A friend recommended it to me not too long after its release in January 2012, giving the same pitch that I’m sure a lot of others heard at the time: “Can you believe a bunch of people who met on 4chan made a porn game about dating disabled girls, but it’s actually really heartfelt and sweet and not nearly as exploitative as you might expect?” I was intrigued, and I soon found myself completely immersed in the world of Yamaku Academy.
Like a lot of English-speaking visual novel fans, my first introduction to the medium came from Katawa Shoujo.
It will also include commentary on some sexual content (although no graphic imagery is included), and the section on Hanako’s route will address a sex scene involving some issues of questionable consent.
Content warning: this review’s discussions of ableism will include brief uses of potentially harmful language.
