Overall it looks and runs great. This is the definitive version for me and if you’ve ever wanted to feel like an arcade badass, this is the game to get. As a shmup, I’d say this is also a great entry point into the franchise and it is finally available on Switch after being announced a while ago.
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.
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.
Danmaku Unlimited 3 is a brilliantly executed best of bullet hell shmup ideas wrapped up into a phenomenal package. It is the very best shmup money can buy in the whole Switch game library (plus it will cost you about half what it should!). Even if you don’t particularity like shmups - or if Japanese bullet hells are not your particular favourite flavour within the genre - exposure to the insane lightshows provided by this game might just turn you into a die-hard fan.
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.
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.
While Danmaku Unlimited 3 is not the most polished game of its kind, it is a very satisfying experience. The unique mechanics and multiple difficulty options combined with compelling reasons to keep playing and improving make for a game with a wider appeal than most other titles in the bullet hell genre. Danmaku Unlimited 3 successfully creates the tense feeling of a screen filled with bullets, without excessively punishing failure.
With tight gameplay and flashy visuals, Danmaku Unlimited 3 is certainly a capable shmup. That being said, fans of the genre will desire a lot more variety, especially considering the fact that it doesn't bring anything new to the table.
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.
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.
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. :)
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.
SummaryTake to the skies once again as the last defender of humanity against overwhelming odds! Lovingly built to be enjoyed by newcomers and genre veterans alike, Danmaku Unlimited 3 is a perfect medley of the best aspects of classic bullet hell shooters wrapped up in a modern and approachable package.