Support NeoGAF

[Mephala]

They really did put a lot of work into this. I've been playing Shizune's route. Misha is kind of amazing. They've captured signing quite well. On one hand, she signs efficiently and she speaks loudly while having an overly happy expression most of the times. Other times her expressions adjust to the situation. In sign language, facial expressions and enthusiasm of movement/signing actually comes into play for different tones which can change their meaning. As an example, if someone asks "How are you?" and I replied "Good", the sign for this is pretty much a thumbs up (In Australian Sign Language/AusLan anyways.) but if I were to look away in disinterest and do the sign in a short, stiff and unimpressive manner it can be taken is sarcasm. If I was to do that same sign, with a big ass grin and more emphasis on the thumbs up and pushing it forward and a bit higher, it steps up from good to very good/great. I do enjoy the small details in this game.

I feel for Hisao here, reading the dialogue and looking at Shizune and Misha's different expressions and postures can sometimes confuse things a little.

 

[upandaway]

Hanako's route done.
Can't say i liked it really. Hisao's white knight attitude is annoying... and it wasn't resolved that satisfactorily (a bit abrupt). IMO.
Rin left... and then some bad endings and probably some missed scenes.

When you do Rin's route, do the choices you would have done yourself even if you don't think they're "correct" (well, still with the assumption that you like her obviously). Trust me on this.

Forgot to say this to Laughing Banana and Mephala, this goes for you too!

 

[Woorloog]

When you do Rin's route, do the choices you would have done yourself even if you don't think they're "correct" (well, still with the assumption that you like her obviously). Trust me on this.

Forgot to say this to Laughing Banana and Mephala, this goes for you too!

Hmm. Will keep that in mind.

 

[ComputerMKII]

I've just finished Rin's route. What the hell was that.

 

[Jintor]

I've just finished Rin's route. What the hell was that.

That fucking field man. Oh, god.

 

[Dynamite Ringo Matsuri]

That fucking field man. Oh, god.

It was just allergies man, I didn't cry my eyes out or anything

 

[PhantomOfTheKnight]

...for some reason the download link isn't working for me.

 

[Mephala]

...for some reason the download link isn't working for me.

Try: http://www.katawa-shoujo.com/download.php
Alternatively, check ThePirateBay or whatever your usual torrent sites are, the game is free so there is no need to fear of pirating etc.

 

[Laughing Banana]

Shizune's route is so goddamn boring, goddamn, especially after immediately trying it post Lilly.

I mean, for one I don't really feel that she's acting like a girlfriend towards the MC or that the MC and her are in love with each other. Honestly it made me feel like the sex acts were just thrown in randomly just for the hell of it, meh.

 

[melichrous]

Shizune's route is so goddamn boring, goddamn, especially after immediately trying it post Lilly.

I mean, for one I don't really feel that she's acting like a girlfriend towards the MC or that the MC and her are in love with each other. Honestly it made me feel like the sex acts were just thrown in randomly just for the hell of it, meh.

I thought the same tbh, and she was the route I also took after going through Lillys. It was very bland in comparison.

 

[ComputerMKII]

Shizune's route is so goddamn boring, goddamn, especially after immediately trying it post Lilly.

I mean, for one I don't really feel that she's acting like a girlfriend towards the MC or that the MC and her are in love with each other. Honestly it made me feel like the sex acts were just thrown in randomly just for the hell of it, meh.

It's the only route I have left to play so I'm very worried. I played Lilly's first and it's the only one I genuinely liked.

 

[Chet Rippo]

Shizune's route is so goddamn boring, goddamn, especially after immediately trying it post Lilly.

I mean, for one I don't really feel that she's acting like a girlfriend towards the MC or that the MC and her are in love with each other. Honestly it made me feel like the sex acts were just thrown in randomly just for the hell of it, meh.

Her route is usually considered the weakest of the bunch, but I kinda liked how it ends. It's just the journey there is kinda boring.

 

[Laughing Banana]

Finished Rin's tonight. It's refreshing and somewhat touching. Nicely written too. A considerable upgrade from Shizune's, that's for sure.

Lilly > Hanako = Emi > Rin >>>>>>>> Shizune.

Also bonus pic:

I thought the same tbh, and she was the route I also took after going through Lillys. It was very bland in comparison.

Yep, the only route where I literally fell asleep a couple of times :| It also the one with the least amount of "gameplay" since all the choices sans the last are made in the 1st act and the last one is made in much, much later at the last act IIRC.

