Touhou Artificial Dream in Arcadia

About

"Touhou Artificial Dream in Arcadia" is a vertically scrolling shoot 'em up game set in the Touhou Project universe. Players control various characters as they battle through hordes of enemies and giant bosses in vibrant, hand-drawn environments. The game features a unique "Barrier" mechanic that allows players to deflect bullets and turn the tide of battle, adding an extra layer of strategy to the fast-paced action.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Touhou Artificial Dream in Arcadia screenshot

99%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,022 reviews

gameplay94 positive mentions

grinding54 negative mentions

Artificial Dream in Arcadia is a fantastic blend of classic Shin Megami Tensei gameplay and Touhou aesthetics, providing a nostalgic experience for fans of both franchises.
The hijacking mechanic, which replaces traditional negotiations, is engaging and adds a fun bullet hell element to the gameplay, making character recruitment enjoyable.
The game features beautiful pixel art, a phenomenal soundtrack, and a wealth of content for its price, making it an excellent value for players.

The encounter rate can be frustratingly high, leading to tedious grinding and making exploration feel less rewarding at times.
Some players may find the battery mechanic limiting, as running out of battery can severely restrict gameplay options and force backtracking.
The story and character development may feel shallow for those unfamiliar with Touhou lore, potentially leaving some players disconnected from the narrative.

