The "thank you 4LS" thread.

[Freya]

after seeing the change from grid1 to act1
Knew this game was going to be one of the best designed and thoughout VNs out there, not some quick 5-10 man team pushing out a story in a year or less with random sex in the mix.

All the H scenes ive seen so far have been very tasteful(withstanding of a certain shed time which did seem out of place but ok to the story, if anyone was to explore it was her)

[Xevo]

I do not "Know" her but have seen her and others like her. Of varying ages and disabilities. There is also a school for the deaf near where I live. About 20 minute bus ride away.

And where did you live did you say? *takes up pen*

And I can do some sign language btw~

[Bloodbane]

I just want to thank the creators of Katawa Shoujo not only for creating this game, or finishing it, but for doing research on what exactly people with an Arrhythmia have to go threw I have grown up my entire life living with a rare heart problem, known as IHSS, and do to this I developed an Arrhythmia and much like Hisao dose in the game, I not only have to take medication to keep my heart at bay, but I also have to be aware of what I do, and how often I do things.

So far Hanako's Story has hit home the most in my opinion mostly because Hisao goes through most of the feelings I have had going threw school, afraid of the future and not wanting to talk about his disability, and the scene where he shows Hanako his scar, also moved me mostly because, it takes me a certain level of trust before I even talk my condition. It is nice to actually able to relate to the main character in ways most other players of this game cannot.

Thank you again, sincerely

- Bloodbane

[FairysHuff]

I do not "Know" her but have seen her and others like her. Of varying ages and disabilities. There is also a school for the deaf near where I live. About 20 minute bus ride away.

And where did you live did you say? *takes up pen*

And I can do some sign language btw~

LOL I'd be happy to tell you AFTER I've moved away to another area with better support for people with AS. If I told you where I live it would be public knowledge and who knows what sociopath would come along. Yeh that may seem paranoid but it's not the first time I've been attacked for being "Different".
Though I'm hoping that when I'm finally seen by a social worker they will be able to help me move. Fingers crossed. Once that happens I'll happily tell you where I once lived ^_^
Until then I'm just going to say Central Scotland. ehhe.

[Morthious]

So far I've completed Hanako and Lilly's paths, in that respective order... And I have to say that this game is incredible. There's such an intense story for each girl that.. it blows my mind. I thought nothing could compare to Hanako's path, I connected with it very well, since I dated a girl back in highschool quite a bit like her, though different in obvious ways. What I wasn't prepared for was the depth and power of Lilly's path. Its was 2am, I have work in barely a few hours, and I got to the bad end for Lilly. When I realized I was on the bad end, my heart broke in two and I honest to god cried. I never expected that to happen. I was so... I just couldn't let it go. I played through the entire game again (with the help of the skip function. ^.^; ) and this time thought even harder about each choice and managed, over the course of the next two hours, to get the good ending. I still cried but the feeling of completion and joy I feel is paramount. I don't know how but Lilly became even more endeared to me than Hanako.

Even though I've only played two paths so far and have 46% completion, I feel that.. my sense of what love really is, really isn't as good as what I thought. Playing this game made me think a lot about my past and how I've acted and how I've treated others. It made me realize that while longing for a love so deep and powerful, I have never once truly loved anyone. Not even in the smallest of ways. I feel ashamed of that fact and I hope that what this amazing game helped me come to realize will help me forge a better future.

[bintoy]

I'd post here 'cause I have the same sentiments.. An amazing game. The developers were equally amazing. Recently I've read a book Game On! a book pushing the idea that libraries should not just contain traditional literature(books) but games as well.. I believe Katawa Shoujo should be in Library archives. It still has to be kept away from minors just like how we should reserve Time Traveller's Wife for a more mature reader. The story just flowed so naturally and innocently that I forgot my first reason for interest in KS half a year ago the final release was for a less noble reason.

I just finished Hanako's path. first I almost can't believe I finished Hanako's so I went to the Library to review. I cried uncontrollably. I cannot understand my emotions, envious of their love story, joyful of the wonderful ending, longing for the same thing. It was beautiful. If I ever were to catch myself staring, appreciating, loving a work of art, I must be staring at a Katawa Shoujo screenshot, listening to Wiosna.

