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Relatively new to VNs/Question about Kara no Shoujo


Nusselt

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Hello my fellows!

So i'm new to this amazing VN world. I played Katawa Shoujo years ago, when in the occasion some friend recommended to me (to my surprise since this kind of game is not even remotely popular over here), It was better then I expected(even though it is not my fav genre), then I played Yume Miru Kusuri (just one route) and never touched any VN again, due to the lack of time. Many years later(some weeks ago), i've stumbled in the familiar name "G-Senjou no Maou" (in a comentary section of a classical music piece on youtube), and decided to download it and give it a try. Well, needslessly to say, now i'm back into this stuff  and this time more serious about it.
But im still somewhat lacking in spare time to read tons of awesome, long visual novels, so i think i'm being a little picky (otherwise i would just try and read everything haha).
Enough with my stupid background.

I did some research and Kara no Shoujo caught my interest. The question is: just how much depressing is this game?
I've read that the graphics are pretty intense. I do not mind too much about gore, i mean, kinda like h-scenes, i dont care too much but i also dont mind then either. I also do not have the weakest stomach in the world but i'm not some stoneheart guy. Some personal examples: Some G-Senjou bad endings hardly made me feel bad for more than a few minutes. Grisaia no Kanjitsu Amane's Route definitely had some impact on me but not as much as some ppl have described on this forum (like "i could not eat while reading" , "disturbed my sleep" or "thought about it for weeks"). Knowing that this game is obviously darker and more mature, and that if im going to play it , i will also play the sequel and Cartagra, i would like to hear opinions from some ppl that have played those.

I do not consider myself a sad or a very emotional person, but while i like a story that is deep and leave an impact on the viewer/reader, im not confortable enought with the idea of being disturbed by it on my daily life.
I'm not sure i would enjoy a game that shits on your face every time, making you feel hopeless, while topping it with a good amount of disturbing images of unrecognizable bodies. While i might like the contents of the game, even the way the game looks (the art is somewhat "mature-looking"), this overly dark/depressing vibe is kinda pushing me off. What i mean is, while i could enjoy the thriller, mature themes that this game could offer, i would not enjoy the borderline horror or the "make you feel like a hopeless shit" parts of it, if its too much (just like a romance/drama that throws tons of unnecessary hentai at your face whenever it got the chance).

So, could someone who played the 3 games shed some light? Is it really that heavy? Is there enough comedy, romance or anything like that to counterbalance it or at least ease the pace a little?

I also just got Sharin no Kuni, so if Kara no Shoujo is to dark to my tastes i will probably play that one.

Btw, this is my first post here so im sorry for any possible "VN noobism".

Also i'm VERY sorry for the huge wall of text, i think that i do not express myself good enough in english (not my native language)

 

Edited by Nusselt
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KnS is certainly darker than G-senjou. Not the darkest VN you can find in the market, but there is lots of death, and even characters you might like and get attached to, well... without spoilering anything, let's just say that no one is actually safe in the game. The game is not 100% depressing though, especially at the beginning there's some comedy to lighten it up, and overall it's a very very good story with amazing art and soundtrack. I don't know, really, it might be a little too much for you judging for your description, but it's hard to tell without actually knowing you.

Sharin no Kuni is definitely much lighter, at least in the sense that there's a lot of hope to be found there.

Edited by Overlord87
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I wouldn't call Kara no shoujo depressing. Frustrating at most (if you are going to play it without a guide, because the choices can be pretty random).

All in all, everything about it is pretty dark (except of the school uniforms). It does have some romantic atmosphere from time to time, and thanks to a certain heroine, a bit of comedy aswell. Then would come the frustrating part if you hadn't managed to do what you wanted and just get a game over screen. That's probably a part of why i never finished it. People told me to play Cartagara first, since it takes place before Kara no shoujo, so if i ever get back to it, i'd read that first, just like you should.

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Kara No Shoujo is less emotionally dark, and more dark in the sense of psychological horror. It relies heavily on the shock factor.  There is a lot of blood/gore. It is disturbing in that there is a lot of cruel violence. The true ending is really good though. It won't leave any lasting impact. 

To be honest Narcissu is the only VN that still impacts me a little bit. I like to think I have a little more empathy nowadays!

Most endings are bad endings, and this game is nearly impossible to play without a walkthrough.

Despite this the storyline is very good. One of the best murder-mysteries I read.  Cartagra is not really a prequel (Each game is standalone).

Though the kind of mystery you find in G-Senjou is fundamentally different from you experience in Kara No Shoujo. Don't go in expecting that. Despite this, this is a solid 8.5/10

While not as dark, bloody or violent, Umineko has the kind of masterful storytelling, that you will probably enjoy.

Wait for Sharin No Kuni, as a HD version is going to be re-released soon

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Well, everybody said what I would say. KnS is not depressing, although very gory, which may be a problem for some players. Some scenes and endings can be considered depressing, but in the context of the story are acceptable.

What I highly recommend is that you read Cartagra before KnS. Although their stories are not directly related, there are a lot of information you'll only get if you've read Cartagra. Also, you're going to get some spoilers if you read it after KnS. Cartagra is an even more important read before KnS2, due to the many references and characters who play major roles in this sequel.

