Servants of Harvest Wish
- August 3, 2020
- Dream Compass
Set off on a journey to an autumnal paradise in this bountiful Touhou vertical Bullethell Shmup fan game made by overseas fans!
Reviews
- The game features a variety of unique and enjoyable spell card patterns that are accessible for both beginners and experienced players.
- The soundtrack is excellent, with many memorable tracks that enhance the overall experience.
- It's a free game that offers a high-quality bullet hell experience, rivaling even some official Touhou titles.
- Some players have reported issues with bullet visibility, particularly with certain colors blending into the background.
- The character designs and art quality can be inconsistent, with some portraits being less appealing.
- The difficulty curve can be uneven, with a significant spike in challenge during the later stages.
- music46 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 37 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The music in this game is widely praised for its quality and ability to enhance the overall experience, with many tracks being memorable and enjoyable even after repeated playthroughs. While some early tracks may be forgettable, the later stages feature standout compositions that resonate well with players, often drawing favorable comparisons to official Touhou music. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a highlight, contributing significantly to the game's appeal and atmosphere.
“The game is a really well-done Touhou fangame and the music and gameplay are top-notch as you'd expect.”
“Everything was clearly designed with love, from the stages, the bosses, the character designs, the music, it's all great stuff.”
“The music is great too; the use of traditional Japanese instruments works very well for the game.”
“Moreover, the music was completely forgettable.”
“The music in the first 2 stages is fairly forgettable, but every track beginning from stage 3 onwards are bangers and just makes the game even more fun to go through.”
“I feel like a criminal for not paying for something that was this good a shmup, but as long as this game is free, it's a great entry point for people interested in bullet hells who have tried out barrage musical's 'danmaku tutorial' but have yet to play an actual full-length game.”
- gameplay15 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The gameplay is generally well-received, praised for its solid mechanics and challenging difficulty, requiring numerous attempts to defeat bosses. While it incorporates unique elements like a bomb mechanic and various attack types, some players feel it lacks the distinctive qualities that define the Touhou series. Overall, it offers a fun experience, especially for newcomers to bullet hell games, with a good balance of content and engaging music.
“With time slowed down, you still get to experience the full beauty of the card and do the mechanics as required, but you get more mental bandwidth to weave through the patterns.”
“The gameplay is good (and very hard, you may have to do hundreds or thousands of attempts to learn bosses), the quality is amazing, the plot is simple yet great, and there are various add-ons like Ura mode and special types of attacks.”
“The game is a really well-done Touhou fangame and the music and gameplay are top-notch as you'd expect.”
“I don't get the bomb mechanic that creates a barrier around you, but it lets you get away without using a bomb.”
“Ultimately, I find the gameplay to be pretty solid, but nothing that seriously stands out.”
“If that's all I was judging it on, it'd be all well and good; however, Touhou is not just about the gameplay, it's an experience, and in my eyes, Servants of Harvest Wish fails to create the pillars that really hold up Touhou games and make them unique as far as bullet hells go.”
- story10 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The game's story is characterized as fun, cute, and easy to follow, with engaging characters and a solid plot that surpasses some other titles in the genre. While the storytelling is generally praised for its clarity and charm, some players find it somewhat shallow, with a few unsatisfying endings. Overall, it offers a delightful narrative experience complemented by excellent music and visuals.
“All of the characters are fun to play as, and the story is funny and cute.”
“Wonderful OST, stage/boss design, and a pretty interesting story that's easy to follow.”
“The storytelling is actually better than in Touhou games (I actually understood the plot without having to look it up in a wiki).”
“The story seems a bit shallow, and some of the endings feel unsatisfying, even by Touhou standards.”
- graphics10 mentions
- 70 % positive mentions
- 10 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their beautiful visuals and thematic designs, particularly in the context of the Touhou series. Players appreciate the solid art style and engaging soundtrack, which enhance the overall experience, although some note a tendency for later stages to prioritize flashiness over creativity. Overall, the game's aesthetics and music contribute significantly to its appeal, making it a standout in the genre.
