
Slash, shoot, guard, grow! Karous, a Dreamcast shoot 'em up originally released back in 2007, is now soaring onto PC. Play as Karous, a girl who lost her parents in a great war with humans. Driven by her father's dying words, she descends to Earth in search of the Sanguis Dei.
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About
Originally released for Dreamcast and arcades in 2007, this vertical shoot 'em up makes a comeback on PC.
Karous was made an orphan during a war between sky dwellers and humans. With only her father's dying words to guide her, she descends to Earth in search of the Sanguis Dei. What will she see there? What will she lose?
Enjoy atmospheric visuals, unique characters, and a drum 'n' bass soundtrack laced with masterfully crafted breakbeats.
➤ Every attack makes you stronger
Your main options are Shot, Sword, and Shield. The more you use them, the more powerful they become. Mix and match your weaponry as you tackle each stage.
➤ Low skill floor, high skill ceiling
Karous's easy mode is regarded as one of the most accessible in the genre, letting newcomers readily get a taste of the exhilaration that this game offers.
The normal mode provides a fun, moderate challenge, while the hard mode is designed for players looking to truly master the game and reach the highest peaks. Karous offers a great experience to people of all skill levels.
➤ Compelling depth
Karous features a variety of strategies to master. When enemies lay down barrages of bullets, you can evade them with a special attack that grants invincibility, reflect them with your Shield, or erase them using Shot or Sword. Dodging is always an option, but it's never the only solution.
Ever since its original release in 2006, Karous has garnered countless fans both in arcades and at home with multiple console ports.
The crowdfunding campaign for this new remaster was a huge success, reaching 300% of its initial funding goal and hitting every stretch goal, too.
The graphics are crisper and more immersive than ever, looking great on modern displays.
What's more, you can switch between the highly acclaimed original music and a newly remixed soundtrack brought to you by Shinji Hosoe and Ayako Saso (SuperSweep), along with the original composer Daisuke Nagata (RS34).
Genres
Stats
All-time low is the lowest price we've recorded for this game since we started tracking it.
Languages: English, Japanese
Engagement
Hours played at review time, across 30 reviews with recorded playtime.
Reviews
(12時間/ノーマルだけクリア) 大昔にゲーセンでやった記憶あって買いました。一応ノーマルだけALLできましたが、システムが機能的じゃないって印象が強かったです。特に【シールドの実用性を持たせる為に、それ以外の攻撃を無効化する敵がでてくる】のが良くないと思いました。他のゲームでも、特定の勝ち筋を潰すメタ能力を持ったユニットがでてきたら【普通はイヤな気分になる】と思うんですけど、そういう感じです。 わざわざ特定の敵の為だけに、シールドを強化して補わないといけない。必然的に他の部分が弱くなる。ターンベースの、デッキビルド型のローグライクなら分かるんですけど、1回の被弾が致命傷になるSTGで、普段と違う、不慣れな動きを強要されるのは、ハッキリ言ってストレスでした。通常のパターン構築とは違い、延長線にあるわけでなく、1から再構築をしなければいけなくなるので。仮にこれを【捨てゲーするにも時間が必要なアーケード】でやられたら、一部の上級者以外は、途中で離脱して二度とやらなくなるよね…っていうか、俺がそーだったわwwって思いだしました。 他にも「ボスの当たり判定が特定部位のみ」だったり、プレイヤーの稼ぎ行為を封殺するためか、特攻気味に攻めないと、即離脱するのも「ねーわ…」って感じでした。シンプルに避けつつ、敵を破壊するのが楽しいはずのゲームジャンルで、特定の戦略をとらないと倒せない【高難易度マルチクエストに出てくるような特殊ギミック持った感じのボス】とか、俺はやりたくないです。 そうなってくると結局、ショットとボムだけで攻略可能な、シンプルなSTGの方が良かったんじゃね?って結論になりました。でもついでに言ってしまうと、ショットの意義に関しても微妙です。威力的に上位互換のソードがあるからです。本作はボム代わりの必殺技も打ち放題なので、自分程度のプレイヤーでも、ゲージ回収するだけに落ち着いてしまいました。つーか、ショットMAXまで上げても、後半の敵が固すぎて倒せません。【厄介な位置にでてくる敵が、ソード以外を無効化する】ってのもあって、一面から剣を優先的にあげないとジリ貧になりました。HARDは知りません。 まぁでも、おもろいっちゃ、おもろかったです。でも俺は、2025年に発売した「BIRDCAGE」っていう、海外のインディーのが良かったなと思いました。
