Kara no Shoujo - solving murder mysteries in 1950's Japan

[Haba]

So I'm scrolling from top... the investigation scene, the map... damn, looks like something I wanna play.
And then those fucking anime characters pop in.

God damn weak bellied pup. There are no anime characters in the game. Some have big breasts, yes, but they are a minor minority.

 

[Suchy]

then wtf is this?

 

[Haba]

v.s.

The whole "anime characters" categorization usually goes deeper than the visual style, referring to very limited set of tropes that define the characterizations. There is none of that in KnS.

also

 

[SCO]

So this is what it has come to

 

[Suchy]

v.s.

The whole "anime characters" categorization usually goes deeper than the visual style, referring to very limited set of tropes that define the characterizations. There is none of that in KnS.

also

I don't know, bro. If it looks like anime, I'm not touching it.

 

[Gosling]

Wait, so this is basically a hentai game? Why can't they make normal games for once?

Not a hentai game really.

It is more of an adventure game with sex.

Sounds like The Witcher.

 

[Wolfus]

The game is actually great. Perfect story, funny characters - I definitely like it.

 

[Mrowak]

The game is actually great. Perfect story, funny characters - I definitely like it.

I wouldn't go so far as to say that the story is perfect (it gets really pretentious at times), and I must have skipped most if the funny parts you speak of, but it's the first time I'm actually contemplating buying a weeaboo visual novel - so there's that.

 

[Gragt]

Finally took the time to go through with it and so far it's good.

 

[Drakron]

Dont bring My Girlfriend is the President as its a "Moege", also I am relying on this tread because of delicious drama (and not because of My Girlfriend is the President).

Apparently it seems Ixrec got fed up and released MuvLuv Alternative Patch (it was leaked months ago) that created a amusing response on twitter that was, sadly, deleted.

http://amaterasu.is.moelicious.be/blog/?p=962

Just read the comments ...

 

[Haba]

Well, that is an inherit problem of the whole visual novel genre. On one hand you'll want to have interactivity, but on the other you want to limit the complexity. You want to leave the player some vague impression on the implications his choices have, yet you don't want to make it too obvious.

Some of the triggers for the bad ends are quite obvious (making bad detective work), while others are a bit obscure (which location to visit). And a lot of the other choices are fluff.

KnS is about as good as one can reasonably expect a visual novel to be. I'd love to see a more full fledged adventure/crime scene investigation element, but with the production budgets and timetables that those games have, it is not very likely.

 

[Gragt]

Ok, I finished it completely and got the "true" end. And what the goatfuck was that depressing ending? Sure it's nice and the end with the painting is fitting but it's just so depressing! I'm think I'm gonna shed manly tears.

 

[Haba]

Ok, I finished it completely and got the "true" end. And what the goatfuck was that depressing ending? Sure it's nice and the end with the painting is fitting but it's just so depressing! I'm think I'm gonna shed manly tears.

That is how it goes in this genre. Often the "true end" is not the happiest one.

You try decide which is better: the "happy" ending where one character "lives", several others die and the mystery itself is never solved (lets forget the murderer walking free and the unsolved murders) -- or the true ending where everything is resolved but with a great cost...

The twats at IG should have at least offered an ending where you can truly affect the end, like they did in Caucasus.

But I guess they have their reasons:
http://www.siliconera.com/2011/06/2...nd-catharsis-an-interview-with-innocent-grey/

If you are feeling desperate enough, they did cave in with the drama CD's - there is an alternative ending there:
http://chainfront.blogspot.com/2011/07/kara-no-shoujo-drama-cd-collection.html

Looking forward to Kara no Shoujo 2 (tentative), p. sure that it will ruin my day and make me depressed like all IG's previous games have ;-)

 

[Gragt]

Oh, it is a nice bittersweet end, and rather fitting the whole theme. I wouldn't have it changed, and the reason why it is so devastating is because the characters are good. I wish the gameplay had been developped a bit more but the story is mostly fine as it is — I did appreciate that the game tried to have you think a few times about whether or not some events or clue are connected or not. I'd even remove the sex in a few scenes to give a bit more maturity to the whole thing, though it makes sense for a few characters.

 

[ghostdog]

felipepepe , Haba , Gragt , abnaxus. I'm taking this over here since apparently a thread a bout Kara no shoujo already exists...

Dammit, Kara No Shoujo is depressing. Everyone gets chopped to pieces and I keep on falling on bad endings


Yeah, this one is more of a game than other VNs but the gameplay is rather flawed since from what I can see uncovering some of the important clues requires you to do things in a certain sequence.


So... everyone who's played this game I need your help.

