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[Katawa Shoujo]: Tasteful Stories from Not Too Tasteful People? NOWAI-

JackKieserJackKieser Seattle, WARegistered User regular
edited May 2012 in Games and Technology
Welcome to the Katawa Shoujo (Crippled Girls) thread!

Quick overview: A while back, a group of 4Chan-ers saw a WIP sketch about a possible visual novel about falling in love with girls with various disabilities. After swooning, those same people rose from the wretched hive of scum and villainy with a new purpose: to make a tasteful, mature, adult visual novel about a young man struggling with normalcy and finding love through those different from him, and growing a little in the process.

So, that's how we came to have...

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Best of all, it's completely free! Yep, you can get Act 1 (translated into a ton of languages), or the whole game (only in English, so far) for a grand total of 0.00$ at the game's site, [REMOVED].

Now, let's meet the team:

Hisao Nakai

char_hisao.png

"Troubled over his months-long stay at the hospital after his heart almost gave out and trying to adjust to his new surroundings, he is trying hard to find his place in the world. After being thrown into a new beginning, the chaotic circumstances have forced Hisao to rethink his apathetic disposition, especially regarding things like life, friendship and future. "

Emi Ibarazaki

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"Despite being left with legs amputated below the knee, Emi is perhaps one of the most cheery, happy-go-lucky girls on the entire globe, let alone the school. Not one to be left in despair even after the accident that claimed her legs, Emi views her disability more as a blessing, her prosthetic legs having brought her to the heights of her ability on the track team rather than becoming a permanent obstacle. "

Hanako Ikezawa

char_hanako.png

"At a young age, Hanako had a traumatic experience that left her life in shambles. Her father died when their home burned down in an accident, which also disfigured Hanako herself permanently. She is reclusive to the extreme, shunning from all other people to the point of actually panicking from any social contact. Her only trusted friend is Lilly, who has taken Hanako under her wing ever since the two were introduced to each other."

Lilly Satou

char_lilly.png

"Blind since birth, Lilly is caring, responsible and friendly - the perfect foil to Hanako, her best friend, whom she shares an almost mother-daughter relationship with, in addition to her free time often being spent drinking tea alongside her companion. In class she is a diligent student, with her sense of confidence serving her well in her role as class representative of class 3-2."

Rin Tezuka

char_rin.png

"Since Rin’s arms are tiny stumps due to a severe birth defect and subsequent surgery, she uses her feet and occasionally her mouth to do everything, which includes painting. Because of her disability, using skirts is tough, so Rin is wearing a boy’s uniform at school. Her creativity is matched by her philosophical streak: Rin is fond of occasionally getting lost in thought and giving voice to abstract ideas about man, the universe, and other things that thoroughly confuse people."

Shizune Hakamichi

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"Strong willed and forceful, Shizune is definitely the leader type. She’s been the class rep, despite being deaf and mute, for as long as her class has had one, and generally takes charge in just about any situation she’s placed in. Shizune is known around the school as a fearsome taskmaster, and skilled manipulator, but also as a fair and just leader."

Shiina "Misha" Mikado

char_misha.png

"Misha is the interpreter for Shizune and a fellow member of the student council. Cheery, playful, and never one to pull a punch, she happily joins in Shizune's attempts to get Hisao onto the student council. "


You have no reason not to play this; the art is great, the writing is great, the stories are great... it really is a very well done, mature product for something to come out of 20-30 random anons... no, it's just great in general. Try it out; you won't be disappointed.


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Sterica on

Posts

  • Page-Page- Registered User regular
    I remember playing the demo way back when. The main character (and narrator) was an insufferable whiner. It also made "playing" the game really tedious as everything that happened was filtered through this screen of teenage abloo bloo.

    Maybe it gets better? I was told that the narrator isn't too uncommon in visual novels.

    Competitive Gaming and Writing Blog Updated in October: "Song (and Story) of the Day"
    Anyone want to beta read a paranormal mystery novella? Here's your chance.
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  • JackKieserJackKieser Seattle, WARegistered User regular
    Oh, yeah, it gets better. He's like that on purpose at the beginning, and part of the point is seeing Hisao change and grow over the course of the game. By the end of each story, he's arguably better in every aspect. That being said, how insufferable he is also depends on the storyline you're playing, since each girl's story is written by a different person and thus has a different writing style. How much of Hisao you can tolerate will ultimately depend on how much you can tolerate the author's writing style.

    I've played 4/5 of the lines so far, and only one of them wasn't for me. Everything else? Solid emotional gold. Seriously, I cried at the end of one of them (not saying who~ :P ).


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  • DelphinidaesDelphinidaes FFXIV: Delphi Kisaragi Registered User regular
    edited May 2012
    I played one story, and it was Rin. I have a very hard time touching the game again after that.

    Once Bitten, Twice Shy

    Delphinidaes on
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  • Page-Page- Registered User regular
    I think I'm just fundamentally unable to enjoy visual novels. They do all the things that I dislike about general video game storytelling, except they're more tedious and annoying to get through.

    Competitive Gaming and Writing Blog Updated in October: "Song (and Story) of the Day"
    Anyone want to beta read a paranormal mystery novella? Here's your chance.
    stream
  • JackKieserJackKieser Seattle, WARegistered User regular
    Hmm. She's the only one I haven't played yet. Any (non-spoilery) reasons why you didn't like it?


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  • DelphinidaesDelphinidaes FFXIV: Delphi Kisaragi Registered User regular
    edited May 2012
    JackKieser wrote: »
    Hmm. She's the only one I haven't played yet. Any (non-spoilery) reasons why you didn't like it?

    It's not that I didn't like it. It was just very frustrating. I mean you've met the character right? She isn't all there and it is very hard to read her.

    *Edit* However I do know that hers is the must frustrating story, and eventually I'll go back and try some of the other ones.

    Delphinidaes on
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    Official PA Forums FFXIV:ARR Free Company <GHOST> gitl.enjin.com Join us on Sargatanas!
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  • JackKieserJackKieser Seattle, WARegistered User regular
    JackKieser wrote: »
    Hmm. She's the only one I haven't played yet. Any (non-spoilery) reasons why you didn't like it?

    It's not that I didn't like it. It was just very frustrating. I mean you've met the character right? She isn't all there and it is very hard to read her.

    *Edit* However I do know that hers is the must frustrating story, and eventually I'll go back and try some of the other ones.

    Oh, I see what you're saying. Yeah, I didn't really like Rin as a person, so I decided to stall on playing her story as long as possible; I still don't really know if I want to play it, just because I don't like her personality that much... but, that 100% completion. I'm a sucker for arbitrary metrics. :P

    That being said, I think that counts as a +1 for the game's writing. IRL, I don't like everyone I meet, and it was like that in KS, too; I naturally gravitated towards Lilly and Emi, hated Rin with a passion, and was mildly curious about Shizune and Hanako. That I can feel that way, naturally and sincerely, about different characters is cool to me.


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  • narwhalnarwhal monodon monoceros Registered User regular
    I played one story, and it was Rin. I have a very hard time touching the game again after that.

    Once Bitten, Twice Shy

    Rin is not a good one to start with. I ended with her and I'm glad, because yeah, her route makes you go, what???

    The other routes are nothing like hers, I'd give the game another try if the concept at least seemed interesting to you.

    Narwhal#1834
  • StericaSterica Yes Registered User, Moderator mod
    edited May 2012
    No.

    No

    Fuck you, no.

    Sterica on
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This discussion has been closed.