CLANNAD

There are very few stories that stay with you for years, and even fewer that remain in your heart from childhood into adulthood. Clannad is one of those rare stories for me. Long after finishing it, I still find myself thinking about its characters, its emotional moments, and the lessons it teaches about family, love, friendship, and life itself. It isn't just one of my favorite visual novels—it's one of my favorite stories in any medium. From the moment I first experienced Clannad, there was something special about it. The story begins as what appears to be a fairly simple high school romance, but it gradually grows into something so much bigger. What starts as a collection of character routes eventually becomes an emotional journey about relationships, growing up, overcoming hardships, and appreciating the people who make life meaningful. One of the things I appreciate most about Clannad is how genuinely wholesome and heartfelt it feels. Compared to many visual novels, Clannad is remarkably SFW. Rather than relying on explicit scenes, the story focuses on emotional intimacy, character development, and meaningful relationships. The romance feels earned because it develops through conversations, shared experiences, personal growth, and emotional support rather than physical attraction alone. This makes Clannad incredibly easy to recommend to people who may be interested in visual novels but are hesitant because of the genre's reputation. The focus is always on storytelling, emotions, and character connections. It proves that a visual novel doesn't need explicit content to deliver an unforgettable romantic experience. The cast is one of Clannad's greatest strengths. Every character feels memorable and important. Each route explores different struggles, insecurities, dreams, and family situations, allowing the player to connect with the characters on a deeper level. By the time you've completed multiple routes, it genuinely feels like you've spent time getting to know real people rather than fictional characters. The writing excels at balancing humor and heartbreak. One moment you'll be laughing at the characters' ridiculous interactions, and the next you'll find yourself fighting back tears. The comedic moments aren't just there for entertainment—they help build attachments to the characters, making the emotional scenes hit even harder when they arrive. The soundtrack deserves special praise as well. The music perfectly complements every moment, whether it's a lighthearted school scene, a romantic encounter, or a heartbreaking emotional climax. Even years later, hearing certain tracks instantly brings back memories of specific scenes and emotions. Few soundtracks have had that kind of lasting impact on me. What truly elevates Clannad above many other visual novels is its focus on family. While romance is certainly an important part of the story, Clannad ultimately becomes something much deeper. It explores the bonds between parents and children, the importance of supporting others through difficult times, and the value of cherishing the people we love while we have them. These themes give the story a level of emotional maturity that continues to resonate long after finishing it. And then there's the emotional impact. Clannad is one of the few stories that has genuinely made me cry. Not because it tries to manipulate the reader with cheap emotional tricks, but because it carefully develops its characters and themes over dozens of hours. When the emotional moments finally arrive, they feel completely earned. The story takes its time building connections, and as a result, the payoff can be absolutely devastating. Even now, years after first experiencing it, Clannad remains one of the most memorable stories from my childhood. The lessons it taught, the emotions it made me feel, and the attachment I formed to its characters have stayed with me in a way that very few games ever have. Overall, Clannad is a masterpiece of emotional storytelling and one of the greatest visual novels ever created. Its wholesome romance, unforgettable characters, beautiful soundtrack, and powerful themes make it an easy recommendation for both newcomers and longtime visual novel fans. **Final Score: 10/10** If you're looking for a beautiful, SFW romance filled with lovable characters, heartfelt life lessons, and emotional moments that will absolutely make you sob, Clannad is one of the easiest recommendations I can give. It's a story that has stayed with me since childhood, and I believe it will stay with many others long after they've finished it as well.

Use a music restoration patch before reading. The steam port OST is different and not as good. No other patches to worry about. Enjoy one of the best VNs ever made

I like to read a lot, and I think this genuinely has been one of the best pieces of fiction I have ever read. The characters and the message it conveys is beautiful. I recommend the use of a guide, it did not ruin any immersion for me. This game will stick with me for a very long time. Absolutely phenomenal.

