Clannad is a Japanese visual novel originally released for the PC in 2004. It was then ported to many consoles, the latest of which is for the PS4. The difference being that this version contains an English translation (a PC Steam release in 2015 included the English translation for the first time). Hailed as one of the best visual novels of all time, Clannad has a slice-of-life, romance tragedy story. There is a reason why Clannad is referred to as the "Onion Cutting Simulator".
The advantage that this PS4 port has over the Steam English version is that it is widescreen at 1080p. The text font is also softer but this is a personal preference. You can swap the language between English and Japanese at the press of a button (good if you're using a Japanese walkthrough). Being a visual novel, the gameplay is limited to reading the excellent story, and at certain points, selecting an option which will branch the plot to one of its multiple endings. Getting all the endings will take you a long time, up to 100 hours. A neat element is that you can freely go back and forward in the dialogue at any time, making it much more convenient to read something or see that key visual again.
While the main character is unvoiced, every piece of dialogue from other characters is, but only in Japanese. This is quite impressive considering the amount of content the game has. The background music is excellent, with certain piece emphasizing the emotions in the scenes. Seriously, Clannad has one of the best soundtracks ever, and listening to a track later on by itself after you finish the game will bring back memories... and potentially make you cry.
You have to go into Clannad understanding that this is a game that was developed 15 years ago now, and aesthetics in visual novels have changed significantly over those years. Despite that, the artworks still looks fantastic and once you get used to it, it carries with it its own charms.
The player assumes the role of Okazaki Tomoya, a third year student at a high school. He is a delinquent, often skipping classes. His best friend (although he doesn't admit that) is Sunohara Youhei, a similar delinquent who manages to skip even more classes than him. Sunohara is the butt of many jokes, as he is not that smart and Tomoya takes heavy advantage of that. This leads to plenty of situations where Tomoya leads Sunohara to do and say stupid things, although if you think about it, what Tomoya is doing is effectively bullying. You can't help but feel sorry for Sunohara sometimes but it is just too funny.
The game has five heroines, and Tomoya, who had been keeping to himself at school all this time, will quickly meet all of them pretty soon after the game starts. The story takes place on a day by day basis, starting from the end of April. The circumstances that bring the characters together can be bizarre at times. In addition to the romantic plot routes, there are other story arcs that focus upon other themes and still retain its emotional impact. From Tomoya's own history with his family and why he spends all of his time at Sunohara's dormitory, to Sunohara's tragic backstory. From the very beginning, Clannad manages to capture your attention and start to make you care about the characters.
There is one common theme between all the characters (and in particular, the heroines). Each of them has a tragic backstory. Even if you are not one to cry, you eyes will get moist during at least one of the routes. The music will only serve to make the scene that much more emotionally charged. As you'd expect though, some routes are better written than others (but it does come down to personal preference), as well as taking a different amount of time to complete. You can fast forward the text or just skip completely to the next branching point, which makes getting all the routes quicker. This is actually required if you want to unlock the true ending.
Each of the routes are significantly different to each other but it makes it somewhat bittersweet when you are experiencing one particular route, knowing that one of the other heroines is currently alone... or even worse, when you know that they are hurting due to something revealed in a previous scenario. Note that not all routes or the characters the endings focuses upon are romantic. Some are platonic and while some of them are happy endings, at the same time, considering that they are a romantic option in other routes, you might be in two minds in how you feel seeing them with someone else... It explores themes such as family, the guidance you receive from others, and the steps that you take to achieve your goals.
Sometimes when the story is transitioning from one day to the next, there are confusing story segments taking place in the Illusionary World. After these scenes, you wonder how these seemingly more supernatural elements interact with the slice-of-life story that's currently happening. It has significance and may seem a bit disappointing when you first find out what it is about but stick with it as it has a bigger meaning later down the track.
