izigame.me

"It's a promise"
I would absolutely recommend playing Kanon, but it can come with a lot of caveats for someone who is just getting into visual novels, or isn't used to the slice of life + nakige style of game Key is so known for.
While it is Key's first creation, releasing in 1999, the 2024 release makes it feel surprisingly modern with the HD graphics and refreshed and very good UI system. While the fact that it crops backgrounds and CGs to a 16:9 ratio, you can at least zoom out on each CG to see the whole thing in the original 4:3 ratio in all its crisp beautiful glory. The artstyle itself has is overall very pretty, but it can be an acquired taste, and several sprites or CGs look a bit off. But what I love more than anything else is the ability to toggle the display language between English and Japanese (and Chinese too) at any time with the click of a button. It's a lot of fun to someone like me who is casually trying to learn Japanese bit by bit.
The music is really nice, and for mostly obvious reasons, has a rather similar feel to the music in Clannad, but some tracks definitely feel very, very Kanon, and immerse you delightfully in the nostalgic wintry slice of life setting. The emotional tracks are also very moving. The only thing Kanon suffers from is not enough music, as there is only 1 end credits song, and the few emotional tracks do have to repeat a lot across routes.
The girls' voices are very lovely and easy on the ears. I could not get enough of listening to them. I did not expect the main character to be voiced, but he is, and it's fantastic! His awesome voice lines lend so much power, personality, and humor to him. Unfortunately, only the first 6 or so days of the common route, and the last parts of each route have voicing for the main character though. He's mute for the rest, other than his kid voice during flashbacks.
As for the meat of the game, the story that is set up unfolds in a rather interesting, although kind of flawed way. There is no enforced route order, and there's no "true route" like Clannad After Story or Little Busters Refrain. Instead, it's HIGHLY advised to save the main heroine Ayu's route for last. But, despite there being no true route, things tie together in a kind of subtle and fascinating way that includes a boatload of foreshadowing and will sure to leave you pondering a lot. While I had a strong feeling for most of the game of what was being built up, that didn't make the payoff any less great. Kanon's heroines are quite quirky, and most of them are divisive, with both fans and haters, but without fail, each story by the end made me care, cry, and feel so much for them.
So, in conclusion, it's an old visual novel that isn't as grand or complex as many others that came after it, but it holds up surprisingly well, and it absolutely delivers when it comes to ~1999 and childhood nostalgia, cozy winter vibes, cute girls doing cute things, and powerful emotional stories.
---okay but seriously, I can't be the only one bothered by many of the trees still having all their leaves in winter, or the hillside overlooking the town being completely devoid of snow?