http://www.sankakucomplex.com/2012/01/08/2ch-outraged-by-discriminatory-katawa-shoujo/Katawa Shoujo is a disappointment, it could have been so much better. but the straight edge approach to it all just ruins the atmosphere. Don't misunderstand, the notion that it should portray the relationships in a (somewhat) serious manner is the right way to go, but when you remove from it nearly every semblance of humor (Kenji being one of the few things about the game that is good) you get an experience that is underwhelming.
The ways in which the relationships between the MC and the girls develop are on the whole pretty decent, nothing amazing but not bad by any stretch of the word. The soundtrack, while fitting, doesn't really stand out much and is on the whole pretty simple. The artwork varies in quality and has consistency issues. Multiple artists, I know, but this has been in development for 5 years. Let that last statement sink in. This has been worked on for 5 years, yet it doesn't feel that way. The game feels like it could have been put together in about a year or so, 18 months at most. For a 5 year project, Katawa Shoujo is lacking.
On the whole the game could have been much better if the whole serious business approach had been declined, in favor of a more regular approach, that is to include humor, and cater more to the specific fetishes that the works direction can include. Why make a Bishoujo game about disabled girls and then dodge around potential scenes that can be included? There isn't anything stopping the game from having humor related to the subject matter while still remaining a 'serious' portrayal of building a relationship with a disabled partner.