Fundamental design flaw

[Brogurt]

I've recently noticed one thing about Katawa Shoujo that is, quite honestly, more than a bit concerning.

One you complete a path (usually your favorite girl's), you become so emotionally invested that you lose the will to play any of the other paths.

How frequently I've seen people bring this issue up is frightening, especially on places like /a/ and /v/ where discussion has been running 24/7 for the past couple days. Not to say that I'm some kind of exception to the aforementioned behavior. In reality, this means that 80% of the authors have most of their efforts wasted for a surprisingly large number of people. And this is very inefficient.

What you should have done instead is made all of the routes except for one total horseshit that nobody cares about. That way we can read and play through said routes without being haunted by feelings of remorse, and some of the authors could have kicked back and taken time to relax.

[Xevo]

Um, that's not a design flaw.

It's how humans react to a good story.

Still dont get why people troll.

[Palas]

That's the price for 5x more awesomeness than normal.

[NubChaos]

It's not a flaw by any means. It just proves how masterfully written and executed Katawa Shoujo is. If you get so emotionally invested in one girl that you're a bit shy to try the other girls, then kudos to the writer of that girl's path.

I got similar feelings, especially after getting a bad ending, but soldiered through them and have now finished 4 of the 5 paths with their good endings. The only one I haven't done yet is Emi.

Rin was my favorite in the Act 1 Demo, and still is now. Despite getting a bad ending and her good ending, I still managed to push myself to do the other girls' paths, despite getting so emotionally invested into her.


The fact that I'm left with a powerful sense of catharsis after many of the more emotional scenes just proves even more how well KS was done. Lilly's path literally made me cry, and the others have made me tear up. Shizune's path had so many laugh out loud moments that I had to stop playing for a few minutes to keep my sides from splitting.

I have nothing but positive thoughts and comments for this game. It was truly a masterpiece to me, and is something that has raised the bar for me in terms of quality in fiction. I write stories of my own on occasion, and I know that experiencing KS will help better my own stories. It will also make me more closely scrutinize other works of fiction, since KS was just too damn good to me. I had similar feelings after playing and beating Persona 3 and Persona 4 for the PS2.

And the fact that this was done completely for free, without asking for anything in return, really speaks to the devs' character. I can't possibly thank them enough for gracing the earth with this masterpiece, and it's really sad to hear that 4LS won't be working on any other projects. Though I will say if the individual devs do some work of their own (and not as the single entity of 4LS), I'll have to take a look at them.

KS has really started 2012 off right for me, and I look forward to the rest of this year, since I'll hopefully be living on my own soon and making my own choices independent of my family, kind of like what Hisao did after that fateful day...

But that's enough from me... Enjoy KS for what it is. KS at it's KSiest.

[sporkaganza]

The flaw in that case would lie with the reader, not the design. I had some pretty overwhelming feelings when I was playing the Lilly arc (the first one I picked), but I was perfectly willing to try out all the other routes afterward.

[Yuno]

I think people are taking this thread in the wrong direction.

I don't think OP was being serious. I think he was complimenting the devs in a sly way.

[Jintor]

It really hurt to play the Emi route and have Rin right there and be totally unable to talk to her.

I'm trying to conjure up some coherent way to integrate all the paths into a single storyline, but it just comes out looking like a harem anime where Hisao is the designated protagonist. Looks like my reality meter will only accept that kind of successful interaction with a single person at a time.

It also causes major complications what with all the sex and whatnot

[yuastnav]

As others have pointed out - not a design flaw, but yes, I know exactly what you mean.
Choosing Lilly's path was a wonderful decision but if I were to chose Shizune it would mean that I would have to hurt Lilly in Act 1 when they have that little showdown - and that would feel like betraying her a little bit. For that sole reason I am rather reluctant to play any other paths.

Maybe some day, in a few months or years when I am not as emotionally invested in it anymore I will replay it with the other girls in mind.

[Nightydreams]

I think that... The whole inability to move on to different paths after finishing a particular one, even after a period of time has passed is something that proves you are human, or atleast more human than you would like to think.

