Yunohana Spring doesn’t look like the kind of game I usually prefer: it’s bright, cheerful and innocent, without any kind of mystery or deep plot.

That’s why it took me so long to play it, I was honestly afraid if could be boring; but I miss KENN too much, I haven’t played a character voiced by him for months, so I decided it was the best game fo fill the void.

Each chapter of the common route is dedicated to a different customer, and the heroine has to solve a “problem” to make their stay at the inn the best possible.

I admit it, sometimes I wasn’t interested; I had to go through the same scenario in every route, just to see the different reactions of the guy I chose in that situation…. it became boring after a couple runs, even painful later.

The route itself comes after this long common and it felt really short in comparison: there was barely a choice to make, then I reached straight the ending without the possibility of changing anything, which was a bit disappointing.

If the system was not great, the boys themselves were all interesting and likeable.

Kintarou is the typical positive and energetic type, who had an obvious crush on the heroine since childhood; they grew up together and get along really well, they seem like a perfect couple from the start. Their relationship was very sweet, a dialogue about his childhood proposal made me dokidoki! (I was hoping for a sudden confession, but I had to wait a lot more)

Kouta was cold at first, but he’s actually a very sweet guy, despite his stoic appearance (which scares animals and children, poor guy!).

His relationship with Yunoha was well developed, it grew up naturally into a good friendship and love. I could understand his struggle, when he had to choose between his dream and love, I think many of us can relate; sometimes we have to give up something to gain what we really want, but the most important thing is always be true to ourselves, to avoid regrets.

Naomasa’s route was boring at first, most of all because the neverending common route was making me ragequit (or rageskip); but when he confessed, and his real route finally started, I changed my mind completely.

I wasn’t expecting him to be such an ikemen, without glasses and with his hair down….. I couldn’t take my eyes off him, I’ve never seen such a great improvement! His attitude seemed to change too, he was more confident. No wonder Yunohana was shocked and attracted!

My patience was rewarded, going through the pain of that long common route was worth it.

I wasn’t expecting his teasing and possessive side, but it was cool and I have no complaints.

I just wished his endings were longer, I wanted too see his serious side at work too!

Takahira’s route was wild.

I thought he was just a troll, since he kept appearing out of nowhere saying “yahoo!” and he spent his days hitting on Yunoha instead of working.

I could predict he was hiding something, but his route was completely different from my expectations and it left me a bitter aftertaste; his first ending was amazing, I admit it, but still something felt off at some point.

How could Yunoha trust him so much? And give him so many chances? I would have just kicked him out, it was too much.

He was my favorite through the common route, but after I knew the truth, I started looking at him in a different perspective and I couldn’t like his attitude as I used to.

Umenosuke had a short route, but I liked it a lot.

Sure, he’s way older than Yunoha and he kinda comes out of nowhere (we never meet him in the common route), but he still has a cute backstory with her, so their relationship doesn’t feel too forced.

It’s a bit rushed, that’s sure; I assume Yunoha had a crush on him when she was little, but never realized her feelings, until he came back after a few years.

I can’t blame her anyway, I would have a crush on him too!

I pitied Kintarou a bit, but I guess someone has to suffer… not every first love can come true.

The normal ending was amazing, I really had a lot of fun; I wasn’t expecting it at all, it was a great idea and it left me with a great mood, it improved my opinion of the whole game!

Do I recommend it?

Well… yes and no.

If you’re looking for an easygoing game, without a deep plot, this is good for you: the boys are cute, their interactions are funny, there are also some memorable romantic scenes.

The heroine is really cool, she’s determinate, responsible and strong; her personality is very defined, she’s not a generic Mary Sue.

So…. why didn’t they call her name? Is this 2010 again?! This bothered me a lot, I admit it.

Instead of calling her “Yunoha”, there was the typical awkward silence that used to happen a long time ago, but it’s very rare nowadays… and I hoped it ended completely. She deserved more than this, I liked her a lot!

My other complain was that long common route, restarting it every time was a pain; most of the customer were annoying, the little brat on the 2nd chapter was the worst.

I hope Otomate solved this problem in the FD! All the reviews I read don’t seem promising, but I loved my boys and I’ll give it a chance for sure.

This is the first game I complete in 2018, it looks like a good start!

Let’s hope for a year free of kusoge (who am I kidding, we know it won’t happen).