“This game's soundtrack and visuals are stunning for a Touhou game. The English dialogue is sensible and witty, and the bosses each have thematic styles and danmakus that shake up the gameplay from mainstream titles.”
“Fantastic game, with fun danmaku, beautiful visuals that aren't excessive, one banger of an OST. I can't recommend this game enough if you like Touhou games or STG in general, and are itching for a new story to explore.”
“I enjoyed the graphics and the intensity of the game, and the music itself makes the game a lot more interesting.”
“Don't judge a game by its poor graphics.”
“The danmaku artwork is pretty solid, although it seems to substitute flashiness for creativity in the latter stages to a degree.”
- character development5 mentions
- 80 % positive mentions
- -40 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is met with mixed reviews; while many appreciate the love and detail in the character designs and overall art, some criticize the reliance on anime stereotypes, leading to a range of opinions from excellent to subpar. The soundtracks and atmospheric backgrounds are consistently praised, enhancing the overall experience.
“Everything was clearly designed with love, from the stages, the bosses, the character designs, the music; it's all great stuff.”
“It's got excellent soundtracks, great character designs, gorgeous stages, as well as stunningly beautiful patterns.”
“I'm a bit mixed on some of the character design, but the art is otherwise nicely drawn, and the backgrounds are very pleasant and atmospheric.”
“The character designs range from average to blindingly bad, with anime stereotypes abound.”
“The character development feels shallow and uninspired, leaving little room for growth or meaningful choices.”
“I found the characters to be one-dimensional, lacking depth and complexity that would make me care about their journeys.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game offers decent to very high replayability, particularly for players interested in unlocking the anomaly and overdrive spellcards. Its design evokes a nostalgic feel reminiscent of earlier Touhou titles, enhancing the incentive to replay for completionists.
“Very high replay value, and it even has a TH08 vibe (especially with spell practice, final spell card, and overdrive spell card).”
“Decent replay value when trying to unlock the anomaly and overdrive spell cards.”
“A Touhou fangame with a lot of replayability if you want to unlock everything.”
“Very high replay value, and it even has a TH08 vibe (especially in spell practice, final spell card, and overdrive spell card).”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its fun and cute story, engaging characters, and witty dialogues, which contribute to an overall enjoyable experience. Players appreciate the blend of humor with challenging gameplay and appealing visuals.
“All of the characters are fun to play as, and the story is funny and cute.”
“Solid gameplay, challenging and smooth, cool visuals, funny dialogues.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is noted to be inconsistent, particularly on AMD and Intel platforms, with some players experiencing occasional stuttering and frame drops from 60fps to around 50-53fps in later stages. However, these issues do not significantly detract from the overall gameplay experience.
“I played this on a Ryzen 3400G with 16GB RAM and encountered occasional stuttering in the later stages. I'm not sure if this is because the game is yet to be fully optimized for both AMD and Intel platforms, but it does affect the gameplay experience with frame drops from 60fps to 50fps.”
“The game suffers from significant performance issues, especially during intense scenes. I often experience frame drops and stuttering, which disrupts the overall experience.”
“Despite having a decent setup, the optimization is lacking. I frequently encounter lag and inconsistent frame rates, which makes it hard to enjoy the game fully.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is generally praised for its nicely drawn art and pleasant backgrounds, although opinions on character design are mixed.
“The art is beautifully drawn, and the backgrounds create a very pleasant and atmospheric experience.”
“The atmosphere is immersive, drawing you into the world with its stunning visuals and detailed environments.”
“The combination of art and sound design creates a captivating atmosphere that enhances the overall gameplay experience.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Reviews suggest that the grinding aspect of the game feels reminiscent of a farming simulator DLC, implying that it may involve repetitive tasks or resource gathering that can become tedious over time.
“That's some weird farming simulator DLC.”
“The grinding feels endless and tedious, making the game more of a chore than fun.”
“I spent hours grinding for resources, only to realize it was all for nothing.”