It's the only route I have left to play so I'm very worried. I played Lilly's first and it's the only one I genuinely liked.

I'm sorry to say that your Katawa Shoujo experience will end in a whimper rather than a bang

Her route is usually considered the weakest of the bunch, but I kinda liked how it ends. It's just the journey there is kinda boring.

Yea, the end is not bad. But the journey there oooh boyy.

 

[Angry Grimace]

The entirety of Shizune's route is a bunch of inconsequential events that only vaguely have something to do with the character arc.

 

[Chet Rippo]

Did you know the silhouettes in the scenes where there's supposed to be a crowd are based on the old sprites with the green jackets?

 

[melichrous]

Lilly > Hanako = Emi > Rin >>>>>>>> Shizune.

After finishing all of the routes, this is pretty much exactly how I would rate them all.
The Rin route was pretty nice, but did get somewhat annoying at times.
But still, nothing tops Lilly for me. Very well written and pretty heartwarming. Now I feel lonely though ahahah.

 

[Owlowiscious]

Emi > Lilly > Lilly = Hanako >>>>>>>> Shizune.

 

[RurouniZel]

Hanako > Lily > Shizune > Emi > Rin

 

[Mephala]

I just made a really quick avatar. Was wondering if there were any avatars and if there any interest for me to make some more.

Edit. May as well leave these here. All I did was remove background, add alpha channel and then shrink to fit. Scaling it down hides my dodgy background removal job.

Not sure if slight panties are allowed, but I'll just leave the link here for the full Shizune shot.. I didn't even realise she was flashing them until I went into image mode to get the screen capture.

 

[Chet Rippo]

I just made a really quick avatar. Was wondering if there were any avatars and if there any interest for me to make some more.

Edit. May as well leave these here. All I did was remove background, add alpha channel and then shrink to fit. Scaling it down hides my dodgy background removal job.

Not sure if slight panties are allowed, but I'll just leave the link here for the full Shizune shot.. I didn't even realise she was flashing them until I went into image mode to get the screen capture.

That was like the first thing I noticed when I got to that scene actually. lol
And I'm sure panty shots are fine, I've seen far worse things as people's avatars.

 

[Owlowiscious]

Lilly should be facing left

 

[Mephala]

That was like the first thing I noticed when I got to that scene actually. lol
And I'm sure panty shots are fine, I've seen far worse things as people's avatars.

What about this one...

Kind of having fun. Might make some more after I sift through some of this topic to see whats been covered.

Edit: I found some, I hope its ok to quote them here. Figured since I'm posting some of my avatars it'll be nice to be able to check out some of the others without having to sift through 50 pages like I did. They look really cool too.

Kenji?

A few more +variations here.

Edit again: And some more
Emi imitating Shizune is my favourite Emi:

Emi:

Rin:

Shizune:

Misha:

 

[Jackben]

Good looking out, Mephala. If I wasn't so attached to 2D (of Gorillaz fame) I would probably switch over to one of those.

These two are adorable:

 

[Chet Rippo]

What about this one...

Kind of having fun. Might make some more after I sift through some of this topic to see whats been covered.

Edit: I found some, I hope its ok to quote them here. Figured since I'm posting some of my avatars it'll be nice to be able to check out some of the others without having to sift through 50 pages like I did. They look really cool too.

Kenji?

A few more +variations here.

Hahaha, a lot of people might object to it, but I don't think there are any rules against it. Some really nice ones here. Remember when Jintor and DRM had a cool avatars? Yeah, me neither...

 

[Mephala]

Thanks for the compliments guys. Feels good since these are pretty much the first avatars I've made. The two naked Kenji ones are secretly my favourites.

I'm going to hold off on commenting on my experiences in this until I finish Rin's route, which is my last one before I start looking at what I've missed.

Spoiler

Hanako hates me. T_T Want to fix this asap. Hisao's an idiot. I want to smack him.

Can someone tell me what to expect with Rin without spoiling it for me? I have a sense of dread. Just finished Shizune's.

 

[Jackben]

Can someone tell me what to expect with Rin without spoiling it for me? I have a sense of dread. Just finished Shizune's.

Ok you're in for an upgrade in terms of overall route quality. Just don't expect to understand anything straightaway. Embrace the confusion, cus it'll be constant.

