Touhou Genso Wanderer

One of the cutest bullet hell series ever created ditches the over-the-top shooting action and replaces it with RPG and roguelite elements in Touhou Genso Wanderer. The latest addition to the ever-expanding world of Touhou might not play like most of the games in the series, but it still delivers some of the endearing characters that fans of the series simply can’t get enough of.

While the gameplay might seem a bit too restrictive at times, there’s a lot to like about this quirky dungeon crawling game. Long-time fans of the franchise might also be pleased to know that the game acts as a “Greatest Hits” compilation of all things good in Touhou Universe.

Dungeon Exploration

As we mentioned before, the Touhou Project series has always been about flicking joysticks and evading bullets with millimetric precision. However, all that is left behind in Touhou Genso Wanderer -Reloaded-, but doesn’t mean that the experience is any less intense than it was in the mainline series.

The game is played in the same style as the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series of games. Players are tasked with exploring a randomly-generated dungeon crawling with monsters and other colorful characters from the Touhou series. At the same time, they’ll have to keep a close eye on their equipment and the bonus it provides.

Equipment is a key element in Touhou Genso Wanderer -Reloaded-. Unlike most games, your gear also levels up along with your character. As essential as equipment is in this game – they’re more like the demons from the Shin Megami Tensei series than anything – there are some inexplicable annoyances that make farming equipment more frustrating than it’s worth.

Some enemies can even permanently destroy some of your gear – even that that you’ve spent the whole game grinding for. These types of exercises in patience are quite common in this game – and in the entire Touhou series, to be honest.

Adorable Presentation

One of the trademarks of the Touhou franchise has always been its adorable female characters. Wanderer -Reloaded-, being a fan game, knows especially well what the series’ fanbase expects from these games, and delivers some of the most detailed character portraits we’ve seen in the series in a good while.

The characteristic anime art style is presented in its full glory in this game. That’s not all, however: since the game is not entirely canon, there are dozens of characters from the Touhou multiverse to be found here, complete with info about their roles in the game and their voice actors.

For a Touhou enthusiast, Touhou Genso Wanderer -Reloaded- might be the closest they can get to a perfect game in the series – even if it strongly deviates from the franchise’s original formula.

Still, the punishing difficulty and the admittedly archaic user interface will probably deter casual fans of the series, but veteran players shouldn’t hesitate in getting their hands on this title. Even though the game contains plenty of problems with its design, it is hard to deny its charm.

Just be prepared to lose time and time again. At least the cute Touhou characters will always be there to cheer you up every time you fall.

Pros

• Lots and lots of Touhou-related content
• Addictive grinding and exploration mechanics
• Entertaining story and characters for fans of the series

Cons

• Archaic user interface
• Severely punishing difficulty
• Tons of luck-related or random mechanics