Kindred Spirits on the Roof Reviews

[h2] TL;DR [/h2] The game is great, and I can wholeheartedly recommend it. Awesome characters, engaging story development. But there are two massive drawbacks to this 5/5: the BGM and the ridiculous amount of backtracking. So, the short version is over — now comes the deep dive (rant). --- [h2] Details: [/h2] 1) [b]Pacing[/b] [list] [*] The game takes a long time to get going. In the beginning, I had to force myself to keep playing, hoping it would get better — and luckily, it did. Around the midpoint or closer to the end, things start getting really interesting. But the opening is painfully slow. [*] Same issue near the end — when you crave development, you get mental gymnastics instead. [*] The non-linear narrative can be confusing. Just as the plot starts to pick up momentum, it suddenly slams the brakes and begins slowly revealing (often unnecessary) side details. [/list] 2) [b]Characters[/b] [list] [*] There are a lot of characters — and a lot of *amazing* couples, each with their own unique dynamics. Usually, this results in underdeveloped personalities, but *not here*. Each character has a backstory, each acts logically (to a point), driven by believable internal motivation. No complaints here. [/list] 3) [b]Backtracking & POV shifts [/b] [list] [*] Don’t get me wrong — shifting POVs is a powerful narrative tool. If it’s done well. Unfortunately, here it isn’t. The POV shifts are abrupt and scattered. The in-game calendar helps maintain a general timeline, but that’s not the issue. You expect a POV shift to show you new things — things that were hidden, misunderstood, or unclear from another perspective. Yes, it does happen... about 40% of the time. The remaining 60% is just a rehash of previously seen scenes with a sprinkle of new inner thoughts. Sure, that adds some depth — but it’s just boring. Why revisit the same dialogue multiple times just for a few new lines? [/list] 4) [b] BGM [/b] [list] [*] Rare case where I turned off the music in a visual novel. Looping the same track for 3+ hours is teeth-grindingly awful. Big L. [/list] 5) [b]Art & Style [/b] [list] [*] Visually, the game doesn’t really stand out among other VNs. Not bad, not amazing — just fine. That said, there are lots of unique CG scenes, and that’s definitely a plus. [/list] --- [h2] Spoilers Below: [/h2] [spoiler] 6) The writers didn’t back down when it came to the teacher x student plotline. I was expecting the usual coward move — but no. They went all the way. 10/10. 7) I genuinely liked the ending for the main heroine. [b]Childhood friends supremacy! [/b] The post-confession delay felt a bit odd, but the payoff was worth it. 8) Precious various scenes of pure yuri love (18+) — absolutely stunning and beautiful. P.S. The rotten act of the senpais towards Hina is terrible and simply cannot be forgiven [/spoiler]