, and the emotions it can inspire are certainly real and valuable.
Being a completionist, I went ahead in the weekend to finish all the 'bad' and 'neutral' endings... oh man, I wish I hadn't done that now. + Show Spoiler +
Can't get the angry Hanako picture out of my mind.
Went through the good ending for Hanako several times just to make it up to her, so to speak.
On February 22 2012 01:30 OpticalShot wrote: Being a completionist, I went ahead in the weekend to finish all the 'bad' and 'neutral' endings... oh man, I wish I hadn't done that now. + Show Spoiler +
Can't get the angry Hanako picture out of my mind.
Went through the good ending for Hanako several times just to make it up to her, so to speak.
On February 22 2012 01:30 OpticalShot wrote: Being a completionist, I went ahead in the weekend to finish all the 'bad' and 'neutral' endings... oh man, I wish I hadn't done that now. + Show Spoiler +
Can't get the angry Hanako picture out of my mind.
Went through the good ending for Hanako several times just to make it up to her, so to speak.
Lol, I've only completed both Emi routes. XD
I'm currently doing the other story arcs just for curiosity.But i can't bare to see the bad Emi ending.It will just be wrong .
But i'm opened towards the other good/bad endings.I mean the Emi story arc seems like a standard fairytale for me and fairytales should be left with they're mistery.
Another question for you guys.Why is everyone so concerned about VNs being eroge or non-eroge.I mean if you are showing it to your kids then you either disable it from options or they're patches to disable nudity content. I mean we're all adults here for crying out loud.It's not like we're all 13 or less.
I think anyone can find a visual novel they enjoy, whether they are a fan of anime-related stuff or not. I think what usually puts people off is the presence of sex scenes in (some) of them, creating a misinterpretation about the novel's focus--as such scenes are simply kind of a guilty pleasure to appease fans. I try to justify it as a semi-realistic portrayal of teenagers in love, but who are we kidding if its not included for masturbation material. It doesn't hurt the story if you crtl through the scene, i know that much (looking at you fate stay night).
I know most experienced VN readers think of eroge scenes as a nuissance or a fan-service to the potential fans,to atract them to the genre.
" I try to justify it as a semi-realistic portrayal of teenagers in love".
Semi-realistic ?:D I mean in what dimension (bigger then 4) or alternative universe does teenagers (or any kind of couple in love) don't eventually make love ?
Sorry for the blunt argument but most of people here seem to have a really chaste attitude about this.
Also as a last point,related to EMIYA's argument. The Fate/stay night adult scenes? They we'rent so bad,but it's a matter of taste here .
On February 22 2012 19:41 Ruscour wrote: Romance preferred, hopefully something where I'm not a goddamn high school kid with no personality.
That's a tall order. Romance VNs all seem to be teenage wish fulfillment fantasies where you're supposed to put yourself in the main character's shoes. Therefore, he's a high school kid with no personality of his own...
I've only watched the anime, but Steins;Gate is very highly rated. It's not a dating simulator type game and has no sexual content, but it does contain romantic themes. I mentioned it earlier in this thread, but Saya no Uta is a love story with a protagonist in his early 20's. It's an... unusual love story and might not be what you're looking for though.
The Rin arc was very...interesting.That's the least i can say.And her neutral ending seems much better then Lilly's. I mean yeah,Rin it's difficult to live around,but she finally manages to understand that living alone is worse then being with someone else.And i don't see it as a neutral ending.I see it as a good ending.Yeah,i know...there aren't any poneys and sparkles,but she understand that they both love each other and maybe they should give it a try.
The path towards making her realise that is really well tought,but also painfull;in a way regarding human nature.
The Hanako path.It was less then i was expected.She's like a scared bunny.And her ending is really the only one i've experienced which is really neutral.She only needs a friend.
And the so much praised Lilly path.Yes,you guys we're right.It is the most beautifull of the stories. I almost shed tears. Almost! (Thank the Lord Almighty that i'm not a girl or else i would had been sobbing ). (I almost missed the last part.I had it all wrong before that) In a word,it was beautifull.
Compared to the Emi ending,it touched me even more.That's what true love should be like.Altought the Emi one was similar. But people didn't like the bluntness.Well sometimes you have girls like Emi and then you have girls like Lilly.
It's just a matter of taste.In the end only the love matters!
On February 22 2012 19:41 Ruscour wrote: Can someone recommend me a VN? Romance preferred, hopefully something where I'm not a goddamn high school kid with no personality.
