Touhou: New World
- July 13, 2023
- Ankake Spa
Get on Steam
Get on PS StoreIn "Touhou: New World" , shrine maiden Reimu Hakurei and magician Marisa Kirisame are transported to the outside world. After Sumireko, a human girl obsessed with Gensokyo, joins them, they must return home and restore peace to the lands. This fan-made game from Ankake Spa features Touhou Project-style shoot 'em up gameplay with unique shrine maiden and magician abilities.
Nintendo Switch
PC
Playstation 4
Playstation 5
Windows
Ea Origin
PlayStation
Reviews
- The game features a charming art style and fantastic music, with many remixes that fans of the series will appreciate.
- Boss battles are engaging and well-designed, providing a satisfying challenge that keeps players invested.
- The combat system is enjoyable and easy to learn, with a variety of skills and mechanics that enhance gameplay.
- The game suffers from significant frame rate issues, making it difficult to enjoy the experience fully.
- Many levels and enemy encounters feel repetitive and lack variety, leading to a monotonous gameplay experience.
- The story can be convoluted and conflicts with established canon, which may disappoint long-time fans of the Touhou series.
- story104 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The game's story features two distinct protagonists, Reimu and Marisa, each offering unique perspectives and side quests, which enhances the overall experience. However, some players feel that the missions can become repetitive and that the two storylines do not intersect, leading to a sense of redundancy when replaying. While the narrative is engaging and includes optional side quests, it occasionally deviates from established canon, which may disappoint some fans.
“As a Scarlet Curiosity fan, I waited for this game for like ten years, and it was great. Both protagonists offer a different point of view of the story, and the different side quests are a massive upgrade since Scarlet Curiosity.”
“The main story is much longer than Scarlet Curiosity's, and the addition of optional side quests is nice.”
“Reimu and Marisa's routes differ enough, with regard to both the main story and the side quests, that I recommend you play through both.”
“The 'world map' is really just a mission board, and every mission basically feels the same.”
“Having to play the other character's story for 4 achievements to 100% the game, yes there are slight differences, but it's essentially just having to replay the whole game again.”
“I didn't really enjoy the story.”
- music48 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 27 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many praising its fantastic quality and memorable tracks, including notable remixes from the Touhou series. While some players noted that certain boss themes did not match their characters, the overall soundtrack is described as exceptional and enjoyable, enhancing the gameplay experience. Additionally, new music tracks have been highlighted as being on par with or even better than returning favorites, contributing to the game's immersive atmosphere.
“I love the worldbuilding, I love the characters, the music... there's so much to love about Gensokyo.”
“The music is absolutely incredible, props to Hachimitsu-Lemon.”
“Let's start with a quick positive: the new music tracks that were added are excellent, as good if not better than the ones that made a return!”
“But they didn't give their proper OST to some characters, which is truly awkward.”
“- A small number of boss fights use music themes that don't belong to said characters.”
“As for the music, it's solid, but it's hard as a biased Touhou fan to find bad remixes in the first place.”
- gameplay44 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The gameplay is generally enjoyable, featuring interesting mechanics like the "perfect guard" system that adds a layer of strategy, though it can feel janky at times. While the game offers a good challenge, especially on higher difficulties, some players note a lack of depth compared to its predecessor, "Scarlet Curiosity," with fewer skills and less postgame content. Overall, it serves as a solid entry point for newcomers to the genre, with a fun core loop and engaging boss battles, despite some repetitive elements in level design.
“The mechanics were interesting, and it's essentially a race to figure out how to dodge/block things before dying and trying again.”
“It can be a bit janky at times, but the overall gameplay is fun, and on bullet hell difficulty, the challenge is just about right, with most fights still being pretty simple, with just enough really tough ones to keep it interesting.”
“A big gimmick is the parrying or 'perfect guard' mechanic where you can block a melee attack, becoming invincible and slowing down time for a few seconds.”
“New World feels like Scarlet Curiosity with more polish but less substance. It's clear that a lot more care was put into the levels, gear, bosses, and mechanics, but there are significantly fewer skills to play with and less unorthodox gear. The postgame content is also lacking, and while the levels don't overstay their welcome, I miss the absurd movement mechanics from the previous game.”
“The reforging mechanic is introduced rather late in the game and isn't of much use if you already got lucky with near-perfect stat rolls.”
“Outside of bosses, the gameplay can get a little tedious at times. Some stages go on for too long, and I wish there was voice acting.”
- graphics18 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 28 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their cute art style and vibrant visuals, appealing particularly to Touhou fans. While not on par with AAA titles, the visuals are considered enjoyable and reminiscent of earlier PlayStation graphics, with potential for further development. Overall, players find the graphics to enhance the fun and quirky nature of the game.
“Overall, it's a very fun game with amazing visuals, mostly for Touhou fans.”
“The art style is so cute!”
“The game is really fun, has a really nice soundtrack, great graphics, and it's goofy. I do wish it could be a tad harder and some characters would have more attack patterns, but overall this game is probably on par with Luna Nights in terms of its quality.”
“The stage levels remind me of earlier PlayStation era-level graphics.”
“It's not triple-A graphics, but there's potential for sure.”
“Run in fullscreen for smoothness, and with low or medium graphics.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players have expressed that the game delivers a refreshing and consistent level of humor, making it one of the most laugh-inducing experiences they've had in recent times.
“It's been a long time since a game made me laugh so much.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users express a strong desire for a Touhou roguelite that incorporates similar mechanics, highlighting the potential for high replayability. This suggests that the existing mechanics are engaging enough to warrant repeated playthroughs, indicating a positive outlook on the genre's future within the Touhou universe.
“It makes me look forward to seeing a Touhou roguelite launched someday, using similar mechanics, with replayability.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be somewhat tedious, particularly outside of boss encounters, with some stages feeling overly lengthy. The lack of voice acting also contributes to the monotony during these extended gameplay segments.
“Outside of bosses, the gameplay can get a little tedious at times. Some stages go on for too long.”
“The grinding feels repetitive and lacks variety, making it hard to stay engaged.”
“I found myself doing the same tasks over and over, which made the experience feel more like a chore than fun.”
