Kindred Spirits on the Roof PC Reviews by Lolinia and Eivmoe of We Touch Games – Developer: Liar-Soft – Publisher: MangaGamer – Genre Visual Novel
These are two separate reviews on the same game submitted by two members of We Touch Games.
What is love? How many different types of love can there be? Is it weird to want to be by the side of someone of the same sex forever? Liar-Soft’s Kindred Spirits on the Roof (Kindred Spirits) says HELL NO IT ISN’T and presents you a game where the main focus is to foster love that goes beyond the boundaries of societal norms. Brought to western audiences by MangaGamer and more than just a “sex game”, Kindred Spirits is a visual novel that truly invites you to see the world from a different scope. Many thanks to MangaGamer for the review key!
Kindred Spirits starts off with average girl Yuna Toomi. Yuna is a second-year student at Konokotsubashi Girls’ Academy of Commerce (more commonly spoken about as ‘Shirojo’) and normally eats on the roof of the school by herself. One day, she is eating lunch and she suddenly sees two ghosts making fun of her. Through hilarious circumstances (that would probably make me go insane), she ends up agreeing to help the two “kindred spirits” she met “on the roof” with the task of making sure the school becomes a place where female-to-female love can flourish. A “Yuritopia”. This word is a portmanteau of the words “Yuri,” meaning girls’ love, and “Utopia,” meaning paradise.
As the story progresses beyond that simple premise, it takes shape to become a beautiful coming-of-age story all around. Yes, there are sex scenes, but this game is not a ‘Nukige’ title (meaning a game centered on sex). Kindred Spirits reminds me much of another game that has the common initials of ‘KS’: Katawa Shoujo. While the two games’ content differ greatly, the premise of love without boundaries is there. Just because you are disabled or you are the same sex as the one you love does not mean you cannot give your heart over to them. This does not mean you need to give up friendships. You can give your all to your partner no matter your gender/sex, ability, mentality, etc. Kindred Spirits addresses this with cute art, slightly repetitive-yet-catchy music, intense voice acting, and an absolutely stunning story.
The art style really isn’t all that amazing, to be completely honest. However, Kindred Spirits has an art style that, once again, does make me reference Katawa Shoujo. Katawa Shoujo was my first visual novel, back when it was only a demo of Act 1 in the summer of 2008. Simple art, yet compelling storytelling made me hunger for more. Kindred Spirits does the exact same. While the art style is not, by any means, what you would call ‘fancy’, it satisfies one’s eyes as to how the characters move, act, and convey thoughts better than the words could do alone. Character expressions work with the story to show more than just words on a screen. The visuals alone do not make this a great buy, though.
One must also consider the audio when considering making an investment into this type of game. Kindred Spirits almost satisfies in this area. Its short soundtrack makes the background music very repetitive. On the other hand, the music is easy-listening and not too annoying to hear on repeat. If it were available as a cheap $3 USD or less DLC, I’d consider getting the OST. (Another commonality with Katawa Shoujo… ignoring that specific game’s price of free…) It’s definitely not bad, but it also doesn’t send my ears into orgasmic bliss over and over, either. What DOES make my ears twitch with hotly intense pleasure is the voice acting… when it is there.
Much to my chagrin, Kindred Spirits is only partially voice acted and MEANT to be that way. (I am staring sadly right at you WAS -The Hourglass of Lepidoptera-.) However, when the voice acting is there, it is on point. By the end of the first semester just before the start of summer vacation, Yuna’s voice was the tipping point for my first set of tears to spill while playing the game (even now, just remembering that point of time makes my eyes get slightly misty). The intensity of the voice acting at times really drives the story extremely well in Kindred Spirits. Yet, when the voice acting stops, the game can feel like it drags on practically forever. The audio for the game helps to drive the game forward (faults and all), but the real kicker is the story for the game
The story and character development of Kindred Spirits is absolutely brilliant. Through the use of an in-game menu in the form of a diary or journal, you play mainly as Yuna as you work together with the ghosts and bring together all the girl-girl couples at Shirojo. On the other hand, you also get to see the game from the perspective of the other characters after you finish playing as Yuna up to a certain point when side story stickers show up in the diary. (More on this when talking about game mechanics.) With 16 character’s perspectives helping to tell the more finite parts of the story, the character development is extremely important and done so very well for this game. While some parts might feel a little cheesy, the game tries to make it less so as time goes forward in the diary, eventually including even stories for the ghosts themselves. Overall, Kindred Spirits is done very well artistically.
From a game design standpoint, there are a few things that I did not like. For one, I would’ve loved to have been able to fluidly continue one story line once the side story stickers showed up. Yes, I would expect to go through the main story stickers when needed, but I absolutely would’ve loved to follow the Senpai/Kouhai route first rather than be forced to go through all of the different stories at different intervals just to open up only the ability to continue the main story. It felt like too much was being crammed into your head at times as more couples are added throughout the game. Secondly, I wish that choices felt more like they had an impact on the story. For the most part, due to the nature of the journal, the entire game feels like it’s actually a kinetic novel instead of a choice-driven one. While this isn’t a big faux pas for me, it does make the game feel misleading as you play.
