Katawa Shoujo Forums

kosherbacon wrote:I mean that in the most endearing way as a converted former detractor.

Oh my god! The Mayas had it right! The world will end soon!

I'm quite certain I've never cried at neither a game, nor a novel, nor even a film...
But last night, I was playing through the Emi arc and it really hit home when the distance between Hisao and Emi was growing.

Well, it does happen a bit more frequently for me, but I think there were two scenes in KS that had me crying. One was Adultood in Hanako's path and the other one was Whispers of the Past.
Didn't cry at the bad end, but I felt like someone hit me with a hammer when I read it... I'm glad I read it before I got to the good end, so it could cheer me up again.

Firstly, I'd like to say that I've never played a game of this type before. I'd heard about Katawa Shoujo over the last couple months through the grapevines (hey, it's getting quite a bit of press for being about a touchy subject), but still thought no more of it.
Then yesterday, I was feeling bored, and was scanning Facebook, and a friend had posted a link to a news topic about the game. On impulse, I downloaded it to have a look at it because, y'know, it'd occupy maybe 20 minutes or something before I got bored, and I could see just how tacky the thing really was.


About 5 seconds into the hospital video, I realised that actually, this game friggin' rocked and had some merit beyond simply being a riské game which would get press and attention based purely on that factor.
While waiting for the download, I'd glanced through the website so was already familiar with the characters, and figured that I would like to go through Shizune, Lilly or Hanako's playthrough, but wasn't really interested in Emi or Rin, seeing them as a little clichéd.

However, after the second time I met Emi and we first went around the track (and I tried to race her and almost had a heart attack), I fell in love with her and her ways, and had no hesitation in spending more time with her (and following her route).

In terms of her path itself, I thought it was very well written, with the exception of Hisao's utter failure to realise that Emi's father was dead, along with the utter, utter failures he said sometimes (~"Well, you can take the secret of your father to your grave then" or something approaching that). I loved Emi's character though, and was very impressed at how alive it seemed to be and how well rounded it was. I didn't have any problem with them jumping into bed, as the other guys have said, they ARE teenagers. I did feel that the story wasgoing to end earlier though after Act 3, and was genuinely shocked that there was a fourth act (which I felt a little like it had been tacked on the end), but thought that it added a much-needed extra layer beyond "boy meets girl and there are no problems they live happily ever after the end". Over the course of the story, I loved Emi and cried through the bad times and smiled through the good times. I play a lot of RPGs, and don't remember ever identifying with the characters this much, and feeling their pain and pleasure.

But the game is excellent. I downloaded it on a whim at 9:00pm, started playing at about 10:00pm and played through to completion in one sitting (ending about 4:30am). That was REALLY not what I was expecting to do.

However, I am curious in that I played through Emi's good ending followed her in the house, but was saved by Misha, then went back to the Library and restarted Misha's scene and picked the wrong way and found the bad ending (/wrist), then I went back to the House and played through not following Emi to see what happened there, but I still haven't unlocked the first two chapters in Act 4. Little confused as to what to do for those, although reading up it appears that I shouldn't have overwritten my save file with a new playthrough this morning (yes, I finished one playthrough last night and started a new one this morning).

But yea, wtf no Misha path. Having now played it through, I don't understand why the devs didn't want to develop her more? It seems very odd that she's such a major female character and you can't romance her, although admittedly she and Shizune live in each other's pockets etc etc.

But yes, overall, truly excellent game (even more so because I started playing as such a skeptic), and if I have anywhere near as much fun on the other paths as I did with Emi, I have no doubts that I'll play all 5 of them through.

A question: From one source, I heard that there are 16 endings to the game; a good, neutral, and bad ending with every girl, and the kenji ending. However, try as I might, I can only get two endings with Emi. Was the source I heard correct, or is there a path to the neutral ending I'm not exploring? Trying to keep it spoiler free, unless fixing things and getting the good ending after you nearly ruin them counts as a neutral ending, I can't find it.

Only two routes have a neutral ending. Neither of them are Emi's. Which would mean there are only... 13 endings. You're probably confused because there are 16 acts – Act 1, and then each girl gets 3 acts of her own.

Oh, by the way, the slut-shaming in this thread is super embarrassing. So Emi and Hisao like to have a bit of sex. What's wrong with that? Besides, the anal scene was pretty funny.

Ah, Emi... First path that I took. Slightly less emotional as Hanako's route, which I just completed this afternoon, but very sweet, nice and fulfilling. Actually, I playing Hanako's route and in the beginning I couldn't stop thinking: 'Hisao, dude, don't you have to run? You know, with Emi?' Nice to see how routes play out completely different like that.

Anyway, back to Emi. I think I like her so much because I can relate to her, in a way. I still got my legs (or any other limbs for that matter), but I did lose my father when I was young. Seeing her cope with it, how it influenced her... it was like looking into a mirror. Especially the "popular but no friends" part. I don't know if our reasons are the same -- not letting anybody get close because you're afraid to lose them -- but it certainly gave me something to think about.

As for the sex... I've seen people call her a slut because of her casual approach of sex, but I think that was just a way of compensating -- she couldn't let Hisao get close to her emotionally, so she let him get as close as possible physically to make up for that.