Spoiler

I now got the ending where right after Toko1 got hit by a truck and Toko2 got chopped to pieces, I found enough evidence pointing to that novelist. But suddenly I get abducted by the goddamn nurse and I die of starvation, while I'm tied-up on the floor... I never got any solid clues about the nurse.

I can't seem to find what can get me past that point. There is a walkthrough in the net, but it doesn't separate the important from non-important choices and with this crap I'll have to retrace everything from the start.

***

o_O I never got that.


To more experienced players, are there many possible killer outcomes? After countless deaths at the infirmary I managed to uncover the killer and get lot's of endings based on that, I never got any of those things ghostdog is talking about...

***

There are a few places where you'll need to backtrack quite a bit... It's not the final bad ending, is it? After "wait for the patrol car" or whatnot...?


Probably the easiest and fastest way would be to fast-forward a new save where you're clear on the important choices.


Or then you need to remind me on where exactly that was (days, previous choices). I got my own saves, but they don't follow the walkthrough format either.




Heh heh... Then you've barely scraped the surface my son. Plenty of nice events still waiting.


There is only one true ending, the rest are bad endings. Though I think many of the bad endings are better. You know, where certain stuff doesn't happen after all...

***

I just started the game again, with the knowledge I had from before, and ended up with the same ending:

Spoiler

Orihime dies, I derp around and my sister is kidnapped & trapped on the ice egg, then I wait for the police, everyone is saved and I go insane.

It's sad, I wanted to see more of the game, understand the painting and all that, but I guess I'm too much of a LARPer, I tend to do things "my way" and have a hard time going for other approachs...

***

@ haba :

Spoiler

The ending occurs in April the 13th. In the previous day I had found the magazine sample, the novelist's photo and some photos of Koto1 in Koto2's room. Afterwards I deducted that the killer in both the easter egg case and in the dismembered limbs case is the novelist.


Also the thing is I'm not sure witch exactly are the important choices (apart from discovering or not certain clues). Do you have a list or something ?

***

Ok, I got a walkthrought to try some more endings, this thing is insane! There's like a whole game after Orihime's murder! o_O


But it's annoying, just like the kidnapping at the infirmary, seems like all that matters is one thng... if you uncover the handwrittings, you pass the infirmary, and if you find the extra clue on Orihime's body, you get past it's murderer... quite a frustrating thing in a game so filled with choices...


I stopped using the walkthrough after getting the extra clue, let's see how far I can go before hitting another wal...

***

So far I'm sure about the following key decisions for getting different endings :

Spoiler

- In order to avoid getting killed along with Orihime, you must specify suspects for the handwriting comparison yourself and choose Nishizono Yui. Then find Sato Ayumu and get one of Yui's old letters.


- In order to survive the murderer's house and save Shugo's wife and child you must have found the torn piece of paper in Orihime's skirt, deduct that the murders are based on the "Egg of Neanis" and then decide to rush to Ueno during the search (not sure if that last bit is paramount or not).

If you find the piece of paper but choose "dante's inferno" instead of the Egg of Neanis and don't rush to the scene, the child will die, the wife will be left in a coma and the murderer will commit suicide. But the game will continue.

If you don't find the piece of paper, you find the wife dead and the murderer has fled the scene. The next day, he will abduct your sister and this will end to a bad ending with your sister dead, you - insane, and Shugo possibly dead ( if you decide you slaughter him :O ).


-Now, what the fuck gets you past that nurse bitch ? Is there some clue that lets you know she is connected somehow ? Or maybe I shouldn't have confronted her about that mysterious telephone call she was making ?

Oh, that is news for me, I dind't knew I could save her.

Spoiler

Is not that, I asked her about the papers and yet got the same ending... That's my problem with the game, you can't really take that approach, uncovering that it was Yui's handwriting didn't affect absolutly NOTHING my routine or my relationship with anyone, but it somehow made me get throuht the kidnapping at the infirmary... getting past the nurse now is probably something like that too, like an extra clue at Toko's room or smething...

 

[ghostdog]

Ok I figured out what triggers the bad ending I got stuck previously and how to overcome it.

Spoiler

• In April 8th you MUST visit Takashiro Hospital in order for the coroner bitch to tell you that the corpse disposal method of the two cases (easter eggs with human flesh / scaterred limbs) is distinctly different.
• Afterwards in April 10th when you think about the investigation you conclude that the 2 cases AREN'T RELATED and you base that on what the coroner bitch told you in April 8th (which has appeared as evidence).
• Then in April 12th you must find the magazine , kazuragi shin's photo and the Koto2's diary with Koto1's photos.
• Afterwards when you think about the investigation you deduct that the murders are the work of A SINGLE PERSON since only the four limbs were disposed of and point Kasuragi Shin (aka Mamiya Shinji) as the main suspect and his father's atelier as his base of operations.
• Then in April the 13th the nurse doesn't show up. Makes sense.