Finally, I wish the game would let you replay the opening video without having to restart the game completely. (I have no unlocked the extras in the game yet, so I do not know if it ends up doing it then) It’s not a very big deal, but the opening is so catchy!
Overall, Kindred Spirits on the Roof is a tremendously fun time. At the price of $34.99 USD on Steam and $34.95 USD on the MangaGamer website (with identical content, so it’s a matter only of where you want to purchase), Kindred Spirits is a steap buy. Luckily, it contains plenty of content for you to enjoy and immerse yourself into as you read. Listen to the MP3 player on the diary to hear the in-game tracks more or go back a couple months and read that favorite scene! The world of Kindred Spirits on the Roof is yours to retrace as much as you wish.
Lolinia gives Kindred Spirits on the Roof a Drastik Measure 8.0 out of 10.0 (80).
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A good book and a good visual novel has a lot in common, as it offers an escape, it offers a world, a story, an emotional bond to what the writer thinks and feels, and what the reader could only think off in their dreams. However a decent visual novel and decent book are worlds apart, we have all read texts book, bricks and other things that has been a chore to get through. A visual Novel however has a lot it can redeem itself with, voice acting, visuals, and music.
Kindred Spirits on the Roof, is an adventure Visual novel developed by Liar-soft, and published MangaGamer, a gentle and soft hearted uncut and 18+ English story, that feature japanese voice actors, and multiple choices along its bumpy and heart throbbing story! However while game being 18+ does not mean this is a Nukige, in any sense or fashion.
Kindred spirits on the roof, is a decent visual novel, it however seems a little rushed where it is only partly voice acted, only the Important parts were voice acted, due to this it removes a lot off the immersion off what Kindred spirits offers, it’s story, and characters are gripping and fun to read with the voices, yet it starts to struggle when the parts when it is no longer voice acted, the music then can quickly become annoying or repetitive.
Kindred spirits however offers a great story, about a struggling character where you are not sure what to do. You as a straight girl, could you possibly be a cupid for the yuri? The internal struggle about wanting to be alone, not being involved and just enjoying your high school life quickly becomes threatened by two females who surprises you after you finish your lunch on the roof one day.
Story and characters, are well done and will offer you an opportunity to play Cupid, you help people come forth, you help them make their own desires and dreams come true. Each character has their own personality that is deep, its own response pattern and their own faults, making the characters in Kindred spirits on the roof, interesting and more like real people who act in love, are foolish and at times plain clumsy, you will meet 12 fully developed characters and more as you try to help the yuri spirits on the roof.
It’s story seem shallow at the start but it quickly draws you in much deeper when you start learning the back-story and the death off the Kindred Spirits, you will learn to understand both yourself and others as you observe them, and learn to know them. How is it to be on the receiving or giving end of a one sided love, when the other does not feel the same as you or are uncertain in their own likings. The insecurities they and you feel when you learn to know yourself, they are all part of our characters thoughts as they get to know each other and themselves.
Music, the first thing you will notice as you enter the game is how overpowering the music is compared to everything else, the first thing you will properly do is turn down the music quite low about half way before it is comfortable. You will continue to hear the same music for most off the same scenes even those intense romance moment, which also really ruin the immersion, and can take away from how serious or a tense scene really is. While Visual Novels are the strongest when they combine sounds, visuals and story, it is so easy for one to ruin for the two others which you may see or find at a few points in this game when it comes to romance scenes.
Visuals are beautiful in how they portray their characters, with many facial expressions, body language and their background art, while they are nothing out of this world, they are all a nice and even style that fit in with the game perfectly nothing stands out, exceptionally good, or bad. In all the visuals are decent and nicely flowing with the game, it has many facial features which changes often as the conversation continues, making its use of visual really well in a Visual Novel.
In conclusion, Kindred Spirits on the roof, is a nice and well written game, that visual novel or yuri lovers could easily pick up for a good read, while it is 18+ and uncut on steam, you will not see the fruit of your labour before you sit down and engage with the characters for well over 12 hours. (The reviewer used 16 hours before getting the first ero scene), learn them, and understand them making it so much sweeter than games that can just throw it at you like Witcher (franchise) or GTA (franchise) this game makes you care about every single character, makes you understand their back-story and their personal struggles on what to do. For 35 bucks, I would recommend this to everybody you enjoys an emotional Visual Novel, with a gripping story. While it has its point of annoyance, it is all-in-all a great game that, in the end, will make a satisfied reader!
Eivmoe gives Kindred Spirits on the Roof a Drastik Measure 8.0 out of 10.0 (80).
