Disabled Girl Dating Sim Katawa Shoujo Finally Available

[Riobux]

The prtagonist is a male, and he is probably at least as important as the girls, if not even more so. By the description, it's easy to write him off as an audience avatar, but actually his inner monologue and attitudes drive the plot.

Strange. I will admit that I haven't tried the game, but assumed that it had a strong emphasis on the dating part rather than the internal cognition of the main character in relation to dating females who have physical disabilities.

About the core audience: Since I followed the development from a distance for over a year, I can safely say that the core audience is simply the general Visual Novel-reading audience. The artists emerged from the Visual Novel fandom, not from the disability fetishist community.(if there is such a thing). On every forum that has a VN thread or board, this is hyped by everyone about as much, as smething like Skyrim in general gaming, as the best product of the past few months. The idea that it could have been intended as a fetishist niche game, isn't even considered, but only on outsider sites like this one.

The idea crept into my mind that it could cater to that audience, but I really felt reading up on it that it wasn't the intention. Although one thing I am curious about is if they may make a sequel of some kind in relation to mental illness.

 

[Deadyawn]

I don't really have an issue with the concept as it is, not being terribly interested in this sort of thing, but what baffles me is how somebody thought of this first place. I mean, dating sims are a pretty obscure phenomenon and that the they were created at all is on the other side of unlikely but one about disabled people? Who thinks up this stuff?

It started with a mock concept art as a manga's extra page, not intended to taken seriously. Then 4chan took it seriously, and hold a big brainstorming about how to turn it into a game.

Then a few months later, they managed to collect a few actually talented passerby, who were interested in making an original Visual Novel, and convince them to spend the next 4 years on creating it, for free.

Oh, 4chan. That would explain it.

 

[Alterego-X]

Strange. I will admit that I haven't tried the game, but assumed that it had a strong emphasis on the dating part rather than the internal cognition of the main character in relation to dating females who have physical disabilities.

The thing that is easy to miss by the phrase "dating sim", is that it's not a simulation of literal dating, but a linearly written romance story, just like a novel.

The idea crept into my mind that it could cater to that audience, but I really felt reading up on it that it wasn't the intention. Although one thing I am curious about is if they may make a sequel of some kind in relation to mental illness.

The team disbanded upon release, as planned. They only grouped together to tell this story, to begin with.

Besides, that would be kinda stupid.

 

[Riobux]

Besides, that would be kinda stupid.

In what way?

 

[Alterego-X]

Besides, that would be kinda stupid.

In what way?

First of all, in a way that it would require rebooting the entire plot and the world. That would be like making a sequel to "American History X", but this time with arabs instead of black people. It would treat the actual story about Derek, and Danny, and all that was interesting about it, as irrelevant, compared to a "random sociological discussion of the episode".

Second, just like this previous analogy also shows, it would also play up the feeling that the actual theme was just a gimmick. Like, if you would hear about such a movie, you would probably feel that the previous film was also exploitative, all there is to know about it is that "It was the one about black people". Likewise, this Visual Novel already misunderstood as fetishist pandering, and objectifying disabled people. Treating other disabilites as expansion packs, would just enforce this.

Third, The medium isn't really appropriate for expressing mental disabilities. The character visuals are static pictures, and the plot is heavily dialogue based. Movie actors get oscars for playing mentally disabled characters, becase they can still act out all the emotional range of a disabled person, facial expressions, and all, demonstrating how human they are, but a dialouge-based story with the would sound.... well... retarded.

Fourth, romance with mentaly disabled people is controversial in and of itself, not just depending on the portrayal, but even in real life.

 

[rayen020]

i was really excited and interested in this game about 2 years ago when i saw some of the concept art and the premise on a hentai site. since then my interest has somewhat waned, although i may download it. I don't really have an opinion on the whole "it's disabled girls" premise,

Spoiler: too much information

of the many fetishes i have that isn't one of them.

My mother is a social worker, so i've spent a great deal of my life around disabled people so it's a semi-normal thing for me.

