Key is a Japanese visual novel studio, known for making dramatic and plot-oriented dating sims. Their debut release Kanon was hugely successful in Japan. It combined an elaborate and sentimental storyline, an up-to-date anime drawing style and a popular musical score.
Their second game, Air, was similarly well received in Japan, having a similar if not more complex storyline. Both Kanon and Air sold over a million copies and also had non-erotic console ports released for the Dreamcast and the PlayStation 2.
Clannad is a dating sim similar to its previous games, but is entirely clean, without any ecchi content. Clannad suffered many delays before its release, leading to a great deal of anticipation from fans. The game finally released in 2004 and, although with more than two years of delay, was still popular.
In 2004, Key also released Planetarian: Chiisana Hoshi no Yume. Planetarian, in contrast to Key's past games, is a linear visual novel that does not require the user to make a choice, but to sit back and enjoy the story. Planetarian is also the shortest of Key's games.
History
Before forming Key (a brand of Osaka-based Visual Art's), the founding members worked for another development company called Tactics. While employed there, they contributed to three games: Dousei, Moon and One ~kagayaku kisetsu e~. After the release of One, these developers transferred to Visual Art's, where they created Kanon.[1]
Games produced by Key
- Kanon (1999)
- Air (2001)
- Clannad (2004)
- Planetarian: Chiisana Hoshi no Yume (2004)
- Tomoyo After: It's a Wonderful Life -- the sequel to Clannad (2005)
- Little Busters! (2007)
References
- ↑ Template:Citeweb
External links
Key official website- Kinetic Novel homepage
- Template:Zh icon Key fan club of mainland china
- Forum for English-speaking Key fans
ko:Key zh:Key (公司)