- Exceptional gameplay and design
- Outstanding music and soundtrack
- Strong Touhou series entry
- Excessive and unfair difficulty
- Unbalanced character shot types
- Problematic bullet patterns
Emotions
Players feel satisfied by the game's overall high quality, including its refined mechanics, engaging music, and character design. A significant source of satisfaction comes from overcoming the game's fair but extreme challenges, mastering difficult bullet patterns, and achieving progress or completion, which provides a strong sense of accomplishment.
Frustration primarily stems from the game's extreme difficulty, particularly specific boss fights (like Orin and Utsuho) and challenging stages (Stage 4 and 5). Technical issues such as game crashes, unlaunchable executables due to false virus detection, and fatal bugs also contribute to player frustration, hindering their ability to play and progress.
Excitement is generated by the game's high quality, intense bullet hell gameplay, and excellent music, especially character themes. The challenging yet rewarding nature of the game, combined with popular characters and the overall 'peak' experience, creates a thrilling and enjoyable atmosphere for players.
Players admire the game for its status as a masterpiece, highlighting ZUN's unique art style, creative character designs, and exceptional soundtrack. The game's unique direction, atmosphere, and well-crafted spell cards also contribute to a deep sense of admiration for its overall quality and artistic merit.
Enjoyment is derived from the game's captivating music, engaging characters, and balanced gameplay. Players appreciate the unique support skills, strategic scoring opportunities, and the overall aesthetic, including visuals and stage design, which contribute to a pleasant gaming experience.
Verdict
Mostly positive
Summary
Positive 84% · Negative 16%. Score: 16 / 100
Positives:
- Players widely praise the game as a masterpiece, highlighting its fun, challenging, and fair difficulty. The refined mechanics, satisfying progression, and high replayability contribute to an extraordinarily rewarding experience for both beginners and veterans.
- The game's music is consistently lauded as excellent, mind-blowing, and a major highlight. Tracks are described as fitting, atmospheric, and highly memorable, significantly enhancing the gameplay and encouraging players to return.
- Many consider this the best Touhou game, praising its unique atmosphere, improved mechanics, and nostalgic elements. It's recommended for both new players and long-time fans, standing out for its quality and distinct themes compared to other entries.
- Characters like Koishi and Satori are frequently cited as the best parts of the game, praised for their unique designs, compelling personalities, and significant impact on the game's narrative and appeal. The overall cast is considered memorable and well-designed.
- The game excels in creating a strong, dark, and immersive atmosphere that progresses effectively with the story. Visuals, music, and gameplay elements combine to evoke a sense of ruthless determination, fitting the 'bullet hell' experience.
Negatives:
- Players consistently report the game as extraordinarily difficult, often citing it as the hardest they've ever played, even on 'Easy' settings. This high difficulty is perceived as unfair and punishing, leading to frustration and a feeling of being overwhelmed.
- There's a strong consensus that character shot types are unbalanced and generally weak. Marisa, particularly Marisa A and C, is cited as underpowered with poor damage, impractical mechanics, and a larger hitbox, making her less viable compared to other options like Reimu A.
- The design of bullet patterns is a major source of frustration. Players describe them as 'stupid,' 'disgusting,' and designed to cause accidental deaths, often forcing bomb usage due to their density and aimed nature.
- Bombs are widely considered weak and ineffective. They offer minimal damage, short invincibility, and are often seen as mere I-frames rather than powerful tools, forcing players to rely on them to compensate for difficulty spikes, which detracts from the danmaku experience.
- A significant number of players experienced critical technical problems, including game crashes, graphical issues, and launching failures. Some even reported that Steam and Windows flagged the game as a virus, preventing it from running.
Gameplay:
- This installment is widely considered one of the most difficult Touhou games, even on Normal difficulty. It requires significant practice, precise dodging, and resource management, making it challenging for both newcomers and series veterans.
- The game heavily emphasizes bullet grazing, where getting close to bullets increases a 'Communication Strength' gauge. Maxing this gauge automatically collects all on-screen items, boosts score, and is crucial for resource management and high scores.
- The game offers six distinct shot types across different characters and their partners, each with unique shots, bombs, and special abilities. These variations significantly impact gameplay strategy and stage approach.
- The game utilizes a system where bombs consume 1.00 power, with a maximum power of 4.00 for full firepower. This mechanic forces players to carefully balance offensive capabilities with defensive options, as frequent bombing can lead to a 'low power loop'.
- New lives are primarily obtained by collecting 'life fragments,' which are awarded for defeating boss non-spell or spell cards without taking damage. This system makes no-miss clears and timely bombing critical for survival.
Performance:
- Players on Windows 11 are experiencing display problems with Shift-JIS windows, which only resolve if the system's regional language is set to Japanese. This creates an inconvenience for non-Japanese speaking players.
- A player successfully ran the game on Linux using Proton 5.0.9, indicating potential compatibility for non-Windows operating systems. This is based on limited feedback.
- One review briefly mentioned the game's patch functions without further detail or context. This feedback is very limited and lacks specific actionable insights.
Recommendations:
- The game receives overwhelmingly positive recommendations, with many players rating it very highly and considering it a must-play, especially for fans of the Touhou series or bullet hell games.
- Many players strongly advise against starting with this game if you are new to the Touhou series or the bullet hell genre. It is considered too difficult for beginners and might deter them from the series.
- This game is noted for its high difficulty, appealing to players who enjoy a significant challenge and are comfortable with repeated retries. It's recommended for those seeking a unique and demanding experience.
- For new players, other Touhou games like Touhou 6, Mountain of Faith, Imperishable Night, or Perfect Cherry Blossom are suggested as easier starting points before tackling this title.
- There are specific, albeit somewhat humorous, recommendations for which characters to play, such as Marisa-Nitorin for beginners or Marisa C for a 'complete' experience.
Miscellaneous:
- The game evokes strong feelings of nostalgia for some players, recalling past experiences. The overall meaning and enjoyment of the game are often shaped by the player's personal journey and achievements.
- Many players view purchasing the game as a way to directly support the developer, ZUN, often likening it to 'buying ZUN a beer.' There is also enthusiasm for the game's release on Steam.
- The game is noted for its high difficulty, forcing players to improve their skills and requiring significant determination to master. Achieving high-level clears, such as NMNB on Lunatic, often involves hundreds or even thousands of hours of playtime.
- Players report that Windows Defender and other antivirus software may incorrectly flag the game as a virus due to its unique coding. It is recommended to add the game's Steam folders to the antivirus exclusion list to resolve this.
- As an older title, the game may require specific technical adjustments. This includes potentially installing DirectX 9.0c, using vsync patches for screen tearing, and configuring controllers with external software for optimal play.
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