Katawa Shoujo Act 1 Preview feedback thread

[Extremist_Line]

And that's probably the longest review I've read on KS. Not that I've actively searched them, though...

The initial review I did for KS on Facebook is about the same length, if not longer. I tend to ramble on in my reviews though...

[Deimos]

Hanako is a shrinking violet who is pretty much a non-entity to everyone but Lilly, whom she clings to. Take this along with the hints we get about Lilly's relationship with her sister, Akira, and a picture emerges of someone who really wants to feel necessary and depended upon.

How about the most obvious part, her role in the blind class?

That characterisation of Lilly is debateable since her role in the 'eye ailment class' does necessarily imply her to be seeking the proximity of other students. In fact, her lack of punctuality regarding the preparation for the school festival because she relegated some work can be an indicator that her authority is not that well-respected among her peers. Furthering this interpretation of mine is the apparent lack of attendance of several of Lilly's classmates when they should be running the fastfood stand.
The tea room argument used to signify Hanako's need for seclusion can also be applied to Lilly, albeit in less strict way. Last but not least, another important factor is something we get to witness in the library where Lilly is checking if another load of books has been arrived. Of course, this could be her controlling wether the special needs of her class are met but the books are explicitly mentioned as foreign and allow us to assume that they are meant specifically for her, so, she does have time which is spent in solitude.


I would argue that Lilly is someone who puts emphasis on doing something meaningful, it might be to befriend an obvious outcast, having a close relationship with a sibling or assuming a position of some authority within her environment, yet she does not like to interfere that much and a truly social person is someone who revels in a group, but her being so close to Hanako and obviously enjoying it, points into a different direction.

I may come back later with a more thoughtful analysis later.

Please do so, I would very much enjoy to read your point of view.

[Kazuki]

I'm liking the game so far. The descriptions given for every scene were incredibly detailed; touching upon even the littlest details that one would glance over in real life. Overall, I was completely satisfied all the way through. If I had to complain, I'd say the limited about of interactivity was a bit of a bummer. Regardless, it was a fun experience.

[Nintendo Maniac 64]

If I had to complain, I'd say the limited about of interactivity was a bit of a bummer.

I wouldn't assume this is the first visual novel you've read, is it? This is quite a a normal complaint against them and in fact is one of the #1 reasons they get a bad rep (the other being how many are sex romps). IMO, you kinda need to go in with a different mindset - to me it's more like a novel with various game elements rather than the opposite.

[Kazuki]

I wouldn't assume this is the first visual novel you've read, is it? This is quite a a normal complaint against them and in fact is one of the #1 reasons they get a bad rep (the other being how many are sex romps). IMO, you kinda need to go in with a different mindset - to me it's more like a novel with various game elements rather than the opposite.

Yeah, it was my first. It didn't really bother me that much that it didn't focus much on branching paths, as it was still a very enjoyable experience. What DID bother me was that the times that it DID give me a choice usually involved subjects that I really didn't have much of an opinion on. Because of that, I didn't feel like I was playing, but Hisao, since he made most of the decisions. Of course, this could be what the designers were going for from the start, and if that's the case, I'm really in no place to complain about it.

[Mercutio]

Yeah, it was my first. It didn't really bother me that much that it didn't focus much on branching paths, as it was still a very enjoyable experience. What DID bother me was that the times that it DID give me a choice usually involved subjects that I really didn't have much of an opinion on. Because of that, I didn't feel like I was playing, but Hisao, since he made most of the decisions. Of course, this could be what the designers were going for from the start, and if that's the case, I'm really in no place to complain about it.

yeah, I think that's the way it's supposed to be. KS is my first VN too, but I read a lot about the sex games (thank you, SomethingAwful), and it's pretty clear in those that the main guy is supposed to be this faceless individual who's just there to be the player's avatar. and get fucked. KS makes the main guy an actual character, even gives him a real name and background, and a personality that changes based on the paths. so yeah, it's not so much that you're not making the decisions, it's like you're making them for Hisao.

think of it like those old Choose Your Own Adventure books - you don't get to control everything, like where you go and what you say, but the choices you make still decide where the story goes. *nods in vague attempt to look wise*

[Csihar]

yeah, I think that's the way it's supposed to be. KS is my first VN too, but I read a lot about the sex games (thank you, SomethingAwful), and it's pretty clear in those that the main guy is supposed to be this faceless individual who's just there to be the player's avatar. and get fucked. KS makes the main guy an actual character, even gives him a real name and background, and a personality that changes based on the paths. so yeah, it's not so much that you're not making the decisions, it's like you're making them for Hisao.

think of it like those old Choose Your Own Adventure books - you don't get to control everything, like where you go and what you say, but the choices you make still decide where the story goes. *nods in vague attempt to look wise*

That's how I attempted to describe KS to my girlfriend - "sort of a choose your own adventure romance manga with music." (She still thought I was nuts for liking it so much when I mentioned the cripples, though.)
I seem to recall reading that the devs were throwing around the idea of having Hisao be a faceless protagonist back when the project was first getting organized, but it's pretty obvious by now that making him a character of his own was a much better choice.

