Touhou: New World

The illustrations are beautiful, the dialogue is humorous, and it leaves easter eggs for those who have followed the series for a long time. And even if you ignore all of that, it's still fun just to play the game, even without paying much attention to its narrative. This was my first game in the Touhou series, and I already feel compelled to delve deeper into the series' past. Even with minor performance issues on the World Map playing in TV mode, the overall experience was very satisfying. Who knows, maybe we'll be able to see the older games in the series on the Big N's remarkable little hybrid console.

Touhou: New World is the refreshing, fast-paced RPG you didn't know you wanted. If you're after something a little lighter and a little different, this one might be worth your time.

Touhou: New World has its moments of charm, with its beautifully crafted Gensokyo setting and the promise of blending bullet hell and action RPG elements. However, the execution leaves much to be desired. The two genres often feel at odds with each other, resulting in a disjointed and occasionally frustrating gameplay experience. While fans of the Touhou Project may find some enjoyment in revisiting Gensokyo, those looking for a seamless blend of bullet hell and action RPG may be left wanting more.

Touhou: New World offers a light-hearted RPG adventure set in a colorful location. Fluid combat backed by a stellar soundtrack makes this a great weekend binge.

Touhou: New World promises players a highly customizable action-RPG but fails to deliver on the most basic aspects of both genres.

There's a solid foundation to build upon here but far too many decisions feel contrived and confused for a strong recommendation to anyone other than the most diehard Touhou fan. Far too many mechanics can be borderline ignored, and the game hardly evolves throughout, leading to a game that struggled to keep my attention throughout its runtime with some nice visuals only doing so much to alleviate this tedium.

Touhou: New World was indeed a new experience of the franchise for me. Having played games in all the genres it touches on, this game provided an interesting new experience for me. The game started a bit slow due to its low difficulty. It eventually started to catch on and provide a more enjoyable challenge. Despite this, the overall inconsistency with the game in various aspects does detract from the overall experience at times. If the game interests you in the slightest, I would recommend giving Touhou: New World a try.

Players who enjoyed Scarlet Curiosity might find something to love here. However, the challenge isn't there to recommend it for fans of Touhou's difficulty and it's so under-designed as an action RPG that I can't recommend it to fans of the genre either.

Touhou: New World is a lovely action RPG that will keep you entertained as you fight through charming levels that are filled with excellent music. It occasionally gets repetitive but what's here is still nothing short of delightful, especially if you're a Touhou fan.

Touhou: New World is a good 3D action RPG and it's worth playing for fans of the franchise and newcomers alike. Even without major challenges, combat is comfortable and has a good amount of content.