Written by Litton Raysoul
Title: Danmaku Unlimited 3
Developer: Doragon Entertainment
Publisher: Doragon
Price: $9.99
Genre: Action, Shooter, Shoot-‘Em-Up
Also Available On: Android, iOS, Steam
“Danmaku” is a Japanese word which means barrage, as in a barrage of bullets. Danmaku Unlimited 3 lives up to its name by featuring an action packed game, with beautiful visuals that are composed mostly of bullets. The game is categorized as a “Bullet Hell” game, which means it is harder than your average shoot-‘em-up game. So while the bullet patterns seems pretty, you obviously need to avoid them to survive this game.
Danmaku Unlimited 3 plays similarly to other shoot-‘em-up games, while introducing some unique mechanics. You use the Left Stick to move the ship around. The FIRE button shoots your primary attack, while holding down the BEAM button switches to a strong beam attack. The ship will move slower when the BEAM button is pressed, which means you can use it to maneuver through tight spaces. The type of primary and beam weapons can be customized, with up to 5 types each. However, you need to unlock most of the weapon types, and some of them are really hard to acquire. Pressing the BOMB button expends a bomb that damages enemies and clears all bullets caught in the blast. The objective of the game is to fight and survive through several waves of enemies, and defeat the boss at the end of the stage. Your ship will only be destroyed if the CORE (center part) is hit. This game only features 5 stages with a very simple story, but with the several difficulty levels and game modes, it can provide a high replay value.
The game features two main modes: the SPIRIT (Normal) and GRAZE (Advance) mode. Each mode provides different gameplay mechanics for the SPIRIT/GRAZE system. For SPIRIT (Normal) mode, you can select the following difficulty levels: EASY, MEDIUM, HARD, and TRUE (Hardest). Destroyed enemies leave their bullets behind as SPIRITS, which are harmless and adds to the TRANCE meter when collected. Also, flying close to bullets will also add to the TRANCE meter. When it is full, you can press the BOMB button to enter the TRANCE mode which powers up the ship’s weapons, and all destroyed enemies will leave their bullets as GEMS, which highly increases your score. There is also an option to automatically go into TRANCE mode once the meter is filled. This mode also features a mechanic where one of your bombs will automatically be used if your CORE is about to be hit. This mode is recommended for newcomers as it provides a good level of accessibility, while still providing a challenge even for the easiest difficulty.
The other mode, called the GRAZE (Advance) mode, only features HARD and TRUE difficulty. The bullets of the defeated enemies will not normally turn into SPIRITS, and will still stay on the screen. There will be another meter that fills up when you fly close to the bullets. Once the meter is full, you will go into GRAZE-HIGH state, which would then convert the bullets of the defeated enemies into SPIRITS which you can then collect to add to the TRANCE meter. When it is full, you can then again enter the TRANCE mode using the BOMB button to power up your weapons. Also in GRAZE mode, you will consume all of your bombs when your core is about to be hit. This mode is designed for veteran players who already mastered several shoot-‘em-up games.
The visuals for this game are excellent, and it is very easy to determine the difference between the enemy bullets and the SPIRITS that you can collect even on handheld mode. The sharp contrast of the enemy bullets also provide a good visual cue which you can use to determine if you need to evade or fly close to it. Other particle effects like explosions are not too distracting, and the visual feedback for the TRANCE mode is highly satisfying. The rendering technique for the enemies and high quality HD sprites also helps in providing good graphics. The game’s performance are both good on handheld and docked mode, providing a solid 60 fps gameplay amidst the hundreds of moving objects on the screen. However, I’m not too fond of the enemy designs as they all look like some generic futuristic ship or robot. The environment is also not that striking, which I suppose designed for the players to focus on the gameplay itself. Another good thing about this game is the Rock-Metal music by BLANKFIELD, which compliments the chaos that is happening on the screen. The sound design is also done very well.
While these kind of games are known for their punishing difficulty, Danmaku Unlimited 3 includes options for increasing your lives, and there is a limited number of continues before the game is over. I have played the game extensively across all modes, and managed to finish it on medium difficulty despite not being an expert in these type of games. There are other modes including a Boss Rush mode and Free play mode where you can select the stage that you want to play. Considering the price point, I would heavily recommend Danmaku Unlimited to players who like shoot-‘em-up games and wants an action-packed arcade experience. While a tad short on the stages, don’t let this fool you as it is visually addicting and you would find yourself indulged in replaying this game across several difficulty levels and modes.
The Good
- Excellent visuals and presentation
- Music is very good
- Gameplay is highly addicting
The Bad
- Generic enemy and environments design
- Few stages
- Might be too hard even on the easiest difficulty
SCORE: 8/10
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