When I finished Lilly's path, I connected with her on a level far deeper than personal and the ups and downs in her life felt all the more real because of it. I say with no shame whatsoever that I laughed when she laughed and cried when she cried.

The beauty of this is only possible because of the amazing work by the developers, I am sure that if any less effort were given the GAME would still be good but the FEELING would be lost.

To hold something so close and so dear to yourself, even for the few short hours it is shared, means it is all the harder to eventually let go of. Perhaps this is also a moral of a story that is Katawa Shoujo. That attachment and love is attachment and love, connection is formed regardless of space, time or circumstance.

Thats probably why it is so hard to move onto or truly understand or feel in another's story, which is completely understandable and very respectable.

But it should also be thought of that should we not persue their stories, that if we askew Hanako for Emi, or Shizune for Rin, it would be a grave insult to ourselves and to them for thinking that there is only one path, or perhaps having only thoughts of betrayal on your mind.

Don't you think that maybe, Katawa Shoujo is proof of all our very own Disabilities, that Disablity being something along the lines of "Being Human" or "Capable Of Love" And like the stories in it perhaps Katawa Shoujo is showing us how our disablity does not hold us back, nor does it make us less than we are.

Perhaps our collective disablity is one of the most beautiful stories Katawa Shoujo has to offer, the last and most important one.

[yuastnav]

[...]
To hold something so close and so dear to yourself, even for the few short hours it is shared, means it is all the harder to eventually let go of. Perhaps this is also a moral of a story that is Katawa Shoujo. That attachment and love is attachment and love, connection is formed regardless of space, time or circumstance.
[...]

If I am honest I'll have to say that Katawa Shoujo is not the first work of art that has evoked that feeling. Other video games, movies, books and even pieces of music has evoked that feeling (with music it does not work as well because it is more abstract and does not involve humans, at least not directly - except if it is not an instrumental piece and has lyrics describing a story, like "Ministry of Lost Souls", that is a whole different story altogether).
Not every story can achieve that kind of emotion from the reader or the listener, though. The creator has to invest a lot of him- or herself for it to become something special, it is like he or she shares a part of him- or herself with the people who are willing to accept it.

Katawa Shoujo is not special in the regard that it can evoke emotions but it is really damn fething impressive that they managed to pull it off. It is definitely of a very higher quality and definitely much, much more than your average run-of-the-mill story, both story- and especially emotionwise.

[Nekken]

I'm starting to think that perhaps the biggest flaw in this game is that Hanako's path isn't locked until you finish the other four.

[VLSM]

I'm starting to think that perhaps the biggest flaw in this game is that Hanako's path isn't locked until you finish the other four.

Well I tend to disagree --- hanako is my favourite character but I didn't find the necessity to make her the secret/true heroin or something similar

[Nightydreams]

I'm starting to think that perhaps the biggest flaw in this game is that Hanako's path isn't locked until you finish the other four.

I think that locking a particular path until such conditions have been met would have been one of the largest flunks in Visual Novel History were it implemented into Katawa Shoujo.

Mostly because the game does not pin any particular girl or path as "Central" or "Canon" and doing so gives the world a sense of realism about it. Imposing restrictions would have been counter-productive and only frustrated rather than excited.

[VLSM]

I'm starting to think that perhaps the biggest flaw in this game is that Hanako's path isn't locked until you finish the other four.

I think that locking a particular path until such conditions have been met would have been one of the largest flunks in Visual Novel History were it implemented into Katawa Shoujo.

Mostly because the game does not pin any particular girl or path as "Central" or "Canon" and doing so gives the world a sense of realism about it. Imposing restrictions would have been counter-productive and only frustrated rather than excited.

Unless you go for AkabeiSoft2's games.....

or Key's.....

[Snelx]

I'm starting to think that perhaps the biggest flaw in this game is that Hanako's path isn't locked until you finish the other four.

+1
i agree.
(as a joke lol)


anyway, i think it is the up and downs that we follow with the girl we chose. (not just hanako)
Hence, develop a 'bond' between us.

Which explains our sense of guilt to woo other girls.