東方剛欲異聞　～ 水没した沈愁地獄

86%
Game Brain Score Based on 310 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • music
東方剛欲異聞　～ 水没した沈愁地獄 Game Cover
Starting at $19.99Buy now
Get on Steam

Touhou Gouyoku Ibun: Sunken Fossil World is the 17.5th installment of the Touhou Project, created by Team Shanghai Alice, with Twilight Frontier's collaboration. The game is described as a "horizontal side-scrolling danmaku water action game" on the official website.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

86%
Audience ScoreBased on 310 reviews
story26 positive mentions
stability6 negative mentions
  • The game features beautiful art, great music, and a solid story that appeals to Touhou fans.
  • Each character has a unique playstyle, making the gameplay diverse and engaging once mastered.
  • The game offers a challenging experience that tests players' skills, with a rewarding sense of accomplishment upon mastering its mechanics.
  • The controls can be clunky and unintuitive, leading to frustration, especially for new players.
  • The game suffers from balance issues, with some characters being significantly easier or harder to use against certain bosses.
  • There is a lack of proper tutorials for all characters, making it difficult for players to learn their movesets effectively.
  • story94 mentions

    The story of the game is generally well-received, praised for its creativity, character development, and engaging dialogue, making it a notable entry in the Touhou series. While some players find the narrative simple, it effectively ties together various character arcs and offers a satisfying climax, particularly for fans familiar with the franchise. However, the lack of an English translation can hinder full appreciation of the story for some players, and the gameplay mechanics may detract from the overall experience.

    • “Every Touhou fan deserves to see the final story of this game at *least* once; the climax is really something to behold and is a rarity in the series where canonically a very serious incident isn't stopped by Reimu herself.”
    • “The story and narrative of this game is really interesting too, and ties in nicely with the previous game and even develops older characters to newer ones—something I really love.”
    • “Story was fun, the character interactions and dialogues were very enjoyable, and we got to see some characters that really needed more time in the spotlight.”
    • “The story is split up into 6 characters and the first 4 of them have gameplay styles that are incredibly janky, stiff and in many ways can interfere with playing the game on a first playthrough.”
    • “Lore seems alright, not too fair to judge it while translations are still pending but the loop is basically the same as aocf, every character hits their head on the same wall until the plot macguffin character is able to get past it and end the story.”
    • “The game is essentially yet another Tasofro fighting game's story mode, the attacks and spell cards that bosses use function in the same way.”
  • gameplay92 mentions

    Gameplay in this title is a mixed bag, with some players praising its unique mechanics and character diversity, while others criticize its clunky controls and steep learning curve. The game features engaging level designs and a satisfying core experience for those willing to master its intricacies, but many newcomers may find it frustrating and unwelcoming. Overall, while the visuals and music are well-received, the gameplay experience is polarizing and may not appeal to everyone.

    • “Overall, good gameplay and level designs, nice art, and nice music.”
    • “The gameplay is incredibly addicting and when you get down the mechanics and actually understand how it plays, it is very easy to understand.”
    • “Character movement is nice and crisp, the control scheme takes a little getting used to (however eventually ends up working fine), the game aesthetics are quite charming, and the gameplay itself is fun and enjoyable.”
    • “This game is, without a doubt, the worst game in the Touhou project in terms of gameplay.”
    • “Needless to say that gameplay is the most important part of the game and, in this game's case, it fails it hard.”
    • “Unfortunately, the package as a whole doesn't salvage the frankly awful gameplay.”
  • music75 mentions

    The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers highlighting it as a standout feature that enhances the overall experience. Fans appreciate the consistent quality of the soundtrack, praising both new compositions and arrangements of classic tunes, particularly noting the final boss themes as exceptional. Overall, the music is described as a significant draw for the game, contributing to its artistic and atmospheric appeal.

    • “Ah and btw, the soundtrack is a masterpiece, as always with Touhou; buying the game just for that is already worth it haha.”
    • “The music is of course amazing as always, and the final stage/boss' music are among the best in the franchise.”
    • “Banger music and artwork but wtf is this gameplay”
    • “The music is pretty on-point which is something you'd expect for sure from a Touhou game at least.”
    • “Ziki_7 pulled out all the stops with the soundtrack.”
  • graphics44 mentions

    The game's graphics are widely praised for their creative and beautiful art style, featuring charming pixel animations and unique character designs that enhance the overall aesthetic. While many appreciate the vibrant visuals and the nostalgic return of beloved characters, some critiques mention a rushed feel and a pixel filter that detracts from the original artwork's clarity. Overall, the graphics contribute significantly to the game's appeal, complemented by a strong musical score.

