Kindred Spirits on the Roof Review (PC)

It’s been a long time coming, Kindred Spirits On The Roof is the first game on Steam that features uncensored sexual content. This yuri visual novel is one that promises to bring Yuritopia to the masses.

 

 

 

Kindred Spirits on the Roof starts out one day as Toomi Yuna, a slightly socially awkward highschool student, encounters a pair of ghosts while casually eating her lunch on the roof. They are Enoki Sachi and Nagatani Megumi, ghosts at the all-girls “Shirojo” academy that are a yuri couple.

 

The ghost in a black uniform with long black hair is Enoki Sachi. She passed away 80 years ago in an accident when she was in her third year. Nagatani Megumi, a ghost in a white sailor uniform with short brown hair, passed away 30 years ago of illness as a first-year student. They both died before graduating therefore even though they both had proper funerals they still linger at the school grounds. This is because they have regrets as they both liked girls and never reciprocated that love.

 

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After recovering from the initial shock, Yuna is met with an unusual task – helping the two ghosts assist other girls at the school who are struggling with their hidden feelings. And of course, in doing this to help the ghost couple satisfy their wish to experience their “first time together” before passing into another world. All in all, Yuna becomes a Yuri Cupid.

 

Her first task as a Yuri Cupid is helping a first year student Maki Seina, in delivering her love letter to a girl in a third year. She has been trying to do so for weeks without mustering enough courage to leave it on her senpai’s desk. Yuna manages to help Maki, and despite feeling strange in doing so finds it to be fulfilling.

 

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The game’s story is organised in a form of a planner where at certain dates you will get a new story segment each month. After going through the main storyline you will unlock other side stories regarding the game’s yuri pairings. Each of the pairings have a complex and interesting story and you will get to see how their relationship develops and grows.

 

Kindred Spirits takes quite a different approach from a typical visual novel formula in that the story is kinectic, meaning there are almost no options to change the course of the story. Another fresh approach is that story is told not only through Yuna’s eyes, but also through ghosts’ and other character’s views. The only downside to this is that sometimes you will be reading the same story with most of the same text but with the added bonus of some other character’s thoughts about the particular event. This can get a bit boring, but can be a worthwhile addition if you are invested enough in that particular character.

 

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All the characters are intelligently written and have fun quirks. For example, Megumi threatens to curse Yuna every time they talk as she is very possessive of Sachi. Over the course of the game you will find out why.

 

There are a ton of yuri couples featured in the game. Maki Seina, an underclassman who admires her senpai Aihara Miki, a very diligent third year girl who helps everyone at the school. Ichiki Umi, an energetic girl that brought together always tired and sleepy Miyama Nena and Futano Sasa, the school’s solitary goth girl, making them inseparable friends. Then there’s obligatory teacher and student couple, Tsurugimine Kiri, a second-year student who has a weakness for cute things and Sonou Isukuyo, a chibi teacher at “Shirojo” that gets tired a lot.

 

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There is an unlikely romance with Koba Youka, Yuna’s long-time friend who is into rock and Ariu Aki, a member of disciplinary committee. Finally, a veteran yuri couple, Amushima Matsuri and Inamoto Miyu, who are both head of track and field club and have been together for four years. And of course, there are Yuna’s friends Ano Fuji, a real klutz that forgets everything but is very outspoken and Komano Hina, Yuna’s childhood friend and track and field member who is always wearing a tracksuit.

 

Before the release of Kindred Spirits these has been a bit of a controversy because of its sexual content being included in the Steam release without cutting anything out. The sexual subject matter as tastefully managed, there shouldn’t be any issue over the aforementioned content. Kindred Spirits is not by any means primarily a sexual visual novel since there isn’t that much content of that nature to begin with. Only partial nudity is on display, primarily breasts. Those expecting something more explicit may find it elsewhere as here the most accent is on story and developing relationships.

 

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Toomi Yuna at first seems like a loner, but she is now developing relationships and growing as a person. This gives Kindred Spirits on the Roof more appeal than it being just a typical yuri visual novel and adds a bit more depth. After all everyone can relate to the struggles of trying to find your place in the world.

 

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Kindred Spirits is an excellent yuri visual novel and there aren’t many setbacks apart from some minor ones, like the overused soundtrack that gets repetitive very fast and voice acting that although masterfully done, is only reserved for few important scenes.

 

In case you aren’t sold on Kindred Spirits yet, you could play the demo to get a good taste of the game. The demo takes about 4 or so hours to play through, with full game taking about 16 to 20 hours depending on how much of the side stories you read.

 

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Kindred Spirits on the Roof is definitely one of the better yuri visual novels on the market and should please those seeking a deep, thoughtful experience. What gives it a sense of identity is an interesting cast of characters and tastefully done romance, which usually takes a backseat in many visual novels.

 

Kindred Spirits on the Roof on MangaGamer

Kindred Spirits on Steam

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