1. Martylin

   10

   I found this game by chance on this site. A positive review made me download it and try it out. It turned out to be a great idea. I must say that it is the second visual novel game I have played. I stopped playing the first one after a short time. As you can see, I have almost no experience with these games, I am an average gamer, usually playing the popular and highly reviewed games. I noticed that this title, Katawa Shoujo, has some positive reviews, so why not to give it a try? And so I did and downloaded it from the developer's site. Running the prologue, even if it was the very beginning of the game, I knew the plot was going to be great. And it was becoming more and more interesting and enjoyable with every hour I spent playing it. Really, this game has one of the most brilliant plots I have ever experienced in any game, any film or any book! It is so touching, the characters are so fascinating that I could not wait to see what happens next, until the very end! Also the game is surprisingly long, it took me over 14 hours to finish it, which is a great advantage. Playing it feels a little like reading a manga, so if you like it, there is a high chance you will love Katawa Shoujo too. I really think this game deserves to be more popular. The plot is absolutely great and so are the characters, you just cannot be unconcerned about their fates. I am perfectly convinced everyone seeking a mature, interesting story and fascinating characters is ought to give Katawa Shoujo a try, especially when you can download it for free.… Expand

   • Helpful?

     3 of 3 users said yes
2. Draktrhon

   5

   Do not start playing this game expecting it to be either a game or hentai, because it is neither. It is a book. If you go into it thinking it is a game, you will be very disappointed, and not because it is bad, but because it is not a game. I did not know this at first, and thought the start of the game was just a dialogue intro showing what happened to your character. After reading the "intro" for around 10 minutes, I realized that this was how the entire "game" played out. I then started rapidly clicking to see if anything interesting would happen, but doing so is like rapidly flipping through pages in a book. I am not giving it a score* simply because as I said, it is not a game. Having me review this visual novel would be like having my mom review a good game, as she is someone who loves books, but does not personally enjoy videogames. *Turns out you have to rate it, I am putting a 5 simply because it is the middle number… Expand

   • Helpful?

     4 of 11 users said yes
3. DZRascal

   4

   This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Katawa Shoujo is a disappointment, it could have been so much better. but the straight edge approach to it all just ruins the atmosphere. Don't misunderstand, the notion that it should portray the relationships in a (somewhat) serious manner is the right way to go, but when you remove from it nearly every semblance of humor (Kenji being one of the few things about the game that is good) you get an experience that is underwhelming. The ways in which the relationships between the MC and the girls develop are on the whole pretty decent, nothing amazing but not bad by any stretch of the word. The soundtrack, while fitting, doesn't really stand out much and is on the whole pretty simple. The artwork varies in quality and has consistency issues. Multiple artists, I know, but this has been in development for 5 years. Let that last statement sink in. This has been worked on for 5 years, yet it doesn't feel that way. The game feels like it could have been put together in about a year or so, 18 months at most. For a 5 year project, Katawa Shoujo is lacking. On the whole the game could have been much better if the whole serious business approach had been declined, in favor of a more regular approach, that is to include humor, and cater more to the specific fetishes that the works direction can include. Why make a Bishoujo game about disabled girls and then dodge around potential scenes that can be included? There isn't anything stopping the game from having humor related to the subject matter while still remaining a 'serious' portrayal of building a relationship with a disabled partner. Again, I'd like to point out that while KS isn't particularly bad, it isn't really all that good either, it does nothing to stand out and doesn't display a very high level of quality at all given its development period. An ok outing for an indie dev, especially considering where they gathered together and how the idea came about.… Expand

   • Helpful?

     2 of 18 users said yes

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