Given Tomoya's behavior as a delinquent, there are routes that explore this aspect too. He'll fall in love and be together with a girl who is the complete opposite, an upstanding model student aiming to be student council president. This forces Tomoya to view himself and his current ways, and allows the visual novel to explore some more realistic aspects of the consequences of his attitude. This actually gives a powerful and emotional statement, as Tomoya sees that he is holding the person back, and as time goes on with the end of high school drawing near, he has to determine where his lie goes next. It is surprisingly at how invested the story manages to make you when Tomoya makes painful decisions.
Despite what you may think of Tomoya in the beginning, he is shown to be caring, even when he doesn't want to. One of the strengths of the game is how it manages to make you feel a sense of loss, like you are missing something and that it will be a big shame. You might even get into two minds of not wanting to continue because you don't want to experience another scenario like that yet want to continue on and see what else is in store at the same time.
Once you've gone through all of the separate routes, there is an After Story, an epilogue of sorts. It's really more like the actual story of the game and everything else was a prologue to get to know the characters. Don't let that fool you; it has as much content as one full route in the main game. It actually had enough content for a 22 episode season of anime to be made, which should give you an idea of what you're getting yourself into. It feels very different because you don't have the familiar habit of daily school life anymore.
Unlike the main scenarios, After Story doesn't have any significant branching paths and focuses on one heroine (and helps redeems/elevates that heroine from the first arc which wasn't as interesting as some other characters). It takes place after Tomoya's graduation and explores how he gets through life after, getting a job, being with the person he loves and dealing with change. It ties up various loose ends on subplots that were only hinted earlier with the side characters.
At times, After Story does feel like it was getting sidetracked and dragging it out for too long but it all connects together in the end. However, you see, Clannad deals with what happens after high school life and this is what makes it so powerful. Too many anime and games stop at high school, assuming a happily ever after ending. Clannad takes the time for the player to get to know the characters and their motivations, and this makes the climax all the more emotionally intense.
If you thought the main game was sad, then After Story will tear you apart. Even without getting to the biggest scene, when Tomoya reminisces about his school days, you feel sadness there too. The friends that he has drifted away from, how they are all each walking their own path, it is a powerful feeling. As Tomoya drifts through the various phases of his relationship from moving in together to marrying, the whole journey is significant purely because you have been there from start to finish. The way Tomoya grows up and matures is a realistic aspect to Clannad that you can relate to. After Story will destroy you and emotionally wreck you. The only negative though is that the events go by too fast in terms of time, as they happen within weeks and months instead of years.
As you play through After Story, you suspect what will happen and as that gets closer, you don't want to continue the story. The tragic scenes that unfold make it difficult to see it through, especially when you feel so attached with all the characters. But the thing is, the story is also encouraging, as it shows the good in everyone and how important it is to keep looking forward, living out your life to your best ability. The beauty of the story is that it comes full circle for Tomoya, what he used to hate he has become. It is at this point that you think how different this part of the game is compared to the first (which was a lot less serious) but that is not a bad thing, just feels more like a sequel instead of the same game.
The complexity and yet simplicity of Clannad's plot is its strength. It just feels so personal. The fact that the character reflecting on his actions in the past, and not know whether they were the right ones or not. The regret that he feels of what could have been, are real emotions that players would have experienced in their lives. The fact that the two main characters each have their own flaws and weaknesses, that they worked hard to overcome, allow them to become much closer to the players.
The game is long and of course it will depend on your reading speed as well as how many times you experiment to get the various scenarios. If you follow an optimized walkthrough to get all scenarios without repeating too many sections then the first part will take around 26 hours and the After Story around 8.5 hours including the true ending. Read slower and go into it blind and it can easily take you 50-100 hours to see everything. It takes a bit of work in order to unlock the true ending but it will bring a smile to your face and is a really nice ending to this long journey.
Overall, Clannad may not be completely perfect but it comes pretty damn close (probably still rate it 10/10). It is unbelievable how such a normal story without too many fantasy or supernatural elements can be so engaging. This emotional and hard hitting tale of friendship, familial bonds, and romance may ruin everything else for a while afterwards as nothing will be on par, whether that be from games, movies or novels (aka Post Clannad Depression Syndrome). Clannad is simply one of the best visual novels ever.
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