[DarkElfWizard74]

I have to agree with the OP: this game is amazing. And I have to add: best visual novel I've EVER played....I never thought any game would beat Kana~Little Sister's effect on my mind, heart, & soul but Katawa Shoujo did just that! Eat your heart out, Romeo Tanaka: DEVS = GODS!

[Gerbil X]

Dear 4LS,

This game is amazing. And I'm not just saying that because of the long wait. All of you together have accomplished, or at least come near the ideal. The romance IS natural and genuine. There is an awe inspiring realness to not just /all/ of the heroines, but to Hisao as well. The production values, such as the various effects and videos are of staggeringly impressive quality, and the art is beautiful. And of course, one mustn't forget the small touches; the synergy and smoothness of transition between menus is absolutely wonderful. And the music! My word, the music is so varied and well placed. If there were instructional courses on how to make VNs, KS would stand as a model for all students to aspire towards. I say this without irony - you all have made the world a better place by creating this art. (And before any of you self loathing type devs just pass it off as pretentious porn, take a long hard thought about what is so evil about porn, and then ask yourselves if any movie or book or anything with a sex scene in it is automatically porn. High schoolers have sex. To omit that truth from a story about high school romance would /severely/ lessen how genuine the romances' are, and it would insult your devoted fan base to assume that we're just reading this for some 'unique' sex scenes.) Anywho, I count everyone who took part in this work to be artistic geniuses to at least some degree (and sadly, I've never met an artist that could understand how overwhelmingly beautiful their work - your game - is to those on the consuming side,) but know that this game has positively impacted me, and many, many others, and I will remember it for the rest of my life.

[Profoundly Affected in Texas]

KS, as a collection of stories, is moving. In ways I didn't even realize until I had finished it and had time to compile for a day or so. The fact that it was written primarily with Western influence for a Western audience (how it seems to me at least) did not end up parodying (intentionally or otherwise) Japanese VNs as I thought it would when first introduced to it. Indeed, the fact is that it forgoes this in lieu of handling raw emotion and our perceptions of ourselves and others in ways that most JVNS only dream of. It's just so base in it's subject matter, and in an entirely positive way. It can appeal to anyone, if they've an open enough mind to take that metaphorical "first step past the iron gates". That said, this game has done just that: made me take a long, hard, and shockingly objective look at myself.

My fiancee followed KS from that very first post in 2007 on /a/ so long ago. She was enamored with the concept, and very excited about it being worked toward. She would tell me about it from time to time, displaying very obvious interest in it even at that almost illusory stage. She died in June that year, and KS, along with most of the idle conversations we had, was lost in my memory to grief and other things. It wasn't until a year later, on the anniversary of her death, that I finally brought myself to begin sorting through the effects I'd been left of hers. Her laptop was one of the last things I bothered with, and it took me a very long time to work up the courage to turn it on. I was afraid of what memories I might dredge up in doing so. Her desktop was striking: that infamous colored omake page that started this journey.

In hindsight, I feel a little foolish, having latched onto KS with a fervor I've not known before or since; I guess in some vain attempt to find something of my love in it. To maybe understand what it was about it that she loved so much. I've been a loyal follower ever since. In the 4+ years since what I considered to be the turning point , my life sort of fell apart. I've lost most of my friends, a good job, and I dare to say a reason to live. I was diagnosed with insomnia, chronic depression, and even got a nice upgrade to chronic PTSD. I have attempted suicide on several occasions, and managed to hurt my knee so badly during one attempt that I now walk with a limp. That was my last attempt, but its ramifications as well as the scars on my wrists remind me constantly of how close I came to never seeing this day.

Then KS was released, just like that. At first I was very depressed. Here was the great project, and wonderful stories that I had been anticipating for some vague reason for so many years. And now it was done. All over. I called in from work and began to play, lamenting that waiting on KS had become so ingrained into my daily routine that it almost felt tangible, knowing that when I finished there would be nothing to anticipate. In my cynicism I laughed; what more was there left to life? I played each route, back to back, taking a little over 18 hours to do so. I laughed, cried, remembered and cried again. Whatever I had expected of KS did not materialize then, and I felt the shame of having expected something so crazy as an answer to the "Why?" floating in my head for almost half a decade. I slept and felt sorry for myself for almost a whole day, thinking in those fitful times I was awake.

