See The 3D-Bullet-Hell, Anime-and-Folklore-Inspired Action Game That I Want To Play For Hours

I have a confession to make: I don’t really watch anime. Sure, I’ve seen some staples that appeared on American TV in the 2000s, like Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh (But not Naruto), I watched a lot of Studio Ghibli over the years, and I’ve barely dipped my toes into anime since (and only if you even want to count several Gundam series and the Netflix-produced Castlevania). But, that’s about it. As a medium, it is one I’m not very familiar with, outside of osmosis from my anime-watching friends.

I’ve also never really gotten into character-action games, aside from a single playthrough of Nier:Automata. Nor have I ever spent much time playing “Bullet-Hell” games, whether 2D or 3D.

I promise this is relevant.

Because, when I was contacted by publisher PLAYISM and asked to play Crimson Dusk’s anime-inspired, 3D-bullet-hell/character-action game, Homura Hima, I was naturally… Worried. While there were quite a few elements that I was familiar with in the trailer and marketing materials — and by familiar, I mean “I play games with dodge rolls a lot” — there was a lot more influence from things that I was fairly ignorant of.

But, we never learn, if we are not exposed to new things. And so, I agreed to see Homura Hime. After all, whether or not I was the target audience, it looked beautifully rendered, deeply folkloric (And I am somewhat familiar with for Japanese folklore), and tightly action-packed. With a deep certainty that I was about to embarrass myself (I am a gaming journalist, after all), I headed to PLAYISM’s booth and, after being briefly introduced to the game, sat down to play.

And, after about half an hour of playing… I think there are quite a lot of experiences I’ve been missing out on. At least, if Homura Hime is anything to go on. Because I absolutely loved my time with it.

To start, the art in the game had me hooked before I even unsheathed my sword. It’s not just the 3D-anime-esque cell-shading and character design or clean, readable particle effects I’m talking about. It’s also just… The world. The feel. Everything. The character designs are, of course, on point, but just as importantly, the environments are stunning, and evocative of many of my favorite settings in games and movies over the year.

More than that, the game is clearly inspired by Japanese architecture and folklore, and it seems to have a deep reverance for that. The “archdemons possessed by deviant emotion” that Homura Hime fights have some obvious inspiration from some of the most interesting yōkai in the Japanese tradition, and the environments are equal parts historically and mythically inspired. I’m sure there are countless anime inspirations I didn’t pick up on, but as a fan of mythological history, Homura Hime is dripping with it.

But that means very little if the game itself isn’t fun. And I have some very good news: Homura Hime is one of the most fun, high-octane, and carefully tailored games I played at PAX West.

For starters, the movement is exquisite. Homura Hime is fast, but exact. I had perfect control over her every movement, and was able to quickly find myself dodging projectiles within inches. Her fast movement combines closely with her move set as well; most of Homura Hime’s arsenal — from blocking to special attacks — also includes some different movement option, whether it be a quick dash, a pull toward the enemy, or a backstep and ranged attack. I use the word “flow” a lot to describe combat in games, but never has it been more relevant than this: Homura Hime just flows.

More than that, I felt powerful playing Homura Hime. Remember, while I have plenty of experience with some of the systems in the game, the most important influences come from games in genres that I’ve hardly played. And yet, in the first few minutes, I already felt in control. Everything about the game was intuitive and clear.

But not, I should say, forgiving. As demonstrated by the boss I fought at the end of my time with the game, Homura Hime has the potential to be brutally hard. Between the 3D-bullet-hell projectiles filling the screen, tight windows to block or dodge enemy attacks, and a sort of “learn the attacks or die” philosophy to boss move sets, I struggled to keep up. Block. Dodge. Attack, move away. Special attack forward, then another back. Block. Block. Attack. It’s a dance of swords and orbs, and my heart was racing while playing. I’m not very familiar with anime, but from what I do know, Homura Hime definitely hit the mark of what I imagine “epic anime battles” feeling like to play.

Ultimately, I did barely eke out a victory against the boss on my first attempt. But, it is a boss that I must assume will appear very early in the game and was certainly not tuned to a very high difficulty for PAX. And, in looking at the trailers for the game, I can already tell that my fledgling skills would need a lot of honing in order to take on some of the other enemies Homura Hime would face.

And, watching the trailers, I wanted to fight them all. To use that graceful movement, those dynamic combos, those devastating attacks, and to see if I could match blades, or skulls, or bullets with my archdemon enemies. I wanted to fight them all, so I could see more of their designs, in more of their stunning environments. I wanted to fight them all so that I could follow the paranormal, emotionally fueled journey of Homura Hime, and to see more of the delicious Japanese folklore-inspired stories and beings on display.

But, I will have to wait. I will do so eagerly, all because I cannot wait to experience the rush of power and focussed adrenaline that came with the game. It isn’t due out until around “Early 2025,” but it’s on my wishlist on Steam already. I highly recommend it make its way to yours as well, especially if you are more familiar with the influences than I am. If I was won over, you are sure to be.