I've only played KS and YMK, and there's no way I want another Hisao/Kouhei clone.
Notable MC's would be akabei soft games, although they are more plot centric while entwining romance (G-Senjou no Maou, Sharin no kuni both have stand-offish main characters with their own quirks and back stories).
Wanko to kurasou also has a unique main character that i enjoyed..however..i surely know this is a game not intended for beginners despite the fact that it is indeed a 'romance'.
Um wow. Katawa Shoujo is my first VN. I just started playing it last week.
You know I've had my jaded views towards VNs. Although I consider it a sign of a high level anime hobbyist, I still thought it was reserved for the very odd or creepy folks of the anime community (sorry guys!). I kept saying to myself, "how could you be obsessed with a simulation of love and not be a little off in the head." Of course now I know better.
I honestly had a lot of mixed feelings after my first playthrough. Overall I was more than satisfied, but at the same time it felt really weird what I had just experienced. I can't seem to put it in words... maybe guilt? Guilt for having your emotions influenced by a VN? I mean of course there's romance books, which of course is the text form relative of VNs, but those are different. You can't really influence the outcome of a book, you simply read and follow it, whereas you as the reader play a huge role. Also your heroine has an appearance by default, you don't picture up your own dream girl.
Well anyways... I could go on and on, but as weirded out as I am right now, I got to say playing Katawa Shoujo was a pretty pleasant experience.
On March 14 2012 07:15 Snuggles wrote: Um wow. Katawa Shoujo is my first VN. I just started playing it last week.
You know I've had my jaded views towards VNs. Although I consider it a sign of a high level anime hobbyist, I still thought it was reserved for the very odd or creepy folks of the anime community (sorry guys!). I kept saying to myself, "how could you be obsessed with a simulation of love and not be a little off in the head." Of course now I know better.
I honestly had a lot of mixed feelings after my first playthrough. Overall I was more than satisfied, but at the same time it felt really weird what I had just experienced. I can't seem to put it in words... maybe guilt? Guilt for having your emotions influenced by a VN? I mean of course there's romance books, which of course is the text form relative of VNs, but those are different. You can't really influence the outcome of a book, you simply read and follow it, whereas you as the reader play a huge role. Also your heroine has an appearance by default, you don't picture up your own dream girl.
Well anyways... I could go on and on, but as weirded out as I am right now, I got to say playing Katawa Shoujo was a pretty pleasant experience.
We call that "feels". You get many feels from KS. Share the feels!
Heh, the game still gets me, even after all this time. Shitty day at work yesterday, listening to KS soundtrack on the way home. I replay Lilly's good ending and the scene + Show Spoiler +
where she confesses to you in the field
, felt much better for the rest of the day.
I tear up a little bit every time Sarabande comes on my playlist. Couple other songs too, it's just an amazing soundtrack.
I started playing this a little while ago. I think its very well done for being made by a bunch of anons from 4chan. art, music, writing, im very impressed. it may not be aaa+ quality but who cares really in terms of this context.
i find myself enjoying this VN quite a bit because i can relate alot to the main character, who seems to have this over-endearing need to 'be there' for the various characters in the game; a trait that is very strongly present in my own life.
on my first blind playthrough, i got emi route. i found myself kind of frustrated at the decisions in this game as they arent so clearcut as to their results ... found a playthrough that allows me to enjoy each and all of the stories. some slight spoilers regarding which ending you are heading towards but i dont mind the linearities myself, i just want to enjoy the stories.
On February 22 2012 19:41 Ruscour wrote: Can someone recommend me a VN? Romance preferred, hopefully something where I'm not a goddamn high school kid with no personality.
I've only played KS and YMK, and there's no way I want another Hisao/Kouhei clone.
Seeing as how VNs are typically made targetting a high school to college age audience, that's not going to happen. It's pretty much always going to be a high school kid.
The thing is I know a good VN to recommend you, it's called White Album. Unfortunately for you, it's in japanese only.
If you don't mind high school age; Clannad, Ef A Fairy Tale of the Two and Little Busters are pretty much decent "romance" VNs that are translated into english. Though, Clannad and Little Busters aren't really centered on Romance, they're more slice of life with large romance elements.
On February 22 2012 19:41 Ruscour wrote: Can someone recommend me a VN? Romance preferred, hopefully something where I'm not a goddamn high school kid with no personality.
I've only played KS and YMK, and there's no way I want another Hisao/Kouhei clone.
Seeing as how VNs are typically made targetting a high school to college age audience, that's not going to happen. It's pretty much always going to be a high school kid.