gameplay
318 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
65%
5%
The gameplay is a well-crafted blend of classic Shin Megami Tensei mechanics and modern quality-of-life improvements, featuring an engaging core loop of dungeon crawling, character recruitment through a unique hijacking mechanic, and resource management. Players appreciate the beautiful graphics, phenomenal soundtrack, and the addictive nature of the gameplay, although some mechanics, like the battery system and certain combat elements, have received mixed feedback for their execution. Overall, it is highly recommended for fans of the genre, offering a satisfying experience that balances challenge and accessibility.
- “The core gameplay loop is fun, the graphics are beautiful, and the soundtrack is phenomenal.”
- “Really love the combat system - hijacking enemies is super fun and helps break up JRPG gameplay in a refreshing way, and other mechanics don't overcomplicate battles.”
- “The fusion of Touhou with Shin Megami Tensei has been done wonderfully here, resulting in a highly involving and challenging RPG with an addictive 'gotta-catch-'em-all' gameplay loop.”
- “In practice, I basically never needed to consider any of these mechanics as random encounters in the dungeon are trivial throughout the entire game.”
- “Lastly, other mechanics the game featured which should have provided more depth such as an item system; a 'battery' mechanic that was meant to encourage you to judge whether you needed a full team or not at times to save resources; and powerful spells requiring a resource called SP you would gain for targeting enemy weaknesses; were all unimpactful.”
- “The only thing I personally dislike about the gameplay is the loss of EXP after dying; however, I understand that this is a far better alternative than resetting to a save from an entire hour ago.”
music
198 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
42%
2%
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its phenomenal quality and nostalgic feel reminiscent of classic SNES-era titles, particularly the Shin Megami Tensei series. The soundtrack features a mix of original compositions and arrangements of popular Touhou tracks, creating an engaging atmosphere that enhances the gameplay experience. However, some players noted inconsistencies in the quality of music during late-game content, with a few tracks feeling repetitive or less fitting for certain environments.
- “The soundtrack is fantastic, the plot is good, the writing is good and... funny?”
- “The music fits the atmosphere at every level I have been to so far.”
- “The soundtrack perfectly encapsulates the atmosphere and is a nice homage to SMT during the SNES era while being its own thing.”
- “The music is a hit or miss at times, the human village theme is droning and monotonous - especially when it plays in other hubs where it doesn't fit at all.”
- “Excluding the few exceptions, they all have the same song - so I was a bit disappointed to find that the major boss theme was only a remix of Utsuho's theme.”
- “It's a very sudden and unexpected shift in quality of gameplay and quality of music, to the degree that it leaves me thinking that different people handled the main game vs postgame.”
story
100 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
70%
8%
The story of the game, set in the Touhou universe, is generally considered light and not deeply engaging, serving more as a backdrop to the gameplay rather than a focal point. While it introduces players to the lore without requiring prior knowledge, the narrative is often described as simplistic and somewhat disjointed, with moments of charm and humor that resonate with fans. Overall, the plot is seen as adequate for supporting the gameplay experience, but it lacks depth and complexity.
- “As someone who is starting into Touhou, I really had a great experience playing. You don't need to know all the lore of the game to understand the story, since the story itself has no continuity from the other games and introduces you to most of the basic concepts of the lore, so don't worry.”
- “The story is relatively light, but it's fun to interact with so many Touhou characters and to piece together what's going on as you play: the plot resolution itself is very rewarding and written smartly, giving the game an emotional core that really resonated with me and made me feel things, which was a very pleasant surprise.”
- “A surprisingly deep plot and motivations once you piece everything together, that give the game a bit of a melancholic, yet wholesome tone that is quite appreciated nonetheless.”
- “However, keep in mind that despite being heavily SMT inspired, it does not have a 'deep' story, nor does it have alignments or even much story content at all.”
- “The game treats the plot as non-existent and solely focuses on just the gameplay.”
- “It sort of comes together by the end, but the main story thread is incredibly weak - you're mysteriously told to go places and take selfies to deal with a bunch of clones and a weird tower.”
graphics
78 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
51%
45%
4%
The graphics of "Touhou: Artificial Dream in Arcadia" are widely praised for their beautiful pixel art style, which effectively captures the nostalgic aesthetic of classic SNES-era games, particularly the early Megami Tensei titles. While some reviewers note that the graphics are simplistic, this is seen as a deliberate stylistic choice that enhances the overall charm and appeal of the game. The art style, combined with a fantastic soundtrack, creates an immersive experience that resonates well with fans of retro JRPGs.
- “With fantastic dungeons, killer soundtrack, and a lovely pixel art style, I cannot recommend this game enough!”
- “The graphics and music are an excellent Super Famicom throwback and perfectly capture the style of this game's inspirations in addition to looking and sounding wonderful on their own.”
- “Every encounter makes you think about what you're doing, the maps are all diverse and amazing (even if punishing at times), the OST is fantastic, and the pixel graphics are top notch.”
- “The graphics are a little simplistic, but this is a stylistic choice to better reflect the older SMT games.”
- “~ 'me problem': Yuugi's monster and party image looks completely different from her large graphic (I thought it was a buff guy).”
- “From the graphics to the menus, the game is almost indistinguishable from its inspirations.”
grinding
54 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The grinding aspect of the game is heavily criticized for being tedious and time-consuming, with players often feeling forced to engage in excessive grinding to progress, especially in harder difficulty settings that penalize experience gain. While some players appreciate the depth and strategy involved in grinding for items and leveling up, many find the high encounter rates and repetitive gameplay detract from the overall experience, leading to frustration rather than enjoyment. Ultimately, the game appeals to those who enjoy grinding, but it may alienate players who prefer a more streamlined experience.
- “The first major problem is related to difficulty settings: if you want to swap to hard mode, enemies get stronger, which is fine, but you also get a penalty to experience earned, which is a terrible decision that accordingly makes hard mode more grindy.”
- “An initially wonderful dungeon crawler RPG with a huge cast of Touhou characters and generally solid gameplay, held back by specific problems where you are expected to grind to get by, and the game wants a lot of grinding.”
- “People who can't stand grinding will hate it, and people that like grinding may also grow to dislike it.”
humor
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its intelligent and humorous writing, with players enjoying the witty dialogue and quirky scenarios, particularly involving the protagonist, Sumireko, and her psychic adventures. The humor is described as a refreshing blend of cute and clever, enhancing the overall experience, although some mechanics, like the penalty for dying, received criticism. Overall, the game successfully incorporates humor into its narrative and interactions, making it a standout feature.
- “The writing is intelligent, cute, hilarious, and had me smiling through nearly every single block of dialogue.”
- “Game does have humorous dialogue, side quests, and secret rewards that require you to be thorough in your exploration, challenging but fair gameplay and enough quality of life changes from the more recent Atlus RPGs to make it accessible for less experienced players in the dungeon crawler genre.”
- “The game has a fun sense of humor too, which is unlike SMT of the norm, but it can get absolutely nasty with their SMT elements.”
atmosphere
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
21%
21%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its engaging and immersive qualities, enhanced by a captivating soundtrack that pays homage to classic titles while maintaining its unique identity. The pixel art and overall design contribute to a lively and tense environment, making it a standout experience for fans of the genre. Reviewers consistently highlight how the atmosphere effectively draws players into the story and gameplay, reminiscent of beloved classics.
- “Amazing atmosphere, great pixel art, very engaging and tense, truly pushing the envelope on what a Touhou fan game can be.”
- “The soundtrack perfectly encapsulates the atmosphere and is a nice homage to SMT during the SNES era while being its own thing.”
- “This game perfectly recreates the SMT style, reminding me of how in Nocturne - you simply just go with the flow of the story and get hooked on its addictive gameplay loop; with its entrancing soundtrack, cozy atmosphere, and addictive player feedback.”
- “Even the atmosphere of the game elicits memories of SMT 1 and 2.”
- “Every area is given so much atmosphere and life by the OST.”
- “The music fits the atmosphere at every level I have been to so far.”
emotional
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features a surprisingly deep and rewarding plot that resonates emotionally, blending a light-hearted narrative with moments of melancholy and wholesomeness. Players appreciate the engaging interactions with Touhou characters and the clever resolution of the story, which evokes genuine feelings and adds depth to the overall experience.
- “The story is relatively light, but it's fun to interact with so many Touhou characters and to piece together what's going on as you play: the plot resolution itself is very rewarding and written smartly, giving the game an emotional core that really resonated with me and made me feel things, which was a very pleasant surprise.”
- “A surprisingly deep plot and motivations once you piece everything together, that give the game a bit of a melancholic, yet wholesome tone that is quite appreciated nonetheless.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game boasts high replayability due to its integrated cheat codes (grimoires) that allow players to modify gameplay, alongside a deep mechanics system and a diverse range of units. This encourages various challenge runs and variant playstyles, enhancing the overall replay value significantly.
- “It has integrated cheat codes (grimoires) that mix up the gameplay, and generally has a high replay value, in my opinion.”
- “There's plenty of scope for variant/challenge runs, thanks to the deep mechanics, wide variety of units to use, and the grimoire system which lets you alter the rules of the game slightly, or simply make it easier or harder across the board, so the replayability factor is very high.”
character development
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The character development in this JRPG is highlighted by unique and engaging designs created by Zun, which contribute to the game's addictive nature. Players appreciate the creativity and appeal of the characters, enhancing their overall experience.
- “Genuinely addictive JRPG with Zun's ingenious character designs.”
- “The character designs are pretty cool.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The optimization of the game is noted to be on par with other expansive RPGs like "Touhou Shoujo: Tale of Beautiful Memories" and "Touhou Puppet Dance Performance: Shard of Dreams," suggesting a well-crafted experience that effectively manages its scope and performance.