KATAWA SHOJOU So Far...

Aside from the crude Galaxy Angel and Ganguro Girl dating sims that have been around for years on Newgrounds.com, I've never played anything close to a visual novel. I think they're unique to Japanese culture, like RPGs kinda are. When I checked up on Megatokyo.com like I periodically do, I saw a post by Fred Gallagher which included a link to Katawa Shojou, a free to play visual novel about attending a special needs school. I'd heard about it before and it sounded just as strange the first time around. Dating handicapped people? Who the hell came up with this?

I've played my share of Japanese style games and I consume anime on a regular basis. One thing you learn quickly is that Japanese people love to talk. A lot. This is epitomized in the visual novel, which involves a lot of reading and not too much interactivity; it is a visual novel, after all. Anyway, the story's about a kid who collapses from a sudden heart problem and is hospitalized for months. When he is released back into society, he is transferred to a school full of other special needs children.

There's clearly a lot of opportunity to make this the most fucked up game ever made, but Katawa Shojou fleshes out the people you meet and makes their deficiencies only a part of their persona instead of the absolute basis of their identities. My favorite character so far is Emi, a girl without the lower half of her legs (kinda like Hank Hill's dad on King of the Hill). She's an avid sprinter and I almost died trying to keep pace with her early on. But I really like her. I happen to be a big running enthusiast in real life, so I find her gung-ho determination welcoming and familiar.

My only complaint is the lack of choices, which I think I'm used to having because my favorite games of all time are the Mass Effect series. Still, I've begun to immerse myself in Katawa Shojou a lot more than I thought I would. It's really funny and everyone I've interacted with on a regular basis is thoroughly developed. By far, the most amusing character is Kenji, the boy who dorms across the hall from me. His handicap seems to be an unnerving anxiety about global conspiracies, particularly the fear that feminists are trying to take over the world. He condemns me for the excess time I'm spending with Emi, but it's hard to be offended because he's so damn outlandish. I literally laugh out loud whenever I play this game.

Am I losing my grip on reality every time I play Katawa Shojou? Is the thought of an eventual love scene between my character and Emi freaking me out? Am I playing this to allay the purposelessness I'm currently feeling now that I'm graduated and not working? The answer to all these questions is a resounding YES! But I suggest giving this game a try, I really do. Thank you, Fred Gallagher, for making such an excellent suggestion. Hope you're recovering well!

The game Katawa Shojou can be downloaded here for free: http://www.katawa-shoujo.com/