CLANNAD

this shit hard twin

From the moment you enter the main menu—a solitary tree, beautiful piano notes, the simple title "CLANNAD"—you know you're about to experience something extraordinary. 80 hours later, when I finally pressed Exit, my heart felt simultaneously full and empty in a way no other game has ever achieved.

Clannad isn't merely a visual novel—it's a profound emotional journey that has redefined the medium. As the culmination of Key's previous works, it blends supernatural elements with deeply human themes of family, belonging, and the bittersweet nature of existence. What makes Clannad special is how it creates genuine connections between you and its characters. You don't just read about Tomoya's journey—you experience it alongside him, attending school, laughing, suffering, and growing together.

The game's ingenious "light orbs" system brilliantly merges gameplay with storytelling, making YOU an essential part of the narrative. Each orb collected serves both a mechanical purpose and a profound thematic one that becomes clear in the game's devastating yet hopeful conclusion.

The character writing is exceptional—from Tomoya's evolution from defeatist delinquent to responsible adult, to the hilarious dynamic with his best friend Sunohara, to the gentle strength of Nagisa. Every encounter, even with seemingly minor characters, leaves an indelible mark on Tomoya's life and your heart. Each route explores different themes—self-confidence, grief, illness—but all eventually converge on the central question: what makes life worth living when faced with unbearable pain?

The art style may initially seem dated with those distinctive eyes, but you'll quickly appreciate its expressive charm. The legendary soundtrack perfectly captures every emotional shade—from lighthearted moments to soul-crushing revelations—with memorable character leitmotifs that will haunt you long after you finish. The voice acting delivers authentic emotion in every scene, though I still wish Tomoya had been voiced.

While some routes feel uneven and occasionally melodramatic, they build the essential foundation for After Story—the route that elevates Clannad from excellent to extraordinary. Unlike most VNs, Clannad dares to explore life beyond high school, facing the cruel realities of adulthood with unflinching honesty. When tragedy strikes—as it inevitably does—the emotional impact is unparalleled. Yes, completing all routes to unlock the True End can be exhausting. Yes, some romances feel forced. Yes, the ending might strike some as too idealistic. But these minor flaws fade against what Clannad accomplishes.

At its core, Clannad reveals a profound truth: life can be incomprehensibly cruel and indifferent. But when you endure that journey with others—people you love and who love you—the darkness gains meaning. That's when family is born. That's when you finally understand where you belong. That's when you can truly live.

Because in the end, Clannad means family.

The quality of the writing is very good, but the story failed to make me care about any of the characters; the protagonist has different kinds of redemption in the different endings, I'm sure, but isn't a very pleasant person for most of the story. And, most critically, the romantic interest doesn't talk enough for me to know much about her, which makes it very difficult to get invested in a romance involving her.

good game

absolute cinema

Having seen all that Clannad had to offer, I feel safe to say it's become my favorite visual novel I have read so far and I feel it might be very hard to beat. I'm not gonna lie, this game got me good, and I cried many times. But after viewing that final route, I can say it was all worth it. A must play for anyone into visual novels, and thank you for the life lessons you taught me while I got to experience this wonderful story. 10/10

imagine you're making fun of me and i'm just in my room crying at a vn that so wholeheartedly espouses the importance of community

The game got me good...

Fantastic read for sure

As peak as the anime

top tier

Some heroines have as much personality as a bag of flour, and some viewpoints are outdated, but it's very entertaining

This is not only a story, but a life lesson — what it means to grow up, what it means to love, and to be loved. It's a tale that really moves your heart if you think about it, and it's so well done that my heart ached when I finished it. I can't recommend this visual novel enough. Don’t go for "the grind" because things take time; go at your own pace, because the hill goes on. Now I can admit, i just plain love Clannad.

I haven't reached After Story yet. And still have a couple of routes to do. But I can declare that everything they say about Clannad is true.

If you've consumed a lot of fiction, then the essence of the stories might not be earth-shattering to you, but the overall experience is still unique.

Unlike other VN's I've played, this one barely ever lets characters fade into the background. (Although, mercifully, Sunohara sometimes does...) Whomever's "route" you may be on, the other characters are still there living their lives in that timeline. And their circumstances are as you've learned them to be. But you get to see them play out in a slightly different way.

In that sense, every route belongs to every character, regardless of whose route it specifically is. And this is something that was unique to me. Because after a few routes it started to feel dreamlike. The characters, and the consistency of their circumstances throughout the routes, made them feel so real.

Guides put Nagisa's route last, but I started with that one instead. I'm glad that I did, and for that reason I will say that you shouldn't care too much about the route order. Follow a guide if you want, but do the routes you want to see first. Your favorite character will be part of almost all other routes too.

