Danmaku Unlimited 3

 Switch
User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 27 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 27
  3. Negative: 4 out of 27

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  1. riccyjay
    Mar 15, 2018
    10
    Beautiful visuals and the presentation is top-notch - all the way down to the text introducing new levels. Original music is rocking and fits the game perfectly. Features a 'graze' mechanic, which encourages players to skirt as close to bullets as possible to charge their power bar.

    Accessible for beginners, but with insane screen filling moments of true bullet hell for more experienced    Beautiful visuals and the presentation is top-notch - all the way down to the text introducing new levels. Original music is rocking and fits the game perfectly. Features a 'graze' mechanic, which encourages players to skirt as close to bullets as possible to charge their power bar.

    Accessible for beginners, but with insane screen filling moments of true bullet hell for more experienced players this game gets almost everything right and features enough options to keep you practicing and coming back for more. Use a stand to play in TATE mode for a more arcadey feel. Runs smoothly despite the amount going on. An excellent port of an excellent game.    … Expand
  2. BDTeacher
    Mar 13, 2018
    8
    Fantastic port of the Steam bullet-hell shooter. The game runs smooth, looks great, plays better and the music is perfect for this type of game. For $10 this game is a steal and possibly the best shmup on the Switch.
  3. chromoman
    Mar 16, 2018
    8
    My first impressions are good. Exciting game. However, I am disappointed that even in TATE view, I still have gaps at the top and bottom of the screen. I suppose this is echo old-school aspect ratios, but why can we not have it being full height? That would be incredible. Then this would be a 10. :)
  4. SnappyGR
    Sep 5, 2019
    9
    Snappy Game Reviews - Unlimited bullets

    Everyone knows that I love a good space shooter, be it a classic like Gradius and R-Type or more modern ones like Astebreed or Ghost Blade HD. Each of these games manages to take me into this strange zone where time stops and all that registers in my brain are flickers of light coming from the barrage of enemy bullets. My blatant love for this    Snappy Game Reviews - Unlimited bullets

    Everyone knows that I love a good space shooter, be it a classic like Gradius and R-Type or more modern ones like Astebreed or Ghost Blade HD. Each of these games manages to take me into this strange zone where time stops and all that registers in my brain are flickers of light coming from the barrage of enemy bullets. My blatant love for this genre only made me more surprised to learn that there’s an indie ‘shmup’ series on mobile developed by a Canadian studio, Doragon Entertainment, that was making its first appearance on consoles, namely on the Nintendo Switch. I’m happy to report that Danmaku Unlimited 3, the latest title in the Danmaku series, is currently the best bullet-hell space shooter that you can buy on the Nintendo Switch.

    You get to pick between two different game modes right off the bat, those being the beginner-friendly Spirit Mode and the more advanced Graze Mode. While these two share the same stages and enemy layout if you choose the same difficulty level they provide somewhat different gameplay experiences. In Spirit Mode, enemy fire turns blue after the firing ship gets destroyed, by colliding with these blue projectiles you’ll increase your trance gauge which, in turn, will help you enter the awesome trance mode much faster. When activated, your firepower gets an incredible boost and enemy fire turns into gems, collecting these will add to your Graze counter which makes an enormous difference if you’re aiming for a good high-score.

    As for Graze Mode, you’ll have to become familiar with enemy and bullet patterns as in this mode enemy fire won’t become harmless and you have to rely on the Graze mechanic. Basically, in this risk/reward system, you’ll earn Graze points by flying your ship ever so close to enemy fire, on top of helping you gain more points it’s the only way to build your trance gauge, unlike Spirit Mode.

    The game feel and controls are spot on, you’ll be blasting enemies and steering away from danger with ease even if you’re using the Joy-Con analogue stick which honestly surprised me. Even though the game adopted a weapon system similar to the one in the Dodonpachi series, one weak fire mode with added mobility and another stronger but slower one, I didn’t think that I would be able to control the ship with this level of precision.

