Touhou Dystopian

Touhou Dystopian is a polished and engaging indie roguelike action game that reimagines the Touhou universe with fast-paced 3D combat. Players select from four distinct heroines, each offering unique playstyles and skill trees, blending melee and ranged combat with satisfying combos and animation cancels. The game excels in its responsive controls, impactful combat, and impressive audiovisual presentation, including faithful character models, vibrant environments, and a captivating soundtrack featuring Touhou remixes. Its roguelike structure encourages replayability through diverse talent builds and incremental meta progression.

While the narrative is minimal and mainly background flavor, the boss fights are challenging and well-designed, providing a rewarding test of skill. Some players note repetitiveness due to recurring enemy types and stage layouts, and a few minor technical issues, especially on handheld devices. However, the game delivers excellent value for its price, particularly for Touhou fans and action game enthusiasts. The developer actively supports the game with updates and community engagement, promising future content and improvements.

Highlights

Players praise the satisfying and fluid combat mechanics reminiscent of games like Nier: Automata and Devil May Cry, with tight controls and impactful sound design.

The visuals and character models are well-executed for an indie title, capturing the Touhou aesthetic in 3D with smooth animations.

The soundtrack is highly regarded, featuring excellent remixes of classic Touhou music that enhance the atmosphere.

The roguelike progression and talent system provide meaningful build variety and replay value, keeping runs fresh and engaging.

Boss battles stand out as challenging and rewarding encounters, balancing bullet hell elements with melee combat.

Criticisms

Common criticisms include the repetitive stage and enemy designs, with many players wishing for more randomized or varied environments to enhance longevity.

Some skills and characters feel unbalanced, with Youmu and Mokou noted as underpowered compared to others.

Technical issues such as performance dips on Steam Deck and occasional UI bugs have been reported.

The lack of in-depth story and minimal narrative may leave players wanting more world-building.

Some players desire better explanations of character mechanics and more key binding options, especially for voice commands and movement controls.