having played and enjoyed the game's 2025 version on another console, i bought this as soon as i could the moment it released to steam. this is truly one of few games i would buy again even if i owned it on another console already. im not that new to shmups, though RS34's works are a whole other ballgame of things to learn and do when playing them. the aggressive playstyle, learning the most efficient ways to clear formations and watching the levels go up is extremeky enticing. being a low-floow high-ceiling game, there's something in it for everyone's skill levels: easy lets you get a feel for the unique system, normal is where most players go, and hard offers quite a challenge. this isn't to say that easy mode is TOO easy though! it's done just right where there's still a sense of paying-attention to be had in understanding how to score big i haven't compared the 2025-2026 ver to the original much*, but this might be the most faithful it's ever been, with future patches further improving on the game's feel. the english translation work is also spectacular, with the localiser doing great at capturing the original text's nuances *(as far as im aware on faithfulness, the game behaviour may be slightly off compared to the original, but it's not all that bothersome especially with the updates being madd) both soundtrack options are lovely, and the visual presentstion is extremely solid. everything is essy to see and hear. sometimes there's visual glitches when quitting back to the main menu, but NOTHING that would make the game unplayable as others have said, it is missing some features like practice modes and stage select, which might be a dealbreakeer, but for what the game is and all the effort being put in to make it amazing, i totally recommend buying and playing karous! let's show RS34 that there's indeed an overseas audience, and that shmups are stil extremely cool! as for features i'd like tk suggest, a sound-test and image / message gallery mode might be cool
アーケード版、Wii版で遊んでいました。2026年になってSteamに来てくれるのはうれし懐かしい トゥーンシェーダで灰色な世界観、エ〇ァを彷彿させる画面演出とドラムンベースにひかれてむちゃくちゃ遊んでましたー 【良いところ】 ・Steamで遊べて、かつHDリマスターされていること これに尽きます。移植はHDリマスターという感じかな。文字やキャラの画像は少々荒い気がしますがそれ以外はきれいにHD化されてます。 【悪いところ】 ・基本的にはベタ移植 ステージセレクト、ボスプラクティスなどはありません。アレンジBGMと画面外にメッセージ表示が追加のみで基本ベタ移植。 元々移植版もそうだった気がするけれども ・キーボード操作時のキーコンフィグ変更が無い WASDまたは矢印キーまたはNUMキーで移動 D.F.S/ショット/ソードがShift/Z/X/またはJ/K/LまたはSpace/左クリ/右クリ固定です キーコンフィグ設定はありません。パッド使用時のコンフィグ変更は可能。 【気になるポイント】 ・難度選択後のチュートリアルが省かれている 以前の移植版はアーケード同様チュートリアルが存在したのにSteam版は丸々省かれています。 例えレバー+3ボタン表記だったとしても個人的にチュートリアルは丸々省く必要はなかったかと… ゲーム内ではメッセージ以外のシステムや稼ぎの説明が無く、ストアページにマニュアルがあることはしばらく経って知りました。 ・全体的に説明不足(主にコンフィグ周り) EXTEND TYPEは4タイプあるけどマニュアル見ないとわからない。ゲーム内に説明を置くか、マニュアルに飛ぶリンクが欲しかった。 続編もぜひSteamに、、、
verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry good BGMが最高
As a first time Karous player, I am blown away by how phenomenal this game is. The gameplay is engaging and switching/leveling up weapons while having to balance them is quite fun. But where Karous really shines is its atmosphere and soundtrack. Both the new arranged and old soundtrack are some of the best I’ve heard in gaming. Give Stage 2’s arranged track a listen and you’ll understand. The atmosphere of the floating islands, text messages with lore showing up, ethereal side art that is constantly changing, and the interesting, though vague, story creates such a unique shump. The only downside is that there isn’t a training mode, not that the game is especially hard. If you want a unique shump with a banger soundtrack then check Karous out.
Grateful this made it on to Steam. It's a bare boned port but it's still Karous. Really hoping RS34 commits to supporting this game and patching it because it deserves the love and care. EDIT - please make OST available for purchase and add a tutorial / training mode.
I listened to this games ost for years by now, I'm glad that it's finally available for purchase again.
A great classic! I recommend it to all that seek a good SHMUP to play.
A fantastic and unique shmup that only Milestone could deliver
It's a great game. I think it came out for the Dreamcast. I like all the powerups and it's really fun to get into. Certainly recommended.
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Concurrent players on Steam, sampled daily since tracking started.
Audience
Estimated from the language of this game's reviews — a proxy for where players are, not official Steam demographics.
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