Fantasy Maiden Wars: Dream of the Stray Dreamer

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Fantasy Maiden Wars: Dream of the Stray Dreamer is a single player role playing game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by さんぼん堂 and was released on October 20, 2025. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

Fantasy Maiden Wars - DREAM OF THE STRAY DREAMER - is a tactical RPG featuring iconic heroines from the Touhou Project. Set in the mystical world of Gensokyo, players strategically deploy units on grid-based maps to resolve supernatural incidents. With engaging turn-based battles, customizable squads, and stunning animated attacks, it offers depth for veterans and accessibility for newcomers alike.

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Single-Player

Fantasy Maiden Wars: Dream of the Stray Dreamer screenshot

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99%

Audience ScoreBased on 259 reviews

story47 positive mentions

character development2 negative mentions

Incredible blend of Touhou lore and Super Robot Wars gameplay, creating a unique and engaging experience.
Extensive character customization and development, allowing players to invest in their favorite characters and see them grow.
High-quality animations and a fantastic soundtrack with over 200 tracks, enhancing the overall experience.

Some minor bugs and issues with the user interface, such as difficulty in accessing settings and occasional crashes.
Certain boss mechanics can feel overly punishing, especially on higher difficulties, leading to frustration.
The game can be quite lengthy, which may deter players looking for a shorter experience.