 

[ComputerMKII]

Can someone tell me what to expect with Rin without spoiling it for me? I have a sense of dread. Just finished Shizune's.

Expect 9 hours of Hisao (and yourself) listening to the incoherent ramblings of a girl with Asperger's syndrome and saying 'JESUS CHRIST, WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN?'

 

[Chet Rippo]

Expect 9 hours of Hisao (and yourself) listening to the incoherent ramblings of a girl with Asperger's syndrome and saying 'JESUS CHRIST, WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN?'

Still better than Lily's route.

 

[omlet]

Rin's route makes complete sense by the end, though. She seems incoherent, but she isn't (usually).

It's a story with some confusing dialog and choices that really make you stop and consider the situation and (most important) the spirit behind your (Hisao's) words, but it's a story that in hindsight fits together almost perfectly. It is a story about understanding someone well enough that words aren't always necessary; it's a story about shared experience rather than shared words. The most memorable parts of the story for me, besides the famous wall of text, are the times when they're not even talking. When they're taking walks together. When they're painting together. When Hisao peels Rin an orange. When they're stargazing (best part of the entire game, that scene) together.

I reread her route a couple months back and there was never a hint of confusion, only an understanding of the fact that Rin's route is about understanding how people express themselves in general, but especially in non-vocal ways.

This was in stark contrast to my first time through her route where I felt like I was walking on pins and needles the entire time wanting so much to make sure I was able to pick the choices in an understanding way to make Hisao be what she wanted him to be. The choices in Rin's route all seem very similar, but therein lies the subtlety, the importance of which words you chose to express a similar sentiment. No other route captured that tension as well (Hanako's was the closest). To me, the writing nailed it perfectly; I remember feeling really happy that I was able to parse Rin's dialog to where I could land the good end on the first try.

It really is a remarkable story and the more in tune you are with non-vocal communication, art as expression, seemingly random and unusual descriptions of things, the malleability of words and the interpretation of linguistic expressions, and Rin's wonderful deadpan sense of humor, the more you will enjoy it.

What's the word for...

~

 

[Diablos54]

So I played this and finished the Emi route. Was pretty good, the

Spoiler

anal

part was pretty funny, I mean, why do that before the usual?

 

[upandaway]

Rin's route makes complete sense by the end, though. She seems incoherent, but she isn't (usually).

This was in stark contrast to my first time through her route where I felt like I was walking on pins and needles the entire time wanting so much to make sure I was able to pick the choices in an understanding way to make Hisao be what she wanted him to be. The choices in Rin's route all seem very similar, but therein lies the subtlety, the importance of which words you chose to express a similar sentiment. No other route captured that tension as well (Hanako's was the closest). To me, the writing nailed it perfectly; I remember feeling really happy that I was able to parse Rin's dialog to where I could land the good end on the first try.

Well..

Spoiler

the only choices that decide Rin's ending are the 2 last ones: the one before last for the bad ending, and then the last for the good and neutral endings.

The huge incoherent mess of her choice path is crazy and amazing without actually influencing the ending at all - giving you full freedom to use whatever choices you're comfortable with, to get the route most fit for you as the scenes shapeshift around your choices, without risking a bad ending. That's what made my experience with Rin's route so good, I think

, and it's also why I said in the beginning of the page that I'd recommend to go through Rin's route making the choices YOU want to make, without regard for the "right" choices

Spoiler

(since they don't exist)

for the best (imo) experience.

 

[Owlowiscious]

So I played this and finished the Emi route. Was pretty good, the

Spoiler

anal

part was pretty funny, I mean, why do that before the usual?

Emi storyline

Spoiler

I think the player doesn't know she's 19; they think she's 17 or below. Thus they never show any sex scenes until after the age reveal at the end. They have had sex plenty of times before the anal scene. Remember they had to split up for a while specifically because they were having sex non-stop.

Rin's storyline

Spoiler

Do most people really not know what she was saying throughout the storyline? Maybe because it's due to assumptions and interpretations, but I knew exactly what Rin was saying to explain all her actions in the storyline. It keeps bugging me when people say Rin's words are not meant to be understood.

 

[omlet]

Well..

Spoiler

the only choices that decide Rin's ending are the 2 last ones: the one before last for the bad ending, and then the last for the good and neutral endings.

