Popular bullet hell series The Touhou Project (often shortened to just Touhou) recently confirmed that popular title Touhou Luna Nights (which is currently on Steam Early Access) will be getting a full release on the Xbox One and PC. “PLAYISM and Baker Co., Ltd. have started accepting reservations for Team Ladybug’s Touhou Luna Nights on Xbox One and the Microsoft Store today on Thursday, August 22. The delivery date will be 9/3 (Thursday). In addition, this game will be on the Xbox Game Pass on the day of release,” wrote indie publisher Playism.
Luna Nights is a unique departure from the typical Touhou formula. Most games in the series are simple but intensely challenging shoot-em-up bullet hells – but Luna Nights is a Metroidvania type action game with an emphasis on exploration. “Metroidvania” is a term used to define a subsect of action-adventure games – the name is a portmanteau of “Metroid” and “Castlevania” because games of this subgenre borrow aspects from both of these games.
That isn’t to say that Luna Nights doesn’t feel like a real Touhou game. You’ll find the same characters and enjoy the same bullet-dodging action you would in any other title – but it’s repackaged to an extent. The game’s plot centers around exploring a strange world filled with hostile youkai – Japanese monsters/spirits. A new element of gameplay in Luna Nights is the ability to freeze time (a feature that’s interestingly enough also in another popular action-platformer – Katana Zero).
“While it has a Metroidvania style, the game can easily progress without the insistence of repeat elements or collecting items,” reads the game’s overview on Steam. “This has resulted in a spectacular game born from the game production skills cultivated by Team Ladybug…Touhou Luna Nights is not only for Touhou fans but one that can be enjoyed by anyone who loves 2D action games.” With over 7,000 Steam reviews and an “Overwhelmingly Positive” rating, it seems that Luna Nights has the numbers to back this claim up.
Touhou Luna Nights releases September 3 on the Xbox One and Microsoft Game Store on PC. A Switch port was announced back in July 2019, but we haven’t gotten any updates since then.