KS is just a "game". Just a story. But it feels so real. So possible. I want to say that the element of disability almost grounds it more in reality. Somehow makes it believable. I related to Hisao as a protagonist because he too had his life stripped away in an instant and completely beyond his control. What life he was left with tasted bitter, and though he didn't necessarily want it anymore, he rolled with it just like I had done. Then I got to the next part. He finds new friends. Finds new love. Finds purpose and direction. "Why can't that be me?" I asked myself. "Why can't my ending be happy?" My first answer was obvious: it's just a game. Things like that never happen in real life. "Sure they do," I mused, "Just not to me."

"Why?"

I asked again. But this time the word took new meaning. Why can't I make new friends? Why can't I start over? Why the fuck am I resigned to being alone and bitter?
Because it's just a game. It's just a story.

No. NO. Fuck you, self-doubt. Fuck you, angst. FUCK YOU self-pity, and all you've ruined of my life.

If Aimee were alive today I know two things for certain. First, that she would love Katawa Shoujo, and all the work you've put into. Second, that if she saw the state I'm in, that she would never forgive me for the lapse in judgment she so respected and relied on.
Why can't my ending be happy? There's no answer, because it can. And God damn myself for ever thinking otherwise.

Thank you, 4Leaf Studios, for giving me that. Thank you for that moment of introspection I seem to have been denying myself for so long. Just like Hisao, the road ahead is mired in the fog of uncertainty. Sadly, life is a fast, abrupt, and often painful thing that can be halted in an instant. No one gets to spend five minutes talking into the camera like John Wayne, so why wait for it as though I've nothing better for my time? If I've no Arrhythmia, missing limbs, blindness or deafness to slow me down, what possible excuse could I have for not taking the first step past the gates of my new life? If I'm still alive, that means I still have a life to salvage. And to me, not spending every moment left on this planet doing that would be both an insult to Aimee, but also to all the effort and feeling that's gone into the work of art you've created.

Thank you. From the very bottom of my broken heart, thank you.

Sincerely,
KC

[Otakumon]

I can only sum up my overall feelings about this game by saying it's truly excellent, far exceeded my expectations. Good job one and all involved. It's a shame we can't look forward to another project from you folks, but I understand the reasoning. I only have one very small little nit to pick about the game, and it really is just minor, but it still kind of bugs the completionist side of my nature.

During the Emi arc you have the beginning and middle part of a side story called 'The Yamaku Cat Burglar' but no ending to it. I figure we're supposed to assume it continues through the rest of the school term not covered by the game, but it kind of leaves the arc with an unfinished feel to it, at least to me anyway. It's easy to tell who the culprit is but it would have been nice to see it wrapped up since it is part of the overall story of the arc. The fact that that is the only thing I found disagreeable enough to grumble about a bit should show just how well you all did with this project.

[Otakumon]

My eyes just couldn't leave the screen until the credit.

you did watch the epilogue after the credits, right?

I even watched them. I was just not staring at the screen with tears in my eyes, like i was a few minute before .

Not sure if I'm misunderstanding but he's not asking about the credits like your answer suggests, but about the epilogue that comes up after the credits are finished before switching back to the main menu.

[trekki859]

its rather more impacting a lot more on me then i thought it would when i first discoved tis game three years ago. its been a long way here with ups and downs, but the fact is its here. and the journy is over, im rather saddend to see four leaf studios go, but i suppose i cant change that. wish i could, but i have my own problems to deal with now, in the weirdest and most serious way i can think of, i find out i have heart problems to, i haven't really understood it yes, but i have an bad heart to, arrhythmia. i .. really dont know what to say yet, still in shock i guess. ive been making plans for quite a while on how to get to my dreams in life, now finally after i started doing them and maturing, snapping out of it and growing up, i find out i cant complete them anymore, not a chance of hell of getting into the army now, not even the reserve. but.... i guess this was something that should have happened sooner, so maybe im supposed to be like this? ive never been that religious so that doesn't seem likely.


im sorry, i didint mean to go on a rant there. im in a bit of emotional whirlwind wright now, im playing lillys rought and absolutly in love with it, but im taking a much more serious look at hisaos point of veiw and how he feels.. its diffrent to say the least, i normaly play thease games thinking of myself as the character, but this is.. different.

anyway, before i write waaay to much, i have a very big thankyou! for fourleaf studios, and a deep apology for my stupidity in the paste, this game was more then worth the wait. ill see how much i can play but i have a pretty strict schedule at the moment.

