It's been fascinating to see the progression of the Touhou franchise. Once an internal institution of the hardcore otaku crowd, where Western fans had to import (or download) its PC entries, it's now only a little surreal to head down to a Target over here and be able to pick out multiple English-language Switch games with Reimu on the cover. And while the mainline franchise itself remains oddly siloed from store shelves and Steam listings, the wider world of fan-made, officially sanctioned spin-offs is happy to fill those gaps. The recently released Touhou: New World represents the latest addition to that collective.

Developed by Ankake Spa as an ostensible follow-up to their previous Touhou: Scarlet Curiosity, New World is officially billed as an "Action RPG" take on ZUN's venerable bullet-hell franchise. In practice, however, there's more and less to it than that, as New World fills itself out with elements from a smattering of game genres. There is action, yes, and plenty of RPG elements. But if the idea of exploring Gensokyo across a broad role-playing game overworld map appeals, know that things are structured in a decidedly smaller-scale, mission-based approach here. Progressing through the levels proceeds as more of a simple action game bolstered by level-ups and a skill-point system.

It evokes aspects of dungeon crawlers and even looter shooters, the way New World's treasure chests and enemy drops are constantly tossing you duplicate equippable items with slightly varied stat numbers to compare. The game's single store eventually opens to relieve you of much of this vendor trash. However, anything to really do with the funds you receive from selling it doesn't become available until even later in the campaign. Even before that, you'll settle into a pattern of swapping out your equipment every few levels for stats that best suit the playstyle you're building for, alongside some later skill upgrading options you get access to tilt the combat in your favor.

That RPG-system-bolstered action combat, as New World's central feature, is more about being supplemented by those statistical systems than having deep options. Reimu and Marisa do earn a few different abilities in their early level-ups, but after that, you'll likely settle on the ones that work best for your approach and stick with them, raising their proficiency throughout the whole campaign. Once you get your loadout settled into your personal playstyle groove, you'll find the combat can be decently satisfying as you work with the rhythm of dodging ranged bullet attacks while parrying physical ones with one of the most generous block-timing slowdown mechanics I have seen in a while. Couple that with your baked-in recovery ability, which you can upgrade to give yourself even more leeway, and New World's approach comes off as a more eased-in way to explore Gensokyo at your own pace compared to the twitchy, pure bullet-hell stylings of its official forebears. Though don't worry; plenty of dynamic danmaku patterns are on display in this game's boss battles for you to dodge and tank through.

The fan game's aspirations become apparent while traversing this world and its action-RPG areas. The mission-based approach lets the team get multiple uses out of most of the level maps, to say nothing of the point that many of the assets are being reused from Scarlet Curiosity. Though they mess with specific layouts they have you running through, enemy placement, and the like, to help them feel less like whole repeats. There is also a fair amount of variety in the kinds of levels on display throughout, almost to the point of disparity in some cases. Some stages will consist of simple top-down-view progression through waves of enemies, while others will detour into complex platforming that the game never quite feels like its design was intended to handle. In some places, the game comes off like the showcase you expect from such a fandom venture, where levels like Hell are stunning in this realization and sporting the least-interesting layouts.

The opportunity to traverse Gensokyo in this visibly immersive format, apart from the more abstract flyover visuals of the mainline games, would be another appeal point for New World, and it technically delivers there. Some places, particularly the ones seemingly reused from Scarlet Curiosity, do seem to have some of that high-sheen AA graphics look to them, but between that and the mission-based structure, that contributes to the whole package feeling akin to a PSP game in the most complimentary way I can deliver that comparison. And some levels, like Hell, as mentioned earlier, or the hot springs stage, come off genuinely pretty. On the other hand, perhaps Ankake Spa was too invested in showing these areas off, as there are places where the level geometry loves getting in your way, including in a couple of boss battles! The bamboo forest area is incredibly frustrating in this regard, compounded by its maze-based, spike-dodging structure. It's enough to make you realize why Gensokyo's denizens traverse the traditional way by simply flying over everything.

These visuals come at another cost, at least on one platform. The Switch copy of New World provided for this review doesn't seem 100% optimized for the system's capabilities. This mainly manifests in some noticeable chug on the overworld map screen, some frustrating slowdown in what are supposed to be the distinguishing showcase levels set in "our" world, and at least a couple of the later boss battles. That's unfortunate, given the game otherwise seems to have an overall keen awareness of its capabilities compared to its ambitions. You might want to look to the PC version if that's a viable platform option. Either way, the experience is bolstered overall by the music, including some pleasant remixes of familiar Touhou tracks alongside new ones that fit in. Though perhaps getting to listen to those iconic tunes was a bit over-prioritized, as the rest of New World's sound design can feel oddly understated, particularly with hit/combat feedback that relies more on controller vibrations than any major audio cues.

The final say on whether you should seek New World out then likely rests on any appreciation you hold for Touhou itself. The story, spinning its yarn of someone from our world effectively getting isekai'd into Gensokyo, provides an opportunity for a couple of unique area diversions. But it's mostly there as a framework to let Reimu and Marisa explore popularized Touhou tour spots and interact with their cavalcade of characters. The banter, and English translation thereof, is generally amusing enough, including multiple recognitions of the way Gensokyo denizens seem ready to throw down over virtually any interaction. And it uses its unique framework to build to an enjoyably epic climax. But much of the story's presentation still resolves in some more low-rent aspects that remind you of the smaller-scale construction, meaning it isn't the primary draw.

Its middle-ground occupation is the main takeaway for New World here. There are more robust RPG worlds with more dynamic action in other games. As a fan game for fans, however, it's a solid way to occupy your time. There's plenty to dig into for the 100%-ers in the audience, with missions to repeat and stats to tinker with and max out until you're satisfied. But apart from that, there's enough to the campaigns, plus some post-game unlock content to keep you occupied. It works as a way to engage with the world of Touhou in a manner a little denser than a brisk arcade shooter run, even if it's not exceptionally deep compared to contemporaries in its genre.