story
133 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
63%
2%
The game's story is a masterful retelling of the Touhou series, weaving together plots from multiple games and expanding character interactions in a way that feels both fresh and engaging. It serves as an excellent introduction for newcomers while providing depth and nostalgia for long-time fans, featuring well-written dialogue and a cohesive narrative that connects various story arcs. With its rich character development and humor, the game successfully captures the essence of the Touhou universe, making it a standout experience for players.
- “The story is well-written and does a fantastic job at weaving together the plots from several Touhou games and side stories.”
- “The characters and story are fantastically written, and the gameplay is very solid.”
- “This game manages to capture the world of Touhou and conveys its story within that world so well, better than any other fan game I have played.”
- “The story is kinda all over the place when compared to the original danmaku games, but it still makes logical sense when told at its own pace.”
- “But the thing about a lot of Touhou games is that in many of them, the writing and story are fairly barebones; they're just excuses to make a clone of a popular game but with Touhou characters.”
- “The story as most Touhou fangames tend to do is a retelling of various Touhou stories but with their own spin on it, so even if you are familiar with them, there's plenty of content to flesh everything out while giving it an identity of its own; it's nothing revolutionary, but it's entertaining with amusing character interactions.”
gameplay
131 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
54%
2%
The gameplay is a well-crafted blend of Super Robot Wars mechanics and unique Touhou elements, featuring strategic turn-based combat that incorporates danmaku and spell card mechanics for engaging boss fights. Players appreciate the depth and variety, with numerous character interactions, secret events, and evolving mission types that keep the experience fresh. While some minor issues exist, such as translation errors and difficulty balancing, the overall gameplay is highly enjoyable and accessible, making it a strong recommendation for both SRW fans and newcomers alike.
- “Gameplay expands on SRW gameplay in a really fun way, with how it implements focusing/unfocusing and danmaku AOE tiles/spell cards in general.”
- “The gameplay is really tactical and engaging, and it feels so satisfying to see a plan come together.”
- “This game does a masterful job at combining SRW style gameplay while also introducing its own unique mechanics and story crossovers, with the different Touhou games being interwoven in a very interesting way.”
- “If I had to list any criticisms, it would be regarding minor translation issues (missing starting quotation marks, some typos, etc.), poorly-tuned difficulty in the early game after they ported FMW4 mechanics to the FMW1-3 chapters, and no way to refund upgrades on units—resources like PP and WP/EX points are very scarce, and it's very possible to upgrade a unit, progress 100 hours, and recruit them again only to realize your previous upgrade choices were terrible but not have any way to reverse them without playing half the game over again.”
- “40 minutes of blabbering vs 10 minutes of gameplay.”
- “The gameplay is really hit or miss, but anyone with any kind of interest in the Super Robot Wars games, or just SRPGs in general, will most likely love it just like I do.”
music
102 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
51%
3%
The music in this Touhou fan game is universally praised, featuring an impressive soundtrack with over 200 tracks and 14 hours of content, showcasing high-quality arrangements that resonate with fans of the series. Reviewers highlight the seamless integration of music with character themes and battle animations, enhancing the overall gameplay experience. The dedication of the developers is evident, as the soundtrack not only supports the game's narrative but also stands out as a significant aspect of its appeal, making it a must-listen for fans and newcomers alike.
- “The soundtrack is amazing, and I'm sure a lot of people will enjoy it.”
- “There's a reason the soundtrack costs so much - there's over 200 songs and over 14 hours of music in the game.”
- “The music is what you would expect from any Touhou fangame worth its salt; well-arranged and faithful to the original.”
- “Also, sometimes the music bugs out and stops playing.”
- “The music is a standout, and it had better be because the soundtrack costs as much as the game itself does.”
- “The story, graphics, gameplay, music, they are all decent.”
emotional
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its blend of humor and poignant storytelling, with players frequently experiencing a range of feelings from joy to heartbreak. The character interactions are described as wholesome and complex, enhancing the emotional depth of the narrative, while the high-quality animations and a captivating soundtrack further elevate the experience. Overall, the game is praised for its ability to evoke strong emotions and respect for its source material, making it a heartfelt journey for players.
- “Absolutely wonderful soundtrack, over-the-top spectacle in the animations, writing that pulls off both humor and major emotional beats spectacularly; this is a game made with abundantly clear love and respect for its source materials.”
- “The interactions between characters are on point and wholesome, the story combination of PC98 and 1st gen Windows is great, and the music is always peak, especially with the climax songs being Disney-quality, like Kingdom Hearts, bringing me to tears.”
- “It could come off as comedic, heartwarming at all fronts, gut-wrenching on many occasions, and shines light on characters that expand from their source material while respecting their character and lore.”
humor
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by clever and engaging dialogue that showcases the distinct personalities of its characters, often resulting in genuinely funny interactions. Players appreciate the well-written story and character exchanges, which balance humor with emotional depth, making even lesser-known characters memorable. Overall, the humor is a standout feature, enhancing the game's charm and appeal.
- “The library function features an extensive glossary of characters, places, concepts, and events in Gensokyo that are unlocked piecemeal as they are introduced to the campaign, and the depth and breadth of knowledge of the series is reflected in the charming and often quite funny character interactions.”
- “Strong, clever, and often humorous writing highlights the cast's disparate personalities in such a way that even as a longtime fan you might come to love characters you didn't think about much before.”
