VN - Ren'Py - Completed - Katawa Shoujo [Final] [Four Leaf Studios]

Excellent! That's what it says when choosing 5 Stars and that's what this game is and so much more.

I've finished the last girl (Rin in my case) 10 minutes ago and can't help but get a small tear in my right eye (I really feel bad about not crying that much, I think I had a waterfall running down my face either after Hanako's or Lilly's playthrough). This game is beautiful.

This is my first ever 'Nakige' game (more story, less H-scenes) and I think I might switch to these types of games altogether. Each girl struggles with not only a physical disability but also at least one major life/personality problem that may or may not be caused by her disability. The protagonist is an interesting character in his own right. For now, I thank the creator(s) of the In-Line Walkthrough and Four Leaf Studios for giving and or taking me on this really heart-warming and at times heart-wrenching experience and journey.

My only 'criticism' would be that even though it is Nakige, the game therefore not having a lot of H-Scenes, the H-Scenes that the game has seem out of place and forced for nearly all the girls (Emi being the exception). They always seem to come out of left field for me, totally unprovoked like 'Hey, we need to cram these scenes into the game, where's the least annoying place we could put them?'. I know how unfair that sounds, with KS giving us the ability to disable adult-content altogether, but I always want to see everything that's possible ^^, because of that I had to see the scenes and now I can't stop moaning over this small issue.

On another note, here are some tips from me as to how one should play this game using the In-Line Walkthrough:
1. Playthrough - Kenji
2. Playthrough - Shizune (first the bad end, then the neutral one [if one is available; personally I see them as variants of a bad ending/as a second bad ending] and finally the good one, this rule applies to all characters/playthroughs)
3. Playthrough - Emi
4. Playthrough - Rin
5. Playthrough - Lilly
6. Playthrough - Hanako

I've ranked them from the 1st being the 'worst' to the 6th being the 'best' playthrough. Following the Walkthrough girl for girl and decision for decision would make you finish with the bad ending of the current girl before starting up with the next one (and because last impressions are lasting impressions, those bad endings would be more prominent in your mind than the good endings you played before) AND ending the game over all with the Kenji playthrough (leaving the whole game on a WTF/sour note), I can't have that.

Disclaimer: MY OPINION!

To be totally honest: Rin, Emi and Shizune are all basically on one level for me (I could say that Rin is slightly above the other two, but that's probably just because the memories of her story are still so fresh in my mind), Lilly is slightly above them and Hanako is miles above her. Though all of them are equally lovable and I also feel equally bad when one of their stories comes to an end, I guess that is thanks to the time one spends with them and the great writing.

Now I’m going to write down my impression of each girl, her disability, how it may affect her and her other problems, as well as how she may affect Hisao.






Choosing one after playing through all of them is hard, because you know in the back of your head that the problems all the other 4 (or 5 if you count Misha) girls face, will go unsolved.


P.S. I have the strong suspicion that Yuuko and Kenji were dating, their stories over several playthroughs seem to add up, at least for me.

Edit: Grammar, spelling and some more words, Word says 2082 words (with this edit, 2029 without), I love this game, I will make it a part of the games I replay on a yearly or bi-yearly basis, and to think that 1000 word essays were something to be feared some years ago xD.

"Came for the fap, stayed for the feels" is probably the best summary i ever read about KS.

Played it years ago, couldn't touch it ever since because i fear the feels would get too much to me .. again.

The artwork is beautiful, nothing fancy but really all around nice. The H-scenes are just for itself beautiful too, but again, nothing special.
HOWEVER: because of the insanely phantastic story-writing it is easy to get really invested in the story of each girl (you baiscally do one girl at a time so u need multiple play-throughs to get all), and if you are really into one of the girls the fap will be (at least the first time for each scene) GLORIOUS!

But the real strongpoints of KS are story and music.
Without spoilers: you will get hurt. Yes there are ppl who don't feel much for the stories of the girls, but the average player WILL get hurt, to some degree at least.
The soundtrack plays an important role, it's surely not a masterpiece, but transports the feelings and mood of the scenes very good.
Till today i can't listen to some songs of it withtout having at least a lump in my throat (all i say is: Hanako).

Only 2 tips: this game has dead-ends which can be annoying as they take time to come to, so using the flowchart-guides is no real shame, though i recommend to play some of the 'bad' endings too, just for the experience.
2nd tip is: don't do your first playthrough with Rin, she is very special and kinda confusing, better keep her till later.

PS: HANAKO BEST GIRL!!

The story is really good where the best point in the game is the personality of the characters, even when you "fail" on a decision you learn about them, which makes it more engaging. There may not be a lot of adult scenes, but the story makes up for it if you where looking for that. Sometimes the interactions feel silly but the fact that Hisao is approximately 18 years old, the lack of experience talking with girls, being in a new school and being that age are factors that make it that way, plus it adds to the games history being like that.
I really liked it, probably remember it for a long while.

Superb story line.
It was slow paced which is very essential if you are looking for a perfect romantic plot.
It's very much involving and the music just blends in perfectly.
Simply magnificent and can't just get enough of it.
You will never be fully satisfied even after playing it quite a few times.
Although Lilly was my favorite right from the start and playing the other routes was just an excuse for continuing the game it was just too good like the Lilly route.

I love this game. So much, that I actually went through to get the ending for each of the characters. I did not do all the endings, as I am not on that needs to see the bad ends.

The story was so well written that I fell in love with all the characters. The only thing I wished for this game was that one or two of thee other characters in it were romance-able.

It is a heart warming story, with just enough comedy to keep you from getting too sad. I would really like to see the writer do more stories and games.

This is one of the very Few Visual Novels that I actually read instead of skimming to look for H-scenes. Each story line really sucks you in with each girls problems and how they deal with it in their daily lives. I'd recommend this VN to anyone to read this. Just wish the creators stayed around to create more work but from what I understand they've all split up.

Probably the one visual novel that sold me on the possibilities of Ren'Py and the media as a whole. A heartwarming and touching story - if you can find it, read the review of this on atagong's site. It really makes sense, in that - while simple and seemingly boring in it's everyday life approach, it touches the heart and makes total sense as you move through the route towards either a happy ending or a "wish it ended better). Be prepared to play through more than once, and make many critical point saves - it's worth it...