When I first saw the trailer for Touhou Luna Nights I thought the game looked incredible but I’ve seen many Metroidvania games with impressive trailers that ended up disappointing me. So I went into playing this game a bit guarded. I was expecting maybe a good time but nothing that was going to blow me away by any means. Damn I was wrong I was absolutely wrong. This game slaps and I could go on and on about how much I loved this experience. Which is exactly what I’m going to do in this Touhou Luna Nights review.
So why do I love this game, who is this game for and should you check this out?
Let’s dive into it.
Narrative:
In Touhou Luna Nights, you play as Sakuya Izayou, the head maid of a vampire. The vampire sins her to a parallel universe where the vampire’s younger sister has hijacked that universe. It’s up to Sakuya to figure out what’s going on and undo Luna Nights. In most games like this, you play strictly for the action and the joy that comes with exploring the various parts of each level. This is why I have to give kudos to Team Ladybug for going the extra mile and delivering a narrative. While the narrative isn’t something that is going to captivate most gamers, it is a good tone-setter. Honestly, with this type of game, you can play the entire game without knowing what it’s going on.
The Gameplay:
The gameplay of Touhou Luna Nights is centered around being a Metroidvania platformer with addicting combat. As Sakuya you launch blades and other projectiles at your enemies to defeat them. You can freeze time for a certain amount of seconds (which can be upgraded) to get around the areas’ obstacles and throw weapons at enemies to take them out when time unfreezes. In many ways, the combat and platforming felt similar to Super Smash Brothers’ Adventure mode.
This is a Metroidvania that has a heavy emphasis on exploration and action. On the expiration side of the fence, I am happy to say that this game’s level design is superb. Each environment is well crafted with hidden secrets, good enemy placement, and well-thought-out power-ups that keep exploration fun. As you progress the areas add new obstacles for you to traverse in cool ways and the enemies get stronger without feeling like it was difficult in a cheap way.
Additional Pros:
This game has some of the most fun boss fights that I’ve played in recent memory. Each boss has their own moveset of course and they add a finishing move as you progress through the boss fight. Some of the most fun that I had in the game was repeatedly trying to take down the various bosses with the powerups that I unlocked throughout the game.
The game features colorful and detailed pixel art style. Each character model from the main character to the bosses, and the minions you fight along the way has an insane amount of details. I loved the look of the bosses and their special moves. Another aspect of the game that deserves praise is the game’s incredible soundtrack. It’s well crafted and each song does well to accent what is going on around you.
Cons/Flaws:
There’s not much to complain about with Touhou Luna Nights. However, a nitpick that I found is that I don’t think there is a lot of replayability with this game. Once you’ve beaten the game you seen everything that it has to offer.
Overall/Should you Play Touhou Luna Nights:
For those who are craving a good Metroidvania game with fun action and really good level design then you should for sure play this game. It’ll take you about 5 hours to beat the game in 10 hours to 100% complete it. A short yes but it knows what it is and really delivers a high quality with that.
Touhou Luna Nights is one of the best Metroidvania games that I’ve played in a very long time. Everything about this game felt high quality and I couldn’t put it down. For fans of the genre, this is a very easy recommendation. Do yourselves a favor and go play this game!
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Reviewed on PC
