Touhou: New World

Sadly, a bit of a yikes from me. Not because the game isn't fun, IF it worked properly. May not happen for you, but for me, there's massive FPS drops during heavy particle moments in boss fights causing such awful lag that I often get hit as a result. I don't mind dying when it's cuz I have a skill issue, that just means I can work to improve and eventually get is which is hella satisfying. But it's pretty frustrating to die due to no fault of my own. I somehow learned to cope with the lag and managed to take down some bosses even if I was near death due to the lag, but it wasn't a fun experience. I have Intel(R) Core(TM) i9-14900HX and Nvidia GeForce RTX 5050, btw. Way above the specs listed.

This game had a lot of very cool ideas, great, faithful character writing, a fantastic OST, and initially really fun, fast-paced combat (especially on Bullet Hell mode), but unfortunately it became completely tedious as time went on, and the story shot itself in the foot and went full schizo with a million plot twists, solely to preserve the status quo of the setting... in a fan-game. As of my current playtime, it stopped introducing new enemy types ages ago, and doesn't even use half of the roster anymore -- instead, it slowly replaces them all with these drone enemies that become absolutely monotonous to fight. I've gotten pretty far in Marisa's playthrough (best character in the franchise btw, and she's written very well in this game), seen pretty much all that this game has to offer, and I do not intend to play more of this game for the time being. Very disappointing.

我東進，我也好想去幻想鄉疼愛靈夢呦 ==

За три роки, могли би купити цю прикольну гру більше людей.

Touhou: New World is an action RPG developed by Ankake Spa and published by XSEED Games alongside Marvelous USA, Inc. Inspired by the long-running Touhou Project universe, the game presents a fresh adventure that combines high-speed real-time combat with role-playing progression while staying true to the colorful charm and supernatural atmosphere that fans have come to expect. Instead of simply adapting existing stories, it introduces an original narrative in which Reimu Hakurei and Marisa Kirisame investigate strange events that begin to affect both Gensokyo and the outside world. Their journey soon grows into a larger conflict involving mysterious powers, unexpected allies, and dangerous enemies, creating a story that balances lighthearted character interactions with moments of genuine tension. Combat is the centerpiece of the experience and successfully blends hack-and-slash action with mechanics inspired by Touhou's famous bullet-hell gameplay. Battles are energetic and constantly demand quick reflexes as players weave through dense patterns of magical projectiles while launching close-range attacks, ranged spells, and devastating Spell Cards. Every encounter encourages aggressive offense without ignoring defensive play, as precise dodges and well-timed guards can completely change the flow of battle. Reimu and Marisa each bring their own strengths to combat, giving players distinct playstyles that prevent the action from becoming repetitive over the course of the campaign. Character progression is handled through an enjoyable system that rewards consistent use of abilities. Skills become stronger the more they are used, allowing players to gradually shape each heroine according to their preferred strategy. Alongside traditional stat improvements, the game features a flexible equipment system filled with weapons, armor, and accessories carrying randomized attributes. Discovering better gear remains satisfying throughout the adventure, while the reforging mechanic offers additional opportunities to improve equipment instead of relying entirely on random drops. These RPG mechanics create a steady sense of advancement and provide meaningful incentives to continue exploring every new area. Exploration is more than simply moving from one objective to another. Gensokyo is populated with familiar faces that offer optional quests, hidden discoveries, and special challenges beyond the main storyline. Players can search for lost spirits, help local residents, uncover secrets scattered across the landscape, and participate in optional battles that reward useful items and upgrades. These activities help the world feel vibrant and lived-in while providing additional context for its memorable cast of characters. Fans of the Touhou series will appreciate the many references and interactions, while newcomers can still enjoy the setting without extensive prior knowledge. Visually, the game embraces a colorful anime-inspired style that faithfully captures the whimsical identity of the Touhou universe. Spell effects fill the screen with dazzling explosions of color without making combat feel unreadable, while character models and environments remain expressive despite their relatively modest scale. The soundtrack further elevates the experience through energetic compositions that complement both exploration and intense boss encounters. The presentation may not push modern graphical technology to its limits, but its cohesive art direction and polished animation give the adventure plenty of personality. Boss battles are among the game's strongest moments, requiring players to fully understand movement, timing, equipment optimization, and ability management. Each major encounter introduces unique attack patterns and increasingly elaborate bullet formations that keep the challenge engaging from beginning to end. The difficulty steadily rises without becoming excessively punishing, rewarding mastery of mechanics more than excessive grinding. Players willing to experiment with different builds and equipment combinations will find plenty of opportunities to overcome difficult encounters through strategy as well as skill. The game is not entirely without flaws. Some areas are fairly linear, and the randomized equipment system can occasionally lead to repetitive inventory management as players sort through numerous pieces of similar gear. Certain enemy types also appear frequently enough that combat variety occasionally slows during longer sessions. Even so, these shortcomings have only a minor impact on an otherwise polished adventure that consistently delivers enjoyable action and rewarding progression. Touhou: New World succeeds in transforming the Touhou formula into an entertaining action RPG that appeals to both longtime followers and players discovering the franchise for the first time. Its satisfying combat, meaningful progression systems, enjoyable exploration, memorable cast, and faithful interpretation of the source material combine to create an adventure that remains engaging from beginning to end. While it does not reinvent the genre, it confidently delivers a polished and exciting experience that captures the spirit of Touhou while standing on its own as a quality action RPG. For players who enjoy fast-paced combat, anime-inspired worlds, and rewarding character development, it is an easy recommendation. Rating: 7/10

