IAmSovereign

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

First, let me say I don't give out a 10 light heartedly. In my mind, I reserve a 10 for the greatest experiences in gaming that I have played so far... it doesn't mean its perfect, just that its the best I know of. Why does Katawa Shoujo deserve a 10 from me? I'm not new to games, but Katawa Shoujo just touched me in a way few others have. I'm not talking about falling hopelessly in love with fictional characters(although they are all very memorable and beautifully written) but talking about what this game teaches you and makes you feel. If you could bottle that feel, and drink it every day, you'd be the happiest person on earth. KS basically helps you realize what YOU want in life, helps you empathize and believe in love when you're depressed and down on the whole idea of it, gives you profound life wisdom woven casually in its story arc, it gives you a perspective on disability and inner beauty and (I dont know how they do this) make you feel genuine emotions reading through the banal events of its amazing love stories. By the end of one route, as the credits rolled, I found my cheeks sore from subconciously smiling like an idiot for so damn long. My eyes could not contain the happiness/sadness. I haven't cried in 3 years, but I cried when it ended. I started running due to KS, the first day I ran 3 km. And this is coming from a guy who can only do 200m if he lays down and pants afterwards. And I kept it up the next day too. And the next. And the next. And I plan to keep doing so. People going into this game for the sex often end up complaining about the lack of 'sex' and 'game', but its so much more, and by the end, you don't even care. I myself took it up as I'd never heard of it and found it beating Battlefield 3(and coming close to Skyrim) on Reddit's Most Played list. That and the fact that a group of **** had apparently gotten together to create this over the course of 5 years and then released it free, no strings attached(actually huge heart pulling strings attached). I've never been more delightfully surprised.