Discovered KS less than a week ago. Now I'm at 100%

[pandaphil]

I felt the exact same way for the longest time. I was directed to a very well written fanfiction that continues the good ending for Hanako. It extends to the same point in time where the Lilly arc ends.
http://ks.renai.us/viewtopic.php?f=52&t ... sisterhood

I hope you enjoy it as well.

My thanks too. I read a tiny bit of Chapter 6 and was hooked. But I'll wait until I finish Lilly's arc before I read it all.

[Morlok8k]

I've played maybe 3 dating sims in my life. I dont know which ones. But I wasnt really impressed with them. Its not really my type of game. I concluded, years ago, it was mostly just fap-material.

Two of the three that I mentioned would get a "PG" movie rating at most (and I think the Ariane game would have an "R" rating). But one is a fan-translated DS game, and the other is made with RPG Maker XP, which is Windows only. If you want a complex romance game that works natively on Linux, then RE: Alistair is a good start. It's freeware, worksafe, reverse harem, and has a decent balance of gameplay and narrative. And if you're willing to look at the indie scene, then go to a few independent creators' websites (such as Winter Wolves, Hanako Games, and Super Six-Three) and try some of their demos.

If you're looking for visual novels, there's a separate and *lengthy* recommendation thread. Keep in mind that I wandered into visual novel fandom over ten years ago, back when only a handful of products existed in English, and almost everything was porn without plot. If I had not found Kana Little Sister, then I probably would've given up and just stuck with anime and video game fandom.

OMG, if you haven't played the full version, It really shines when you get past Act 1 (the demo) of any girl. you should really do this as soon as possible.

I read a part of the demo in 2009, but lost interest. I remember there was a long memory scene, and the characters were slowly introduced, but nothing seemed to be happening. I was getting impatient and hoping for some gameplay. That year, I ended up reading Daemonophilia and Fantasia: The Realm of Thanos instead.

While I downloaded the full version of Katawa Shoujo last January, it sat unused on my hard drive until I moved it to an external HD. I have no plans tomorrow afternoon/evening, so I might finally set aside some time for reading it.

I'll look into some of those after i finish KS for the 2nd time. thanks!

I'm surprised that someone would even be active on these forums, not having really played. But then again, you probably had some reason to become a member - probably someones post that you just had to respond to.
Anyways, give one of the girls a play-though. They are all pretty good, and people argue with each other on the best one - but it really just matters on personal preference.

My advice: (for everyone)
Dont click though quickly, even if you are anxious to see whats next. read it - that's the point.
Save on every question.
if you have an idea who you want to go for already, do her route first. (look at a flowchart if needed)
if your unsure yet, just play as naturally as you can.

(You say you've played a lot of VNs, so you probably know these things already.)


anyways....


Rin - 2nd play

Actual game-play bug:
when using auto mode, just after the sex scene (at the start of "Proof of Existence") where it goes white and says "Present" in the middle screen, it hangs there. I manually have to click to progress to the next screen, and then bring it back to auto mode.
it happens again after "in fact... alive" (the end of the "white" scene)


I don't have much more to say about Rin. I enjoyed my 2nd play-through with her, but not quite as much as i did the first time. She was my first path originally... She started my obsession. Anyways, playing through it again (and slowly) helped me understand her just a bit more, and caused me to reflect on myself.

...

I've noticed that playing this game a 2nd time through is making me want to change my life. I'm still unsure how yet, but that will come to me - either as an inspiration or life choice (akin to the choices in the game)...

I think i made a wrong choice last night. I was dropping of a coworker at his girlfriends college after work. He invited me to come in, saying there are a lot of pretty girls (his gf is learning to be a hairdresser). I thought for a second, but stupidly i said no, and drove off. Its a minor event, and while nothing probably would have come out of it, who knows what could happen! It would have been interesting to see and maybe talk to a few new people, but i didn't even open up for the opportunity.

what did i do instead? i just deposited my paycheck, paid my mortgage, and went home and played KS.

This is just a minor but telling moment of how I've been living my life. If i hadn't found KS, i probably wouldn't have even thought about it again. that fact i'm reconsidering choices i've made is at least a step in the right direction.

anyways. Emi next, then the best for last, Lilly.

[Morlok8k]

the use of British slang / vernacular in the game kinda throws me off occasionally. some things I know, like "sod off". others, i have to look up like "fracas".

Yes, I'm American. Unlike most, I watch some British TV - various things ranging from Mr. Bean, Top Gear, The IT Crowd and many other shows.

Also, having majored (for a while, at least) in English in college, and being an avid reader, etc. I have a larger vocabulary than your average american.

Still, I think the game should be a little more neutral with regards to slang. This way people from any English speaking country should be able to understand every line, without looking a particular word or phrase, just to understand the meaning.

All that said, it does a pretty good job of not having much slang, considering that i've read that some of the Dev's are from Australia (who i have a much harder time understanding) and other various places around the world.


Emi - 2nd play

What can i say that i didn't say previously? i like her route, Hisao still cant read between the lines, and its a beautiful bittersweet story.


Lilly - 2nd play

Just noticed that in Lilly's path, the student counsel has a laptop, but they didn't in Shizune's...

I almost teared up again at the end of Lilly's path, but i knew what was coming...
I did indeed find out that i was mistaken on a few points from the first playthrough. Yes, Akira does say that she babysits Hideki. I was confused about their relationship the first time and thought they were dating. I must have skipped by those few lines too quickly.

i'm still bugged by the end though... he could have called her or akira. also, i noticed this time, that when he is having his heart attack at the airport that her ears pick up... did she hear him? or did she go to Scotland, find out (maybe hanako called her?) and came back? did hideki call akira saying that Hisao was coming to the airport? It's left unanswered and vague.