Buen juego. Me enseñó a esquivar las gotas de la ducha. 10/10

[h1][b]🎮 Reseña de Touhou: New World[/b][/h1] [h2]Resumen del Juego[/h2] Touhou: New World es ese híbrido raro (pero intencional) entre Acción/Rol con vibra de balacera y vista isométrica, donde la pantalla se llena de efectos, numeritos y “fe” (sí, FE) mientras tu protagonista femenina reparte golpes como si el teclado le debiera dinero. En papel suena como “RPG japonés + acción + fantasía + demonios”, y en práctica… también, solo que con más luces y menos paciencia para el error. La propuesta se siente como un tour guiado por el caos: combates rápidos, progresión estilo rol de acción, y una estética anime que no pide permiso. Primera impresión: divertido, vistoso, y con ese saborcito indie de “lo hicimos con amor… y con una obsesión por llenar la pantalla de cosas”. Es un juego para quien disfruta la acción de arriba a abajo con toques de aventura, pero también para quien cree que “equilibrio” es una palabra opcional cuando hay magia y golpes por segundo. [h2]Lo Mágico y lo Maldito[/h2] Lo Bueno: ✅ Combate de acción con sabor a rol: subir, mejorar y repartir daño se siente satisfactorio ⚔️ ✅ Estética anime/fantasía con protagonista femenina que encaja perfecto con el tono del juego ✨ ✅ Compatibilidad total con mando: ideal para jugar tirado como si fueras un monje del control 🎮 ✅ Logros (25) y cromos: el metajuego de Steam está servido para los completistas 🏆 ✅ Steam Cloud + Préstamo familiar: tu progreso y tu “evangelización” a amigos está cubierta ☁️ Lo No Tan Bueno: ❌ Comunidad miniatura: 2 jugadores actuales… si estornudas, se queda en 1 🤏 ❌ Enfoque claramente single player: si venías por vida social, aquí solo hay demonios y decisiones cuestionables 😶 ❌ La mezcla “balacera + acción + rol” puede sentirse cargada visualmente: a ratos es más fuegos artificiales que lectura de combate 💥 ❌ Aventura indie con ambición: si esperas pulido AAA en todo, te vas a poner exigente… y con razón 😬 [h2]Tabla de Evaluación[/h2] [table] [tr][th]Aspecto[/th][th]Puntuación (0-10)[/th][th]Comentario[/th][/tr] [tr][td]Jugabilidad[/td][td]7[/td][td]Acción/rol sólido: pega bien, progresa bien, peca de “mucho en pantalla”.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Dificultad / IA[/td][td]6[/td][td]Más reto por caos y lectura visual que por IA brillante.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Contenido[/td][td]6[/td][td]Cumplidor para un indie de aventura/rol, sin sentirse infinito.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Gráficos / Video[/td][td]7[/td][td]Anime 3D/isométrico vistoso; a veces más ruido que claridad.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Historia[/td][td]6[/td][td]Funciona como excusa para pelear y avanzar, sin reinventar el pergamino.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Ambientación[/td][td]7[/td][td]Fantasía, magia y demonios con identidad clara y consistente.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Efectos (VFX)[/td][td]7[/td][td]Espectaculares… y ocasionalmente te tapan lo importante.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Música[/td][td]7[/td][td]Acompaña la acción con energía; cumple como motor del ritmo.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Voces[/td][td]6[/td][td]Correctas: no elevan todo, pero tampoco arruinan la función.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Diversidad[/td][td]6[/td][td]Variedad temática anime/fantasía, pero no destaca por amplitud de enfoque.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Rendimiento[/td][td]6[/td][td]Generalmente bien, aunque el “festival de efectos” exige tolerancia.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Rejugabilidad[/td][td]6[/td][td]Logros y progreso ayudan, pero no es un pozo sin fondo.[/td][/tr] [tr][td][b]Total Puntuaciones (Bueno)[/b][/td][td][b]6.5[/b][/td][td]Una experiencia sólida y vistosa: divertida, pero no intocable.[/td][/tr] [/table] [h2]Conclusión (Bueno)[/h2] Touhou: New World es un “sí” con condición: si te gusta el rol de acción con combates rápidos, magia por todos lados y estética anime, aquí hay diversión real. No es el tipo de juego que te pide permiso para saturarte la vista; te avienta efectos, números y golpes como si eso fuera un lenguaje universal (a veces lo es). Ahora, lo controversial: con 2 jugadores activos, el juego se siente como una fiesta a la que sí llegó gente… pero ya se fueron a dormir. Aun así, 244 recomendaciones totales dicen que no estás comprando humo: estás comprando un indie competente que sabe a lo que viene. Si lo tuyo es jugar solo, progresar y romper cosas con estilo, vale la pena. Si necesitas una comunidad grande o una experiencia “perfectamente pulida”, ve preparando el ceño fruncido. [h3]Recomendación de Compra (En oferta)[/h3] Puntuación Total: 6.5/10 Número de jugadores activos al momento de hacer esta review: 2 Descuento máximo registrado: -50% Veredicto: [i]Recomendado con reservas: buen ARPG anime para fans del caos controlado.[/i] Si te atrae la mezcla de acción, aventura e indie con alma de rol japonés, cómpralo cuando esté en su mejor momento de descuento y disfrútalo como lo que es: una experiencia entretenida, intensa y algo exagerada… justo como debe ser un buen viaje mágico con demonios.

