Disabled Girl Dating Sim Katawa Shoujo Finally Available

[Alterego-X]

So there IS adult content in the game?

Let me ask you this question: is it "tasteful" or is it just some good hentai?

Hmmm.... I see an interesting forum topic...

"Can sex in games be used for artistic expression rather than a pornographic ad technique?"

Hmmm... very interesting discussion...

It entirely depends on your view of tasteful, but personally I felt it was fine. The sex aspect really takes a background role. I've just finished a playthrough with Rin (the girl with the thalidomide stunted arms) and was genuinely absorbed in it. Like I mentioned previously, it's more about Hisao coming to terms with his condition rather than him attempting to shag everything in sight.

Also, It can be turned off in the settings, so the plot will skip those few scenes if you are not intrested in them.

Though I guess that's also bad news, in a way, about their significance; that yes, they are only added as an afterthought just in case you also happen to be a disability fetishist.

 

[Gigano]

Well, it hardly deals with a subject that as a point of departure interest me much, but considering that reactions have so far been universally positive from anyone who've actually tried it - apparently regardless of whether they have any prior experience with its medium or not - I'll get to it somewhere along the line.

 

[Svenparty]

The best part about this sim is disabled people can't leave your dates with the ease of the fully able!


I just hope this is shown tastefully

 

[Alterego-X]

By the way, if anyone wanting to try it is having trouble with the website, it can also be downloaded from torrents. (legally, of course).

 

[Tiger Sora]

I, what, why would, no wait, it's not like that just..... seriously. Hmm. Well it's innocent enough I guess. Nothing to raise the pitchforks and torches about against. Plenty of other things to use those on. *Activates toleration mode*.

 

[DE619]

I've said it before in this thread and I will say it again. Give it a try for the story because you might find something you didn't expect to find with this "game".

 

[Gingernerd]

Downloaded it. How nice that it's free. I'd just like to add that it's good to approach any media without too many assumptions. It may be seen as offensive in itself to instantly assume unfamiliar japanese media is going to be perverted or is somehow morally wrong.

It's a slightly suprising concept though, so it's existence is quite amusing.

 

[DarkRyter]

This thread needs way more Kenji.

He's the best misogynist half-blind Harry Potter look-a-like in all of fiction.

 

[Alterego-X]

By the way, there ARE other visual novels with disabled heroines. For example, "Ef: A Fairy Tale of the Two" has a heroine who lost an eye in an accident, and also got anterograde amnesia.( Can't form new memories, like in "The 50 First Dates", but played for drama). It doesn't even treat it like a fetish, it's also one of the serious dramatic VNs. (It isn't even in the pick-your-chosn-girl's-route format, but with a series of different couples' stories after each other.)

 

[Nemu]

Nothing coming from Japan surprises me anymore when it comes to niche video games.

It doesn't really seem to be too offensive, but I have no intention of trying the game as dating sims are not my thing. To each his/her own.

 

[Alterego-X]

Nothing coming from Japan surprises me anymore when it comes to niche video games.

It's not coming from Japan.

 

[Twilight_guy]

Sounds fine to me. Any game that breaks the norm and represent diverse nationality, sexuality, physical ability, etc. etc. should be appreciate for doing something new. It's another issue to say if its just a fetish for the disabled but at least it represents a new group.

 

[Febel]

People were actually waiting for something like this? Dating sims always came across as creepy and stupid to me, but this one is just taking the piss.

Edit: Actually, I wanna know why all of the physically disabled people are all in the one class. I bet there's some strange reason for that in the game.

It's an entire academy for people with disabilities. On call nursing staff, etc. Not just one class.

If you date the disabled girls you are playing this game wrong anyways:

Spoiler

"This is a MANLY picnic; no glasses, no napkins, JUST WHISKEY!"

...I don't want to

Spoiler

Fall off a roof and die, though...

 

[M0rp43vs]

This thread needs way more Kenji.

He's the best misogynist half-blind Harry Potter look-a-like in all of fiction.

Really? He was the only thing I disliked from the game.
Though most of the time I ignore him ever since he kept pestering the main character for pizza money. Right after a shower.
And his rants just kept going on and on.

In any case, I played the demo years back and was pleasantly surprised, especially since it was my first foray into Visual Novels.

Having played one full route(shizune is awesome), honestly, I forgot that they had disabilities in the first place. Most of their problems came from their characters and their disabilities just played off them. You will genuinely care for the characters because the writers present them and their stories so well.

Also, you could probably make a drinking game out of this thread.
"WTF, japan"though it says that it doesn't come from Japan, take a shot
"Ewww sick fetish"-Take a shot
"Porn, not playing"ignoring the replies that it can be turned off(I won't hold against them though but)take a shot
"Harsh opinion of the game followed by disclaimer saying they haven't played it" take a shot
"Argument between supporters and opponents" take a shot per reply, sip per quotes

 

[Alterego-X]

Those who didn't really have an idea about how a "dating sim" or visual novel works, before trying out Katawa Shoujo, but liked it, should definitely try out some others.

It's not particularly unique in it's execution quality, the only reason why it even got mentioned here is the fact that it's the first big english original, not a translation, so it got hyped to hell on western otaku websites.

But among the translations, there lots of other equally good ones, both with serious topics, and with lighthearted fun.

 

[Mrsoupcup]

I'll give it a crack, more out of morbid curiosity.

I mean it's free, so unless it's totally fucked up I can't complain.

 

[Loxes]

I don't really understand how this could inspire vitriol? Unless the boy is being deliberatively exploitative of the girls (seducing disabled girls because it's 'easier' or some crap), or they experience horrible stereotyping/characterisation from the writing/development/art team, this seems like only a good thing imo.

 

[BiscuitTrouser]

If done well, and comments from people who have played suggest it is, this game is awesome. If the writing is deep, covers real human emotion, and the dealing with difference plus the acceptance of others differences as well as your own, then we have a ground breaker here. Why is this wrong?

Think about it people. Your opinion might be that its not a great idea, and thats fine. But you know what? This is a genuinely interesting and deep character development that id personally want to read a book about. If it can be expressed through the medium of books, why not a game? I think dealing with sudden and brutal mortality while stuck in a school of people with a HOARD of personal demons (and for once a freaking good reason to have them) who are your only link to humanity and people in general, its discussing a deep and interesting point.

I think that because this is:

A real situation that could happen to someone
Thought provoking
Original
Not treated like a joke

It deserves to be displayed through any medium. Why are games excluded.

Ask yourself, if a book about this was released, a man with heart trauma moving to a school full of people with disabilities and struggling to accept, would you react the same way as you would toward this? Why not?