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Touhou Kobuto V: Burst Battle Reviews
Professional reviews from gaming critics
The greatest challenge in reviewing Touhou Kobuto V: Battle Burst lies in explaining exactly what this game is. The chibi characters and upbeat music suggest you’re about to play something lighthearted and fun. This is half-true. A quick look at the trailer gives the game a 3D fighter vibe. This is somewhat accurate, but not exactly so. No, the clearest indicator of what’s in store for you is the first word in the title, Touhou. Beyond anything else, beyond any of the descriptors, I will assign this game in the vain hope of getting it right, you must understand Battle Burst as a Touhou game if...
About this time last year, NIS America published a shoot 'em up fighter set in the Touhou universe. Now, we have a 3D take on the Bullet Ballet / Senko no Ronde formula but does that make for a better game?
Touhou Kobuto V: Burst Battle is ambitious. This is a development team as indie as indie comes taking a demanding gameplay perspective and trying to do something demanding with it; create a fast, free-flowing, hardcore action game. Sadly it does miss the mark on this one. There’s skill involved in getting good at Kobuto, however, clumsy, limited mechanics, and a general lack of variety, presentational standards, or energy and excitement really let it down. I would have taken a simple, direct sequel to Bullet Ballet instead.
Touhou Kobuto V: Burst Battle originally started out as a PlayStation Vita game, and would have released there a few months ago but for NIS America's desire to do a simultaneous multiplatform release. A game of this quality wouldn't have been acceptable on the Vita, and being on the Switch is only serving to expose its myriad flaws to more people. If you need to see girls beat the snot out of each other on the Switch, there's already plenty of better options.
If you’ve ever wanted to make super cute anime girls beat the living daylights out of each other for fun but balked at the Dead or Alive series, then NIS America has just delivered what you’re looking for with Touhou Kobuto V: Burst Battle.
I’m trying my best to think of some kind of clever joke or metaphor about Touhou Kobuto V: Burst Battle, but I don’t even think the game deserves that kind of effort on my part. Burst Battle is an awful video game. Without a tutorial, learning to play is no fun at all, and I had an equal sum of zero fun playing it when I actually knew how to play. If you’re itching for a Touhou fighting game, run to your PC and download one of the official 2D fighting games from the main series. Never touch Burst Battle. Learn from my errors, and live a long, healthy, fulfilling life.