The thing is I know a good VN to recommend you, it's called White Album. Unfortunately for you, it's in japanese only.
If you don't mind high school age; Clannad, Ef A Fairy Tale of the Two and Little Busters are pretty much decent "romance" VNs that are translated into english. Though, Clannad and Little Busters aren't really centered on Romance, they're more slice of life with large romance elements.
I'd second Clannad, although I gotta warn you - It's very long and is a huge emotional rollercoaster. I'm reading Little Busters myself atm but I'm not very impressed by it so far (finished Nishizono's and Kurugaya's routes) and can't really be annoyed to continue. Clannad is most likely gonna require you 90+ hours to complete, but then again, pretty much all the routes are interesting in some way and the true route (Nagisa's) is nothing but amazing.
On April 08 2012 12:25 a176 wrote: I started playing this a little while ago. I think its very well done for being made by a bunch of anons from 4chan. art, music, writing, im very impressed. it may not be aaa+ quality but who cares really in terms of this context.
i find myself enjoying this VN quite a bit because i can relate alot to the main character, who seems to have this over-endearing need to 'be there' for the various characters in the game; a trait that is very strongly present in my own life.
on my first blind playthrough, i got emi route. i found myself kind of frustrated at the decisions in this game as they arent so clearcut as to their results ... found a playthrough that allows me to enjoy each and all of the stories. some slight spoilers regarding which ending you are heading towards but i dont mind the linearities myself, i just want to enjoy the stories.
Most people get Emi on their first playthrough (myself included). I don't think that the decisions not being 100% "clear" is a bad thing though. I enjoyed having to sit down and think some of them through a few times, making them represent character traits and pondering whether the main character of that route might find that trait to be good or bad.
Anyways, KS basically served as a gateway into other VNs and animes for me, now having read Clannad (which i strongly recommend, unless you're absolutely heartbroken and destroyed by feels from Katawa Shoujo (HI OPTICALSHOT)) and Fate/Stay Night (which I recommend, although... ugh Shirou is an idiot). Next up will probably be finishing Little Busters which I find to be somewhat disappointing, but I might just have read the meh parts so far, so I'm slowly continuing...
I'd second Clannad, although I gotta warn you - It's very long and is a huge emotional rollercoaster. I'm reading Little Busters myself atm but I'm not very impressed by it so far (finished Nishizono's and Kurugaya's routes) and can't really be annoyed to continue. Clannad is most likely gonna require you 90+ hours to complete, but then again, pretty much all the routes are interesting in some way and the true route (Nagisa's) is nothing but amazing.
That's because the only point of reading little busters is to read refrain.
I've played VNs before, and saw the title of this one and was like, "cool, let me give that a whirl. I'm all about free."
I had no idea what I was getting into. :o
I got Emi on my first run through, as most people do. Which is awesome, she was my favorite character from the introductions. It's funny, after playing through the episodes, she's still my favorite character, but my God her route was written horribly. I kept waiting for it to throw me a big curveball or something. It didn't. I was sadfaced. Feel like they robbed me of an awesome story with my favorite character. [EDIT for clarity -- I liked the story in and of itself, if it had just been written differently. I felt like I was being treated like I was an idiot for most of it. Like we *didn't* get the fact that + Show Spoiler +
her father was killed in the accident
? Too much buildup for no big reveal. Just stop the buildup and let us revel in the sweetness of it.]
Looked up the guide after that and did the Hanako route next. I feel like this one was the best written, like I was following along with Hisao, and everything he did seemed like logically something I would do, and I was right along with his confusion, then BAM, of course that's how she would feel about it. SO MANY FEELS. T_T
Lilly next. Standard. We all love her to death, she's hard not to like. Best ero scenes. Music Box. Feels.
I finished the Shizune route, but didn't really feel much over this one. It's not like I didn't "get" it, but...it just seemed to lack the impact of the other stories.
Rin land is weird. I'm really having a hard time geting into this one. Partly because I'm coming to realize that Hisao's personality *completely* changes based on whose route he's going down...and this route so far is a crazy train. And a lethargic train. And I don't like it. I've read through the other posts and I see it's worth sticking with, but so far it's just kinda....out there.
For the Clannad players out there -- is it worth playing even if I've already watched the animes?
On April 19 2012 08:15 ArcticFox wrote: I've played VNs before, and saw the title of this one and was like, "cool, let me give that a whirl. I'm all about free."
