Touhou Blooming Soul Review Summary

Gorgeous art and addictive gameplay are let down by limited content, weak hit feedback, and performance issues.

Gorgeous art direction: The art is consistently praised as gorgeous, amazing, and detailed, with reviewers emphasizing its beauty and quality.

Highly addictive and fun: The game is described as incredibly fun, addictive, and absorbing, offering great value and enjoyment.

Engaging emotion system: The emotion system with four modes (Joy, Anger, Sorrow, Fun) is well-designed, fun, and varies playstyle, making it a standout feature.

Pleasant music and sound: The music is good, beautiful, and fits scenes well, enhancing the overall experience without being grating.

Rich Touhou lore experience: The game is appreciated for its faithful Touhou references, lore, and character portrayals, resonating well with fans.

Insufficient game content: Multiple clusters (1, 7, 8, 9) indicate that the Early Access version offers only 2 chapters with about 5 hours of gameplay, which players find too little for a full experience. The content feels unfinished and lacking in richness.

Weak hit feedback: Clusters 2, 13, and 17 consistently report poor hit feedback, with impacts feeling light or non-existent. The combat lacks satisfying impact, making it less engaging.

Awkward default controls: Clusters 5 and 10 mention that default controller keybindings are unintuitive and clunky, especially for actions like charging and jumping. Controls feel stiff on both controller and keyboard.

Emotion system lacks incentive: Clusters 11 and 14 indicate that the emotion switching system feels useless or unrewarding, with no synergy between emotions. Players see little reason to switch except for shields.

Unclear boss telegraphs: Clusters 15 and 19 report that boss attack telegraphs are hard to see due to flashy effects or poor design, making it difficult to react properly.

Roguelike core structure: The game is consistently described as a 2D side-scrolling roguelike with procedural items, skills, and map exploration, similar to Dead Cells and Skul. Clusters highlight roguelike decision-making and out-of-run growth systems.

Emotion system defines playstyles: The emotion system with four states (Joy, Anger, Sorrow, Pleasure) is frequently praised for providing distinct combat roles and skill sets, allowing flexible playstyles. Multiple clusters emphasize switching between these modes.

Boss fights with phases: Players highlight boss encounters with varied attacks, stage transitions, spell cards, and multiple phases that require learning attack patterns. This is a core positive feature of the game.

Metroidvania elements present: Players note metroidvania-style exploration and fixed maps, though some debate randomization. This adds depth to the roguelike structure.

Basic and heavy attacks: Combat includes light and heavy attacks with charge mechanics. Some players feel the heavy attack is overshadowed by skills and light attacks.

Performance issues across platforms: Multiple reports indicate performance problems on various systems, including macOS, Steam Deck, and high-end PCs. Specific issues include stuttering, frame drops, and crashes, with some users citing optimization needs.

Optimization needs improvement: Many users note that while optimization is acceptable for early access, significant improvements are expected. Some systems like Unity town experience heaviness, and slow motion can reduce frame rate.

Stuttering and frame rate issues: Players encounter occasional stuttering requiring restarts, especially on Macs with many special effects or on ultrawide screens. Uncapped FPS doesn't improve visuals due to low animation frame rate.

Game crashes and black screens: Several users report crashes, including boss rush crashes, random crashes, and black screens on startup or due to missing language packs. One user fixed the black screen by changing the region to Chinese.

Controller compatibility problems on Mac: Xbox and PS5 controllers do not work on Mac, indicating a platform-specific bug that needs addressing.

Recommended for Touhou fans: Multiple reviewers highlight the game as a must-try for Touhou Project enthusiasts, noting its strong fan service and welcoming nature for both newcomers and veterans.

Suitable for genre newcomers: The game is praised as an accessible entry point for action roguelike beginners and casual players, with scalable difficulty accommodating both new and hardcore players.

Great value for price: Many players emphasize the game's excellent value, especially at low price points like under $6, with several saying it's a steal and well worth the cost.

Comparable to similar games: The game is likened favorably to titles like Dead Cells for its action roguelite elements, though some note it may not satisfy fans expecting a direct clone.

Not recommended in Early Access: A few reviewers caution against buying now due to low completeness and missing features, recommending waiting for updates or full release for better content and optimization.

Community fair range: $5.00 - $10.00.

Game completion: 8.5h.

Story completion: 2.0h.

The game has an initial learning curve with clunky controls and visual noise, but becomes highly addictive after about an hour of play, especially once players get used to the controls and start building synergies.

Friction: unclear boss tells and visual noise; clunky controls initially; lack of hit feedback; UI issues (dice prompt); keyboard/mouse adaptation issues; low replayability and randomness in early access.

Unlock drivers: getting familiar with controls; investing time; building a strong build.

Touhou Franchise Fan: Enjoys exploring the world, collecting characters, and experiencing the story; may not be overly critical of gameplay. Motivation: Love for Touhou characters, music, and lore. Stance: buy.

Action Roguelite Enthusiast: Focuses on optimizing builds, switching emotional states, and mastering combat; seeks replayability through procedural elements. Motivation: Build variety, combat depth, and replayability. Stance: sale.

Casual Newcomer: Uses easy mode, relies on shield/healing emotions, explores casually without pressure. Motivation: Relaxation, easy difficulty, and fun without stress. Stance: buy.

Lower VRAM configurations (under 8GB) struggle with performance and optimization, while 8-11GB VRAM setups deliver a smooth and satisfying experience.

Windows <8GB VRAM: negative. Players with less than 8GB VRAM report performance issues and recommend waiting for optimization before purchasing.

Windows 8-11GB VRAM: positive. Players with 8-11GB VRAM report fluid gameplay and satisfying hit feedback.

Steam Deck: The game suffers from a critical launch bug that prevents overseas players from entering (black screen after Unity logo), along with UI readability issues (small text, unclear icons) and occasional performance stutter/crashes. These factors place it in the 'Broken' category, as the game simply won't launch for some users and requires significant tinkering for others.

Linux and Proton: Based on the available evidence, the game works well on Linux with Proton Experimental. No Linux-specific issues were reported.

Steam Points Shop assets: Add game-related assets to the Steam Points Shop, which would enhance community engagement and provide cosmetic rewards for players.

Custom music in levels: Allow players to play their own music during levels, as it would increase replayability and personalization of the game experience.

Add character Izayoi: Introduce the character 'Izayoi' as a playable or unlockable option, likely expanding the roster and catering to fan expectations.