Touhou Kouryuudou: Unconnected Marketeers

About

Touhou Kouryuudou: Unconnected Marketeers is the eighteenth official installment of the Touhou Project. It was announced by ZUN on the Touhou Project news blog Touhou Yomoyama News, February 2021. A playable demo is scheduled for release on March 21st the same year, at Reitaisai 18, and the full version is scheduled to be released in May.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

Touhou Kouryuudou: Unconnected Marketeers screenshot

98%

Audience ScoreBased on 453 reviews

music45 positive mentions

grinding3 negative mentions

The ability card system adds significant replayability and customization to gameplay, allowing for unique strategies in each run.
The game features vibrant graphics and a fantastic soundtrack, maintaining the high quality expected from the Touhou series.
Despite its challenging difficulty, many players find the game fun and rewarding, especially for those familiar with the Touhou franchise.

The game can be extremely difficult, especially for newcomers, with some players feeling overwhelmed by the bullet patterns and enemy strength.
Visibility issues can arise due to the colorful backgrounds, making it hard to see bullets at times.
Some ability cards are perceived as overpowered, leading to an imbalance in gameplay and making certain runs feel less challenging.

music
76 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
59%
37%
4%
The music in "Touhou 18: Unconnected Marketeers" is widely praised, with many reviewers highlighting its quality and diversity, showcasing Zun's musical genius. Tracks like "immemorial marketeers" and various character themes stand out, contributing to an engaging gameplay experience that complements the bullet hell mechanics. While some opinions vary, the overall consensus is that the soundtrack is a significant highlight of the game, enhancing its vibrant atmosphere and replayability.
- “Each song is great in its own aspect, and many of them build and release the tension in ways that have been rarely seen in the series.”
- “The soundtrack is wonderful, as usual, and the art is at an all-time high.”
- “Zun is diversifying his instruments and genres but keeping quite a lot of his musical motifs, so the music is still mostly familiar.”
- “And worst of all, there are no songs that I can really find myself enjoying.”
- “EoSD definitely has better music, maybe because of how iconic they are, and UM is no match for it.”
- “Up to and including stage 4 I was quite impressed with the patterns, difficulty, and especially the music, but unfortunately to me stage 5 and 6 feel somewhat unfinished.”
gameplay
60 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
58%
5%
The gameplay of this Touhou game is characterized by an innovative ability card mechanic that significantly enhances replayability and introduces a roguelike element, allowing players to customize their experience with various buffs and abilities. While the core bullet hell mechanics remain intact, the card system adds depth and complexity, making each run feel unique, though some players note issues with balance and understanding the mechanics without guidance. Overall, the gameplay is praised for its fun, challenging nature and the fresh take it brings to the series.
- “An amazing Touhou game with a new card mechanic that spices things up with many new options and possibilities!”
- “The card mechanic brings so much depth, replayability, and fun to the mix!”
- “Overall, great game with a fantastic card mechanic, fantastic soundtrack, and great bosses.”
- “While it is a very curious mechanic, you're at the complete mercy of the game's RNG.”
- “I was initially apprehensive about the card system, thinking it was probably going to be too unbalanced and feel too detached from the core gameplay.”
- “If you've played Touhou before, you know what to expect from the gameplay; if not, I probably wouldn't recommend starting with this game in particular.”
replayability
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
67%
7%
The game's replayability is significantly enhanced by the innovative ability card mechanic, which introduces diverse strategies and combinations for each playthrough. Players appreciate the depth this system adds, making each run feel unique and encouraging experimentation with different characters and card synergies. Overall, it is regarded as the most replayable entry in the Touhou series, offering a wealth of content and challenges beyond traditional difficulty modes.
- “Each playthrough feels completely different based on the cards you choose, so it's super replayable.”
- “The card mechanic brings so much depth, replayability, and fun to the mix!”
- “The new card mechanic is great and gives a lot of replayability; the only problem is when you don't have a quick guide of what each card does, so it can be quite confusing if you are not aware of the card's abilities.”
- “I love touhou games, but as much as I hate to admit, there isn't much replay value in them.”