    • “It's an insanely creative game that has an equally creative and beautiful art style and story.”
    • “The artwork in this game is amazing and the OST is just beautiful, which is good for the amount of frustration this game can cause in its current build, which is version 1.02.”
    • “It has fantastic pixel graphics and animations with a unique art style, a cute little funny story, and nice challenging gameplay.”
    • “I don't feel there is any fair challenge; most of the challenge comes from the clunky controls and homogenous visuals.”
    • “Such boss rush type games as Alien Soldier or Contra: Shattered Soldier had that, and those were great games (with much better controls and much less homogenous visuals, compared to Touhou 17.5).”
    • “Banger music and artwork but wtf is this gameplay.”
  • humor12 mentions

    The humor in the game is highlighted by its amusing character expressions, quirky story elements, and comedic attack animations, particularly with characters like Kanako. Players appreciate the blend of challenging gameplay with lighthearted moments, though some feel it lacks the meme potential seen in other titles. Overall, the game's unique art style and funny scenarios contribute to its charm.

    • “Also, I'm surprised this game isn't used as much in Touhou memes compared to Touhou 15.5 because it has a lot of funny character expressions.”
    • “It has fantastic pixel graphics and animations with a unique art style, a cute little funny story, and nice challenging gameplay.”
    • “Imagine playing this game for the first time blindly, you're playing as Joon and Shion -- you go like, 'Wow, this is pretty cool' -- then there's a funny door, and then [spoiler] omg is that Flandre Scarlet?”
  • replayability10 mentions

    The game offers some replayability primarily through the inclusion of additional playable characters and higher difficulty levels, though the core experience is largely a boss rush. While the game is enjoyable and features appealing aesthetics and music, some players find the controls and character interactions awkward, which may limit their desire to replay it extensively. Overall, replay value is contingent on individual enjoyment of the game.

    • “It's honestly mostly fun and has replay value, but sometimes can be awkward and unintuitive either with certain characters and certain attacks on certain stages, like how Muramasa's control scheme doesn't fit with the platforming of Utsuho's stage.”
    • “It's exciting to see characters like Kanako, Murasa, and Flandre playable; the music is good, the aesthetic is great, and the lore is... alright, not amazing but alright.”
    • “In a sense, the patch helps with replayability, but that's only if you enjoy the game enough.”
  • stability6 mentions

    Overall, the game's stability has significantly improved compared to earlier demo builds, which were plagued by frequent crashes. While occasional crashes still occur, particularly during extended play sessions, major glitches are rare, indicating a more stable experience overall. However, some recent releases have been criticized for their buggy performance and reliance on reused assets.

    • “While it doesn't happen too often, it can crash sometimes, which kinda sucks if you get really far in while still learning. But besides that, I haven't experienced any major glitches.”
    • “At the very least, the current build is a major improvement over the buggy messes that were the demo builds that crashed all the time.”
    • “Then AOCF and VD came out - the former was a buggy mess, which reused assets from HM and ULIL, with a poorly done story mode and netplay, and removed profile customization, while 95% of the latter consisted of reused assets and danmaku patterns in the most lazy way possible, with an awkward teleportation mechanic among other problems.”
  • atmosphere2 mentions

    The atmosphere of Touhou is highly praised for its rich lore and captivating music, appealing to players who appreciate these elements beyond the game's challenging difficulty.

    • “Touhou isn’t all about insane difficulty; for some people, it’s about the lore, music, and atmosphere.”
  • emotional2 mentions

    Players express a deep emotional connection to the game, highlighting moments of realization and mastery that evoke a sense of empowerment and triumph. The ability to chain attacks and maneuvers creates exhilarating experiences that resonate on a personal level, enhancing the overall emotional impact of gameplay.

  • character development2 mentions

    While the character designs and animations are praised for their beauty, there is no mention of depth or growth in character development, suggesting that visual appeal may overshadow narrative progression.

Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Buy 東方剛欲異聞　～ 水没した沈愁地獄

Videos

Similar Games