[h1] Touhou x Vampire Survivors with a twist![/h1]
+ Many different spell cards, modifiers and upgrades resulting in unique builds
+ Diablo inventory style grid levelling system forces experimentation and adaptability
+ Stamina usage leads to a balancing act between damage output and resource conservation
+ Multiple challenging and diverse bosses to battle (and a hidden boss [spoiler]on the 7th of each month![/spoiler])
+ Great HUD with clear visibility and good accessibility options
+ A variety of difficulty levels to suit casual and hardcore players alike
+ Short cutscenes depicting the story in a cute sketchbook style
+ Spectacular soundtrack with varid instrumentation (not enough ZUNpets)
- No way to combine weapons/spell cards for more powerful attacks
- A lack of mobility options/no dashing may put off some players
- Enemy projectiles can be hard to track when lots of particles on the screen (Tip: Options menu lets you change colour and transparency of Player Bullets!)
* Permanent upgrades called talents make subsequent runs easier if you use them
* Each day of the week grants a set buff and starting spell card (You can swap day of the week/starting weapon in the main menu, but won't receive the buff.)
I was at first hesitant to pick this up because the screenshots didn't immediately jump out at me, but the levelling grid did spark my interest and I decided to give it a shot. I am very happy that I did!
The main appeal of this game is without a doubt the levelling system. Each time you level up you are granted a set of power-ups to choose from, be they a new spell card attack, a modifier to your existing spell cards such as piercing, poison or bounce, or permanent bonuses like crit chance or attack speed. Nothing out of the ordinary so far, right? Well, where Library Survivors differs from other Survivor games is what comes next.
Instead of merely selecting the upgrade, you need to place it in a hexagonal grid similar to the inventory management in, for example, Diablo and Resident Evil 4. The placement matters in a variety of ways. Spell cards take up multiple hexes and can be vertical, horizontal or diagonal, so you need to slot them in so they fit like in Tetris. Furthermore, modifiers only apply to adjacent spell cards so you'll want to leave spaces open strategically so that you can buff multiple attacks. Finally, there are some spell cards which are not fired directly, but instead activate on certain triggers such as when an adjacent spell card crits so you'll want to keep the spell cards' attributes in mind as well.
Then there's another layer of depth in the form of stamina. Every time you fire a spell card Patchouli's stamina will drain slightly. The more spell cards you have slotted, the faster you'll run out of energy. If the meter empties you'll be exhausted and unable to attack while it recharges. As such, you will also need to manage your stamina usage in addition to your damage output by slotting in stamina and stamina regen upgrades when needed and weigh the benefits and downsides of each upgrade to make sure you can fend off enemies without going overboard.
In practice what this means is that each level up results in meaningful player choice and gives a lot of strategy and depth to a game in a genre which tends to lack both.
I was also impressed by the HUD and accessibility options! In a game where the screen will be flooded with enemies, bullets and particles it is vital that the player can keep track of everything that's happening and thankfully Library Survivors puts a lot of effort in making sure that readability is as high as possible.
First of all, your stamina bar is visible both underneath Patchouli and around the aiming reticle. This makes it easy to monitor your stamina consumption without losing track of where you are, or where you're aiming. Secondly, enemy bullets are outlined in a clear and distinct way with sharp colours that pop out from the background. The player's bullets are monochrome blobs of desaturated red, blue, yellow, green or purple, which contrast well with the sharp red/blue and white orbs that enemies fire. Finally, if you still find it difficult to keep track of enemy projectiles there are options in the pause menu to make the player's attacks transparent and/or greyscale. This is a very helpful for accessibility and readability!
I also want to give props to the game's general presentation. While, as I stated before, the screenshots didn't immediately hook me, the visuals did grow on me while playing. The pixel-art is cute and it was always fun to run into a new boss and see how the game would depict them. The music is also very catchy and feel right at home in a Touhou fangame, although I personally wish it used ZUNpets. Finally, the cutscenes, while sparse, exude charm with their sketch-like aesthetic.
There are a few things which the game lack that I have seen in other Survivor-style games and could have further elevate the experience. These are really the only cons I could find with the game personally, and they're both subjective and may not necessarely have been a good fit for the game.
For example, there is no way to combine weapons into super weapons. Holocure did this with so called Collabs, and I found experimenting with different options discovering them to be a lot of fun. I think having a similar system here could have given Library Survivors even more depth. That said, this game has a lot of well-implemented and complementing systems that already give it a great degree of depth, so it's not a huge loss, and adding it might have caused balancing issues.
There is also a lack of movement options. There is no dash or similar mechanic to avoid bullets and make distance from enemies. While by no means necessary, I find that most players enjoy freedom of movement and it could get you out of a tough spot. In Library Survivors shooting slows you down, similar to gracing in the official Touhou games, but there is no way to dodge through bullets. The game already has a stamina bar, so it feels like it would have made for a natural fit and given the resource an additional use, however I can see why the developer may have felt it unnecessary to implement and that it might have clashed with their vision. As a side note, giving Patchouli a dash just wouldn't fit her character...
Finally, I believe it's worth to mention that the game makes use of permanent upgrades called talents which can be unlocked and toggled in the main menu. They are strictly upgrades to the player and makes the game easier, so feel free to use them if you find it a bit too difficult. Most of them aren't that interesting and really just % modifiers, but there is one that increases the amount of spell cards you can equip which opens up even more crazy builds.
The game also keeps track of what day it is, and each day of the week comes with its own starting weapon and buff. You can choose what day you want to play on, effectively choosing your starting weapon, in the main menu without having to wait for that day in real life, but you won't get the buff that way so the game does entice replaying it many times. This can be seen as both a good or a bad thing, depending on your outlook. It encourages experimentation and different builds since if you want the buff you'll have to use a different starting weapon each day. However, if your favourite spell card is assigned to a different day than the one you play on, you will effectively nerf yourself to start out with it. I found the buff doesn't matter that much though, and you can usually find whatever spell card you want by just levelling up anyway.
In summary, Touhou Library Survivors is one of the most fun Survivor-style games I have played! It encourages a lot of experimentation, and its unique levelling system and stamina management gives it a level of depth I have not seen elsewhere in the genre. Highly recommend to fans of the genre and/or Touhou!