[Leftyjohn]

I was not sure where this post would be best suited, so here goes:
In lieu of the actual letter, since I am not sure you guys would ever get it (if you post an address I will send you the letter I wrote), I am going to post this.


Dear Members of Four Leaf Studios,
I am unsure of the intentions you had with making this game, but I now have an unintentional side effect for you. I believe you have saved my life. I have been a /b/tard and /d/eviant for almost six years now, which is how I found your game. I have not felt anything for an additional eight years before that(To put that in perspective I am twenty). This has led me to be highly apathetic in my life, to the point of letting other people steer. I had actually decided to end my life, and even had my knife sharpened and ready to go, but decided that I wanted one last fap before the end. When searching for material for this last fap, I found your game and decided it would be suitable. This is probably the best decision I have made because instead of the game actually ending up as fap material, I was touched by Rin's story. Her story made me feel an emotion for the first time in fourteen years. With the discovery that I can still feel, I am going to enter the world tomorrow with my head held high because if I can still feel there is a chance that I can actually care. I do not know if any of you care, but thank you every one.

Sincerely,
Redeem Synapse Go John (since I can not put a bloody thumb print on a post, an anagram will have to do.)

[Aelexe]

Posting this with my eyes closed, fearful of accidentally reading a spoiler or something. Only got Rin and Shizune left to go.

Thank you Four Leaf Studios for the effort you put into making this.
Thank you the community, for keeping each other occupied until this wonderful visual novel was complete.
I love you guys, Katawa Shoujo is wonderful and would have been worth many more times the wait.

Thank you everyone =).

[GoodMan]

WOW Just WOW

I have never played a visual novel in my life, I just wanted to thank 4leaf studios for this incredible experience, I am going to be totally honest, I think this game is a true masterpiece, and I'm not just saying that. I have read many many books, some were very entertaining but no book that i have ever read in my life has touched me as much as this Visual Novel, you guys are true writers, and the best thing you did was to give equally immersive stories to all girls.

Never before have I seen myself in tears because of a game or book or story.

Hanako's story was my favourite, so sad and happy at the end, seeing that girl smile just makes me feel warm inside.

The music is FUCKKING AMAZING, again, never seen such a soundtrack fit so well into its game, an incredibly amazing game if I might say.

The thing about this game is also its innocence, in a society where all girls only care about sex, money, clothes, looks, pop music, etc etc it's good to see a time before that, a time where you will like girls for their personality, a time where you really care for the girls and want to spend time with them and learn more about them annd not just try to get in their pants, and to see girls trusting you because you really care is also very heart warming, you end up truly falling in love for the girl, YOU the in real life person, end up falling in love with the nonexistant virtual girl, and there is nothing wrong about that, why? Because the experience you have with them is even more intense than any other experience you will ever have with any REAL girl.

No one will find a girl with so many trust issues that you slowly break into in a period of months, no one will ever find a girl who is so shy and has very very little friends and is interested in books rather than television like hanako, a girl like hanako will never exist in real life, and that is quite honestly heart breaking, some times I feel as if love doesn't exist anymore, just sexual attraction and slight attraction for the person's "funnyness". Being so in love for someone that you think about them all day and want to spend time with that person, regardless of fucking them or not and she feeling the same for you is extremely rare in this world.

Falling in love is really hard, but that's the only way to describe the feeling i got for this amazing experience, I actually ended up falling in love with hanako, and to all who feel the same but are too shy or afraid that people might mock them, DON'T. Her story was written by REAL PEOPLE, the feelings that were conveyed unto us by that story are also REAL, the whole experience you went through is also REAL, the only thing that isn't real is physicality of the characters and the place.

Besides that, what makes this game so amazing is that all you get from it is REAL, even though the people there are fake and the place are fake. The emotions you feel and the experience is REAL and the fact that made this game so good is exactly that.

Thank you, 4l studios, for making me feel love, thank you for your incredibly amazing story, thank you for giving out this experience for free, thank you for the music, thank you for the experience, thank you for the times you made me laugh, the times you made me worry, thank you for making me think about hanako all the time during work and thank you for everything else.