Abyss Soul Lotus
- February 2, 2023
- SlimeSmile
Get on Steam"Abyss Soul Lotus" is a Metroidvania-style game set in a mystical underwater world. As a lone warrior, players explore the depths of the abyss, battling a variety of strange creatures and acquiring new abilities to unlock previously inaccessible areas. The game features hand-drawn animation and a captivating soundtrack to enhance the immersive atmosphere.
Reviews
- The game features beautiful graphics and a fantastic soundtrack, enhancing the overall experience.
- The bullet patterns are creative and challenging, providing a satisfying gameplay experience.
- The character-swapping mechanic adds depth to the gameplay, allowing for varied strategies and shot types.
- The game suffers from performance issues, particularly during intense bullet patterns, which can hinder gameplay.
- Some character designs have been criticized for being inconsistent or poorly executed compared to their original concepts.
- The time and life-farming mechanics can detract from the enjoyment, making the game feel more like a chore than fun.
- music19 mentions
- 68 % positive mentions
- 16 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its quality and emotional impact, with standout tracks from specific stages and bosses highlighted as favorites. Reviewers appreciate the integration of music with gameplay, although some noted issues with music synchronization in certain boss fights. Overall, the soundtrack is described as beautiful and engaging, complementing the game's graphics and mechanics effectively.
“The music selection is top notch and you can tell a ton of work and care went into the themes and danmaku patterns.”
“The music's great, the controls are tight, and it's clear the team loves what they do.”
“I loved the music of this game so much that I made several custom charts for it.”
“For some reason though they decided to change the timing/hp of the first 3 bosses and now they lost the music sync they had in the demo version which is sad.”
“On top of that it has an interesting system for survival/scoring (indeed, they are intertwined. brilliant, is it not?), good shottype balance, mostly fair bosses (setsuka final cough cough), great stages (even the extra stage, surprisingly enough), juicy cancels and juicy music.”
“I absolutely meant music.”
- gameplay15 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
Gameplay in this game is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the complex mechanics, such as the tag-out and bomb chaining systems that enhance scoring and strategy, others find the time and life-farming elements frustrating. The bullet patterns and stage design are praised for their beauty and challenge, but performance and control issues detract from the overall experience. Despite some criticisms, many players enjoy the depth and satisfaction that comes from mastering the game's mechanics.
“The gameplay itself is amazing.”
“Scoring is rather complex, with a tag-out mechanic that multiplies the charge speed of bombs, as well as a bomb chaining mechanic where you're encouraged to get more bombs off to cancel bullets and gain more value and time.”
“Most of the fun comes in the system: Abyss Soul Lotus features unorthodox 'border fragments' mechanics (compared to the average Touhou game) that require a decent grasp for a 1cc, but learning them isn't too difficult and with a little bit of routing, chaining one border after another and seeing those crystals pop out like gold from a chest is truly satisfying.”
“I want to like this game, but I can't stand the time and life-farming mechanics.”
“However, it is brought down by horrible bullet pattern design, horrible mechanics, performance issues compared to other shoot-em-ups, and control issues that all together make for a not-so-good experience.”
“It's just that the mechanics make it not fun for me.”
- graphics9 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 11 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are generally praised for their beauty and sophistication, with a notable variety of art styles that can create a jarring contrast, particularly in character portraits. While the visuals are mostly well-executed and optimized for 2023, some players find that the bright graphics can occasionally hinder bullet visibility. Overall, the combination of good graphics and music contributes positively to the gaming experience.
“It's got beautiful graphics and music.”
“This is what you call a 2023 Touhou game - with unlocked FPS, various optimizations, and good graphics.”
“The artwork, despite being done by multiple artists, is still consistent, sophisticated, and enjoyable.”
“But there's like 4 different art styles used for the character portraits - just compare Reimu and Yukari's portraits to the extra boss; the difference in style is jarring.”
“The difference in art styles is very visible there.”
“Unfortunately, the bright visuals harm bullet visibility in a few areas, but it's not blindingly annoying.”
- story3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The story in the Touhou series is often overlooked by casual players, but it is surprisingly rich and engaging, with detailed translations available on the Touhou wiki that enhance the experience. While some may find the characters initially uninteresting, the narrative depth adds significant value to the gameplay.
“I'm just a casual Touhou player who mostly plays for the story and gameplay.”
“Also, the story is surprisingly amazing.”
“The story feels disjointed and lacks depth, making it hard to connect with the characters.”
“The narrative is confusing and poorly executed, leaving players frustrated rather than engaged.”
“While the gameplay is enjoyable, the story fails to captivate, resulting in a lackluster experience.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players express frustration with the grinding mechanics, feeling that the emphasis on time and life-farming detracts from their overall enjoyment and focus on the game's narrative and gameplay.
“I want to like this game, but I can't stand the time and life-farming mechanics.”
“You want to concentrate on what's going on, but you're always under pressure to maximize time and life-farming.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is criticized for significant performance issues, particularly during intense action sequences with numerous projectiles, leading to lag and a frustrating experience. Additionally, control mechanics and bullet pattern design are deemed poor, further detracting from overall gameplay quality.
“However, it is brought down by horrible bullet pattern design, poor mechanics, performance issues compared to other shoot-em-ups, and control issues that all together make for a not-so-good experience.”
“Since this game is made in Unity, it's sometimes really laggy when there are many projectiles on the screen. The optimization is really bad. It would also be great if you made an English patch because many people playing this game may not understand Chinese.”
- character development2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
While the character design is generally praised as very good, the review indicates that there may be some shortcomings in character development, though specific details are not provided. Overall, the game is well-received, particularly for its soundtrack and visual elements.
“The character design is impressive and adds depth to the overall experience.”
“I must say, the game is really good; the original soundtrack is great, and the character design is very well done.”
“Character development feels shallow and lacks depth.”
“The characters don't evolve in a meaningful way throughout the game.”
“There is little to no backstory provided for the characters, making it hard to connect with them.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is noted for its rare replayability, offering unique experiences that encourage players to return for multiple playthroughs.
