Touhou Spell Carnival review

The Touhou Project began as a collection of meticulously coded bullet-hell shooters (or danmaku) Coded 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 inventive setting and characters. Set in a fictional land called Gensokyo, where Feudal tradition, folk lore, 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, recurring protagonist Reimu Hakurei’s adventures have been remarkably diverse. No longer just the lead character in shoot ‘em up, and shrine maiden and her Gensokyo-based brethren have starred in fighting games, platformers, racers, roguelikes – seemingly penetrating almost every genre in gaming.

With the release of Touhou Spell Carnival codevelopers Compile Heart and Sting Entertainment, Reimu headlines an inspired outing where RTS-style combat and bullet-hell projectiles intermingle. Just make sure that you’re a competent multitasker before attending Spell Carnival because fights can be mentally demanding.

Quick Orders or Low-Level Control?

Set against a monthlong competition, the campaign’s episodic battles task up to five allies with defeating a team of adversaries on a chessboard-like playfield. Intriguingly, there are two approaches to movement and attacking. The fastest way is by executing a Quick Move, with a double tap sending all of your Touhou teammates toward a selected grid tile.

Likewise, a Quick Graze orders your allies to relocate, while attempting to evade any enemy projectiles. Lastly, a Quick Attack will initiate the entire team to assault a specific tile with their ranged own bullet-based attacks. Of course, each maneuver hinges on the availability of Action Points (or AP) for each unit. Mercifully, this resource gradually replenishes over time, making AP administration a crucial strategy in combat.

Layers of Complexity

Alternatively, Spell Carnival lets you micromanage your party numbers. Here, you can command units to split up, dividing your enemies’ focus. By selecting an individual combatant, you have complete control over their skills and abilities. This provides access to things like area-of-effect healing zones and character-specific talents, providing granular control over your Touhou troops. But here’s the thing: controlling each additional teammate beyond a pair of fighters can make conflict exponentially more taxing since the fights never pause.

Beyond an inventory of different opponent types who each have their own firing patterns, variety is rooted in a number of shrewd design decisions. You have access to a very limited number of bombs that can clear bullets and damage foes. Colored attribute tiles affect any unit placed on the square, while objects can hamper, or in the case of one device, generate bullet patterns. Factor in unlockable characters, spells, bonus items, equipment, as well as momentum-shifting Ace Cards, and there’s a remarkable amount of variability found in battle. And while there are three difficulty levels, there’s no option to ever suspend the flow of combat. Fights always occur in real-time, compelling players to learn how to scrutinize Carnival’s busy battlefields.

An Emphasis of Play Over Plot

As with most Touhou offshoots, the plot is puddle-deep but rich in personality. The game’s premise is rooted in mysterious pillars rising up around Gensokyo, signaling a festival held by Yukari Yakumo. True to her disposition in previous works, she’s a manipulative mastermind, leaning some to deliberate on the reasons for the Spell Carnival’s rather sudden announcement.

The good news is that the frequent conversations feature screen-filling, animated portraits of Gensokyo’s notables. The dialog itself is occasionally ambiguous, but entertaining, especially as you venture into the side-episodes for some of Spell Carnival’s secondaries. Some familiarity with the source material is advised, since much of the humor stems from the interplay between different personality types. For Touhou Project devotees, venturing to a 3D recreation of Hakurei Shrine is charming.

Conclusion

Undoubtedly, Touhou Spell Carnival is one of the more creative spin-offs for Reimu, Marissa, and the rest of the Gensokyo gals. Elevated by a battle system that merges the property’s lavish projectile patterns with several layers of strategy, every showdown manages to feel fun and frantic.