Clannad

2004

adventure
visual novel
comedy
drama
romance
single player

The story

Clannad follows the life of Tomoya Okazaki, a high school delinquent who meets many people in his last year at school, including five girls, and helps resolve their individual problems. The gameplay of Clannad follows a branching plot line which offers pre-determined scenarios with courses of interaction, and focuses on the appeal of the five female main characters by the player character. The game was ranked as the best-selling PC game sold in Japan for the time of its release, and charted in the national top 50 several more times afterwards.

What it’s like

Soft, seasonal anime artwork against painted backdrops: cherry blossoms drifting over a small riverside town, warm afternoon sunlight through school windows, and quiet snowfall in the winter scenes. Characters appear as clean, expressive sprites over watercolour-like landscapes, and the piano-led score with light strings rises and falls with each scene. Play happens at a reading pace, text advancing one line at a time with occasional choices that open different paths. The mood is warm and nostalgic, with a melancholy undercurrent: slow, sentimental, and tender, with long stretches of ordinary everyday comedy giving way to heavier emotional turns around loss, illness, and family. Violence is absent, and romance stays on the level of affection, blushes, and lingering looks. Best for long evenings alone with a cup of tea, a comfort replay, or anyone who wants a sincere, tearful story about people slowly learning to care for each other.

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