As I mentioned before, the premise of Kindred Spirits on the Roof is to have Yuna aid Sachi and Megumi in creating their “Yuritopia” so that they can eventually learn from the other couples and thus have their first time. If you noticed a couple of holes in that logic, don’t fret as the game does address them. The plot plays out in a pretty formulaic fashion. The month will start with Yuna and the “Kindred Spirits,” discussing which new girls they are going to help and what couples they are still assisting. While Sachi and Megumi can’t interact with anyone but Yuna, they do wander the campus and provide intel. Yuna then tries to figure out someway to help the various couples without anyone knowing. This is all wrapped up into a mini-arc that takes place during the month, such as a training camp or the school festival. Once the main arc is complete, we then see the story from the various couples perspectives for that month. This back and forth actually works really well as Yuna isn’t someone who is a white knight riding in on a horse to save everyone. She’s very subtle in what she does as she doesn’t want to draw attention to herself. Yuna doesn’t solve problems, she just helps. This means that each couple feels like they develop rather naturally. Once a couple has reached the final goal of becoming intimate with each other, however, they kind of fall by the wayside for the rest of the game. That’s where the Extra Scenes come in. The Extra Scenes are there to provide more character development and everyone’s common interactions. This allows for a very focused narrative when dealing with the main plot. Everything builds upon itself and by the time you reach the end of the Extra Scenes there’s a nice sense of closure as you see just how everyone has changed and bonded with each other over the course of the game. This brings us to the characters themselves.
The cast of Kindred Spirits on the Roof at first glance seems rather cliché. Sachi and Megumi are the lovey-dovey couple, Yuna’s a reluctant participant who just wants to keep to herself, Hina is the quiet junior who looks up to Yuna like a big sister, Ano is an otaku, etc. This extends to the couples as well. We have the kouhai who wants her senpai to notice her, a student who has a crush on her teacher, the trio of friends who always hang out together, the unlikely duo of the straight-laced disciplinarian and the delinquent, and the lovers who are trying to keep their relationship secret. The characters, however, all subvert many of the pitfalls you’d find in common anime or games. They’re played more realistically and as such feel more like people in a relationship trying to work through problems rather than exaggerations. My favorite of the couples is by far Koba Youka and Ariu Aki, who make up the delinquent and disciplinarian respectively. Youka herself is just a special kind of airhead whom you can’t help but love. While she seems energetic and super confident she’s human just like anyone else and needs reassurance. Aki meanwhile isn’t harsh or cruel but has a different outlook on life. She never puts down or belittles Youka. Their big moment and Youka’s confession is one of my favorite scenes in the entire game because while it seems so predictable, it’s done so well you can’t help but love it. In regards to the main characters I find myself relating quite a bit to Yuna. Not just in her personality and the personal history, but also in trying to answer a lot of internal questions regarding sex and sexuality. Let’s go under the covers to try and tackle a few of those.
You may be wondering why I’m classifying this as an Eroge when it’s available on Steam. About a year ago I wrote an editorial defining what an Eroge is as what of a series of articles about Senran Kagura and it being mistaken as one. To me, this game does fit that definition. While the sexual acts in this game really fall more into the softcore side of things, consisting of nudity from the waist up, heavy petting, and mutual masturbation, they are still sexual acts. You could argue that’s it’s a “lite Eroge”, but it’s an Eroge nonetheless. This isn’t a bad thing however.
Sex is an important part of any relationship, even if abstinence is occurring. That is still a decision that a couple must make and it can be a very awkward conversation to have. In fact awkward is the best way to describe a lot of these scenes. There’s a lot of fumbling and nervousness between the couple as they don’t know what they don’t know. This also plays into the layered approach of the narrative as while each couple gets one scene, they all build upon each other in some way or another. Each one goes a little further than the last due to their own personal knowledge and personalities. By the time you get Amishima Matsuri and Inamoto Miyu, who have been lovers for some time, you can see the difference between someone who is fumbling to figure things out and someone who’s experienced. You may think this means the earlier scenes aren’t as interesting or endearing, but you’d be wrong. Fumbling and learning is part of the experience of growing as a couple. It’s a shared journey between two people. Kindred Spirits on the Roof is basically the thesis of an argument I like to make regarding Eroge. That sex is an important part of a relationship and a natural extension of romance. It’s something that very much so can deepen bonds as well as express just how much two people care for each other. Which is exactly why Sachi and Megumi embark on their quest. What better way to show your love and leave no regrets than entrusting your body and self to someone in the most intimate way. With that bit of philosophizing done let’s close this out.
Kindred Spirits on the Roof is one of those rare games where I don’t really have any complaints. At $34.99 on Steam and $34.95 on MangaGamer.com the game is priced pretty fairly considering I spent 32 hours clearing it according to Steam, though it can be done in around 25 hours. Outside of that, I can only complain about the lack of Steam Achievements, and that’s not even worth a nitpick. I didn’t encounter any major issues save Windows 10 being finicky with exiting the full screen mode. The story is well written and comes to a proper conclusion. Every scene lasts just as long as it needs to and nothing feels out of place. So then I have to consider the personal impact it’s had. From the tone of the review, I’m sure you can see this is one that’s made me think quite a lot. I have thoughts on all these couples and characters. Yuna’s journey is one I think we all take at one point or another and it’s been an interesting reflection process. With that said, I really only have the highest of praise for this title. Is it for everyone? If you’re adamantly against the idea of sex in games then obviously no, and if Yuri and Lesbianism bothers you then again no. But outside of that, I can’t think of a reason not to give this a shot. If you’re still on the fence then wait for a sale to pull the trigger. If you’re a Visual Novel or Yuri fan though, don’t pass this one up. Embark on this journey with the Kindred Spirits and Yuna as you set out to support your friends and build a Yuritopia with your own hands.
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Review Copy provided by Publisher for review.
