Touhou Genso Wanderer

Touhou Genso Wanderer packages together one of the most approachable roguelikes and one of the more mediocre Castlevania type titles into one complete package for any tourist of Gensokyo.

Genso Wanderer is a really well made roguelike, it’s great about introducing new mechanics at a steady pace, and it’s pretty easy to get into – even if you have no prior knowledge of other Touhou Project games. Unfortunately, for as well made as the game is, the story proves to be the weak link here. It’s certainly present throughout the adventure, but the general structure makes for a journey that feels a little empty. It’s hard to care about many of these characters and, for the most part, the events unfolding around Gensokyo just serve to give more reasons to crawl through dungeons. A larger focus on gameplay isn’t all bad, but I certainly would have liked to see a better realized story as well. That said, after over fifty hours of dungeon crawling, I’m glad I took the time to investigate all of the weird incidents surrounding Gensokyo. It’s a game that’s very much worth persevering through each obstacle thrown your way, no matter how demoralizing each death might be.

Touhou Genso Wanderer is a worthy addition to any roguelike fan’s collection, and even more so for Touhou fans as there are references to their other games throughout this one. The everyone takes one turn at a time system might not be for everyone, for this title is one of the better implementations of this format.

Interesting but simple. Fun but ugly. Addictive but not for very long... A nice game that does a lot of things well, but also fails on others.

Touhou Genso Wanderer is a very nice and accessible rogue like that is perfect for newcomers to the genre and fun for veterans alike.

Touhou Genso Wanderer is a capable Mystery Dungeon game but it doesn't quite live up to its contemporaries. That being said, those who crave more classic roguelike fun after last year's phenomenal Shiren release will find a lot to love here.

Ultimately, Genso Wanderer is a unique and intimidating game… It may lack Touhou’s epic music or its frantic bullet-hell difficulty, but it brings out what’s always been enticing about these games and, more specifically, its community’s ability to create.

It’s not perfect, and it will frustrate many, but it’s a quality, solid effort nonetheless.

Quotation forthcoming.

This is a Japanese roguelike aimed at a very specific audience, and even if the game isn't great, its audience will enjoy it.

A roguelike like many other out there, imbued with cuteness but boring and frustrating in most of its moments.

The fans of the Touhou series will probably appreciate another adventure, and that's probably the same for the roguelike genre's ones too. However, there doesn't seem to be much to look forward to for all the other gamers.

Quotation forthcoming.

Ultimately, Touhou Genso Wanderer is a solid, if unspectacular, dungeon crawler. It’s in a strange area in-between accessible titles like Pokémon Mystery Dungeon and ones built specifically for hardcore players. While it’s not as good as the top of its class, there’s still some solid fun (and challenge) to be had if you’re looking for something new.

A roguelike dungeon-crawler RPG with some good gameplay mechanics, a boring story and frustrating difficulty level.

Overall, Touhou Genso Wanderer is a solid game with no interest in appealing to anyone beyond its niche audience. Devoted fans of Touhou will enjoy seeing some lesser-used characters in action, while fans of roguelikes can easily ignore the story and focus on the challenge of the gameplay. But if you're neither one of those things, it's probably not worth the full price.