Danmaku Unlimited 3 Review (Kanro Pure Gummy Muscat Flavor)
I’m frankly amazed by the number of ways this game manages to be a disappointing followup to Danmaku Unlimited 2. I thought DU2 was a solid shmup, and DU3 looks cleaner and has a much cooler soundtrack. But my praise ends there.
The UI in Danmaku Unlimited 3 is broken in several places. Ship selection often doesn’t work, forcing you to play ship type A-A even when you pick other types. Pressing continue to go to the next stage sometimes plays a looping animation that delays loading. And the game repeatedly asks you to replay the tutorial since “it appears this is your first time playing,” even when it most definitely isn’t.
The gameplay takes inspiration from the worst aspects of CAVE’s mostly storied lineup. Spirit Mode, for example, adopts the cancel-on-kill mechanic from Espgaluda II Black Label, neutering the threat of most non-boss enemies in DU3 to the point that many stages practically play themselves if you sit in the middle and hold fire. A variation of the awful laser wheels from DaiFukkatsu that nobody wanted to see ever again also show up in multiple stages here, along with some rather poorly-communicated wall interactions that belong in a horizontal shooter, not a bullet hell. And the bosses have too many phases, many of which drag on for way too long.
All in all, this game is only mostly functional and only partly fun. I would recommend other shmups over this one any day of the week. My personal favorites on Steam are Mushihimeama, Gunvein, and Blue Revolver, all danmaku games like DU3. Devil Blade Reboot is also great if you want something simpler, and Eigengrau is an underrated puzzle-shmup hybrid that might also be worth your time.