The huge incoherent mess of her choice path is crazy and amazing without actually influencing the ending at all - giving you full freedom to use whatever choices you're comfortable with, to get the route most fit for you as the scenes shapeshift around your choices, without risking a bad ending. That's what made my experience with Rin's route so good, I think

, and it's also why I said in the beginning of the page that I'd recommend to go through Rin's route making the choices YOU want to make, without regard for the "right" choices

Spoiler

(since they don't exist)

for the best (imo) experience.

Yeah, but did you read the route at launch last year without any input, or did you know that about the choices going into it? That makes a big difference. I went in blind, not knowing how much impact my choices were having, and sort of agonized over them because of that (for the best, IMO). Rin's route was utterly gripping to me. I was so immersed I hardly came up for air before I was finished.

Spoiler

And spent the rest of the evening on /v/ soaking in feels.

For me it wasn't just about getting the good end, it was about understanding the character and the subtle differences between the dialog choices and trying to pick the most supportive/understanding option (I'm intentionally not using the term "best" option).

Rin's storyline

Spoiler

Do most people really not know what she was saying throughout the storyline? Maybe because it's due to assumptions and interpretations, but I knew exactly what Rin was saying to explain all her actions in the storyline. It keeps bugging me when people say Rin's words are not meant to be understood.

Rin's words are definitely meant to be understood. Some of them just require some non-standard approach to understanding them.

 

[upandaway]

Yeah, but did you read the route at launch last year without any input, or did you know that about the choices going into it? That makes a big difference. I went in blind, not knowing how much impact my choices were having, and sort of agonized over them because of that (for the best, IMO). Rin's route was utterly gripping to me. I was so immersed I hardly came up for air before I was finished.

Spoiler

And spent the rest of the evening on /v/ soaking in feels.

For me it wasn't just about getting the good end, it was about understanding the character and the subtle differences between the dialog choices and trying to pick the most supportive/understanding option (I'm intentionally not using the term "best" option).

I went in completely blind, but the nature of the choices made me figure it out easily early on

Spoiler

(about how much they'll influence the ending, not about their general impact, they made a huge difference in the route itself)

. Either way the choices/route path are a big focus in Rin's route than in other routes, no matter the attitude you have, so we can at least agree there.

 

[omlet]

Either way the choices/route path are a big focus in Rin's route than in other routes, no matter the attitude you have, so we can at least agree there.

...were we disagreeing about other things without me noticing? D:

 

[upandaway]

Not really, I just like to pretend I get in arguments since I never do.

 

[Dynamite Ringo Matsuri]

Remember when Jintor and DRM had a cool avatars? Yeah, me neither...

Alana is totally cool you philistine. And I had Rin as my avatar for forever :/

What's the word for...

~

Winner winner chicken dinner. I never found myself confused by Rin's route nor did I find myself questioning the validity of any of the choices. The route just clicked for me

 

[Soma]

oh yeah i forgot i had made those avatars lol

 

[TCKaos]

Shit, I used to have a Lilly avatar. Let me go ahead and find it.

EDIT: Couldn't find it, remade it instead.

 

[Chet Rippo]

Alana is totally cool you philistine. And I had Rin as my avatar for forever :/

Well, this one is better than the one before it...

 

[Jintor]

Rin's entire route is about being understood and understanding another person. It's easy to write off as an incoherent mess, but it's probably the route that takes the most effort to 'get', which fits its themes perfectly.

 

[Dynamite Ringo Matsuri]

Well, this one is better than the one before it...

The one before it was in honor of Scorcho you heartless monster :/

 

[Chet Rippo]

The one before it was in honor of Scorcho you heartless monster :/

That was you? I guess I meant the one before that.

 

[Dynamite Ringo Matsuri]

That was you? I guess I meant the one before that.

That was Kinsey from Locke & Key. Excellent, excellent comic book

http://everycomic.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/lcoke-and-key-clockworks-kinsey-flying.jpg?w=500&h=770

Alana is from Saga, also an excellent series

http://majorspoilers.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Saga8Cover.jpg

 

[Mephala]

Still better than Lily's route.

...and I thought we could be friends.

