Sunrider Academy
- April 14, 2015
- Love in Space
- 19h median play time
Get on SteamYou are Kayto Shields, an ordinary man thrown into an extraordinary adventure. Control Kayto's day to day life as well as his responsibilities as club manager in this stat management sim.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- Engaging storylines with well-developed characters that evoke a range of emotions.
- High-quality artwork and a pleasant soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
- Offers multiple routes and endings, providing replayability and variety.
- Gameplay can become tedious and repetitive, with excessive clicking and grinding required.
- Lack of clear guidance on stat management and event triggers can lead to frustrating bad endings.
- The pacing of the story is inconsistent, with long stretches of gameplay without significant plot development.
- story727 mentions
- 34 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The story in "Sunrider Academy" is generally well-received, featuring engaging character arcs and emotional depth, particularly in the individual routes for each love interest. However, many players criticize the pacing, noting long gaps between story events due to repetitive gameplay mechanics, which can detract from the overall experience. While the narrative offers humor and interesting twists, it often feels stretched thin by the time management elements, leading to a mixed reception regarding its depth and engagement.
“Each love interest has their own distinct personality and storylines, and the player's choices throughout the game will shape the relationships they develop.”
“This game has amazing story and awesome characters.”
“The story was engaging, and I'm already planning to play through for the other three options.”
“There's funny moments, there's moments I enjoy, and I'm probably gonna keep playing until I beat it, but the spacing between any story content is atrocious and there is a severe lack in actual overall content.”
“As a management game, this game is extremely repetitive, and as a visual novel/story game it's fine but nothing that interesting or impressive, especially compared to other visual novels you can get on this platform.”
“The story is nothing to write home about, and the art simply fails to prop up the story or setting in any way (do any of those backgrounds or characters look like they belong on a sci-fi alien planet?) I tried to like it, but I just can't.”
- gameplay223 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 71 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Sunrider Academy" is a mix of visual novel elements and time management mechanics, featuring character customization and strategic battles. While some players appreciate the engaging narrative and character interactions, many criticize the repetitive and tedious stat management system, which can detract from the overall experience. Overall, the gameplay is seen as a double-edged sword, offering depth but often becoming monotonous and frustrating, especially for those seeking a more streamlined visual novel experience.
“The game features a branching narrative with multiple love interests, as well as gameplay elements such as character customization and strategic battles.”
“The gameplay is enjoyable, with a mix of visual novel-style dialogue choices and strategic battles that add a bit of variety to the experience.”
“Overall, Sunrider Academy is a well-crafted visual novel with engaging characters, enjoyable gameplay, and excellent production values.”
“It's just the stat management gameplay that makes it so incredibly boring and tedious.”
“The gameplay is so repetitive and grindy it just makes it boring to be honest.”
“All of the girls are so painfully monotonous to interact with that the gameplay becomes a chore when the only thing your hard work is rewarded with is more drab, repetitive, formulaic dialogue from characters that are just worse renditions of girls and much better anime, and even much better dating sims.”
- music150 mentions
- 49 % positive mentions
- 49 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising its quality and ability to enhance the gaming experience, describing it as beautiful, soothing, and fitting the atmosphere well. However, some players find the soundtrack repetitive and limited, noting that certain tracks can become annoying during extended play sessions. Overall, while the music is generally appreciated, opinions vary on its memorability and the desire for a standalone soundtrack release.
“The graphics and soundtrack are both top-notch, and the overall production values of the game are impressive.”
“The music is absolutely beautiful and all of the characters are so well developed.”
“The mood and the music are truly awesome, I love these devs' games.”
“Hahahaha.. no but enjoy those 3 godawful music tracks looping in the background.”
“I swear the developers are copying the music from the same site that the My Time at Portia developers did.”
“Both developers have no taste when it comes to music and the sound effects in the world are non-existent.”
- grinding123 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 2 % neutral mentions
- 98 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being tedious, repetitive, and lacking depth, often requiring players to engage in mindless stat management and daily activities for extended periods. While some players find the character interactions and story engaging enough to endure the grind, many agree that it detracts significantly from the overall experience, making it a challenging endeavor for those not fond of grinding mechanics. Despite the enjoyable elements, the overwhelming consensus is that the game could benefit from a reduction in grind to enhance its appeal.
“This game is a grinding nightmare.”
“The constant grinding of stats, added onto the chance of missing an important event just because you don't have enough time in a day to check every single location without spamming your save/load buttons over and over and over again, will leave all but the most hardcore stat grinding lovers weeping in pain.”
“Sunrider Academy is a tedious slog of repeating the exact same daily events with the exact same text, over and over again ad nauseum.”
- humor110 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is often highlighted as a strong point, featuring a mix of clever dialogue, inside jokes, and quirky character interactions that can elicit genuine laughter. However, some players note that the humor can be inconsistent, with moments that feel forced or overshadowed by repetitive gameplay elements. Overall, while the comedic aspects are enjoyable and contribute to the game's charm, they may not be enough to compensate for its pacing and content issues.
“I personally loved the inside jokes about SR:MOA and the overall humor of the game.”
“Now, if this hasn't scared you away, the story is freaking hilarious and gets you hooked in and feel for poor Mr. Shields, and is quite fun to play!”