I had no idea what I was getting into. :o
I got Emi on my first run through, as most people do. Which is awesome, she was my favorite character from the introductions. It's funny, after playing through the episodes, she's still my favorite character, but my God her route was written horribly. I kept waiting for it to throw me a big curveball or something. It didn't. I was sadfaced. Feel like they robbed me of an awesome story with my favorite character. [EDIT for clarity -- I liked the story in and of itself, if it had just been written differently. I felt like I was being treated like I was an idiot for most of it. Like we *didn't* get the fact that + Show Spoiler +
her father was killed in the accident
? Too much buildup for no big reveal. Just stop the buildup and let us revel in the sweetness of it.]
Looked up the guide after that and did the Hanako route next. I feel like this one was the best written, like I was following along with Hisao, and everything he did seemed like logically something I would do, and I was right along with his confusion, then BAM, of course that's how she would feel about it. SO MANY FEELS. T_T
Lilly next. Standard. We all love her to death, she's hard not to like. Best ero scenes. Music Box. Feels.
I finished the Shizune route, but didn't really feel much over this one. It's not like I didn't "get" it, but...it just seemed to lack the impact of the other stories.
Rin land is weird. I'm really having a hard time geting into this one. Partly because I'm coming to realize that Hisao's personality *completely* changes based on whose route he's going down...and this route so far is a crazy train. And a lethargic train. And I don't like it. I've read through the other posts and I see it's worth sticking with, but so far it's just kinda....out there.
For the Clannad players out there -- is it worth playing even if I've already watched the animes?
Clannad VN >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Clannad Anime. PLAY IT!
On April 19 2012 08:15 ArcticFox wrote: I've played VNs before, and saw the title of this one and was like, "cool, let me give that a whirl. I'm all about free."
I had no idea what I was getting into. :o
I got Emi on my first run through, as most people do. Which is awesome, she was my favorite character from the introductions. It's funny, after playing through the episodes, she's still my favorite character, but my God her route was written horribly. I kept waiting for it to throw me a big curveball or something. It didn't. I was sadfaced. Feel like they robbed me of an awesome story with my favorite character. [EDIT for clarity -- I liked the story in and of itself, if it had just been written differently. I felt like I was being treated like I was an idiot for most of it. Like we *didn't* get the fact that + Show Spoiler +
her father was killed in the accident
? Too much buildup for no big reveal. Just stop the buildup and let us revel in the sweetness of it.]
Looked up the guide after that and did the Hanako route next. I feel like this one was the best written, like I was following along with Hisao, and everything he did seemed like logically something I would do, and I was right along with his confusion, then BAM, of course that's how she would feel about it. SO MANY FEELS. T_T
Lilly next. Standard. We all love her to death, she's hard not to like. Best ero scenes. Music Box. Feels.
I finished the Shizune route, but didn't really feel much over this one. It's not like I didn't "get" it, but...it just seemed to lack the impact of the other stories.
Rin land is weird. I'm really having a hard time geting into this one. Partly because I'm coming to realize that Hisao's personality *completely* changes based on whose route he's going down...and this route so far is a crazy train. And a lethargic train. And I don't like it. I've read through the other posts and I see it's worth sticking with, but so far it's just kinda....out there.
For the Clannad players out there -- is it worth playing even if I've already watched the animes?
I've actually been reflecting on Shizune's a lot recently, and it's one of those things where it gets a lot better the more you think about it. I'll put the rest in spoilers for those who haven't played it:
Her route is very much NOT about the romance between the two of you (as it is in every other route), but rather, how you two being together affects the relationship between the threesome of you, Shizune, and Misha. Shizune can never love Misha the way she wants her to, but still wants to be friends. Misha still wants to be friends with you even though you are with Shizune in ways she never can be, even going to far as to help you get the girl she loves. Shizune will keep you at arm's length to help Misha feel comfortable, which is why she seems so aloof as a girlfriend except during the sex scenes.
Once you realize this sort of triangle/balancing act that is going on, you begin to see everyone's actions in a different light. Misha's sudden breakdown in act 4, and her actions during the trip to Shizune's house as she realizes that Shizune really loves you. Shizune disappearing for stretches, or treating you distantly whenever Misha's around. And even Hisao himself tiptoes around the whole thing because he knows there's a lot going on there.
Shizune, Misha, and Hisao!Shizune are all great characters once you realize the emotions and mindsets underneath the surface. However, that said, it still is the least "feel" route, as it's not overtly romantic and most of the action is subtle and contextual. It's actually a pretty good story, though the plot meanders a lot, and I like it despite it's flaws. It's not my favorite by a long shot, but I definately like it more now than I did my first play through.
