Games You Should Play, Day #1: Katawa Shoujo

For the past couple of weeks, I've been hard at work pulling myself away from those annoying MMO's in order to play some real games.  And if you've never played an MMO before, you should know it's pretty damn tough to tear yourself away from something that can literally take 5 years to get to the endgame.  And this time, I decided to revisit some games that I thought were phenomenal in the past.  I suppose it's a good excuse to tear myself away from Smite, League and Guild Wars 2 (I will never be able to actually do this, as a disclaimer).

Today, I'll be kicking off a week's worth of commentary on games that I've played in the past that aren't quite as well known as the modern games of today.  Now, before I get into this, let me just say that this is entirely based upon opinion: namely, my own.  These games are not, by any means, games that EVERY gamer MUST play, but simply a collection of games that I have been especially attached to as of late.  So, let's get started with our first game of the week: Katawa Shoujo.

Cat-a-wa what now?

This game better not be one of those stupid pet simulation games I keep hearing about...

You're half right.  Not a game about cats, luckily.  However, it is a simulation game; namely, a Dating Sim.

Dating Sim 2?!
LOVE TRIANGLE!? THIS SHIT'S GETTIN' SHAKESPEAREAN, BITCHES.

I know what you're thinking: "He's gone off the deep end.  Seriously, a dating sim?  I guess all that time he spent away from the blog has made him go insane."  First and foremost, I was already insane before I left for a week or two.  Second of all, it was a week or two.  Third of all, hear me out: Katawa Shoujo is the only Dating Sim I've played since I was fourteen, and no, it isn't one of the featured games on Newgrounds.  This is a legit story, with actual text, people who I have no doubt truly exist in this world, and best of all, a very, very thought-provoking theme.

For those of you who know Japanese, the title "Katawa Shoujo" should already be a huge hint as to what the theme of this particular Dating Sim is: Shoujo is translated as "girl(s)", and Katawa, in this context, means "disabled".

Oh man, didn't see that coming...

...so, no cats, right?

Yes, this is a Dating game about disabled women.  Now, normally, I wouldn't play a Dating Sim, because I believe that the majority of these games are chauvinistic pieces of trash.  However, when I heard about this particular game, I couldn't help but be mildly interested.  You see, I hadn't ever thought about the concept of dating someone who was diabled before  you met them.  I mean, that's gotta come with a lot of baggage, right?

Well, that's true.  The girls of Katawa Shoujo each have a different disability.  One of them has lost her arms, and must pick things up with her feet.  Another has third-degree burns on over a third of her body, and scar tissue out the wazzoo.  Yet another is deaf, and doesn't have the ability to speak without using sign language.  "Wait, this is a Dating Sim.  How does she communicate with you?  Are you deaf as well?"  See, that's the beauty of this game.  It raises so many questions about how a semi-normal human being can date someone with crippling disabilities (and I'm not going to ruin the surprise on that one).

Does pink hair with hand-sized drills built in count as a disability?
More on this at eleven.

I'm not going to lie: this game is absolutely heart-rending.  It makes you think about things you would never have thought about; it opens your mind to possibilities that you never thought possible.  And, in a way, it ensures that you feel a hell of a lot less awkward around the disabled.  I cried while playing this game.  A lot.  There's a lot of great material in there in terms of the writing that can really cut to the core.  Some of the dialogue hits a little too close to home as well.

Oh, and did I mention?  The protagonist of this game isn't some womanizing, heart-like-a-rock guy.  He's the average sullen teenager who overthinks.  He has a distinct personality.  The best part about this game is that you aren't in the driver's seat here, he is.  The decisions in this game are actually difficult to make, as they would truly appear in real life.  Do you attempt to protect the girl you love from the world, because others might see her as hideous, or should you listen to your friend and let her figure it out for herself?  Needless to say, there's also some lessons to be learned.

So many lessons.

Sexy, sexy lessons...

This game also has a habit of really changing people's outlooks on life.  After asking a few friends how they reacted after finishing a few of the endings, one of them said that he started exercising every day, due to one of the storylines where you end up exercising with a girl who has lost her legs.  I, personally, have made the realization that dating someone who was blind would be perfectly okay in my book, and I've certainly got a special place in my heart for anyone walking down that road.  It really opens some interesting doors for video gaming as well.  Dating Sims no longer have to have the stereotypical badass, the quiet bookworm, the uptight girl...

The...pigeon?

Pictured above: My sanity is leaving and taking the kids.

In my mind, Katawa Shoujo allows for a completely refreshed take on the Dating Sim genre.  And, as much as I really don't like to admit it, some of the smutty parts in Katawa Shoujo are really touching.  Yes, there are smutty parts.  However, I wouldn't take those parts out just because they are sexual (even though there's an option built into the game to do so, for the less sexually inclined).  They are a real part of the game, something that truly defines some of the more emotional moments.  And, to be honest, there wasn't a single time where I felt like they were awkwardly timed or thrown in because, hey, we needed you to have sex with this girl so that we can appease our perverted audience.

I've played enough dating sims to know where this is going.
And I'm definitely not invited.  Giggity.

Oh, and the score.  THE SCORE.  A lot of it is piano based, which gives the game that light-hearted sound when you're wandering the halls of the school, and the truly devastating heavy sound when shit starts to hit the fan.  It's a truly varied soundtrack that comprises this game, and one that doesn't go unnoticed.  I found myself humming most of the tunes by the end of the game, and even attaching certain pivotal moments to some of those songs.  Luckily, there's an option in this game to listen to any of the tracks you've heard so far, which is greatly appreciated.

All-in-all, this game is absolutely fantastic.  If you're ever feeling like you really need a pick-me-up from being a little too lonely, or perhaps you've just broken up with someone dear, go ahead and pick up this game.  It's free, takes up barely any memory, and can eat up an entire day or two, in case you want to be alone for a while.

~Cascadakatana

PS- I literally saw 9 copies of that one Batman series where Bane breaks his back.  Is this just because of the movie?  Because, if so, I've got a  problem with that.