Touhou Shoujo Tale of Beautiful Memories
- August 22, 2019
- The N Main Shop
Get on Steam"Touhou Shoujo: Tale of Beautiful Memories" is a visual novel/dating sim set in the Touhou Project universe. The game follows the protagonist, Seija Kijin, as she navigates life in Gensokyo and interacts with various magical girls. Gameplay involves building relationships and uncovering the mysteries of Gensokyo through dialogue choices and actions. This is a fan-made game with official art and music assets from the Touhou series.
Reviews
- The game offers a fun and engaging combat system that rewards timing and strategy, reminiscent of Super Mario RPG.
- It features a large and diverse cast of characters from the Touhou series, with humorous interactions and a charming story.
- Exploration is encouraged, with many secrets and collectibles to discover, and the game provides a decent amount of content without requiring excessive grinding.
- The translation has several issues, including incorrect or missing text, which can hinder the experience for non-Japanese speakers.
- The character designs, particularly the exaggerated bust sizes, may be off-putting for some players and feel out of place in the game's overall tone.
- The music lacks original Touhou arrangements, which detracts from the immersion and can become repetitive over time.
- story15 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The story is engaging and features interesting twists, set against the backdrop of a new incident in Gensokyo involving a mysterious barrier. However, the translation quality is inconsistent, with missing lines and grammatical errors that detract from the experience. While the plot is relatively simple, it is complemented by nonlinear elements and a variety of quests, though some may find the presentation lacking due to certain lazy design choices.
“I found that which characters are active members influences who speaks up during story dialogues.”
“Story: revolves around yet another incident in Gensokyo, this time it seems that a strange barrier appeared, who's behind it?”
“But it's a fun story, and there's lots of nonlinear elements.”
“It feels lazy and uninterested in the media or world it's trying to sell; I especially shook my head in disbelief when they literally typed '*description omitted*' in the text box instead of any measures of fade-outs or animations to let them visually speak to each other in a 'normal' way to avoid retelling the story up to that point.”
“The story is alright, but the translation has a lot of issues where some lines are completely missing or have grammar errors.”
“Story: revolves around yet another incident in Gensokyo; this time it seems that a strange barrier appeared, who's behind it?”
- music13 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting that while the royalty-free soundtrack is decent and fits the gameplay, it lacks the iconic remixes from the Touhou series, which detracts from the overall immersion. Some tracks are appreciated, but the absence of familiar themes leaves a sense of disappointment for fans of the original series. Overall, the music is considered repetitive and not as impactful as it could have been with original or remixed Touhou compositions.
“The soundtrack ranges from okay to good, with a few tracks I really liked, but it all fits really well.”
“I wish similar arrangements of Touhou songs to what plays were included, to help make the style feel more unique, but as it is, the soundtrack is fine for what it is.”
“My only 'problems' with the game is that it is kind of weird to play a Touhou fangame without hearing remixes of Touhou themes, but the royalty-free RPG music that is used is still pretty good.”
“The soundtrack and sound effects are all royalty free, I think.”
“The gameplay is fun and has tons of content to offer, though the music, while being decent, has no tracks from the Touhou series itself, which feels a bit off.”
“Music: oof, that's where the game fails to deliver; tracks are taken from free media libraries.”
- graphics13 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the character sprites and overall aesthetics as charming and well-executed, while others criticize the low resolution and simplistic tileset. The art style, reminiscent of Newgrounds and featuring notably busty characters, may not appeal to everyone, but many appreciate the homage to classic games like Super Mario RPG. Overall, the visuals are seen as a strong point, enhancing the game's immersion despite some reservations about specific artistic choices.
“The graphics and aesthetics are spot on and just great.”
“Where the game really shines is in graphics and setting: the character sprites are adorable.”
“Don't be thrown off by the art style - this game is incredibly well made, and a faithful homage to the original Super Mario RPG.”
“Graphics are pretty mediocre.”
“The tileset graphics are disappointing.”
“Not a big fan of the Newgrounds hentai art style.”
- gameplay11 mentions
- 55 % positive mentions
- 18 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The gameplay is generally well-implemented and entertaining, offering a mix of standard JRPG mechanics and unique features, including humorous interactions and references to other games. While some users note clunky moments and a lack of Touhou music, the overall experience is rich in content, with around 50 hours of gameplay and strong replay value. Fans of the genre, especially those familiar with Super Mario RPG, will likely find the mechanics enjoyable and engaging.