    On the presentation side of things, we have a very competent game, both visually and also in the sound department. The smart use of colours for the ships and oncoming fire means that there was never one instance where I lost track of my ship nor got hit due to a bullet blending with the background. Everything looks beautifully crisp whether you plan to play it on your TV or on the go. Still, on that note, arcade lovers will really appreciate the included option to play the game in TATE mode. Danmaku Unlimited 3 stages are accompanied by guitar-heavy tracks crafted by BLANKFIELD, these do a fantastic job of getting you pumped to take down massive fleets of enemy ships.

    Even if you’re well versed in the genre you might have a tough time beating Danmaku Unlimited 3 on your first go even playing on the more lenient Spirit Mode. This high difficulty, as well as the fact that there are only five stages in total that can be beaten in roughly 30-45 minutes, might be a deal-breaker for some but fans of the genre know that unexplainable feeling of beating a ‘shmup’ in 1CC, which stands for one-credit clear. Besides mastering the main game modes and aiming for those sweet high scores there are also a couple of unlockable weapon types for meeting certain criteria, such as grazing a given number of shots in a single combo.

    Danmaku Unlimited 3 ended up being a fantastic surprise that manages to tick pretty much every box on how to make a fun space shooter. While I think that there could’ve been a little more work put into each of the stages backgrounds as they’re little more than eye candy this ultimately feels like a small nitpick when you have a bullet hell of such a high pedigree. A must-have for ‘shmup’ fans and a decent introductory game for newbie’s looking to get more familiar with this sort of gaming genre.    … Expand
  5. jens76
    Oct 13, 2021
    10
    By far the best Danmaku on the switch, sound and colors keep you locked, an unique experience.
  6. vicferd
    Jan 30, 2022
    9
    Con muy poco para reprochar Danmaku Unlimited 3 representa el mejor trabajo hasta la fecha de su desarrollador. Con jugabilidad variada y ajustada, gráficos adecuados, muy buena banda sonora y un diseño del reto muy bien medido y escalado, este puede ser uno de los mejores exponentes del género en el ámbito independiente.

    Los diferentes modos de juego y recompensas pueden alargar por    Con muy poco para reprochar Danmaku Unlimited 3 representa el mejor trabajo hasta la fecha de su desarrollador. Con jugabilidad variada y ajustada, gráficos adecuados, muy buena banda sonora y un diseño del reto muy bien medido y escalado, este puede ser uno de los mejores exponentes del género en el ámbito independiente.

    Los diferentes modos de juego y recompensas pueden alargar por más de 20 horas la duración del juego, con unas 5 horas de requisito mínimo para pasar en nuestra dificultad preferida. Puede acusarse algo de repetición en los jefes o en las naves, pero por su muy bajo precio es más que aceptable.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

44
#44 Best Switch Game of 2018

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
84

Generally favorable reviews - based on 7 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
  1. Worth Playing
    Nov 8, 2018
    90
    Danmaku Unlimited 3 is another excellent shooter on a system that's quickly becoming an appropriate home for them. The frantic action you'd expect from a bullet hell shooter is improved with interesting attack patterns and a set of mechanics that rewards both quick kills and exhibits some flair during gameplay. There's a nice balance for both veterans and genre newcomers, with the latter being served especially well since the game's difficulty and lack of continues foster a need to improve while ensuring that death isn't immediate. Topped off with a great presentation, DU3 is a high point for the genre, and despite the deluge of shooters on the Switch, it's a title that fans shouldn't miss.
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  2. Nintenderos
    Aug 13, 2018
    85
    Despite its lacking innovation, it's a great video game that fans of the bullet hell genre will enjoy to the fullest. The handling of the ship is excellent and the movements are very fluid, and it also has a soundtrack that is very much in line with this type of title. All this added to the great variety of difficulty modes it offers, will give us hours and hours of fun and freneticism in equal parts.
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  3. Switch Player
    Mar 27, 2018
    80
    Danmaku Unlimited 3 is a very strong entry into the ever-growing shmup genre on Nintendo Switch. It takes nerves to conquer the endless bullets on display, but casual gamers are also well catered for with a generous selection of difficulty options.
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