Fuck. This was convoluted...

 

[felipepepe]

Just tried what you said, worked perfectly.

Spoiler

I simply don't get why suddenly I must think that only one person is behind all this, especially after being killed by the nurse and see her being killed by another person...

 

[deuxhero]

1950s Japan? How is the atmosphere?

 

[ghostdog]

1950s Japan? How is the atmosphere?

At first it didn't seem it utilized the setting much but as it moved on the atmosphere got better. Still, I think it could have used the setting better. The story is pretty good though, with many twists and turns. I'd recommend it (if you can stomach some of the usual Visual Novel crap) and it has some actual gameplay.

Just tried what you said, worked perfectly.

Spoiler

I simply don't get why suddenly I must think that only one person is behind all this, especially after being killed by the nurse and see her being killed by another person...

Yeah, it seems like that ending tried to mess with player in many ways.
Not to mention that a whole set of murders appears to be a red-herring.
Damn 1950's Japan sure seems like an extremely fucked up place, serial killings and dismemberments go on a daily basis

 

[felipepepe]

Okay, now I can trully say I've beated the game.

Spoiler

Got the ending where you save Toko, and she wakes up without her limbs, smilling at you.

And the ending where you derail from finding Toko and go to investigate her life, in a very VERY cool ending where everything is explained, lot's of weird twists, but Toko dies...

Definetly not a happy game, but I was impressed at how things fitted together at the end... very memmorable, I'm glad I played it until the end.

 

[felipepepe]

I read that there's yet anoher ending, where you uncover the guy who killed Reiji's wife, I'm burned out of blind trying, I'll cheaply resort to a walkthrought now, just for the curiosity of it.

 

[ghostdog]

I read that there's yet anoher ending, where you uncover the guy who killed Reiji's wife, I'm burned out of blind trying, I'll cheaply resort to a walkthrought now, just for the curiosity of it.

Yeah I just finished it too.

if you had found the blond girl's pendant some days back (you got if after a visit at the museum) and followed the investigation of Toko's life you would end up uncovering the guy who killed Reiji's wife in the end.

Ah, the Agatha Christie style ending was pretty cool , but all and all it was pretty depressing stuff. I don't have the heart right now to pursue the True ending.

 

[felipepepe]

Got the true ending, nothing really changes from when you get the Pendant & Investigate Toko, except that at the end you get to see the drawing she was doing... Cool but not worth all the trouble of doing a playthrough for that.

All and all, great game.

 

[Gragt]

It's not simply about seeing her drawing, it's about understanding who she is.

 

[Haba]

Damn 1950's Japan sure seems like an extremely fucked up place, serial killings and dismemberments go on a daily basis

Reiji's and Shugo's lives are pretty fucked up if you look at all they've gone through (and will go, in KnS2). It always makes one wonder how those famous detectives maintain their sanity when they are constantly beset by more and more horrific cases.

Got the true ending, nothing really changes from when you get the Pendant & Investigate Toko, except that at the end you get to see the drawing she was doing... Cool but not worth all the trouble of doing a playthrough for that.

It is not the end that matters, but the journey you take to get there. But yeah, the difference is rather subtle.

I'm not sure if I can stomach another game after Cartagra and KnS. With every death it just gets progressively worse, for the player I mean. Maybe they'll finally end with an uplifting note in KnS2...? (Yeah right)

Spoiler

Prewar-era Japan.
Deep in the snowy mountains of northwestern Japan, there exists a settlement called Hitogata, the Village of Dolls. On the night of the festival honoring the clay idol Hinna-sama, a girl is murdered.
The villagers all blame Hinna-sama's curse. One outside the faith has joined in the festival of Hinna-sama, and brought the painful death of the curse down upon themself.

October, Showa 32.
Two years have passed since Touko Kuchiki's abduction from her hospital room.
Reiji Tokisaka's younger sister saves a man who had tried to commit suicide.
He, too, is the most recent victim of "Hinna-sama's curse"——
As the country moves ever closer toward war, Reiji Tokisaka begins his investigation, clinging desperately to the hope that Touko can be saved——
And at the same time, a strange religious group said to have dissolved six years ago begins to move again, to put a certain plan into motion——
The curse will be carried out, whether by the gods or by human hands.

God, that makes KnS's true ending even more cruel. Oh well...