This game changed my life, Kotomi BEST GIRL

I hate the art style. The girls look like bugs. But I was willing to put that aside since my friend was raving about how good the story is. BUT THE MAIN GIRL IS SO ANNOYING TO ME. SPEAKING TO HER FEELS LIKE SPEAKING TO A CHILD??? i don't get the appeal. She's supposed to be in high school, but it seemed like she has the mental capacity of a toddler. Is that supposed to be endearing??? I don't want to be in a relationship with a kid.

I really wanted to like it but I just didn't, done a few routes and the writing is quite slow paced, and it shows it's age (keeps talking about indirect kisses and 'omg is it a pervert kyaaa'*headbonk* aka 'anime cringe' stuff). I think people give it a pass because its older, but it wasn't an enjoyable read, I kept waiting for it to get good.

Peak

This series genuinely changed my outlook on life, I've never had a piece of media have me reevaluate my life decisions. It's a life-changing story about the passage of time and the inevitability of change. It's most certainly not for everyone, but those who are interested in it will probably take a lot from it.

Also just worth it for the soundtrack alone.

peak

haven't reach the after story just yet, might edit this after
but I would recommend this VN to other people anyway.

One of my favourite anime... the visual novel is set to be one of my favourite videogames too (fav visual novel)... it doesn't take long to get into and it goes straight to the point. Had me wanting to read more when I had other stuff to do.. definitely recommend it!!

great game, and it's even in the original aspect ratio unlike some other vn releases
unfortunately it's owned by tencent; can't recommend until this is fixed.

One of those classics that on reading/playing it, you realize why it's a classic.

After playing the good part of the game (Furukawa route and Kitomi route) you have to slog through like 20 more hours to unlock the real ending. And if you've accumulated bad karma in a past life then the game will refuse to give you the stupid light orbs FOR NO REASON so you won't even unlock the ending after all that grinding. uggggghhhhh

if you love depression, sadness, and absolute agony, this game is for you :'D

nice novel although the main story is meh the other routes are way better IMO
but i cried and smiled at the end :)

This one goes out to all the deadbeats.

Bought this for anime

This is great

The zenith of fiction, the opus of media as a whole.

10/10, feels were felt

OOOOOHHHHHH CLANNAD, CLANNAD!!!daskjdsajkfajksdjkasf AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

i cant play this game without crying

will make you cry fr ( i have watched the anime and cried alot )

Whatever exist in creation exist without being more important than Clannad.

I watched the anime and loved it so now I am playing the game and it is fun👍👍

Clannad is the greatest story ever made in the history of humanity. It saved me in more way that one, and I read it back in 2012 when Fuwanovel was still the go to source for VNs. Would love to read it again someday, it's a true beauty of a work, and Jun Maeda's magnum opus.

went in, skeptical especially with the price but the story is amazing and the characters are really in depth. The stories moving me in ways i didnt think it wouldve. Tomoyo best girl. sunohara should get into bowling

Just like the Anime that originated from the game 10/10

I love bread

I went into this game blind and somewhat skeptical since this is actually the first VN I have ever played, I felt like I needed to write this review since it has been amazing so far the writing is top notch just as others have talked about, the characters are all very well written and feel alive.
If you are on the fence about trying it out then I can confidently say you will not be disappointed if you enjoy slower paced games that are rich in story!
Surprisingly there is a lot of content here, I am typically used to games that have a 20hr run time and then I don't play them much after (most modern AAA games) however it has been a treat to see this game can offers far more than 20hrs as this game does not have a 'main' route but rather tons of routes most having a run time of 8-12hrs each depending on how you read which is insane, all the routes work together so well!
I plan on checking out more games from this studio once I manage to 100% this game!

过誉，过时

Just finished the game (100%) in around 50 hours, and with using a guide,
I rushed some lines because I already knew the story and wanted to go straight to the point. I'd say that 75/80 hours is the bare minimum for someone not used to the Clannad story.

Clannad is and will remain my favorite show for many reasons and I wanted to try the original experience by playing the VN. I had never played a VN before and yeah, if you are not ready to read for 75h, don't buy it aha.

I really enjoyed playing Clannad, both musics, details about the story add something to the experience and if you loved the show, you'll definitely like it. The ending is also better explained which offers a better comprehension of the show.

CONCLUSION: I definitely recommend Clannad <3

i got emotionally assualted

just gettin' started but i like the tsukkomi on this one. Kinda reminds me of shinpachi the tsukkomi general

clannad

Such an incredibly touching story.

If you loved the anime you will love this.

Watched Clannad back in 2010 and its one of the original pieces of Japanese media that really got me invested into anime as a whole and shaped what I would grow up to enjoy.

15 years later I return to Clannad as an adult and just as when I was a youth it still expressed itself to me in ways other media has not been able to, and with melancholy in my heart the only thing left for me to do is read it.

The happy and the sad. Clannad is a drama, romance, slice of life with a compelling and long tale that will get you invested into the characters and make you feel what they feel. You will laugh, you will ache and you will cry.

Thank You Sekai Project,

Thank You Kyoto Animation,

and Thank You Key.