As for Rin... Her story and character are great. Her entire development cycle from when you first meet her to any ending is probably my favorite, but Hisao is the biggest moron in the world for her route. Her route is hit-or-miss with feels, just because of how their relationship is. It's not lovey-dovey like Lilly or Emi, or even cute as a button like Hanako. It's very real and raw, emotions being thrown around willy-nilly. It's about loving something that you don't understand and accepting that you never will. Again, a lot of subtleties. For example, + Show Spoiler +
if you play Emi's route, she mentions that Rin doesn't really understand the difference between "friend" and "boyfriend/girlfriend", which brings a lot of meaning to the scene in the loft, where you tell her that if you guys move forward in your relationship, you can no longer be friends. To her, this means that something WAAY different than it does to you.
There's just a lot of scenes with raw, ugly emotions and thoughts that are difficult to wrestle with.
Meh, I still think Shizune was the arc with the poorest writing. Maybe if you think really hard about it like you did, it makes more sense, but I can't really care too much about it. Maybe if the sidecharacters had been more interesting...
Also:
On April 19 2012 08:15 ArcticFox wrote: For the Clannad players out there -- is it worth playing even if I've already watched the animes?
If you liked the story, probably. The VN is wayyyy better than the anime. You might not care about after story (It's pretty much the same, although the ending is a lot more thoroughly explained/understandable), but at least play some of the non-Nagisa arcs that are doable before after story.
(also, if i were to read/watch clannad again, i would still cry. im such a crybaby lol)
On April 20 2012 06:06 JonsaBoy wrote: Meh, I still think Shizune was the arc with the poorest writing. Maybe if you think really hard about it like you did, it makes more sense, but I can't really care too much about it. Maybe if the sidecharacters had been more interesting...
On April 19 2012 08:15 ArcticFox wrote: For the Clannad players out there -- is it worth playing even if I've already watched the animes?
If you liked the story, probably. The VN is wayyyy better than the anime. You might not care about after story (It's pretty much the same, although the ending is a lot more thoroughly explained/understandable), but at least play some of the non-Nagisa arcs that are doable before after story.
(also, if i were to read/watch clannad again, i would still cry. im such a crybaby lol)
Hearing that, it kinda makes me want to play After Story now. The after story ending for the anime left me with a huge feeling of wtf. Like all my feels were a waste of time. T_T
Finished the Rin arc. Still didn't like it b/c of how much of an idiot Hisao was for most of it.
Downloading Clannad now though (and replaying Emi arc while I do....soooo adorable). Wish me luck!
My first 'real' visual novel experience. It was mostly what I expected in terms of the emotional highs and lows. But I grew increasingly impatient with the dialogue in-between the decisions (didn't skip for the sake of my first run at a VN).
Got Lilly's good ending. I thought I had made a mistake. + Show Spoiler +
"I didn't do enough for her"? WTF. There wasn't such an option.
On April 20 2012 06:06 JonsaBoy wrote: Meh, I still think Shizune was the arc with the poorest writing. Maybe if you think really hard about it like you did, it makes more sense, but I can't really care too much about it. Maybe if the sidecharacters had been more interesting...
Also:
On April 19 2012 08:15 ArcticFox wrote: For the Clannad players out there -- is it worth playing even if I've already watched the animes?
If you liked the story, probably. The VN is wayyyy better than the anime. You might not care about after story (It's pretty much the same, although the ending is a lot more thoroughly explained/understandable), but at least play some of the non-Nagisa arcs that are doable before after story.
(also, if i were to read/watch clannad again, i would still cry. im such a crybaby lol)
Hearing that, it kinda makes me want to play After Story now. The after story ending for the anime left me with a huge feeling of wtf. Like all my feels were a waste of time. T_T
Finished the Rin arc. Still didn't like it b/c of how much of an idiot Hisao was for most of it.
Downloading Clannad now though (and replaying Emi arc while I do....soooo adorable). Wish me luck!
The ending is more understandable because of all the sidearcs you have to play to get there. You'll have to play through every single story (and some of them in a certain order) to get to the true ending. Still, if you want to read After Story again, go ahead. + Show Spoiler [After Story] +
I have dled it but never started to play it due to lack of time mostly. But now that i have found this thread, the recommendations are too much to ignore it ^^ Is there a way to play it on android devices? Just curious, and it would help since i could read it on the road.
