The "thank you 4LS" thread.

[Eternal _eyes]

I remember first hearing about KS back when Act 1 was released, a forum I visited had a link and following it was one of the best ideas I had that year. KS' preview chapter captured my heart immediately and never let go. I checked back often and waited for the full release. It was worth the wait to put it mildly.

You folks have done an incredible job of making perhaps the most endearing, touching and memorable VN I have ever had the chance to play. I can honestly say that it has enriched my life, not just the game, but your efforts themselves as well.
So I would like to say thank you for what you have done and express my hope that you'll continue making VN's of the same caliber.

[Virgo888]

I really need to thank everyone involved in creating this game. It's probably the first one in years, that made me want to play it again, because it has something that other games lack: Immersion. The way that you guys, arranged to come up with believable characters, great animation and a hell of a story really surprised me. I have no idea if you are gonna make money with it, so I guess the satisfaction that you'll get may only be the fans gratitude. So I'm just aplauding your work, and hoping to play a sequel, or some other project that you'll eventually make, because what this group have, is tallent, and I'm sure you'll all surprise the fans even more in the future. Congratulation, from Brazil.

[tony246]

...Ok, I would normally go on and on and say how wonderful this was and praise 4LS until dawn, naming each and every one of them for each and every single thing they did.

But I'm not too good with words, and I'm not quite sure which member did exactly what. Furthermore, I think all the praise has been said already.

So...I'm just going to say, thank you Four Leaf Studios, you guys and gals did great.

[MikeNight]

I know I am may be preaching to the choir here so bear with me.

So I had never played any VN's before Katawa Shoujo. I had heard of the game years ago on a gaming blog and then proceded to file it in the dark recesses of my mind hoping to forget it. Then I recently saw some people on gaming sites I frequent praising the game, saying it had it's faults but was nothing like some gaming media outlets had portrayed it to be. So I put countless hours into this game that in hindsight I would of happily bought to give something back to it's developers but since it's free I thought I would make an account here to show my support in words.

I have read some of the backstory of the creation of this game and realize that the fact it even came out is a accomplishment on it's own. My ideas of what it was and what it really is couldn't be more opposite. I am almost embarrassed to admit that this is the first game I have played that made me feel some sort of real emotion. It's not perfect but nothing is, and the fact that it treats it subject matter with such care and tact came as such a surprise to me. I know their are people here who have been supporting this game for many years and now I just want to add my support and say you did an upstanding and superb job. I only hope that more people who were like me become aware of what's been made here and give it the proper chance it deserves and not brush it off as something it's not. I know I will be trying to do my part to dispel these misconceptions.

[encrypted12345]

Welcome to the club. I believe that the more emotionally guarded and supposedly stoic a person is, the more of of a emotional reaction KS will draw out of him. It's honestly very interesting to observe.

[MikeNight]

Welcome to the club. I believe that the more emotionally guarded and supposedly stoic a person is, the more of of a emotional reaction KS will draw out of him. It's honestly very interesting to observe.

Yeah I can see that. The only arc I have left to experience is Rin but so far the winners for me are Lilly and Hanako. They are the two that really got to me. I wasn't balling but if anyone was around I would be saying it's just something in my eye.

[Lolz2day]

Have fun enjoying the emotional roller coaster of the Rin route.

[MikeNight]

Have fun enjoying the emotional roller coaster of the Rin route.

I have heard people saying Rin is their favourite. I kind of left her for last because I really have no idea where her story would go. I told myself I was going to take a break after Lilly and Hanako, but I dunno...(checks watch and opens up Katawa Shoujo)

[fcd15]

Welcome to the club. I believe that the more emotionally guarded and supposedly stoic a person is, the more of of a emotional reaction KS will draw out of him. It's honestly very interesting to observe.

Yeah I can see that. The only arc I have left to experience is Rin but so far the winners for me are Lilly and Hanako. They are the two that really got to me. I wasn't balling but if anyone was around I would be saying it's just something in my eye.

lilly's and hanako's are the overall favorites. lilly's my personal favorite. hanako comes second. and i left rin's for last and still haven't done it. we have a lot in common here.

[newnar]

Have fun enjoying the emotional roller coaster of the Rin route.

I have heard people saying Rin is their favourite. I kind of left her for last because I really have no idea where her story would go. I told myself I was going to take a break after Lilly and Hanako, but I dunno...(checks watch and opens up Katawa Shoujo)

I completed all but Shizune's, and Hanako is still my favourite despite being my first. Wish you a fruitful exprience in KS.

[horogium]

Hey all of you at 4LS!
I just wanted to say, well done!
I just went through Emi's story line and I thoroughly QQ'd.
This fact is a little embarrassing for me to admit, but just thought I'd let you all know.