剧情极其优秀，没想到居然是20多年前的老游戏了，哪怕放在今天它的剧情和画风也是独一挡的

太久了，我最近才有自觉知道自己是个唯心感性的人。24年3月开始玩，决心把游戏认认真真玩完再看动画，2年就没了，我这沉不下来的心和没救的拖延症，当然想全程不跳，每一条线，每一周目afterstory都当全新体验从头来一遍也花了很多时间。最后还是成功了，终于可以心安理得看很早以前就想看的动画了。把大量时间精力花在一件事上，完成之后的如释重负，释怀，感慨，开心参杂交织在一起。不论过1年，10年，30年，50年，我希望这部作品仍然经久不衰，玩过这部作品的人能把游玩的心路历程当作人生的养料活得更有韧性。

This is the first visual novel that made me cry... and I still don't fully understand why. Looking back, most of the stories are fairly simple, and some of the plot twists are easy to predict. But somehow, this novel still knows exactly how to tug at your heartstrings. Just look at the ending of Kotomi's route, with that message appearing in different languages as it makes its way across the world... And that's not even mentioning After Story... But at the same time, there are plenty of genuinely funny moments here. Just look at Sunohara and his interactions with everyone around him. Whenever he appears on screen, you know things are about to get chaotic in the funniest way possible. In short, if you enjoy emotional visual novels, this game is absolutely worth playing. Oh, and one more thing: there are a lot of choices. Over 106 hours, I made around 236 choices (yes, I counted them out of curiosity), and I'm sure I still didn't find all of them. Sure, not all of those choices have a major impact on the story, but it's still impressive. Final verdict: 101/100 dangos.

I've tried to remain as spoiler free and vague in this review as possible, but Clannad is a visual NOVEL so some mild spoilers are inevitable. When I started Clannad, I really didn't understand the hype surrounding it. Most of the routes felt very filler heavy, and for a "game that makes you cry," I only found myself tearing up on 1 route. It's a very slow burn at the beginning, but as I went through it I came to understand how it got its reputation. Of the main routes, my favorites were Kotomi's and Tomoyo's, they were well paced, which I unfortunately can't say for some of the other routes. Most of the routes I felt to had poor pacing, with long stretches of daily life scenes broken up by the occasional plot-progressing scene. This became a problem for me as I played the game over about half a year and could forget about important events. I understand the intent to attach you to the characters, but I think some routes like Fuko's leaned far too hard in that direction. Especially since hers in particular has a lot of overlap with Nagisa's. I was very surprised by the character writing in this VN, especially in Sunohara, Tomoyo, and Nagisa's routes. The comic-relief characters are consistently funny, and I appreciated the levity they brought to a game with more serious moments like this. For the more serious characters, the writers did a good job fleshing out motives and personalities to make well-rounded and believable people. After completing the bulk of the game and unlocking After Story, I was very happy with how that section played out. It was very well paced, charming, and did a good job emphasizing the themes of the game. After the first run which consists of the bulk of After Story, I understood how Clannad got its tearjerker reputation, I was tearing up for about an hour straight. You're essentially forced to do the "bad route" first before the true end, and I liked how that route developed Tomoya (the protagonist), especially since prior to After Story he's largely secondary to whichever character he's riffing off of. If I had a criticism of this part it would be that the true end of After Story is only really ~5 minutes of scenes (and a lovely outro), and I would've liked to see more of Tomoya and Nagisa's life together after the branching point.

пик. играл под чипсы и газироку. [strike] нагиса жена [/strike]

game fun and little anime girls are cute and funny

Я закрыл эту новеллу на 100% достижений, и мне есть что сказать... Начнем с главного: Кланнад - КРАЙНЕ душная и затянутая визуальная новелла. В определенный момент мне стало настолько тяжело, что пришлось буквально силой заставлять себя читать дальше, просто ради платины. Сильнее всего мотивацию убил рут Рё. Сам по себе он пустой и проходной, а нужен, по сути, только как ступенька для открытия рута Кё. К тому же, получить 100% без гайда здесь физически больно. И всё же, несмотря на это, плюсов у игры гораздо больше. Это прекрасная, по-хорошему добрая история с неплохой драмой, которая на удивление до сих пор работает. Лично меня пробрал рут Котоми. Считаю его флагманом игры, он получился очень цепляющим. Атмосфера в этой игре приятная, и огромную роль в этом играет саундтрек (который я всё ещё слушаю отдельно, хотя игру прошёл около года назад). Сами персонажи не кажутся картонными - у каждого свой характер, уникальная черта и личная драма. Ими очень легко проникнуться. Советовал бы я эту игру как первую визуальную новеллу? Что ж, если вы достаточно усидчивы, то можете попробовать. Но как я говорил выше: она ОЧЕНЬ душная и затянутая. Здесь тонны текста, описаний окружения и повседневной воды. Да, всё это в итоге работает на атмосферу, но высидеть такое сможет далеко не каждый.