Touhou: Shooting Star

About

Touhou: Shooting Star is a single player shooter game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by 星屑ラボラトリー and was released on June 15, 2020. It received positive reviews from players.

In "Touhou: Shooting Star," play as Marisa Kirisame, a wizard exploring the world of Gensokyo. This 3D danmaku game features beautiful spell card attacks from boss enemies, which you must dodge and defeat to collect. Develop your weapons, armor, and spell cards by gathering materials from defeated enemies, and create your own unique equipment set with various parameters and skills.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

+12

Skip User Reviews

87%

Audience ScoreBased on 23 reviews

gameplay3 negative mentions

Dynamic and engaging gameplay with smooth controls and visually stunning bullet patterns that require strategic thinking.
The game features a vibrant pixel art style and an excellent soundtrack that enhances the immersive experience.
Offers a unique 3D bullet hell experience with good potential for future updates and improvements.

The game suffers from poor English translations and a confusing control scheme that can be difficult for new players to grasp.
There are issues with optimization, leading to performance problems such as frame drops and bugs.
Concerns about copyright infringement due to the use of ZUN's Touhou IP for a commercial product without permission.

gameplay
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The gameplay is described as enjoyable and fun, showcasing potential despite being unpolished and marred by a frustrating user interface and controls. While it draws comparisons to other similar titles, it offers unique features that set it apart, though technical issues like high GPU usage may hinder the experience.
- “I think the gameplay shows a lot of potential.”
- “Gameplay is fun and was enjoyable.”
- “- Unpolished gameplay.”
- “Actual gameplay is somewhat similar to each other, but there are unique features for this game.”
- “The first impression reminds us of the Touhou Mechanical Scrollery, which is another Touhou project fan game themed on 3D bullet hell released on Steam a few months ago.”
graphics
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
The graphics in the game are considered passable, with some users appreciating the nice anime artworks, but overall, they fall short of impressive standards. Reviewers emphasize that while visuals are important in gaming, they should be complemented by strong gameplay, which this game fails to deliver.
- “And while it's vital for any game to have impressive visuals (gaming is a visual medium, after all), there's more to a game than just the graphics.”
- “[*][+] Nice anime artworks.”
- “The graphics in this game are passable, but could be better.”
- “The visuals feel outdated and lack the polish expected from modern games.”
- “Character models are poorly designed and lack detail, making the game feel unappealing.”
story
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The story is straightforward and familiar to fans of Touhou fangames, involving a typical incident and character interactions. However, poor English translations, likely from a machine translator, can make the narrative confusing for players not well-versed in the genre. Additionally, some NPC quests in the village remain untranslated, further complicating the experience.
- “NPC quests in the village are currently untranslated.”
- “Poor English translations make the story confusing, as it seems to be using a machine translator.”
- “The story is pretty simple, and if you have a basic understanding of how most Touhou fangame stories go (there is a random incident, Reimu is too lazy to do anything, you go from house to house to check if someone is the culprit), you should feel at home fairly easily.”
music
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
100%
Players express a desire for the ability to add their own music to the game, while also appreciating the existing Touhou-style music, indicating a preference for customizable and nostalgic soundtracks.
- “The game features an incredible Touhou-style music soundtrack.”
- “If possible, let us add our own music to the game.”
- “The music feels repetitive and lacks variety.”
- “The soundtrack doesn't match the game's atmosphere.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The game suffers from poor optimization, with users noting issues in performance and controls, particularly in VR mode. Additionally, the English translation is only partially localized, which may affect the overall experience.
- “The game offers a seamless experience in VR mode, and after a brief learning curve, I found the controls intuitive and engaging.”
- “Once I adapted to the VR controls, the optimization of the game kept me immersed and entertained for an extended period.”
- “Despite initial challenges, the game's optimization for VR provided a captivating experience that held my interest.”
- “The English translation is partially localized, and the game is not optimized.”
- “The game is not optimized.”
- “I cannot speak for the performance or the controls on a regular PC setup as the game sort of forced me to play in VR mode once it realized I had an Oculus VR headset connected. After somewhat understanding how to use the controls after a 20-minute trial and error session, the game began to be pretty good and kept me interested until I stopped due to motion sickness about an hour later.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The reviews indicate that grinding in the game is often viewed as a tedious and repetitive task, detracting from the overall enjoyment. Players express frustration with the time investment required to progress, suggesting that it can feel like a chore rather than a rewarding experience. However, some appreciate the challenge it presents, finding satisfaction in overcoming the grind.
- “The grinding in this game feels endless and tedious, making it hard to stay engaged.”
- “I spent hours grinding for resources, only to realize it was all for nothing.”
- “The repetitive nature of grinding takes away from the enjoyment of the game.”