Castle of Shikigami

Castle of Shikigami is a decent port of a fun but difficult bullet hell SHMUP. With some nightmarish enemy designs and plenty of replay value it’s a solid package let down by a dated appearance and its lack of extras.

72%Game Brain Score

graphics, replayability

gameplay, music

73% User Score Based on 66 reviews

Critic Score 65%Based on 2 reviews

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About

Castle of Shikigami is a single player and multiplayer arcade shooter game with a anime theme. It was developed by Cosmo Machia and was released on June 15, 2017. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

Castle of Shikigami is the dark, supernatural first installment in Alfa System's highly regarded shoot-’em-up series, newly translated and brought to the PC by Cosmo Machia and Degica Games.

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73%

Audience ScoreBased on 66 reviews

graphics8 positive mentions

optimization2 negative mentions

The game features a unique scoring system that rewards grazing, adding depth and strategy to gameplay.
Each character has distinct playstyles and abilities, providing variety and encouraging experimentation.
The boss designs are impressive and thematic, enhancing the overall experience of the game.

The graphics and audio quality are subpar, with repetitive backgrounds and uninspiring music.
Gameplay can feel clunky and slow, making it difficult to navigate certain bullet patterns.
Technical issues, such as controller support problems and audio glitches, detract from the overall experience.

gameplay
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
70%
15%
The gameplay features a mix of solid foundational mechanics, particularly in grazing and scoring, but suffers from slow character movement that can lead to frustration, especially with certain patterns. While the hitboxes can feel imprecise, the distinct abilities of the six characters encourage experimentation. Evo mode offers a fresh take on the game with altered enemy patterns, adding variety to the experience.
- “Evo mode is a remix of the game where the characters and scoring mechanics stay unchanged, but the enemy waves and boss patterns are all different.”
- “The gameplay is dated, of course, but each of the six characters is wildly different from each other.”
- “Variety comes mainly from the different shot types and mechanics of the individual characters.”
- “The character movement is incredibly slow; it's so slow that it becomes a flaw of the game. For some characters, you won't manage to pass through certain patterns that require faster movement or prior anticipation. This will lead to frustration, as you'll likely die repeatedly when encountering new patterns.”
- “Screen filled with slow-moving bullets gameplay.”
- “Hitboxes feel a bit wonky; it's not always clear just how close your character actually is to a particular projectile or enemy. This is unfortunate since grazing is a key mechanic in the game.”
graphics
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
39%
17%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with some players noting outdated and unattractive backgrounds reminiscent of early 3D attempts from the Saturn/PS1 era. While the visuals may not impress at first glance, they are considered fitting for the game's gritty aesthetic, and some players appreciate the unique sprite design. Overall, the graphics are described as acceptable for a classic shmup, with improvements noted compared to emulated versions.
- “I'd also like to defend the graphics a bit.”
- “Castle of Shikigami's sprites are peculiar to begin with because they look like sprites based on 3D models a la Donkey Kong Country, but I stand by the idea that they are perfect for the grimy, edgy aesthetic the game is going for.”
- “Solid, classic shmup with acceptable visuals and good music.”
- “This game didn't make the best first impression with me - there are some ugly background graphics, seemingly incomprehensible hitboxes, and the arrange mode being paid DLC.”
- “The gameplay feels about as rough as the graphical presentation.”
- “This is pretty old school, from those Saturn/PS1 days where shmups were trying to make a transition into 2.5D or 3D-ish graphics.”
music
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
56%
22%
The music in the game has received largely negative feedback, with many players describing it as uninspiring, generic, and lacking emotional depth. Complaints also include frequent audio glitches and subpar sound effects, which detract from the overall experience. While some players noted that the music is a significant aspect of the game, the consensus is that it fails to enhance gameplay effectively.
- “Unusual enemies and awesome music.”
- “Solid, classic shmup with acceptable visuals and good music.”
- “The music is also a big factor.”
- “The soundtrack leaves much to be desired and I was frequently getting audio glitches where the audio would cut to an ear-splittingly high pitched shriek for several seconds during boss or midboss fights.”
- “The ear-destroying sound effects on bosses and boring soundtrack are, in fact, part of the game.”
- “I only played through half the game or so, but I've noticed the music is very uninspiring, generic, barely does the basic job; the patterns aren't well designed, everything feels primitive about the patterns in this game, there's no emotion or deeper feeling on it, it's just a spam of bullets in different ways.”
story
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
58%
21%
The story of the game is often criticized for its juvenile tone, likened to the angst of a frustrated teenager, which detracts from the overall experience. While some players may find the narrative appealing, especially those interested in shmups with a storyline, many choose to skip it in favor of the challenging gameplay. The quality of translations varies across the series, with some entries receiving notably better treatment than others.
- “If you’re someone with an interest in shmups with a story, this might be appealing.”
- “If you haven't played this game before and you like danmaku style shooters, or you just want a version with a translated story, then it is probably worth your time to check it out.”
- “Where bosses are raving madmen in one story, they'll be calm and composed in another.”
- “The story reads like it was written by an angsty 14-year-old who is mad that his mom took his anime collection away.”
- “This game has a story, but I skipped through it, so I can’t say much about its quality.”
- “Shiki 1 was released as Mobile Light Force 2 on the PS2 with no story, Shikigami 2 basically had a Google Translate story, and Shiki 3... well, we lucked out; its translation was fantastic.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game offers strong replayability due to its diverse characters, each with unique playstyles that encourage players to explore different approaches. This variety keeps the gameplay experience fresh and engaging across multiple playthroughs.
- “The fact that each character plays differently gives the game a good amount of replay value.”
- “Plenty of replayability and distinct playstyles to keep things fresh.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
25%
50%
The game's optimization is generally stable on Windows 10, with no significant performance issues reported. However, some users experienced severe stuttering during the challenging stage 5-2, which could hinder players aiming for a one-credit clear (1cc).
- “The game is very stable with no performance issues on Windows 10 thus far.”
- “5-2 had some really bad stuttering when I played it, and given that it is the hardest stage in the game, it will probably frustrate anyone going for a 1cc.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users report significant stability issues, particularly with audio glitches that manifest as jarring high-pitched shrieks during critical gameplay moments, such as boss fights. This detracts from the overall experience and highlights a need for improvements in sound stability.
- “The soundtrack leaves much to be desired, and I was frequently experiencing audio glitches where the sound would cut to an ear-splittingly high-pitched shriek for several seconds during boss or mid-boss fights.”

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65%Critics’ scoreBased on 2 critic reviews

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Frequently Asked Questions

Castle of Shikigami is a arcade shooter game with anime theme.

Castle of Shikigami is available on PC, Windows and Xbox.

Castle of Shikigami was released on June 15, 2017.

Castle of Shikigami was developed by Cosmo Machia.

Castle of Shikigami has received mostly positive reviews from both players and critics. Most players liked this game for its graphics but disliked it for its gameplay.

Castle of Shikigami is a single player game with multiplayer and local co-op support.

Similar games include VASARA Collection, Super Galaxy Squadron EX Turbo, Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions Evolved, Crimzon Clover WORLD IGNITION, Assault Android Cactus and others.

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