Visual Novels. You either love them or hate them. I personally enjoy some of them once in a while. I hadn’t got around to watching Clannad yet (only tried reading the manga for a bit), so I could really emerge in what people love to call, on of the best Visual Novels of all time! Let’s get reading!
Visual Novel Madness:
Yes, you read that right. Clannad is a Visual Novel – which was later adapted into a manga and anime. Originally released in 2004 for Windows PC, this cult classic made its way to the Nintendo Switch with some brand new features. Offering 5.1 sound support and a Dangopedia in the English version to explain certain Japanese slang or cultural worlds. This feature is really well done and works well. Although I watched enough anime and read enough manga, sometimes it was handy to look up a certain word or reference, without turning to Google for help.
Story:
As this is a Visual Novel, I will not spoil too much about its contents. For those who already know how the story revolves (as seen in the anime), the VN still has the branching paths options – so you can go either way. Anyway, a quick synopsis:
Tomoya Okazaki is a delinquent who finds life dull and believes he’ll never amount to anything. Along with his friend Youhei Sunohara, he skips school and plans to waste his high school days away. One day while walking to school, Tomoya passes a young girl muttering quietly to herself. Without warning she exclaims “Anpan!” (a popular Japanese food) which catches Tomoya’s attention. He soon discovers the girl’s name is Nagisa Furukawa and that she exclaims things she likes in order to motivate herself. Nagisa claims they are now friends, but Tomoya walks away passing the encounter off as nothing. However, Tomoya finds he is noticing Nagisa more and more around school. Eventually he concedes and befriends her. Tomoya learns Nagisa has been held back a year due to a severe illness and that her dream is to revive the school’s drama club. Claiming he has nothing better to do, he decides to help her achieve this goal along with the help of four other girls. As Tomoya spends more time with the girls, he learns more about them and their problems. As he attempts to help each girl overcome her respective obstacle, he begins to realize life isn’t as dull as he once thought.
Clannad: Slice of Life:
Sounds like your standard Slice of Life anime, right? Well, it is, but it was really something back in the day. The game was the best-selling PC game in 2004 and charted in national top 50 rankings several more times afterward. Clannad has been adapted into four manga adaptations, an animated film, two anime series, two OVAs, comic anthologies, light novels, and art books. So, what’s the appeal? The story for sure. The characters are easy to relate to but have deeper layers that will peel apart when you are moving through the story. Although some people might look tough on the outside, they might be super hardcore rap fans, who desperately try to rap along with his favorites in his dorm. The art style maybe? I don’t really dig the Clannad art style. I have never been a huge fan of the ‘big eyes’ anime/manga style. I personally prefer the more humanesque drawings (which does not mean they have to be realistic of course – see Pokémon or Dragon Ball). Maybe you should just try it out for yourself since it’s a really good starting point for those who want to experience a good Visual Novel, which is easier to follow then .. say Fate/Stay.
For those wondering about the technical aspects of the game, let’s clarify that as well:
- You can play without the use of the Joy-Con thanks to touching screen technology, or try it out one-handed for added convenience during TV or Table Mode. I personally prefer to play my VN’s in handheld mode, since it feels like reading an interactive book.
- Most importantly, although the game’s voice track will be in Japanese only, it will be launched with a dual Japanese/English text version, allowing players to switch between the two. An English language digital manual will be included as well. I personally loved the Japanse voices, and I highly recommend you play this with subtitles, instead of the English dub.
Conclusion:
So, to conclude.. Clannad is a Visual Novel of high-caliber on the Nintendo Switch. It aged really well and as some of you might have already played it and understand why I can’t spoil too much about the series, it’s worth a trip down memory lane. If you haven’t played it, or are trying to get into Visual Novels, you should really give Clannad a try. Just remember, it’s still a visual novel, not an actual walking-and-talking game. Otherwise, you might be disappointed.
