Two Questions :)

[TalonAxe]

I've finished KS. All in this order

1. Rin
2. Lilly
3. Emi
4. Shizune
5. Hanako

My two friends also finished it but they didn't feel any different afterwards. so I was wondering, did the order you play the game in have anything to do with the emotions you felt when you finished it?
And secondly, if this game actually changed your life, how did it change you? I just beat the game yesterday so i'm still shedding manly tears, but I should be fine in a week or two...(I hope)
Just curious and wanting opinions, thanks.

[rydiafan]

there is 2 ways to enjoy this game ... as one of the best VNs ever but its just still a VN ( like me ... i never got " the feels " but that dosen't mean i didn't enjoy it ) ... or as a life changing experence ... either way is fine long as you enjoy it

[Wakagana]

I found that If anything, the game opened my eyes as to how uneventful and lame my own life is, but it opened my heart a bit to be a tad more understanding of people who aren't 'normal' per say, and to accept who I am, and who others are to an extent.

[Nobody in Particular]

1: I think it might have done a little bit. I played Lilly's route last, and I think that it was a perfect way to finish off the game. The story was... uhh how can I put this... boring perhaps? Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is that Lilly's wasn't subtle like Shizune's, sad like Hanako's or complex like Rin's and it had the only ending in which the reader can be certain that there is a happy ending and so it was a really good way of finishing it off. Playing Emi's route could have also been a good way to finish it off as well, but I played that one first and I thought that it was a good way to start the game as it gave me an idea of what to expect in the other four routes.

2: Nope, not really. Only difference is that I look at disabled people in a different light, a much better one at that. I also can't really look at pornography anymore, but perhaps that is because it has only been a month or so since I have finished it.

[Megumeru]

You want an order? You start from left to right.

Emi -> Hanako -> Lilly -> Rin -> Shizune

Emi because the story is pretty much a simple, lighthearted romance story about growing up and moving on. Then you move to the story with the heavier issue dealing with facing your past to conquer the future, after that you reward yourself with a sweet--but cliche--romance story between two people separated by two different worlds.

If you've spent your tissue at this point, then you might need to consider getting a new box or a new man-card--ask Kenji for advice.

The next two stories are deep, often requiring extra attention to little sub-stories in the background to fully understand what the hell is going on--I'll be honest, Rin and Shizune's story tire me out the fastest but I love their stories the most compare to Hanako, Lilly, or Emi's. You start out with Rin, put on your best intelligence card and your strongest man-card just in case you got the bad ending. Read carefully, analyze what's going on in Rin's whacked-out head, look at her paintings, etc. and see what she's trying to convey. You'll get your reward in the end with the beautiful ending. Shizune's story is full of humor, a good closure to all the feels roller coaster--UNLESS you wound up in the bad ending then you've just dug yourself a new hole to cry on. By far, Shizune's story requires the most attention, focus, and smarts in terms of reading it as large number of plot-points are scattered all across the story hinting you about who Shizune REALLY is, Misha's presence, and the relationship between them and Hisao. The ending is the perfect closure of their journey from the start of the year until the end and is further hinted that this type of relationship will last longer than others--sorry fellas', had to.

And by that, I declare that Shizune's canon.

[Bigbishounen]

Regarding order;

I don't know if it matters. One of the tricky things is that different girls are going to appeal to different people depending on the personality of the person playing.

Personally, I played Shizune -> Emi -> Rin -> Hanako

I have yet to play Lilly, no time to dedicate to it recently.

Overall I found each character deeply moving each in their own way. I really like Shizune as she somewhat reminds me of my wife on her busy-bossy days, but then Hanako is also alot like my wife in her shyness and desire for privacy. (My wife is pretty complex, she's awesome that way.) Emi touched me as she both reminded me of my sister's outgoing and bubbly attitude and also of my baby daughter who can't use her feet due to Spina Bifia. Rin was just so complex and deep, and some of the struggles she goes through trying to express herself remind me a bit of my own angsty teen years. I can't say anything about Lilly as I haven't had the chance to play her story yet, but based on some spoilers I've read I expect that it will be a perfect cap-off to the KS experience.

