Touhou Makuka Sai: Fantastic Danmaku Festival Part III

About Touhou Makuka Sai: Fantastic Danmaku Festival Part III

Touhou Makuka Sai: Fantastic Danmaku Festival Part III is a bullet hell shooter developed by the Touhou Makukasai Team. Released on PC in September 2025, it's the third entry in the series set in the mystical Gensokyo region. The game follows the Moon Capital Exhibition event, where a strange moon triggers a night of chaos as youkai and fairies emerge. Players navigate intense wave-based combat with colorful visuals and arcade-style mechanics, aiming to survive increasingly complex bullet patterns while uncovering the mystery of the eternal night.

Gameplay

Gameplay revolves around fast-paced boss battles and pattern-based shooting. Each stage escalates in difficulty, with enemies unleashing dense danmaku (bullet) barrages requiring precise dodging. Players can upgrade weapons and special abilities to tackle tough encounters. The single-player mode emphasizes high replay value through challenge rooms and hidden achievements. Controls are responsive, with a focus on quick reflexes and memorizing enemy attack sequences. Sessions typically last 15-30 minutes per level, balancing intensity with manageable pacing for occasional play sessions.

What Players Think

With a 92% completion rate among 10,000+ PlayPile players, the game is praised for its challenging yet fair difficulty. Average playtime is 12 hours, with 65% of users rating it 9/10. Community moods lean towards excitement (78%) and satisfaction (62%), though 18% cite learning curve frustrations. Steam reviews highlight "a worthy sequel that pushes danmaku mechanics forward" and "addictive, if punishing, boss fights."

PlayPile's Take

This sequel excels for fans of demanding shooters and Touhou series lore. At $29.99, it offers solid value for its content. With 85 achievements and a 4.5-hour average completion time, it's a short but satisfying challenge. Skip if you dislike aggressive difficulty or prefer open-ended gameplay. Worth playing if you crave arcade precision and enjoy figuring out Gensokyo's mysteries.

Storyline

Under the influence of the second spring snow "incident", Gensokyo passed a brief summer and welcomed the autumn wind. The annual Mid-Autumn Festival event - the Moon Capital Exhibition - was held as scheduled, but this year seemed livelier than usual. As the full moon, emitting strange moonlight, rose, a huge curtain that spanned Gensokyo had quietly fallen. Before everyone could react, the night sky of Gensokyo had completely paused, and many youkai that were usually only heard in rumors had appeared. And tonight's Moon Capital Exhibition banquet was attracting batches of nearby fairies to come...