What I didn't like about this route was how dense Hisao was acting every now and then. Not only in finding out what happened to Emi's father, but also in telling her just exactly how he feels about her. For instance, when she first accuses him of being overprotective, that he sees her as nothing more as a broken girl he has got to fix; why didn't he tell her what made him fall in love with her? It was pretty obvious he didn't see a crippled girl when he saw the look in her eyes during the track meet. He saw a strong, determined and beautiful girl who didn't allow her disability to hold her back. Then, when she said she could take care of herself, why didn't he say something like: "that you can do it yourself, doesn't mean that you should". I mean, wasn't that the whole reason why they even went running together? Because even if they could do it on their own, it was easier when they did it together?

Oh well... In the end it all worked out OK, I guess that's what matters most. The ending scene, on the roof when Hisao admits he loves her and she comes running into his arms, crying was pretty damn sweet. ^3^

Al wrote:However, I am curious in that I played through Emi's good ending followed her in the house, but was saved by Misha, then went back to the Library and restarted Misha's scene and picked the wrong way and found the bad ending (/wrist), then I went back to the House and played through not following Emi to see what happened there, but I still haven't unlocked the first two chapters in Act 4. Little confused as to what to do for those, although reading up it appears that I shouldn't have overwritten my save file with a new playthrough this morning (yes, I finished one playthrough last night and started a new one this morning).

The first two chapters in Act IV are what you should see if you choose to talk to Meiko. Overwriting your savegame should not affect the scenes in the library. Possibly a glitch? just try to get those scenes again...

But yea, wtf no Misha path. Having now played it through, I don't understand why the devs didn't want to develop her more?

KS was inspired by a sketch by a japanese doujin artist named Raita. The sketch included only the five main heroines, so those are the only ones that get a path of their own. Misha was added later, more or less as a plot device...

After spending 62 hours (with the occasional "stop smoke coming out of my head" breaks) I've finally reached 100% there is something bothering me however and that thing is this: http://i.imgur.com/t5gLt.png (that's a link to a picture) help plz?

Demango wrote:After spending 62 hours (with the occasional "stop smoke coming out of my head" breaks) I've finally reached 100% there is something bothering me however and that thing is this: http://i.imgur.com/t5gLt.png (that's a link to a picture) help plz?

A quirk of Emi's route. When you're talking with Misha about Emi and the dialogue box comes up, make sure to follow through on both options. They result in different things happening.

sporkaganza wrote:

Demango wrote:After spending 62 hours (with the occasional "stop smoke coming out of my head" breaks) I've finally reached 100% there is something bothering me however and that thing is this: http://i.imgur.com/t5gLt.png (that's a link to a picture) help plz?

A quirk of Emi's route. When you're talking with Misha about Emi and the dialogue box comes up, make sure to follow through on both options. They result in different things happening.

What scene exactly?

Demango wrote:What scene exactly?

I just went back and chose all the other options in Emi's path. The image you're looking for I think only comes up if you follow Emi when she walks away from the table at her mother's house and then you still manage to get the good end by confiding in Misha when she asks you about Emi. "Instant Replay"?

alabaster wrote: I just went back and chose all the other options in Emi's path. The image you're looking for I think only comes up if you follow Emi when she walks away from the table at her mother's house and then you still manage to get the good end by confiding in Misha when she asks you about Emi. "Instant Replay"?

Okay I got that sorted out however opposing my expectations there is one more picture missing even tho' I doubt this is related to the Emi route I don't have any idea what route this could be associated with (except for maybe Shizune) So once again a picture showing the empty square in question: http://i.imgur.com/hATYm.png

Demango wrote:

alabaster wrote: I just went back and chose all the other options in Emi's path. The image you're looking for I think only comes up if you follow Emi when she walks away from the table at her mother's house and then you still manage to get the good end by confiding in Misha when she asks you about Emi. "Instant Replay"?

Okay I got that sorted out however opposing my expectations there is one more picture missing even tho' I doubt this is related to the Emi route I don't have any idea what route this could be associated with (except for maybe Shizune) So once again a picture showing the empty square in question: http://i.imgur.com/hATYm.png

That should be the 100% completion picture.

Sound of Azure wrote:

Demango wrote:

alabaster wrote: I just went back and chose all the other options in Emi's path. The image you're looking for I think only comes up if you follow Emi when she walks away from the table at her mother's house and then you still manage to get the good end by confiding in Misha when she asks you about Emi. "Instant Replay"?

Okay I got that sorted out however opposing my expectations there is one more picture missing even tho' I doubt this is related to the Emi route I don't have any idea what route this could be associated with (except for maybe Shizune) So once again a picture showing the empty square in question: http://i.imgur.com/hATYm.png

That should be the 100% completion picture.

Well the Library says I have 100% any idea what might be causing this?

I think I might be missing an image from Emi's route, unless it's actually unlocked through Rin's route. It's the image right after the scenes of Emi lying on the ground/on the grass. Oh well.

Besides that, great route, really enjoyed it and looking forward to going through the route again to pick up on things I missed.

Kamon wrote:I think I might be missing an image from Emi's route, unless it's actually unlocked through Rin's route. It's the image right after the scenes of Emi lying on the ground/on the grass. Oh well.

Besides that, great route, really enjoyed it and looking forward to going through the route again to pick up on things I missed.

The one where she is lying on the grass is unlocked on Emi's route... just FYI