[Smoku]

I wouldn't assume this is the first visual novel you've read, is it? This is quite a a normal complaint against them and in fact is one of the #1 reasons they get a bad rep (the other being how many are sex romps). IMO, you kinda need to go in with a different mindset - to me it's more like a novel with various game elements rather than the opposite.

true, true. Well, I'm a flexible bastard, so I pretty much took VNs as an interesting side- thingy, like a book, but with options and art and music. Which is awesome.
Tough a lot of friends don't like VNs cause a lot of people believe video games are based on action and stuff.

Strange, I never felt the way like "Hey, this is kinda... passive". And this is my 3 rd VN. first was Brass Restoration (which owned, owns and will own in my heart as a pure cool, non- hentai game great for an introduction to VNs for amateurs and greenies) and the second was Wanko to Kurasou (what...? Yea, sex scenes, bla bla bla. Still fun).
After BR, KS blew my heart away (which is good). Cheers.

[Nintendo Maniac 64]

Come on now, that's all you've read? Please tell me your at least are planning to read several others, cause you're missing several big-name VNs. (Fate/stay night, Ever17, etc.)

Heck, you even missed Narcissu and True Remembrance - both of which are free, non-ero, quality VNs, and therefore are usually good for first-timers (though they're both kinetic novels, that is they have no choices)

[kosherbacon]

My girlfriend tried to get me to buy Discipline: The Record of a Crusade when she saw it at the store. "At least this one doesn't look like it has twelve year-olds without arms or legs."

No, but it does have "underdeveloped lolis" with boobs bigger than their heads. I downloaded it, and meh, I made it to like, two decisions before giving up.

[SomeRandomLurkerDude]

My first VN was Wanko to Kurasou. I saw doggies and thought, "Oh! Cool!" and downloaded it without reading a single review about it. All I knew when I went into is was that there was at least one path. Yeah, there were too many sex scenes which turned me off, but it was still good, I got attached to the characters.

I agree about it being a good choice to give the main character a face with a background. I don't like when characters don't have a face or background, they always fail to make me feel like I'm them anyway, so there's no point. It just makes it feel unimmersive, which is probably the opposite reaction that want, because it's just some random guy tossed into it. I like to think Hisao has a set personality and sometimes he gets stuck on what he should do, option A or option B. We just tilt him to one side.

[Csihar]

Come on now, that's all you've read? Please tell me your at least are planning to read several others, cause you're missing several big-name VNs. (Fate/stay night, Ever17, etc.)

Heck, you even missed Narcissu and True Remembrance - both of which are free, non-ero, quality VNs, and therefore are usually good for first-timers (though they're both kinetic novels, that is they have no choices)

KS, Narcissu, and (part of) True Remembrance are all I've played, mostly because I don't have money to spend on nice things. The only problem with starting off with the best is that I have the feeling it's all downhill from here, at least as far as free ones go.

Oh, and don't drink while playing Narcissu. Seriously.

[raven8]

Tough a lot of friends don't like VNs cause a lot of people believe video games are based on action and stuff.

I'm inclined to say we do ourselves, and potential newcomers a disservice by referring to visual novels like KS as games at all. It's possible for visual novels to contain games, sure (Princess Waltz has a seriously pointless card battle game), but visual novels provide such minimal interactivity, even when they're fairly heavily branched, that they're read more than played. Lightning Warrior Raidy is a game. Some of the really old stuff that I never see translated anymore were games. (Character stats, time management, and so on figured in as well as VN style narrative.) But KS really isn't a game in any sense of the word. No matter how unfamiliar someone is with the concept, I go with "visual novel," and if they're confused, I explain it with books as the starting point, rather than games. I find people are less likely to dismiss the notion out of hand if it's conveyed as "a story with some stuff," than "a really stripped down game."

I find the level of interactivity in KS to be on par or better than many visual novels I've read. The ones with much more branching tend to be the total sex romp kind. I've got nothing against those (and my copy of "Cosplay Fetish Academy" proves it--least subtle title ever), but the more you branch, the more difficult it becomes to convey a solid narrative. In general, the more control the player has, the looser the author has to play it with the plot in order to provide freedom.

Want a game? Play a game. Want a story, where you have a little say? Read a VN. That's usually how I relay it to friends.

[Nintendo Maniac 64]

I couldn't have said it better raven8. It's the same reason that I try not to say "play" and "game" when talking about visual novels, and instead say "VN" and "read".

[G3n0c1de]

Interesting interprestations. I think of KS as a game. It's the interactivity and the visuals that separate it from things like books. Besides, it is an eroge.