Btw, if you like KnS, read Swan Song. It is very dark and depressing :P

Edited by Silvz
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16 hours ago, Overlord87 said:

The game is not 100% depressing though, especially at the beginning there's some comedy to lighten it up, and overall it's a very very good story with amazing art and soundtrack.

That is good to know, good soundtrack is actually a huge selling point for me. Thanks for the reply!

16 hours ago, Zidan209 said:

I wouldn't call Kara no shoujo depressing. Frustrating at most (if you are going to play it without a guide, because the choices can be pretty random).

Yeah i've read about that. I will probably look for some sort of guide. Good to know that the game isn't depressing as i thought.

14 hours ago, Akshay said:

To be honest Narcissu is the only VN that still impacts me a little bit.

I've read nasty things about this one, this can be the kind of vn that i would consider not playing at all (even though its a short one).

14 hours ago, Akshay said:

Wait for Sharin No Kuni, as a HD version is going to be re-released soon

Alright, thanks for the heads up! I will wait on that one.

13 hours ago, Benji Price said:

I highly recommend it, I rarely enjoy gore but I do enjoy the mistery a lot. 

Well, if thats the case, maybe the gore isn't over the top or too much for me. Thank you.

9 hours ago, onorub said:

I doesn't have anything to do with how dark it is, but if you decide to go with Kara no Shoujo, it is a little bit harsh when it comes to bad ends, so just be aware that if a character tells you to do stuff regarding the investigation, it might be not as optional as you think.

Yeah i've read about that and Zidan209 just adressed this problem as well. Since i'm more intressed in the storytelling aspect of the game rather than the gameplay itself, do you think that getting some sort of guite/walkthrough will ruin the experience too much?

9 hours ago, Silvz said:

What I highly recommend is that you read Cartagra before KnS. Although their stories are not directly related, there are a lot of information you'll only get if you've read Cartagra.

I was planning on doing that. Thanks for the suggestion.

9 hours ago, Silvz said:

Some scenes and endings can be considered depressing, but in the context of the story are acceptable.

Fair enough. People said good things about this one, so at the worst case i will just bear with the scenes.

9 hours ago, Silvz said:

Btw, if you like KnS, read Swan Song. It is very dark and depressing

Haha i will give it a thought, though i think that kara no shoujo is pretty much my limit. I've looked on this one as well while i was searching for another vn to read and some comments about it were very depressing. Btw, greetings from Brazil! 

 

Guys, thank you all for the replies! Glad to see that this is a healthy community. 

Good reading to everyone.

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10 hours ago, Deep Blue said:

If you read KnS you will want to read KnS2 after and that one is a lot darker than KnS and more depressing overall too. I loved the ending (the true ending) but I'm sure is not for everyone.

Might be a matter of taste, but I found KnS2 not even remotely as dark and depressing as the first one. Much less gore and you can actually save people for a change.

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Kara No Shoujo is a very beautiful and unique game I absolutely love Innocent Greys art style

I wouldn't call it depressing exactly but there was a definite scene where they tore a chunk of my heart out 

It can be gentle, sweet, and funny at times in the next moment decide to punch you straight in the gut

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On 05/11/2017 at 6:55 AM, Benji Price said:

As a fact, I read KnS after I have finished Senjou no Maou, and I have to say: even though KnS does not focus in a "sherlock Holmes vs Moriarty" story, you can really enjoy the mistery behind the true story ending. 

As a mistery novel fan, I can assure you it will be worth the effort and time.

Yeah I that's what I've assumed, it should be less like Sherlock and more like "Se7en" or "The Bone Collector". I will definitely give it a try.

 

On 06/11/2017 at 9:04 AM, Deep Blue said:

If you read KnS you will want to read KnS2 after and that one is a lot darker than KnS and more depressing overall too. I loved the ending (the true ending) but I'm sure is not for everyone.

Also you need to read cartagra before reading KnS.

That's what I plan to do. I think its ok , for what I've read/saw is not even close to the shocking image that I had in my head.

On 06/11/2017 at 7:17 PM, ChaosRaven said:

Might be a matter of taste, but I found KnS2 not even remotely as dark and depressing as the first one. Much less gore and you can actually save people for a change.

Thanks for the input. I've just decided to read those 3 VNs. I just hope that I dont get too hyped for the third one since it will probably take a long time for a translation to come out after it's release.

 

On 07/11/2017 at 4:07 AM, Ranzo said:

Kara No Shoujo is a very beautiful and unique game I absolutely love Innocent Greys art style

I wouldn't call it depressing exactly but there was a definite scene where they tore a chunk of my heart out 

It can be gentle, sweet, and funny at times in the next moment decide to punch you straight in the gut

Excellent, this seems to be like the kind of VN that i was looking for, actually the art style is the main thing that caught my attention.

 

I will start reading in January since I plan to read the 3 in sucession and i dont have much time for now. I will look for some shorter/lighthearted VN to read little by little meanwhile. Thank you everyone for your reply!

Edited by Nusselt
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