Ultimately, you take away from KS what you want to take away from it. If your friends didn't get much out of it, likely they weren't either looking to get anything from it or simply weren't "ready" to get anything from it. (Or they don't want to admit Feels, which can happen.) The best thing to do is to focus on your own enjoyment. Despite the fact that we are all here on this message board exposing our feels for all the world to see, KS is still a highly personal experience. Just savor it for yourself, and ignore what others may say.

[rydiafan]

Regarding order;

Ultimately, you take away from KS what you want to take away from it. If your friends didn't get much out of it, likely they weren't either looking to get anything from it or simply weren't "ready" to get anything from it. (Or they don't want to admit Feels, which can happen.) The best thing to do is to focus on your own enjoyment. Despite the fact that we are all here on this message board exposing our feels for all the world to see, KS is still a highly personal experience. Just savor it for yourself, and ignore what others may say.

Agreed ... i went through all my troubles/ hardships in life before i even played KS so i didn't need " the feels " to help through some personal problem ... Plus even in my trouble times i honestly don't think KS would have been good for me the way my friends and family were ... but i think i can Understand why ppl get inspired from KS and other VNs like it ( playing Yume Miru Kusuri right now ... " the feels "are all over that game as well )

Enjoy the game not matter if you get something outta it or not

[metalangel]

Changing your life? It's probably too early to tell for most people.

What it can do is remind you that life is out there, happening without you, and perhaps you need to go and do more of it?

[Daitengu]

My order was: Hanako, Emi, Shizune, Rin, Lilly

I don't think order really mattered though. "Life Changing" is pretty personal in that everyone gets something different out of it. For me being depressed at the time, and still trying to understand myself, the girls in general helped me to understand different aspects of myself. I'd say KS got me to self reflect so much because of the variety in the girls' different paths. Understanding myself better allows me to work towards being better.

I know some people just don't try to understand themselves. Some people are just comfortable with themselves. Then there are some who are so clueless that they don't even try to figure out who they are and instead try to conform to what other people want them to be. All these people won't get as much out of KS as a person trying to find themselves and/or their place in the world.

[noelly94]

if ur going to play the game the last one u should do is lilly's cause it has the happiest ending and is the only one with a scene after the ending credits i wish there was a second katawa shoujo they all go to the same college or something i dunno i loved this game some parts where really sad some where really heart warming

[newnar]

Don't think sequence affects anything much, or else the thread asking people to post their play sequences(which is lost in the chaos of threads) will be receiving pretty little input.

[misterprinny]

My order was Shizune, Hanako, Lilly, Emi, Rin.

I liked starting with Shizune because it was very humorous and set a good tone for what I expected out of the rest of the game.

From there I just did Hanako and then Lilly since I liked both of them very much. Both of them broke me.

And then I did Emi, which was also humorous and light-hearted like Shizune's route. Healed most of the damage done by Hanako and Lilly

But then I finished with Rin. Mind and heart blown apart. Any healing done by Emi's route was just destroyed, and the feels attacked.

So I suggest to anyone who hasn't started yet or is partway through, don't end with Rin. Also keep in mind I used a flowchart and got all the good endings for these comments (not man enough for the sad endings )

[Irrapture]

My order is.
Hanako
Emi
Lilly
Shizune
(Still haven't done RIn)

Well when I finished Hanako's route, my emotions were killing me. I don't know why. I think it was because I didn't want it to end. Also because I wish I met a Hanako in real life. Realized that my life is pretty boring. I kinda promised myself I wouldn't play the other routes, but I did. And I regret nothing. They are all fun. Yeah, its been a week, and I still feel a little weird. I've been acting differently ever since I've played. Not only acting, but I feel different too.. Like a new person. This game has surely been a trip, and I'm going to replay a few routes because I miss them. I wish Hanakos route never ended. I wish girls actually acted like that in real life. The girls I know are all stuck up idiots who will believe anything.