Hello all,
This is my first post here on everything2... I just wanted to share my opinions about this VN (virtual novel in anime format) that I have been playing for about two weeks. Its called Katawa shuojo (KS), I think its Japanese for cripple girls or something like that, made by 4 leafs studio (see http://katawa-shoujo.com/). Anyways, behind the rather controversial title lies a professionally made/programmed VN with a heart-warming story.
From their website:
"Katawa Shoujo is a bishoujo-style visual novel set in the fictional Yamaku High School for disabled children, located somewhere in modern Japan. Hisao Nakai, a normal boy living a normal life, has his life turned upside down when a congenital heart defect forces him to move to a new school after a long hospitalization. Despite his difficulties, Hisao is able to find friends—and perhaps love, if he plays his cards right. There are five main paths corresponding to the 5 main female characters, each path following the storyline pertaining to that character. "
Despite the game currently being a demo consisting of the first act, it still is awesome. I'll summarize the important points
UI/art - Very professionally made with well drawn sprites, the text is also well written with almost no spelling errors.
Story - Well written, act 1 initially has all of the 5 paths to the 5 main girls of the game open. Then systematically eliminates other girls depending on your options in the game, until you end up with one girl, that is where the demo ends sadly.
Pricing - Absolutely free! This definitely stands out from other VN's of similar caliber... where some even charge hundreds of dollars.
The only disadvantage - It can be a little too short if you bothered to play only 1 path.. otherwise this has some replay value.
You can try the demo as well as find more info on their website: http://katawa-shoujo.com/
This may be a little unexpected, but it also got talked about in Kotaku, this was the article that introduced me to the game, here is the link:
http://kotaku.com/5461619/romance-with-disabled-girls-how-and-maybe-why-an-unusual-video-game-came-to-be