Touhou: New World review

Sure, it’s a bit too tempting to use Reimu or Marisa’s specials to disgrace the game’s bosses. But Touhou: New World’s accessible action and charming characters helps make up for some small balancing issues.

The Touhou Project began with a collection of meticulously-coded bullet-hell shooters, or danmaku. Crafted by a former Taito programmer, who operated under the moniker of Team Shanghai Alice, the games earned distinction not just for the mind-boggling number of on-screen projectiles thrown at the player, but also for their imaginative setting and appealing characters. Set in a fictional land called Gensokyo, where feudal tradition, folklore, and pop culture intermingle, Touhou quickly resonated with players. When coupled with the creator’s refreshingly lax approach to the property, fan-crafted efforts soon proliferated.

Over the past two decades, conventional lead Reimu Hakurei’s adventures have become remarkably diverse. No longer just the lead character in shooters, she and her Gensokyo-based brethren have starred in fighting games, platformers, racers, and roguelikes- seemingly representing almost every genre in gaming. In Touhou: New World, the beloved shrine maiden and her closest friend, Marisa Kirisame tackle enemies in an action game that blends several play mechanics. If you ever wished that TT Games’ LEGO series had cuter protagonists and action that took place in a fantastical realm, the journey to New World might be worth pursuing- especially given the title’s affordable price point.

“You’re Really From Gensokyo? How Cool!”

New World’s succinct cinematics tell of a time when humans and youkai freely intermingled. But a reliance on rationality by the former faction led to the gradual exodus of the latter. Eventually, a barrier was erected to create a safe habitat for Gensokyo’s spirits. And while that division held steady for years, it’s beginning to erode. What follows are two separate storylines that send a human girl from the “outside world” named Sumireko Usami into Gensokyo. Unsurprisingly, Reimu and Marisa struggle to bring her back home safely.

While the ‘fish out of water’ premise is a bit bland, it isn’t a complete bore. Sumireko is obsessed with Gensokyo, filling her free time reading about its particulars. So, when she arrives there, she acts like a weeb who has just stepped off the plane at Hanada airport, revealing an enthusiastic but often stereotypical perspective of things. And while the dialog mostly pushes the plot along, it’s New World’s visuals that truly bring Gensokyo to life.

Cute as a Shelf of Good Smile Figurines

New World employs gorgeous character portraits during conversations. Although each character doesn’t exhibit many facial expressions, the size of the art is impressive, with each hand-drawn figure filling up half of the screen. Even better are some of the rendered environments. Games often struggle to show cluttered spaces, but Korindou’s shop truly realistically reflects when a small area is crammed with a variety of arbitrary objects. From the multitude of clocks on the walls, a gumball machine, and a tanuki statue in the corner, New World’s environments offer as much exposition as the character interchanges. But oddly, the game’s artistry isn’t consistent and you’ll find the rare stage that recalls a high-resolution PlayStation 2-era adventure.

That said, doujin circle Ankake Spa deserves points for its ambition. Much like their earlier work, Touhou: Scarlet Curiosity, the character models are all devotedly modeled and beguiling to look at. When you get to zoom in, Reimu’s miko attire is both frilly and pleated, while Ms. Kirisame’s outfit resembles denim. Bosses are showstoppers too. Sure, you’ll fight the occasional surly humanoid but battling a giant doll with glowing eyes or avoiding the pinchers of a giant blue crab is a visual delight. Even when New World shirks the feudal influence, it’s eye-catching – especially when the game captures the appeal of a quiet, old shrine juxtaposed against a decidedly modern metropolitan area.

Combat is Enjoyable, Platforming Isn’t

Save for a small bit of haphazard platforming (falling carries no penalty), New World’s action is engaging. Whether you opt to play as Reimu or Marisa, each protagonist has a punchy melee combo as well as defensive shielding. Counter timing can often alienate those who haven’t developed a hyper-responsive skillset. But New World is incredibly generous with its timing and rewards players with several seconds of enemy slowdown. Even if you’re an action novice, you’ll feel like Gensokyo’s biggest badass.

Yes, New World’s balance favors the player. When Reimu or Marisa is low on health, you can press a trigger to instantly restore a signification portion. The cooldown timer for rejuvenation is pleasingly quick, too.  But it’s your ranged strikes that are the star of the show, with four attacks that can dish out the hurt. Just don’t expect the feeling of beating a boss just before you perish. One of your attacks is so powerful that it can habitually remove a third of an elevated enemy’s health supply. The only real downside is when an enemy knocks you out momentarily. When this happens, your character can’t even heal, putting you in a precarious situation.

The Touhou Project is notorious for its clouds of perilous enemy bullets, that you have to nimbly navigate through. New World brings this into its combat system by having some of its basic enemies and most of its bosses emit patterns of projectiles. When this occurs, you’ll want to jump over any of the colored bullets, which is typically an easy feat. Even if your timing is off, restoring your health is an invaluable tactic.

Conclusion

Sporadically destructible containers and enemies will drop colorful containers that contain upgraded weapons, armor, and accessories. While there’s the occasional stat boost, there’s not much diversity across the items you can equip, which feels like a missed opportunity. And while you can swap out your skills to customize each character’s approach, time spent tweaking each loadout didn’t produce any noteworthy dividends. There’s a currency system in place, but paying to reforging items is redundant since they have a similar stat as found gear. As such, if you’re approaching New World expecting some light role-playing, keep your expectations subdued.

Save for a bit of bloat and some late-game tedium, Touhou: New World is a thoroughly enjoyable experience. Plus, it’s difficult to not appreciate a title that shirks terms and conditions agreements, destructive DLC practices, as well as the need for day-one patches. New World makes a strong case for fan-made projects by delivering an affordable, agreeable adventure that will romance your retinas with an amble amount of cuteness.

Touhou: New World was played on PC
with review code provided by the publisher.