Gracias @Dios y @Pollo por haberme permitido jugar esto. Posdata: Iba a poner esto en el Scarlet curiosity pero como el pollo me lo presto no puedo poner reseñas y por eso se lo agradezco a él.

I played this game back in 2023 on the switch and am sad to see that this game is still as janky in every aspect. Firstly while I do like and can compliment the art style of the sprites and the ost, the controls/battle mechanics are really annoying. Not being able to reconfigure controller settings in particular got me messed up for the longest time because why is X the regular attack binding. That, and the huge delay before your character actually attacks which is especially prominent with the regular attack that once you max out the special recharge rates it's probably more efficient to just wait for them to recharge than trying to spam regular combos. Super annoying when you input an attack and suddenly theres a millisecond of a perfect guard window but that's too bad because you're still waiting for your attack animation and you've been actionlocked. Secondly the game is extremely repetitive, like if I wanted to play a good game about breaking barriers I would play Undertale. Literally, 90% of the game is just deactivating walls and fighting the same flowers and killer roombas (spaced out by kilometres so you have to run cross country between enemies to clear an area, might I add), and having to wait for the waves of enemies to spawn in those closed off fights plus the horrendous attack delays really layers on that sense of monotony you get maybe almost halfway through the game. Thirdly, and probably my least important issue, is the lack of value money has in this game. When you're earning ~10k each level, even when you have the forge and the mystery capsules (which aren't really worth much using in my experience) selling excess loot to Nitori later on is comparable to just throwing your items in the bin. I think I would've had a slightly better experience in my playthroughs had the game just given us a "discard" option in our inventory as opposed to having to go to the general store each time. Either that binning option would've worked better, or having a different method of spending money like cosmetics/collectibles. Lastly, and definitely my biggest gripe with this game, is how absolutely annoying Sumireko is and arguably the lack of effort that went into making her a quarter of an iota more likeable in a game ALL ABOUT HER. I know other reviews are bashing on the writing of this game and I wholeheartedly agree, I know Sumireko's character and personality is fairly unpopular to begin with, but [spoiler]when the game ends with you trying to save her on the basis of "friendship"???[/spoiler], as the player I honestly do not care or even understand, I can't really explain it but it's like watching a troublemaking little kid trying to garner sympathy and forgiveness when they've done something wrong by pretending to "run away". Like the game suddenly expects us to feel bad after getting essentially ragebaited the whole time, even though they haven't written her character well enough for her to deserve that sympathy which makes finishing the game sort of unfulfilling. Literally my only motivation to finish the game past my second playthrough was the postgame boss rush. But maybe that's just me not realising I'm a bad person because that's just my opinionnnn EDIT: holy cow, got this on sale and just realised its normally ~$30AUD, absolutely egregious. if you want an objectively better touhou fangame I highly recommend Mystia's Izakaya, for like a third of the price the ost slaps even harder, the writing is actually done properly (omg characters have depth) and money has real value (*ᵕᴗᵕ)⁾⁾

Сакуи нет, но все равно лайк upd: Сакуя есть, поэтому 2 лайка