Developer: Aqua Style
Publisher: NIS America
Platforms: PS4, Nintendo Switch
Tested on: PS4
Touhou Genso Wanderer Reloaded – Review
There are more and more roguelite games these days, making it easier to survive in that harsh world out there in comparison with roguelike titles. One of these games was Touhou Genso Wanderer. We wrote a review about this game before, but now there is a version that contains all of the DLC and extras while also making it appearance on the Nintendo Switch. Reimu is ready to save the world yet another time, just with a lot more extras.
Story
As you could expect, the game starts with a disaster taking place and you’re on the first row to witness it. You’re playing as Reimu Hakurei from the Hakurei shrine and you’re at Rinnosuke’s shop. Intrigued by his special golden ball, you’re suddenly struck by a rush. You must and will touch the Golden Sphere. Of course, the owner isn’t too happy and you eventually start struggling. In the end, Reimu is able to touch the ball, which wasn’t the brightest plan. Rinnosuke picks up his precious object and this is when all hell breaks loose. A big pillar of light is the beacon of a terrible fate and after everything settles down, Reimu notices that her companion seems a bit off. He looks different all of the sudden and starts saying strange things. Eventually, they start to argue and this ends into a fight, which doesn’t end well for you at all. It becomes clear that there is more amiss than you initially thought and it is your task to go and save the world yet again.
Just like with any (roguelite) RPG, you’ll have a lot of story to process and it doesn’t make it any easier that there are a lot of references to the previous instalments of this series. Don’t worry, it’s not too annoying but you might need to think outside the box now and then. With the Reloaded version, you’ll be able to enjoy a lot more content. For example, two DLC story campaigns, “Futo Mononobe and the 7 Trials” and “Bullet Reporter”, are integrated in the main storyline, while there are a lot of extra stories added as well.
Graphics
If you like anime, you’ll definitely like the vibe of this game. There are different sorts of styles available, all just screaming color and cuteness. There are two main parts in this game, exploration and conversation. While you’re fighting in dungeons or roaming some towns, you’ll be playing this game in a top-down overview. Your character and companions stand out against the environments but it might be harder in comparison to the enemies. Everyone has this chibi style and will definitely win over your heart. As everything is rather small due to the overview, there are less details visible although this won’t have any influence at all as it fits the overall feeling of the game well.
Next to the exploring, you’ll mostly engage conversations which are drawn in a 2D anime-style. The developers chose to switch it up a bit and combined still images with moving parts to emphasize a certain feeling, while the changing facial expressions help a lot as well. It’s always fun to see how a conversation is going to go as there are a lot of witty one-liners here and there. In the end, the combination of both styles works very well and will give you the feeling you’re walking around in your own anime-world.
Sound
If you were hoping to get music and sound effects that are on par with the graphics, you’ll get a cold shower. It’s not that the tracks don’t fit with the game or the story, but it just lacks some punch. Yes, you’ll hear some music that could be right from an anime, with Japanese influences here and there, but it just feels like there is something missing. It all feels very bland, just like the sound effects. You won’t get excited while battling as the adrenalineinducing element is missing. Shouting, casting or anything really sounds so similar and just doesn’t give that extra spark.
Gameplay
Touhou Genso Wanderer: Reloaded is a roguelite RPG where you have to crawl your way through a variety of dungeons to save the world from a lurking danger. As you’re playing a roguelite game, the chances are high that you’ll be going in these lairs quite often. There are several floors for you to explore and each time you go inside a new instance, your level gets reset to 1. Items you find during your adventures, both weapons as consumables, aren’t touched on dying or giving up. These keep on gaining levels and you can use Nito Points to fuse weapons together and get some powerful tools in your hands. Money on the other hand is taken whenever you fail, so it’s best to keep this in mind before mindlessly jumping in the next room. Strategy is very important and moving around might make you lose precious turns. You can move and attack in every direction, which is obviously a nice feature but do remember that the enemy can use this trick as well. One attack or move will count as one turn, which has a few implications. First of all, enemies can come closer or attack you as there is a turn-based system in place. Secondly, a move will also deplete your Tummy gauge and an empty stomach means you won’t be able to regenerate health, even more, you’ll lose health.
You can go bare-handed at your enemies but you can also equip some nice weaponry or other goodies. These items are found during your adventures and are a necessity if you want to survive. Next to your arms, you also can use Danmakus. These special abilities can inflict some serious damage and are mostly used during specific situations, for example when you’re surrounded by enemies. Using such a devastating power needs to be fueled on, which means you need to defeat enemies or you can even find some power just on the ground, so convenient! When your gauge is high enough for a specific attack, you just need to select it and fire away. Next to this awesome feature, you can also place traps (or talismans) on the ground or some items can also trigger some painful events. Do keep in mind that enemies can do the same. You’ll probably run over a lot of traps, which can influence the items in your bag for example. To stop this effect, you can put items in special gaps.
Reimu likes to be alone but taking on the evil in the world might be a bit too much for just herself. You’ll be able to take a partner with you, which you can give a strategy to follow. For example, you can choose to have someone who explores the rest of the floor while you take care of enemies or to help you with this fight. The Reloaded version has lot of new characters that are suitable partners as well, which is always a fun addition. Even more, there are some gameplay improvements in comparison with the original game, like the addition of the Dismantle and Mix options to make Nito Fusion easier.
Conclusion
Touhou Genso Wanderer: Reloaded is a roguelite RPG that will take you to a turn-based fighting system and a bunch of partners to choose from. These new aspects, thanks to the added DLC, will make the game interesting both for new as well as veteran players. The graphics will suck you right in and make you think you’re running around in an anime world, although the music won’t really make you that engaged. If you’re new, you might get the feeling that you’re thrown into the deep but do continue and in the end you’ll understand the tricks of the trade, which will lead you to a wonderful game.
Touhou Genso Wanderer Reloaded - Review,
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