 

[Tesral]

I've only played this up to the start of act 2, but this definitely deserves praise. I would never have expected this level of maturity coming from 4Chan. I'm gonna have to play to the end, but so far this might top SonoHana as my favorite VN.

(Disclaimer) My opinion is based on the overall tastefullness and quality of the VN, not on any fetishes. However, it is nice to see disabled equality, and it distances the game from the 'perfection' which throws a lot of other VNs into the uncanny valley. SonoHana is cute, but Katawa Shoujo is deep.

 

[masticina]

Mmm downloaded it [they even offer MacOS and Linux support out of the box can you belief that] and guess what not bad not bad, Nice music to set a mood, combination of drawn and picture style and well yeah nice very nice.

Of course just 20 minutes or so in and yes I know in the end it is all about getting fourth base... sigh. But you know these characters so far at least make more sense then those in the usual type of this game. Those are.. seriously crazy![OMG I have been given a bunny, he must love me, oh I will hide in his room tonight nude!] These seem to be acceptable human ..and yes so far lacking huge breasts. Seriously.. Japanese guys.. big breasts only go so far!

 

[Alterego-X]

But you know these characters so far at least make more sense then those in the usual type of this game. Those are.. seriously crazy![OMG I have been given a bunny, he must love me, oh I will hide in his room tonight nude!]

Or maybe you are looking at the wrong ones. There are several Visual Novels at least as good as this one.

Clannad, Kira Kira, Ef: A Fairy Tale of the Two, G-Senjou no Maou, these are the few VNs with major romantic themes that I have played, and these are all around the level of this one. Though their writing is translated form Japanese so it's a bit worse than this, with forced idioms and such.

 

[Weaver]

I'm playing it now just because I can.

I think it's a sorry state of the industry when some of the best English writing I've seen in the last 10 years of gaming is coming out in a VN from an indie studio bred out of 4chan.

"I guess I just have a soft-spot for cripples, bastards and broken things."

 

[masticina]

But you know these characters so far at least make more sense then those in the usual type of this game. Those are.. seriously crazy![OMG I have been given a bunny, he must love me, oh I will hide in his room tonight nude!]

Or maybe you are looking at the wrong ones. There are several Visual Novels at least as good as this one.

Clannad, Kira Kira, Ef: A Fairy Tale of the Two, G-Senjou no Maou, these are the few VNs with major romantic themes that I have played, and these are all around the level of this one. Though their writing is translated form Japanese so it's a bit worse than this, with forced idioms and such.

Can't say I have looked into it but thank you. I am a sucker for a good story even if it is in media I usually do not go into.

 

[andy25100]

When i stumbled across this game it piqued my interest as i had nothing better to do & it seemed like an interesting concept to base a visual novel around. So i downloaded it and i started playing immediatly getting sucked in to the amazing story and characters, with the path i ended up doing (Lilly's) being intense & brilliant with it having points i forgot completly about her blindness, the ending itself as cliched as it was heartwrenching for me.

But my opinion on those who write this off as a something for a niche fetish audience are badly mistaken and if they spent even 5 minutes they would realise it and it is a shame that many will not because of that, but everytime i see someone saying that due to the positive feedback from those who have played it they are giving it a go, instead of blurting out misinformed opinions. A good way to describe how this game reacts to the characters is on this image i found on imgur, http://i.imgur.com/MCl7y.jpg, so be the better person and try it.

 

[Nocturnal Gentleman]

I'm glad that you are so open-minded about it and everything, so I don't want to sound too preachy, but here is a tricky question: If it would be a movie or a novel, would you say the same thing? Is there something inherently creepy about setting an entire movie's premise on the life of disabled people? Or a novel that is told from a disabled person's lover's perspective?

If it were a movie or novel I wouldn't look at it either. Mostly because many times those kind of things basically hit me on the head about how hard it is to live with said disability and that disabled people are like normal people. I don't need media to teach me that. That just seems like a given. As for feeling bad about the disability everybody's got problems. You either deal with them or give in. To be honest dwelling on it makes it worse.

Also if the movie has the same style as this game I couldn't watch it just because I don't like the art style.

