From its bullet hell style games to its music videos featuring tracks by IOSYS to a range of other fan projects and mediums – the Touhou Project empire continues to stay strong both within Japan and across international audiences. In recent years, western audiences have gained access to a growing selection of Touhou games developed across multiple genres and platforms. Today, we delve into one of the latest entries, Touhou Spell Carnival, co-developed by Compile Heart and Sting and localized for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5 by Idea Factory International. While the development team are most known for their RPGs, such as the Neptunia franchise, this is a unique take that combines their typical RPG frameworks with the bullet-hell systems that many were introduced to Touhou in decades past.
Touhou Spell Carnival takes players to Gensokyo, where shrine maiden Reimu Hakurei is drawn into the mysterious Spell Carnival – a monthlong competition orchestrated by Yukari Yakumo – after noticing mysterious pillars sprouting across the landscape. Participants are drawn into a high-stakes competition, wagering their Spell Cards in a series of battles to uncover Yukari’s true motives.
From the bat, for those who are familiar with Touhou Project lore, the premise is intriguing and offers an open slate for character development and bringing together so many characters from the franchise. The story delivers plenty of charm and personality, with Reimu, Marisa, and an eclectic cast engaging in lighthearted banter, amusing rivalries, and moments of introspection. Side episodes deepen these character interactions, giving players a glimpse into the quirks and motivations of the colourful ensemble. If you have a favourite character or two who are not included (like myself), it may be a tad disappointing, but there are enough characters to bring life to the game from start to finish. However, for newcomers to the series, the story’s appeal may be less pronounced, especially since it assumes at least a baseline knowledge of Touhou lore. Despite this, the story’s brevity and witty dialogue keep it accessible, offering enough context to propel players into the next battle without bogging them down with exposition.
Playing to Compile Heart’s strengths, the visual novel style delivery of Touhou Spell Carnival is aptly implemented, showcasing the development team’s knack for using Live2D animated character portraits to bring their game’s cast to life, alongside capturing their personalities with expressive motions that complement the witty and dynamic dialogue. Each character design feels meticulously crafted, staying true to the Touhou aesthetic while incorporating Compile Heart’s signature flair for bold and colourful artwork – paying proper respect to the source material they draw from. Character models in battle are less defined, and chibified in style which pays homage to the bullet hell games of the series’ roots, but are complemented by some creative battle animations. This is arguably for the best, given the sometimes chaos of the battle system, where you don’t need your attention drawn to anything but the battlefield ahead.
The music and voice acting in Touhou Spell Carnival complement its visuals well. The soundtrack is enjoyable, offering a diverse range of tracks that cover everything the game throws at it – from high-energy battle themes to more subdued, atmospheric compositions during story segments. Furthermore, the tracks effectively capture the spirit of Gensokyo and the broader Touhou series as a whole – complemented by an impressive theme song ‘Scarlet Destiny’ composed by ZUN and performed by rock band, Kisida Kyodan & The Akebosi Rockets. While it should come as little surprise the game has no English voice acting, the Japanese voice acting is exceptional, with each performance imbuing the characters with personality and charm. From Reimu’s steadfast determination to Marisa’s playful wit, the actors’ delivery delivers depth to the dialogue.
The gameplay of Touhou Spell Carnival is an ambitious blend of bullet-hell chaos and tactical RPG mechanics, creating a hybrid system that may look a bit needlessly complex at first but offers complexity, a smidgeon of pandaemonium and ties back nicely to the bullet-hell roots of the series. Battles unfold on a grid-based battlefield where players manage a team of up to five characters, each with unique abilities and stats. These characters charge up Action Points (AP) in real-time, which are spent on executing attacks, moving across the grid, or unleashing powerful abilities through Spell Cards. The abilities cast on both sides of the battle are typically not simple skills, but rather delivered through bullet-hell mechanics, demanding quick thinking and multitasking, as each side bombards the other’s units with projectiles and area-of-effect hazards that must be navigated promptly to stay alive.
Players have some flexibility in how they tackle combat, striking a balance between micromanagement and group commands. Players can choose to focus on individual units, meticulously activating specific abilities and positioning them for optimal results, or use Quick Commands to issue team-wide orders for movement or attacks. Having this autonomy to use both systems, to adapt to what is taking place on the field at any one time. This is because the sheer amount of activity on the battlefield can feel overwhelming, particularly in later stages where multiple enemies flood the screen with intricate bullet patterns.
Also drawing inspiration from the bullet-hell genre, players have access to gimmicks such as bombs and Ace Cards. Bombs clear all bullets on the screen and deal damage to enemies, providing brief respite in the heat of battle, while Ace Cards offer powerful, character-specific abilities that can turn the tide in your favour. Drawing from the game’s RPG systems on the other hand, the customisation options such as equipping characters with stat-boosting gear and swapping out Spell Cards, provide ample opportunities for players to tailor their team compositions and playstyles.
Introducing bullet-hell mechanics into games has been done with other genres, the first example coming to mind being Square Enix’s NieR / NieR: Automata games which built them into an action-RPG experience where they are more about creatively dodging the barrage of bullets to get close and ultimately take down enemies. A more traditional RPG experience, such as that offered by Touhou Spell Carnival comes off as unique with its incorporation of the elements, while not straying too far from what they are used to doing. Sure there is more than a little bit of visual clutter, and sometimes you may want to throw down your controller in annoyance, but ultimately, Touhou Spell Carnival is undeniably engaging, offering a rewarding challenge that stands out in its own right.
Touhou Spell Carnival gives the impression of being an experiment in blending the frantic, high-energy chaos of bullet-hell gameplay with the strategic depth of an RPG. While the game can be visually overwhelming at times, and sometimes the pacing trumps strategy, the creative fusion of genres results in an engaging and rewarding experience for those who embrace its challenges. Its charming cast, vibrant visuals, and dynamic soundtrack capture the essence of the Touhou universe, making it a worthwhile addition for fans of the series — although maybe not a strong starting point for complete newcomers.
Final Score for Touhou Spell Carnival
A PlayStation 5 review code was provided by Idea Factory International to facilitate this review.
Touhou Spell Carnival is currently available to purchase on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.