On April 16 2012 07:12 Requizen wrote: Welp, I thought I'd kind of gotten over my feelings for the game.
Nope.
Now I'm sitting here and listening to this on repeat, awesome. Makes a change from listening to Painful History on repeat I guess, which I've been doing for most of the last few weeks when I'm home and I can't figure out why I keep listening to it!
I actually got Rin on my first playthrough, and found myself identifying with the character a bit. Similar story when I went through Hanakos route (which I think is probably my favourite out of the lot). Mostly the not understanding people and preferring to be alone aspects of their personalities, just kind of read like me. Maybe not to the same level as their characters, but it's still there.
After going through this thread I might go check out Clannad and some other VNs in the future.
Downloaded this a couple weeks ago when it got bumped mid-April. Finished it today.
Well damn. This is my first visual novel and I'm pretty satisified overall with it.
My thoughts on each arc, in order of how I did them (managed to figure out how to get to each individual arc by myself with some work if it means anything, though I used a flow chart at the end to pick up the last few scenes.):
Emi: Of course trying to be the good compliant student and listening to the nurse to go excercise would put me on this path. I have to agree that Hisao is kind of retarded for not figuring out that Emi's dad died in the car accident. It was a bit of a challenge trying to read her character but I'm pleased on how she turned out, though the sex scenes feel kind of forced.
Rin: Wtf.... Might be my least 2nd favorite arc. I know people say it was well written but either I just read through it too shallowly or I just don't get it. It was interesting to find go through and watch her find herself but it was hard to fully appreciate it cause of her personality which made it super confusing. The route to the good ending though kind of made up for it in the end cause of the emotion I felt.
Shizune: This might be least favorite arc, marginally behind of Rin's. Might be my own personal preference of not being dominated, which is hard to avoid with Shizune's personality. Couple things here and there throw me off (like Misha's sexual preference: da fuq? That was an unexpected hard left). I was probably the least satisfied with this arc's good ending. What kind of made it better was CG where Kenji takes off his glasses. Was kind of nice. Until he went back to normal that is.
Note: I took a break here and didn't play for a while till yesterday, doing up Lilly's arc and finishing the game today with Hanako's. Also, I think after Rin's arc I went ahead and got Kenji's ending. I would've finished that bottle too if I figured out Kenji was dating before me. lol
Lilly: Wow. That scene at the field. The good ending route as you chase after her (kind of clique but it did the job). Though, I'm kind of interested why the arrhythmia decided to play a heavier role in this particular arc (Come on, you actually almost die in the end for the good ending.) Probably my 2nd favorite arc. Also, Lilly's sex drive. (^^)b
Hanako: Might just because I like playing white knight but I really enjoyed this arc. Ended up on the neutral ending at first. The good ending just made me happy at the end. In my opinion, the sex scene didn't seem as forced as others (cough Emi cough) even if it did make things kind of awkward in the aftermath. I died inside when I had to go do the bad ending. T_T Were it up to me, that bad ending scene would been a better take off point towards the good ending (shouldn't have left the room imo and told her how you felt or something; at least that's how I would've played it out in real life.) That good ending... THE FEELS. Definitely my favoirte arc.
The flow of the novel in general was kind of predictable cause of the music but I didn't mind it as much, except for the tenser pieces cause I would always think I fucked up. Still it was fun to play through and I would recommended others to pick it up (though I'd feel a bit awkward to suggest so cause of the prescense of sex scenes.).
I've just completed this game 100%. Man, some of those story arcs hit close to home ... I especially related to Emi and Lilly's story-lines with past relationships. They were really well written, not because of some clever plot twist or anything but because they were so realistic.
I liked all of the arc's with the possible exception of Shizune's. The artwork is great and the soundtrack is phenomenal. Overall its a fantastic game and I recommend everyone to try it.
EPT![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/hkA66.png)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/hoMaX.png)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/0W6Ov.png)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/iG4P1.png)
I think it's cuz she reminded me most of my gf. Emi is second for me 'cuz she reminds me of a close friend of mine who I swear is an exact 100% mirror match to her in every way. Then Rin as third 'cuz damn her route is such an emotional rollercoaster, and she also reminded me of an artist friend I had in college who I couldn't understand in any way. Half the things my friend said I couldn't make sense of! And then ... Hanako and Shizune were really meh for me :T I think it's cuz I don't really know anybody like those two. I have a friend who suffers panic attacks, but she's such a cheerful and bubbly personality, she's actually more like Misha (who I think should have her own route! God, don't you just want to hold her in the Shizune route).