- “They'd even have unique boss conversations which open the door for very funny dialogue exchanges, given the current story situation.”
graphics
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
30%
30%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a charming chibi art style and impressive animation, reminiscent of classic titles while incorporating modern indie aesthetics. While some users note that the visuals may feel dated, they appreciate the unique character designs and the overall presentation, which enhances the gameplay experience. Overall, the graphics are seen as a delightful complement to the game's engaging mechanics and soundtrack.
- “All that music wouldn't be worth much if it wasn't backing up the delightful chibi art style and incredible SRW-style animation work for the combat.”
- “The dedication and love of the creators shine through in every aspect: story, presentation, graphics, and music.”
- “It has amazing music, amazing graphics, and fun tactical gameplay.”
- “While it's graphically somewhere around the PS1 games, it makes some great additions to the PS2-era mechanics, has a huge cast, great soundtrack, and a much tighter storyline due to not being a crossover.”
- “Although the graphics for attacks in the early game are not the best, it certainly improves as you get into the later parts.”
- “The story, graphics, gameplay, music, they are all decent.”
character development
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
40%
40%
The game excels in character development, offering rich personalities and engaging narratives for every character, which enhances the overall enjoyment. Even minor characters contribute to the experience, providing a lively backdrop to the story. The focus on character growth, alongside innovative gameplay mechanics, creates a compelling and immersive experience that evolves throughout the game.
- “Unlike most Touhou games, every single character has actual character development and personality, so the characters have a lot of life to them and are enjoyable to read.”
- “There's character development, foreshadowing, denouement; the works.”
- “Unprecedented levels of character customization, fun and interesting map designs, cool animations, excellent and interesting story that puts a lot of focus on character developments that wouldn't normally happen in the original games, and somehow it gets even better and better as the game goes along.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
100%
The game offers high replayability due to its engaging gameplay and character customization, allowing players to create powerful builds. The new game plus (ng+) system, along with the choice of two main characters—each with unique stages—encourages multiple playthroughs across the four arcs.
- “Gameplay is fun, and you can build your favorite character to be overpowered. The New Game Plus system actually provides a high replay value.”
- “Aside from the four arcs you have to play through, you also get to choose one of two main characters at the beginning of the game. Each character has a handful of unique stages in each arc, which adds to the replay value once you've completed the game.”
- “Aside from the four arcs you have to play through, you also get to choose one of two main characters at the beginning of the game, each having a handful of unique stages in each arc, so there is some replay value once you've gone through the game.”
- “After completing the game once, I found little incentive to replay it. The story doesn't change significantly, and the unique stages don't offer enough variety to keep me engaged.”
- “While the game has multiple arcs, the lack of meaningful choices and consequences makes replaying feel more like a chore than an enjoyable experience.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users report several stability issues, including glitches, crashes, and a buggy backlog. Additionally, the unintuitive interface and mechanics contribute to a frustrating experience, with some players struggling to navigate essential features effectively.
- “There are some other issues, including translation errors, glitches, crashes, and an unintuitive interface and mechanics. I only figured out that you can do the entire battle preparation from the one formation screen very late into the game.”
- “My only complaint is that the backlog is buggy.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while the bonus conditions and item drops encourage this gameplay style and enhance enjoyment, some feel it can become tedious due to lengthy stages. Overall, it adds to the game but may not be the most engaging design choice.
- “Maybe don't do that as design; it's kind of sandbaggy, but it's not impossible to play past, only tedious with how long the stages are.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is characterized by chaotic spellcard duels that reflect the characters' motifs, creating an intense and engaging experience. The music complements this vibe, enhancing the overall immersion in the story and its themes.
- “Either major negative status effects, halve your HP or MP, perfect counter for the enemy or double action, it speaks to their character motifs and perfectly embodies the chaotic atmospheres of an all-out spellcard duel.”
- “I don't know how to rate music, but I can say for certain that it fits the vibe and atmosphere of the story and characters.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The optimization in this version is highly praised, with users noting that the game runs significantly smoother than the original complete box release.
- “The optimization in this version is excellent — the game runs much smoother compared to the original complete box release.”

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Fantasy Maiden Wars - DREAM OF THE STRAY DREAMER -
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91h Median play time

63h Average play time

5-120h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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Fantasy Maiden Wars: Dream of the Stray Dreamer is a role playing game with fantasy theme.

Fantasy Maiden Wars: Dream of the Stray Dreamer is available on Nintendo Switch, PC, Steam Deck and Windows.

On average players spend around 63 hours playing Fantasy Maiden Wars: Dream of the Stray Dreamer.

Fantasy Maiden Wars: Dream of the Stray Dreamer was released on October 20, 2025.

Fantasy Maiden Wars: Dream of the Stray Dreamer was developed by さんぼん堂.

Fantasy Maiden Wars: Dream of the Stray Dreamer has received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its character development.

Fantasy Maiden Wars: Dream of the Stray Dreamer is a single player game.

Similar games include Super Robot Wars 30, Chrono Ark, Digimon Survive, Dark Deity 2, TROUBLESHOOTER: Abandoned Children and others.

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