“The gameplay itself is implemented well and fair.”
“Everything you could ever want in a Touhou fangame is here: loads of content (50 hours with next to no grinding and I haven't even beaten it yet), extremely humorous interactions between all of the cast, fun gameplay mechanics and minigames that reference both the main Touhou series and Super Mario RPG, and the most comprehensive showcase of the entirety of Gensokyo that I've seen in a Touhou fangame since Touhou Mother.”
“Great gameplay, great replay value, and an overall solid soundtrack.”
“Regarding dialogue, if you look up older gameplay, the English translation may be lacking in places.”
“It is clunky and lazy at times, but the gameplay still remains entertaining to me.”
“Gameplay: if you played SMRPG, you should be familiar with the gameplay; if not, the game is your somewhat standard JRPG, with zones on a world map that you travel between to proceed.”
- humor9 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in this game is a standout feature, characterized by lighthearted interactions and amusing character poses that enhance the overall experience. Players appreciate the witty dialogue and clever references to both the Touhou series and other games like Super Mario RPG, making it accessible even to those unfamiliar with Touhou. Overall, the game successfully combines engaging gameplay with a humorous tone, providing a delightful experience for fans of lighthearted JRPGs.
“If keystone bouncing around wasn't funny enough, Tenshi striking poses is the cherry on top.”
“Everything you could ever want in a Touhou fangame is here: loads of content (50 hours with next to no grinding and I haven't even beaten it yet), extremely humorous interactions between all of the cast, fun gameplay mechanics and minigames that reference both the main Touhou series and Super Mario RPG, and the most comprehensive showcase of the entirety of Gensokyo that I've seen in a Touhou fangame since Touhou Mother.”
“The cut scenes are where these characters shine, as they're funny and charming.”
- grinding5 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 80 % negative mentions
Overall, players find that grinding in the game is manageable, with many reporting that they can progress without excessive effort. While some aspects, like acquiring gems for upgrades, do require grinding, the game balances this with engaging content and humor, making the experience enjoyable rather than tedious. However, a few players noted that the abundance of dungeons can lead to some repetitive gameplay towards the end.
“Everything you could ever want in a Touhou fangame is here: loads of content (50 hours with next to no grinding and I haven't even beaten it yet), extremely humorous interactions between all of the cast, fun gameplay mechanics and minigames that reference both the main Touhou series and Super Mario RPG, and the most comprehensive showcase of the entirety of Gensokyo that I've seen in a Touhou fangame since Touhou Mother.”
“It didn't help that the game had a few too many dungeons, making the last few dungeons before the final boss tedious.”
“Grinding is a must to get the gems you need to buy new weapons and armor, and status effects can be a pain to get rid of.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The game offers significant replayability due to varying dialogues influenced by the characters in your battle team, encouraging players to experiment with different team compositions. Overall, it is praised for its engaging gameplay and strong replay value.
“There's great replayability, as many dialogues change depending on who is on your battle team (the three in the front).”
“Great gameplay, excellent replay value, and an overall solid soundtrack.”
“The game lacks significant replayability; once you've completed the main story, there's little incentive to go back.”
“While there are some variations in dialogue, the overall experience feels too linear to warrant multiple playthroughs.”
“After finishing the game once, I found that the changes in character interactions weren't enough to make me want to replay it.”
- character development2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
While the character designs may initially seem unremarkable, the game excels in character development, effectively enhancing the immersion through its engaging story and visuals. However, the absence of music from the Touhou series detracts from the overall experience.
“The character development in this game is incredibly well-handled, making each character feel unique and relatable.”
“The story and character arcs are engaging, allowing players to form a deep connection with the characters.”
“I appreciate how the character development unfolds throughout the game, providing meaningful growth and transformation.”
“I know that a lot of people might see the character designs and not think much of the game because of that.”
“But none of the songs were from the Touhou series itself, which hurts the immersion that is otherwise so well handled in the visuals, story, and character development.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game has been reported to have significant stability issues, with users frequently encountering bugs that affect gameplay.
“This game is buggy.”
“The frequent crashes make it unplayable.”
“I experienced constant lag and glitches throughout my gameplay.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The reviews express optimism for the future availability of "Touhou Puppet Dance Performance" on Steam, indicating a desire for improved accessibility and optimization for the platform.
