"A Ton of Games!"

Visual Novel #1/100

#Katawa Shoujo

Katawa Shoujo was the first Visual Novel game I ever played, or at least the first substantial one. Back in 2012, I was pretty big into Youtube and in particular, I liked to watch a lot of game collectors/hobbyists. One such Youtuber I was subscribed to was called Shintai. Around that time there was a Dating Sim/Visual Novel that was picking up steam due to it's "controversial" theme. Anyway, Shintai decided to review the Demo version of the game as well as interview a few of the people involved in making the game. Piquing my interest, I decided to try it out.

Katawa Shoujo is a fantastically written game that pulls you in with it's strong character development. The characters feel real and the game makes you care about them and their plights. Although there are several paths through the game based on each of the 5 main female leads, I have actually only played the #Emi Ibarazaki route. Once you are locked in to a path, the game becomes incredibly linear, but anyone familair with visual novels should be used to this. This game remnded me of the power of writing and the effect that words can have. Having been an avid reader as a child, I was always a fan of strong character-driven narratives. After completing the game, I was left quite emotional. It had been a long time since a game had affected me in such a manner and so I began to seek out similar experiences. Thus began my interest in the Visual Novel genre!

I would highly recommend this game to anyone interested in the genre, or anyone who enjoys reading. Just be aware that there is some Mature Content in this game, but it never seems forced or distasteful, at least in my opinion.

7.5/10