- “The ability cards add a mountain of replayability in a game series that asks you to play countless times to get good and eventually beat the game without continues.”
- “The game not only has four characters but with the card mechanic it becomes the most replayable Touhou game by far.”
story
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
Touhou 18 features a straightforward and lighthearted story that diverges from the darker themes of its predecessor, focusing on a quirky quest involving a diverse cast of characters. While the narrative lacks tension, it is appreciated for its unique premise and humor, making it enjoyable despite its simplicity. Overall, the story complements the vibrant gameplay and is enhanced by a strong soundtrack, appealing to both newcomers and series veterans.
- “Touhou 18 is not as dark as Touhou 17, and its story is simple enough to understand even without an extended knowledge of the game.”
- “Overall, Touhou 18 has vibrant colors and characters, a simple story, and one of the best soundtracks.”
- “Raymoo and friends go on a quest to stop the illegal magic: the gathering card proliferation in ye olde Japan.”
- “I can appreciate storytelling that doesn't rely on universe or world-ending threats, but this particular one lacked tension.”
- “While the story may be simple, the gameplay is somewhat on the more complicated side.”
- “Story: a shrine maiden who doesn't like to do her job, a kleptomaniac witch, a time-traveling maid, and a clueless shrine maiden from the real world climb up Youkai Mountain to stop someone from spreading dangerous magic cards with magical powers that can be bought and sold as a form of currency.”
humor
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by quirky and whimsical designs, such as a humorous centipede girl and amusing characters like a funny cat and fairy cards. While many players find these elements entertaining, some feel that the humor does not resonate deeply with their personal mindset. Overall, the game successfully incorporates a lighthearted and comedic tone through its creative character designs.
- “The characters look funny and they feel unconnected to my mindset.”
- “It is admitted that Zun introduces many funny designs to this piece.”
- “Funny fairy cards.”
graphics
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The graphics have seen significant improvements, showcasing a vibrant and charming Zun-styled artwork that retains its signature appeal. Players appreciate the enhanced visuals and the overwhelming use of color, which adds to the overall experience compared to the previous game.
- “The overwhelming amount of color the visuals have is amazing.”
- “Zun's artwork has seen some major improvements.”
- “His artwork may be his usual Zun-styled artwork, but it's charming in a way.”
- “The graphics are your standard ZUN fare.”
- “ZUN's artwork has gotten some major improvements.”
- “His artwork may be his usual ZUN-styled artwork, but it's charming in a way.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players appreciate the grinding aspect as a means to unlock new cards and enhance their gameplay experience, emphasizing that it feels rewarding rather than tedious. The grind is seen as a pathway to improvement and discovery, with the potential for exciting new content at each store visit.
- “You unlock them throughout the game; you do a little multiple run grinding to get some cards you might like, get the cards you like, then kick ass with those cards.”
- “No longer are you just grinding to get good; who knows what the next store has.”
- “Just keep grinding and you'll get closer to that normal clear too!”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Overall, the new character designs received positive feedback, with particular praise for characters like Takane, Sannyo, Tsukasa, and Megumu. However, some designs, specifically Misumaru and Chimata, were criticized as unappealing.
- “I really like most of the new character designs, particularly Takane, Sannyo, Tsukasa, and Megumu.”
- “I really like most of the new character designs, particularly Takane, Sannyo, Tsukasa, and Megumu, but Misumaru and Chimata just look stupid, if I'm being honest.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game's stability is criticized for being highly unstable and filled with bugs, with some users expressing a lack of expectation for any fixes from the developers.
- “I love that the game's a buggy mess and the developers won't even bother fixing it.”
- “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable.”
- “I can't believe how often I encounter glitches that ruin the experience.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The optimization of the game is noted to be highly refined, reaching a level where further improvements may be unnecessary; however, some players suggest that alternative scoring methods, such as displaying the money count at the end of stage 6, could enhance the experience.
- “This has already been optimized to the point of counterstop, so maybe the money count at the end of stage 6 would've been a more fitting score tally here.”