I guess in a way it also feels a little offensive to me. Like it takes something special to empathize with a disabled person. My friends with disabilities are the same as the ones that don't have any to me. They just live slightly differently and it's not enough to categorize them differently. Also, as I've mentioned I went to school with kids with many different disabilities alongside kids that had none. As a result I don't care or put much notice into such things.

 

[Alterego-X]

If it were a movie or novel I wouldn't look at it either. Mostly because many times those kind of things basically hit me on the head about how hard it is to live with said disability and that disabled people are like normal people. I don't need media to teach me that. That just seems like a given. As for feeling bad about the disability everybody's got problems. You either deal with them or give in. To be honest dwelling on it makes it worse.

Also if the movie has the same style as this game I couldn't watch it just because I don't like the art style.

I guess in a way it also feels a little offensive to me. Like it takes something special to empathize with a disabled person. My friends with disabilities are the same as the ones that don't have any to me. They just live slightly differently and it's not enough to categorize them differently. Also, as I've mentioned I went to school with kids with many different disabilities alongside kids that had none. As a result I don't care or put much notice into such things.

Then you are not just playing the open-minded in your rhetoric, but actually have your own opinion about such things. That's good. I apologize for using your post as a basis to argue the fallacy of what "most people" would think.

Besides, I think you will find the VN's execution OK. It makes a really strong point about exactly that. One paraphrased quote:

Protagonist: How could I fit in here? It's so strange, pointing out everyone's disabilities would be very rude, but ignoring them would be like ignoring the elephant in the living room.
Teacher: Well, I think, really, it's only an elephant in the living room if you make it out to be one.

And really, the way the story came to be, only supports this. It was started out pretty much as: "LOL, this would really make an unique VN setting. So, how do we start making it?" - And nothing more. Just as it wasn't a bunch of fetishists deciding to write a porn, it was neither condescending ableist activists deciding to send a message, just some guys wanting to tell a non-cliche romance story.

 

[ArchAngelKira]

I can't shake the feeling the sequel game would be based around mental disablities. Now that would be an interesting character trait in a game like this. Also I cant tell who has what in physical disablities, they still all look like they're perfect more or less.(I cant spell sorry)

 

[MightyMole]

You know after having played this I actually quite liked it. I found the story to be well done and the character models were done well. Though, the main character annoyed me with his stupidity but hey, I guess that's common place in these kind of things. I dont have a fetish of any kind and was actually kind of surprised by the sex scenes in the game, as well as a little put off lol. Not because of them being handicapped but because of how easy it was to get them in the sack... Maybe I just missed the point in these things or maybe it was just the girl I chose IDK lol. I'm just weird I guess.

 

[ThatLankyBastard]

Lol...

*tries to go on the site*
*gets a message instead*
"The Katawa Shoujo server seems to be crippled overloaded."

...I see what you did there...

Anyways! This is... cool! I'm not usually into dating sims but I think I may just download this one...

 

[CarlMin]

This is probably, regardless of the motivation, the worst, most clusmy and insensitive way to handle this issue imaginable.

Let me guess. You didn't actually check out HOW it is handled in the plot.

Jesus Christ, I read the article and it's a disabled girl dating game. What more do I need to know?

 

[Alterego-X]

This is probably, regardless of the motivation, the worst, most clusmy and insensitive way to handle this issue imaginable.

Let me guess. You didn't actually check out HOW it is handled in the plot.

Jesus Christ, I read the article and it's a disabled girl dating game. What more do I need to know?

For example the fact that out of the dozens of people in this thread who tried to start reading it, even for a single hour, EVERY SINGLE ONE reported that it's a very well-written, sensitive, serious romantic story.

(Or at least the ones who told something about it's quality, other than "this and that route was my favourite", and similar comments)

 

[Alluos]

I played a bit of the first act, enough to get aquatinted with the characters. Out of curiosity.
And I have to say I was surprised how sympathetic I got towards the protagonist, the way your character's disability is portrayed makes you feel as sorry for yourself as you are any of the other characters.
It helps because your character isn't some normal guy taking advantage of their difficult lives, he's just as handicapped as any of the other class-mates.