Natsuiro Koi Uta - Yuuna changed quite a lot. Ayaka punch! Shion!
Natsuiro Koi Uta is a visual novel developed by Studio Ryokucha, the same studio that created Koiiro Soramoyou, which I reviewed in the past. Released in 2016, it was the final game published by the company before they disappeared from the market altogether. I am not entirely sure what happened to them, but given the state of the market, I assume bankruptcy was the most likely outcome.
The story follows Kazuma Kamiki, a high school boy trying to lead a normal life after a traumatic childhood spent under the control of his great-grandfather. Unfortunately, things cannot stay smooth for long. Just as he is trying to deal with a mysterious fiancée named Shion Suwa who appeared out of nowhere, he gets involved in something even more complicated.
Yuuna Tsukiyono is a girl who refuses to be married off by her father to an older stranger, so she concocts a lie involving the first person she sees at that exact moment. That person, of course, is our protagonist. Together, they decide to defy their relatives' orders by signing a contract to act as fake lovers, hoping to survive the situation and maintain their normal lives.
Naturally, being together for so long brings them closer to each other and eventually leads to romance. The plot is somewhat similar to the manga series Nisekoi, which was quite popular at the time, but in visual novel form. Honestly, it is a good premise, and while nothing groundbreaking happens, the game remains solid fun throughout the entire run.
The game is extremely simple when it comes to choices, featuring only a single decision for the entire playthrough regarding which heroine you want to pursue. There is no other branching logic or complex paths, which makes walkthroughs pretty much useless. There is simply one route for each of the four heroines.
The main heroines are:
Yuuna Tsukiyono: The main heroine of the story and Kazuma’s partner-in-crime. She comes from a very wealthy family that subjected her to heavy training to become a refined lady. This backfired, resulting in a modern tsundere who is easily angered, sometimes rude, and always ready to fight if needed. She does, however, have a cute side.
Hikaru Takanashi: Kazuma’s childhood friend and a waitress at her family's shop. She has an innocent and amicable personality. She is the most "down-to-earth" of all the heroines because she is just a normal high school girl with no wealthy background or mysterious reasons for being around the protagonist.
Shion Suwa: The mysterious fiancée who suddenly appeared in Kazuma's life. She has been intensely interested in the protagonist since childhood and can be defined as an "ultra dere-dere" heroine. She acts and behaves exactly the way Yuuna's parents wished their daughter would, being refined and extremely gentle with everyone.
Ayaka Kamiki: The protagonist's little sister, who is a heroine with a deep brother complex. Referring to herself as "boku", she is a middle schooler who acts as a ball of energy and is always ready to fight to protect her brother from any girls who try to get close to him.
Among all the heroines, I think Shion was the one I liked the most when I first played this game because of the gap between her refined personality and her shyness around the protagonist. However, I recall Yuuna being a strong contender once the initial phase passed and she started to soften up toward Kazuma. It just takes a bit of time for that to happen.
Overall, I think Natsuiro Koi Uta is a solid visual novel that I can easily recommend to anyone looking for a comedy-centered experience. It is a relatively short visual novel, taking me about 18 hours, and there is no significant barrier to becoming attached to the cute heroines.
