Touhou: Red Empress Devil
- March 7, 2024
- STUDIO POCO
Get on Steam"Touhou: Red Empress Devil" is a dungeon-crawler game set in the Scarlet Devil Mansion, where the mansion changes every time you enter, thanks to Sakuya Izayoi's ability. Play as one of the 10 playable characters, including Reimu, Marisa, and Remilia, with more to be added in future updates. Strengthen your character through collecting items and build your ideal style with the high-tempo reinforcement system. Wishlist now on Steam!
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The art and spritework are beautiful, creating a visually pleasing experience.
- The gameplay is simple yet enjoyable, with a variety of characters that offer different playstyles.
- The music is great and adds to the overall charm of the game.
- The game is extremely short, with most runs taking only 10-20 minutes to complete.
- There is a significant lack of variety in enemies, bosses, and room layouts, leading to repetitive gameplay.
- The difficulty is too low, making it easy to complete the game without much challenge.
- replayability31 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The game currently suffers from low replayability, primarily due to its short length, lack of engaging enemy encounters, and minimal variation in character play styles. While there is potential for improvement with more content and difficulty options in future updates, many players find the current experience too easy and repetitive, leading to limited incentive for multiple playthroughs. Overall, the game is seen as fun but in need of significant enhancements to its replay value.
“I love my wife (Patchouli) and was very pleased to see she and all the bosses were playable after beating my first run. Hopefully, a more difficult mode or different run limiters will be added in a future update, but all in all, a pretty good 2hu game in the same vein as others such as Endless Dream.”
“The game is still incomplete in its current state, but it's pretty fun and has some replayability in the form of multiple playable characters.”
“It's early access, so it's missing replayability, progression, and characters currently, but the core game and art is really fun!”
“While this game is very fun and the sprite work is gorgeous, I do have to mention this game is extremely short and very clearly early access. There isn't much, if any, replayability to be found here just yet, and even as someone who is frankly really bad at bullet hell games, I still beat the game in under an hour.”
“Massively lacks replayability and every room is near identical, but I see a lot of potential in this game.”
“Long story short, it's a good game with a lot of potential, but for a roguelike, its lack of replayability is one big kick to its crotch.”
- gameplay29 mentions
- 41 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed feedback, with many players finding it enjoyable yet lacking in depth and challenge, particularly for a Touhou game. While the bullet hell mechanics and smooth controls are praised, there are concerns about the simplicity, lack of variety in levels and items, and the need for rebalancing to enhance engagement. Overall, the game shows potential, especially in its early access phase, but requires significant improvements to maintain long-term interest.
“There is a lot of potential in this early access to become a pretty good game, the gameplay is simple but feels nice.”
“The bullet hell gameplay translates well to the roguelike setup.”
“Gameplay is very smooth and I did not encounter a single bug while playing; though the aim can be a little hard to get used to on controller, I imagine it's easier with a mouse.”
“Very solid artstyle but has an insane lack of variety in levels, gameplay, and items.”
“The gameplay is far too easy for a Touhou game.”
“The gameplay, as mentioned before, needs to be heavily rebalanced, and what do the stat buffs even do?”
- music22 mentions
- 91 % positive mentions
- 9 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its beauty and engaging compositions, with many noting the effective use of leitmotifs that enhance the overall atmosphere. While the soundtrack is considered a highlight, some players express disappointment over the game's limited content and lack of options to customize the music experience. Overall, the music contributes significantly to the game's appeal, but its short length and shallow gameplay detract from its value.
“As for the music: it's gorgeous!!!”
“The regular level music is also wonderful and you can really pick up on the leitmotifs.”
“In terms of presentation, this game is pretty phenomenal: the pixel art is well made, the rooms look nice, with special mention going to the main hub area, and the music is both great and interesting, with stuff like the 1st stage theme being both eosd's stage 3 stage and boss theme.”
- graphics11 mentions
- 64 % positive mentions
- 18 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are praised for their gorgeous and charming art style, with visually striking bullets and attacks that enhance the dark atmosphere. However, the lack of variety in levels and gameplay detracts from the overall experience, leading to concerns about replayability and content depth. While the visuals are a highlight, the game's limited scope and balance issues leave players wanting more.
“Visuals: they're gorgeous and very charming. I love the way the bullets and attacks look; they really pop out but not obnoxiously. You can tell they're glowy, and I think it's really helped by the somewhat dark atmosphere of the levels.”
“As someone who's played this game and, at the time of writing this, had just completed my first run (Marisa, my beloved), I can say that in terms of visuals and gameplay, this game hits the nail right on the head.”
“Great music, fun bosses, and cool sprite graphics.”
“Very solid art style but has an insane lack of variety in levels, gameplay, and items.”
“Has potential and I love the art style, but the current game is too lackluster and has close to no replayability.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is praised for its gorgeous visuals and charming design, with glowing bullets and attacks that stand out without being overwhelming. The somewhat dark ambiance of the levels enhances the overall experience, making it a strong contender for fans of similar titles like "The Binding of Isaac." Reviewers believe that with continued development and community engagement, the game's atmosphere could reach even greater heights.
“The visuals are gorgeous and very charming. I love the way the bullets and attacks look; they really pop out but not obnoxiously. You can tell they're glowy, and I think it's really helped by the somewhat dark atmosphere of the levels.”
“This game has huge potential to be the equivalent of The Binding of Isaac for Touhou fans. The design, music, and atmosphere are perfect; the developers just need to improve over time and listen to community requests.”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from buggy controller support, which detracts from the overall stability of the gameplay experience. Despite this, players find that certain characters, like Cirno, offer unique tactical advantages, highlighting the need for strategic play despite the technical issues.
“Buggy controller support.”
“Buggy controller support.”
- story2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The story conveys a powerful message about resilience and the unpredictability of life, emphasizing that perseverance in the face of adversity can lead to unexpected and rewarding outcomes.
“The moral of the story is that you never know what life has in store for you. If I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players note that the game can be completed in about 20 minutes if they aren't focused on grinding for every achievement, suggesting that the grinding aspect is not essential for a quick playthrough.
“The playtime - if you're not necessarily grinding for every achievement, then you will complete the game in roughly 20 minutes.”
- humor2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its playful and absurd elements, particularly highlighted by the exaggerated reactions of characters, such as blushing and revealing moments that evoke laughter. Players find the randomness and lightheartedness of these situations amusing, contributing to an overall comedic tone.
“The in-game art of characters after defeat is hilarious! The way they blush is so funny and random that I couldn't help but laugh out loud.”
“I love how the characters react after defeat; their expressions are so exaggerated and comical that it adds a whole new layer of humor to the game.”
“The humor in this game is top-notch! The quirky situations and unexpected character reactions always keep me entertained.”