“Despite a few drawbacks, this game is really funny and story rich, and I definitely recommend it.”
- graphics85 mentions
- 59 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their high quality, appealing art style, and impressive production values, contributing significantly to the overall experience. Many reviewers highlight the beautiful character designs and backgrounds, noting that the visuals effectively set the tone and mood of the game. While some mention minor issues with specific character expressions, the general consensus is that the artwork is well-executed and enhances the storytelling.
“The graphics and soundtrack are both top-notch, and the overall production values of the game are impressive.”
“At its core it is a simple visual novel but it adds so much more to the experience and provides beautiful visuals, interesting characters, and emotional storytelling.”
“The visuals and sound are good; you can see the improvements in the character design compared to Mask of Arcadius, and the characters look way better.”
“Cheap graphics, medium storyline and Ava is really annoying... good thing you can actually enjoy the game on waifu mode - just for the kicks 6/10.”
“The visuals are... of course visual novel quality, which means 2D static art for the most part, but it is drawn very well, though for me it seems a bit... different from a traditional Japanese style visual novel.”
“If you tolerate visual novels, anime-like graphics, and grind, of course.”
- emotional48 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its emotional depth and engaging character storylines, often eliciting strong feelings such as laughter and tears from players. Many reviewers highlight the boldness of its themes and the heartwarming nature of the narratives, making it a standout in the dating sim genre. Despite some minor criticisms regarding colloquial dialogue and certain uncomfortable themes, the overall emotional experience is described as impactful and memorable.
“The plots for each character will engage you: hold on for heart-wrenching twists on this rollercoaster ride of emotions!”
“A game that is willing to tackle a matter like this head-on, treating it like any other school as opposed to some 'school for the mentally deficient' is so bold and heartwarming that it brings tears to my eyes every time I think about it.”
“Each route has a really different and interesting story that got me pretty emotionally invested in it.”
- optimization14 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been criticized for being somewhat chaotic and lacking in polish, leading to performance issues and a repetitive gameplay experience over time. While it features smooth operation and user-friendly menus, players feel it requires additional content and refinement to enhance engagement and variety.
“It runs smoothly and has neat and accessible menus.”
“Choose what to do in your day, whether it's a walk, training, or trying to improve the performance of the club.”
“Each will have an effect on their performance during competitions, which is important for winning prestige.”
“There are a lot of ways of doing this, and in this game it’s a little chaotic and not very optimized.”
“The performance might also be a problem as well.”
“Still, this game needs more optimization; in later months, what I am doing is quite monotone and needs more content like side stories or something to fill the date.”
- character development12 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is generally viewed as adequate but not exceptional, with some routes offering interesting plots that enhance the experience. While the character designs are praised for their grounded and distinguishable aesthetics, the depth of character growth is considered a fun diversion rather than a standout feature. Overall, improvements in character design are noted, particularly in comparison to previous titles, but the development itself is seen as somewhat superficial.
“The character designs are all reasonably grounded; there are no crazy hair or overly stylized outfits, and each of the characters is easily distinguishable by more than just hair.”
“Still, she has more character development than either of the above, so it's cool.”
“Character development is fine, which is also included almost perfectly into this game.”
“There is actual character development in the h-scenes, but for wrist workout material, they're subpar.”
“The character designs are all reasonably grounded, and each of the characters is easily distinguishable by more than just hair.”
- stability10 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with numerous bugs and glitches that hinder task completion and can lead to frustrating error screens. Players have reported that these issues often stem from random events that are not clearly communicated, detracting from overall enjoyment. As a result, many users have expressed disappointment and have recommended against playing due to these persistent problems.
“Filled with bugs and glitches that prevent you from completing tasks on time (or at all), or worse, sending you to a Ren'Py error screen forcing you to rollback.”
“Like I just mentioned, bugs and glitches appear... these sometimes are created due to you not encountering a specific event first... because of RNG... and apparently you should be aware of those unknown events... somehow.”
“Edit: switched to not recommended because the buggy parts of the game destroyed any sort of enjoyment I had left.”
- atmosphere8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, featuring well-developed girl characters, each contributing to a rich narrative experience. The art style is noted for its quality, complemented by a diverse and fitting soundtrack that enhances the overall ambiance without becoming repetitive or annoying. While the absence of voice acting is mentioned, it does not detract from the immersive experience created by the game's music and character dynamics.
“Oh god, what a time to have hearing sense! Almost every single track in this game is either bouncy, chilling, soothing, or beautifully atmospheric. The amount of tracks is great, and while the game is kind of samey due to the stat management aspect, none of these songs gets cringey or annoying.”
“I know it shouldn't be something surprising, but after playing dozens of visual novels with the same looping music that never reflects the atmosphere of the scenes... it truly is.”
“I know, it shouldn't be something surprising, but after playing dozens of visual novels with the same looping music that never reflects the atmosphere of scenes... it truly is.”
“As far as I can tell, this is a high-quality novel with a great art style and a varying soundtrack that fits the atmosphere.”
“4 girl characters + 1 sister, each of them contributes to an agreeable atmosphere, each has their own storyline and character, which one you like the most probably depends on the type of character you enjoy.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Users consistently express that the game lacks replayability, indicating that once completed, there is little incentive to play it again.
“So it kills the replay value.”