Thanks for all the hard work and effort you put into this. QwQ

[SyntheticKing]

Many thanks to all the staff.

i'm impressed. i mean, i'm a psychologist, an ex videogame addicted, and i had serious health problems, in my past.

but i've never, NEVER, ever experienced such an "human" experience like playing Katawa Shoujo.

and with Human i mean touchy, soulful and true.

Thank You. i mean, seriously, THANK YOU!

i'm impressed.

i owe you something BIG!

if you'll step to Italy, let me know!

[mack2111]

Hello i'm going to try to put this into words but i migt have trouble so bear with me when i first played KS act 1 i had never really seen a visual novel let alone played one. After i was done playing it was one of the most enlightening experience i have ever had and when i saw that it wasn't the full game i got so estatic about it. When the final release came for torrent i was like doh! i don't know how to use torrents but when i saw the DDL was comming soon i brightened up. Then when the DDL came out i was all gitty like a little scoolgirl but im a guy, after taking 2 hours to download i finally had it. Starting out i saw that it looked awesome just like i remembered, not knowing which way to go with the story i ended up with Rin. Now i don't know why or how i ended up with her but her personality is such a spot on match to me i got goosebumps and what really made me extreamly happy was that i ended with the happy ending. the ending got to me on such a different level yeah a man tear came down, yes it was over and there was still other people but Rin will always have a spot in my heart.

In short Katawa Shoujo is the best Visual Novel i have ever read.

And to Four Leaf Studios you have made a masterpice that has changed my life forever, when i'm old and on my way out i will still be playing Katawa Shoujo... i love you guys

p.s. i hope you don't mind i think im gonna get a tatoo of the heart logo or maybe something else i don't know but when i know i'll know ^-^

Have fun in all of your adventures

-Mac

[Xanondorf]

I found out about this game through a single picture, and downloaded it around Jan. 20th or so. I want to say, this game possibly changed my life. This game is so well written and the characters are so deep and believable, I find myself losing sleep just thinking about them and everything they've been through. And thinking about all that these people have accomplished has really put my life in perspective.

I would like to voice an opinion: The two best characters in this game are most definitely Emi and Kenji. Both of them remind me so much of people I know that I couldn't help but love those guys.

I just wanted to give my heartfelt thanks out to all of the devs of this game. Everything you've done is spot on fantastic. Great writing, deep characters, everything is almost perfect. Good on ya guys!

[Ph33rles]

Hey all,

I've been trying to figure out how to say what I've wanted to about KS, and its been rather tough to talk to...well anyone about it. My Gamer friends have pretty much all gone "That's not really a game, tl;dr" and my manga friends don't know why there are choices and such and when I try to explain it without genre the say "Oh my god! Sex with cripples? You pervert." to which I've basically given up trying to talk to anyone in real life about it. (And these are the people that claim to be against prejudice. Feh.)

However I wanted to put this down somewhere, and who knows maybe the devs or someone will read it, or it may get lost forever.

Pretty much since I first started playing through it, KS has been on my mind a lot. The first play through I couldn't figure out where the save was until about 3 hours in so I really was agonizing about every decision and basically tried to take every decision as I would. I'm pretty happy with the way that one turned out but that's neither here nor there.

As I went back and started going through the other stories, I wondered why I was so hooked on it. I went through the Emi ending where you apologize on the track before going to the graveyard and it was literally heart wrenching and I must have re-watched that scene 5 or 6 times. I've read good books, read good visual novels as well, but this all hit me hard.

I suppose in the first playthrough reacting the way I would to each decision Hisao ended up reflecting me quite a lot, and to that I congratulate all the writers and whoever principally wrote the Emi line. But there's been something more, with each time I think about it, I know there's more to it.

It hit me today, just after I woke up (I had finished Hanako's line last night). I've always been a pity gatherer, one of those people not to tout achievements but lament everything they do wrong. One of those humble to the point of simply self deprecating. And yeah I'm probably in the bottom half of the population when it comes to hardships in life, but nothing like any character in this game has. And they are all there, smiling, nobody throwing their own pity party, nobody saying woe is me.
And like a freight train running over me, I asked myself, "What the hell am I doing?" I've had some tough times, but I have all four limbs, I have never been in an orphanage, I'm all my senses (though I'm not far from Kenji in eyesight), and I'm healthy enough to not being constantly in fear of dying. How can I complain?

Moreover, how can I not be happy? Granted I'm well past school, but it should be so hard for these girls and Hisao to be happy, and yet there they are laughing, smiling, living probably moreso than I am. And I need to find that. I will somehow find that.

So I suppose at the end of the day I wanted to thank you, all of you. Not just for this labor of love that is a wonderful visual novel, but for possibly even saving me from myself. I hope this finds its way to the eyes and ears of those of you who worked on it. With everything I am, thank you.