Post
by TruckRockpec » Sun Jul 27, 2014 1:13 pm
Spoilers, obvs.
Emi's was the first story I finished, and while the range of emotions I experienced was as varied as anyone else's, the ones I want to emphasize were happiness and hope. However down I felt, knowing I wouldn't be spending any more time with her, I was elated that I'd managed to convince her to open up to Hisao. KS is one of the few games I've played which convinced me the NPCs were actual individuals, rather than instruments to be used for the PCs ends, and I realized early on in Emi's story that I could screw things up by not treating her like a real person with her own needs and boundaries. I had to let her know I wanted to be there for her, but give her the space to decide whether or not she wanted to come to me on her own terms.
Hope came into it because I truly felt refreshed and strengthened by learning Emi's story. If she could endure all that she had, and still find the courage to choose love over bitter solitude, then I should able to find the determination to live as fearlessly too, accepting that I'm in control of nothing but my reactions to life's challenges.
That sounds unimaginative even as I write it, but I'm trying to stress that I was purposefully choosing to make experiencing KS a edifying one. I can completely emphasize with the people writing here that they felt depressed after completing any of the girl's stories, but it doesn't have to be that way.