 

[Coffee Dog]

So I downloaded and beat this on a whim. Rin's path. Fuck, I'd do another but it was just too close to home...Rin's fear of change and failures in putting feelings into words remind me of myself a little too much. That ending broke me. Dandelions, man. Dandelions. ;__;

Edit: Wait, people in this thread couldn't understand her? I was frustrated with Hisao for not at first because I understood every word. She wasn't thinking like a logical person; She was trying to wrap words into sentences that described her emotions in a way that made sense to her, because she didn't want to compromise the feelings she was trying to express. That compromise is a change that scared her. I think that describes it. It's weird to put into words, ironically <_<;

 

[Mephala]

I just finished Rin's route. It was a long one, but overall pretty enjoyable. I find that most route's 3rd arc tend to annoy me a little, which is probably due to the fact that the shit is hitting the fan, hormones are raging in the characters and Hisao acts in ways I wouldn't in many situations. But I digress. What I really want to say about Rin's path is,

Spoiler

Fuck, that art teacher, fuck him with a cactus.

A lot of aspects of this game feel very true/believable. This teacher's rage at Rin is sort of believable but it is absolutely range inducing for me because I want to believe it possible. It conflicts with me in so many ways though. You cannot, simply, walk into a job to teach children with disabilities. There are certain programs, inductions you have to go through and one of them would pretty much tell you that a lot of the children can struggle, internally, for a variety of reasons and not be very forthcoming in explaining things. Patience, understanding and awareness of the student's needs and conditions are needed. Rin is his star pupil, it seems ridiculous that he just blows up because she walked out on the exhibition. This is more ridiculous because his friend, who was an artist, who Rin reminds him of very much, committed suicide doing what Rin tried. A teacher is supposed to help and support the student, especially given this school's specialty. What happened in that class room, and this art teacher in general is just... Disgusting.

Hisao gave me the shits too. But it is a lot more understandable for him to be ignorant and stupid given his age and conflicted feelings. But still, there are some things I find somewhat unforgiveable. Asperger is not contagious. Rin has difficulty socialising, he has difficulty understanding her, but a simple "I'm not angry anymore" or "I'm sorry for lashing out" is for some dumb ass reason too hard for him.

God... Teenagers. -_- *gouge eyes*

I suppose, it is good, in its own way. Kind of like a reminder than even in these places, people still struggle, mistakes still happen and shit still goes wrong. Even with all the supports and facilities etc. A heavy contrast to Lilly's problems

Spoiler

with her family

or Shizune's on

Spoiler

friendship/outlook/personality.

So I downloaded and beat this on a whim. Rin's path. Fuck, I'd do another but it was just too close to home...Rin's fear of change and failures in putting feelings into words remind me of myself a little too much. That ending broke me. Dandelions, man. Dandelions. ;__;

Edit: Wait, people in this thread couldn't understand her? I was frustrated with Hisao for not at first because I understood every word. She wasn't thinking like a logical person; She was trying to wrap words into sentences that described her emotions in a way that made sense to her, because she didn't want to compromise the feelings she was trying to express. That compromise is a change that scared her. I think that describes it. It's weird to put into words, ironically <_<;

I understood her for the most part. I also understood her struggle and realise that you can't blame her for that. It's like screaming at Lilly to look, just doesn't work.

Edit. Added a few more avatars to my other post. Rin is adorable.

 

[Jintor]

I understood her for the most part. I also understood her struggle and realise that you can't blame her for that. It's like screaming at Lilly to look, just doesn't work.

LOL

 

[Jintor]

This is probably old as balls but Raita made a note about KS

 

[tafer]

This is probably old as balls but Raita made a note about KS

The link is NSFW, here is the text in question:

Katawa Shoujo&#12395;&#38306;&#12377;&#12427;&#65330;&#65313;&#65321;&#65332;&#65313;&#12398;&#20844;&#24335;&#12467;&#12513;&#12531;&#12488;&#12290;

A Few Words from RAITA regarding Katawa Shoujo
First, I would like to thank all the staff that participated in the
production of this game.
While I did not participate in the production, I was deeply moved at the
spirit of dedication and the perseverance of those who were involved in
this work. I have to admit that when I first heard of this project I was
surprised and somewhat anxious, but my heart was filled with joy every
time I could recognize via the nets how members of the team were so
highly motivated and pressed on with the production, leading me to
closely watch over the progress being made from the very early stages. I
know how it is very difficult to maintain motivation in a project where
the production timeframe becomes protracted, and thus I get deeply
affected when I imagine all the difficulties the members of the team
must of have had to overcome. Again, I would like to express my
heartfelt gratitude and profess how I was profoundly touched by your
efforts. Thank you very much!

Awesome!