Its still amazing though.

Kenji
Now, i'm less sure about my initial thoughts regarding the Kenji/Yuuko relationship possibility. At first, I didn't think they could have been together. Now, after my careful read, Its a maybe... Kenji is 20, older then the rest of the students. Yuuko is in a University, so 19-24 years old or so. They could have met at the Shanghai, and she could have not know he was a student - it may have been even before she worked at Yamaku? There are some major coincidences - like similar story-lines about their ex's, the cryptography book, and the fact that he avoids her like the plague. (OR MAYBE KENJI AND YUUKO ARE THE SAME PERSON!!!!!! DUN, DUN, DUN!!!! ) Maybe she still doesn't know hes a student there, and that's a contributing factor to his hiding out so much, and maybe why he steals books from the library. Who knows? There were some inconsistencies that i mentioned previously, but those can be explained around if you wanted to. I'm still a fan of the Kenji/Emi idea - while there is less contributing evidence, it does line up... and his reaction to her was the worst!

I do kinda wish there was a Hisao/Yuuko path... I actually found her to be the cutest!

Overall

Looking back, after 2 playthroughs, the stories were great. All of them in their own way.
Would I (and others) have wanted more? Of course! The Dev's gave us SO MUCH to begin with, and with so many little (and big) loose ends, combined with the pure raw emotions of the game, how can we not want to know what happens?

Again, my thoughts are mostly contained in my original post, so i wont repeat them here. My one repeated thought that i'd emphasize: The game was a little too linear. Act 1 was good. Acts 2-4 for each girl became their own independent story-line, with only a little crossover, and cause the exclusion of the other girls as your friends (not counting exceptions).
Unifying events that happened in all paths (like the festival in act 1) would have helped, along with more choices - both large and small, and in between, just to give some variety.

I'm saddened that i have finished KS for the 2nd time. I don't think I'll play it again anytime soon though. I'll keep the game obviously. Playing it the 2nd time, this time in not as of a rush, has calmed my initial feels.

I don't have the need to play again, at least not right now.

KS came to me out of the blue, when i needed it. these past 2 weeks have filled me with emotions that i haven't felt in years. I wasn't depressed, except for a minor bit here and there, but rather i was mostly emotionally numb. I just existed, with my life mostly on pause. Sure i had some personal growth, etc. but it was more of just reactions to external influences in my life.
Examples: I moved out of my parents place a year after finishing college and moved in with my best friend. Only because he needed a roommate, and my parents were starting to demand that i pay rent. Later, I bought my own house at the age of 25. awesome right? well, a mortgage was cheaper than paying rent (thanks recession and horrible housing market!), and my roommate had to move back in with his parents due to unemployment. these and other things would make others think that I'm living a pretty good life, but inside i just felt dead and was just doing the easiest course of actions to live/exist day to day.

Now, I'm filled with a new outlook on life. I'm not sure where i'm going in my life yet, but at least I'm thinking about it.


KS was a glorious time-sink. Almost every spare minute i had at home was spent playing. Feeling those wonderful feels it gave me. I spent time at work thinking about the girls and their stories.

I had a moment of clarity while at work. i was just working on my work, and realized i felt good in a way that i hadn't felt in years. I wasn't waiting for the time to pass like usual. I felt complete. I've needed others in the past to feel that way, but here i was feeling it just by myself. I don't know how to describe it, So i'll stop trying.


I have a date this Friday. I haven't dated in over 4 years. Even if it doesn't go well, I'm trying to live my life again.

Friday evening edit: (since this did not deserve a new post) It was interesting. Girl is cute, we have similar interests, polar opposite political views... Talked a lot about marriage (in general, not with me), etc. I'll probably see her again (kinda have to, since shes my best friend's other best friend), but i don't expect anything to come from it. Well, gotta keep looking!

I'm out of stuff to say, at least for now. I'll be around for a while on these forums, most likely just lurking... You guys have a lot of interesting stuff to say, and i have not read as much as i'd like (been playing too much KS!)

[gekiganwing]

I'll look into some of those after i finish KS for the 2nd time. thanks!

Some of the games and VNs that I recommend are personal favorites, usually ones I like because of odd circumstances. (Things like "Almost nothing else was translated at the time," or "I didn't have a reliable computer at the time.") So instead of reading the top-rated products on VNDB, I end up enjoying odd little freeware VNs like My Black Cat or Project Nattsu.

Anyways, give one of the girls a play-though. They are all pretty good, and people argue with each other on the best one - but it really just matters on personal preference.

As of this writing, I'm not sure. I do not yet know if I want my main character to form a relationship with anyone. Maybe the nurse? He seems like a respectable adult, and he has a sense of humor...

[Morlok8k]

Some of the games and VNs that I recommend are personal favorites, usually ones I like because of odd circumstances. (Things like "Almost nothing else was translated at the time," or "I didn't have a reliable computer at the time.") So instead of reading the top-rated products on VNDB, I end up enjoying odd little freeware VNs like My Black Cat or Project Nattsu.

thanks for mentioning VNDB, I'm looking at it right now...

kinda debating on using the ren'py engine to make my own game...

As of this writing, I'm not sure. I do not yet know if I want my main character to form a relationship with anyone. Maybe the nurse? He seems like a respectable adult, and he has a sense of humor...

Well, not forming a relationship is kinda an option too... It takes you down an interesting path, but not one i'd recommend for someone's first play. (and you typically have to be a jerk to get it)
If you follow the Nurses advice, the path you may get on (depends on certain choices) is the one with the most scenes with the nurse, but he is just a minor character.

oh, last thing, the choosing of paths tends to happen almost naturally - there is no point where the character thinks or gives you the choice of "ok, which girl?"... so you may already be heading towards a particular path and not know it yet.