Azure Reflections
- September 20, 2019
- souvenir circ.
Get on Steam"Azure Reflections" is a challenging, side-scrolling bullet hell game based on the Touhou Project series. It features a Danmaku Rush system to help players navigate through relentless bullet waves, and includes Practice and Tutorial modes for accessibility. The game also offers collectibles such as accessories, action figures, and achievements for players to unlock.
Reviews
- The game features unique mechanics like Danmaku Rush and emergency bombs that enhance gameplay and provide a fresh take on the bullet hell genre.
- The art style and character designs are charming, with well-done 3D models and animations, complemented by a fantastic soundtrack that includes recognizable tunes.
- Azure Reflections is accessible for newcomers to the Touhou series while still offering depth and challenge for experienced players, making it a great entry point into bullet hell games.
- The game suffers from visual clutter, making it difficult to identify important information like hitboxes and enemy bullets, which can lead to frustrating gameplay experiences.
- Some mechanics, such as the stun feature and the horizontal layout, complicate the gameplay unnecessarily and detract from the traditional Touhou experience.
- There are performance issues, including poor optimization that can lead to significant frame rate drops during cutscenes, impacting the overall enjoyment of the game.
- gameplay35 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 74 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The gameplay is a unique horizontal take on the Touhou series, featuring various mechanics such as charge attacks, danmaku rush, and a stun system that adds complexity and challenge. While some players appreciate the depth and customization options through character accessories, others find the new mechanics overwhelming and cluttered, detracting from the core experience. Overall, the game offers a fun and engaging experience for fans of bullet hell shooters, though it may require some adjustment to fully enjoy its intricacies.
“Very fun to play with interesting mechanics and many things to unlock.”
“The gameplay stays very true to the mainline games and adds some fun new gimmicks.”
“The three main characters, three different shot types each, and the several types of accessories allow for lots of gameplay variance, and let you customize the experience to something much more enjoyable.”
“I get less than 5 fps during static image cut scenes; I can't really comment on anything else since it took so long I didn't even get to see the gameplay.”
“We have a stun mechanic now which, while it's meant to make the bullet hell shooter more forgiving, has actually screwed me more than it's ever saved me.”
“Second: danmaku rush, while an attempt to implement new mechanics into what should have been a simple and straightforward development process, adds even more complication and visual clutter to an already complicated clusterfuck.”
- music13 mentions
- 69 % positive mentions
- 23 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, featuring a solid soundtrack with standout tracks that resonate with fans, including familiar themes and enjoyable mixes. While some reviewers note that the music plays it safe and lacks boldness, it remains pleasant and complements the game's overall aesthetic. The professional voice performances and attention to detail further enhance the musical experience, making it a highlight for many players.
“The game is fully dubbed and has an excellent soundtrack based on the original themes.”
“I would have to say that a key highlight of the game is the soundtrack as it has some wonderful music including some familiar tunes fans should recognize along the way.”
“The music is also all fantastic in my opinion, with very well done and enjoyable mixes across the board, with the Satori Maiden ~ 3rd Eye mix being my favorite rendition of the theme.”
“A soundtrack that isn't overbearingly loud, obnoxious, and riddled with cheap music production.”
“It's not quite outright banger status for most of them, and the soundtrack does feel very 'safe', sounding about what you'd expect and taking no risks, but it's still enjoyable to listen to.”
- graphics8 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are described as cute and charming, with well-executed 3D modeling and texture work. However, many players find the visuals overly stimulating and distracting, leading to a complicated gameplay experience that detracts from the overall enjoyment. While the artwork is beautiful, it is overshadowed by gameplay mechanics that some feel could benefit from reworking.
“The art style is cute and charming, and the 3D modeling/texture work is very nicely done.”
“The beautiful artwork.”
“I don't see many complaints about the game's visuals or problems with the systems in place.”
“If these accessories do so little, and I've tested out a few, then it's misplaced effort that could have gone into maybe rethinking or reworking some mechanics or some visuals to make them better differentiate from one another.”
“And it's overwritten by a game that complicates your situation more than it actually helps you by poor choice in visuals, forcing unnecessary mechanics onto you when its source material just let you get your victory in a simpler manner, and is generally just overstimulating.”
“Graphically, whilst the game is pretty, it's also riddled with issues.”
- story4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's story is presented in standalone segments that are unlocked as players progress, but this approach lacks cohesion and fails to create a compelling narrative experience. Each arcade/story run lasts about 40 minutes, but the disjointed storytelling diminishes the overall impact.
“One arcade/story run takes about 40 minutes to beat.”
“The game presents the story in a standalone format, with each segment unlocked after completing a game, but it doesn't connect them in a meaningful way.”
“The game gives them to you one at a time for game clears, but the game does nothing with this, telling each story as a standalone more or less, meaning there's no real reason to start with them locked.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Azure Reflections is praised for its high replayability, particularly as an arcade-style bullet hell shooter. Players appreciate the game's engaging mechanics and achievement system, which incentivize repeated play, with some logging over 50 hours of gameplay. Overall, it is considered a worthwhile investment for fans of the genre.
“Azure Reflections offers a great replayability value as an arcade game.”
“Overall, Azure Reflections is a very fun shmup, with a lot of replayability to its name. I managed to log in 50 hours and got every achievement, so I'd definitely say it's worth its price tag and is personally one of my favorite bullet hell Touhou games.”
“Very replayable and has rewards to encourage you to keep trying.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is highly optimized, delivering excellent performance even on mid-range hardware, such as a GTX 1080, achieving 4K resolution at 60fps. Players appreciate the detailed graphics, professional voice acting, and overall aesthetic quality.
“Performance is excellent on my PC (GTX 1080, 4K 60fps).”
“The game is beautiful, it has a lot of detail, the music does not disappoint, as you would expect from a Touhou game.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by a generally good soundtrack, featuring standout tracks that evoke strong feelings, particularly a notable rendition of "Heartfelt Fancy."
“The soundtrack is good, but there are a couple of tracks that stand out, including its rendition of 'Heartfelt Fancy.'”
- character development1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Azure Reflections features impressive 3D and 2D character designs, showcasing three playable characters: Reimu, Marisa, and Cirno, which adds depth to the game's character development.
“Azure Reflections features impressive 3D and 2D character designs, showcasing three playable characters: Reimu, Marisa, and Cirno.”
“The character development in Azure Reflections is engaging, allowing players to connect with Reimu, Marisa, and Cirno on a deeper level.”
“Each character in Azure Reflections has a unique personality and backstory, enhancing the overall gameplay experience.”
