Trouble Witches has 2 mechanics which I think differentiate it from other shoot em ups. The first is the magic circle which slows downs green and purple projectiles and clears them from the screen if the enemy shooting them is defeated while the power is active or, alternatively, turns them into more dangerous homing yellow bullets if the enemy escapes.
The second one are spells which are consumables sold by the pumpkin sisters whose shop is available 2-3 times per level. Spells are like bombs in other games, clearing projectiles around the player. They also provide a free hit and upgrade the player's weapon for a brief period of time.
I think both mechanics combined incentivize the player to be more aggressive in general in contrast to other shoot em ups where it's more efficient to focus almost purely on dodging. Boss fights also lack time limits and with the right timing it's possible to trivialize some phases.
Obviously the art style is very characterizing of the title as well, every single sprite is clear and colorful, and the tone is generally lighthearted. Each playable character comes with a fully voiced story mode, but the english translation is hilariously bad. It's around the same "engrish" level as the store description.
Overall, I believe the game is pretty good. I don't think it's the best shoot them up for a newcomer, but there's an easy mode and infinite credits so it's not the worst either. I did get a bit sick from the over the top voice acting though.
The second one are spells which are consumables sold by the pumpkin sisters whose shop is available 2-3 times per level. Spells are like bombs in other games, clearing projectiles around the player. They also provide a free hit and upgrade the player's weapon for a brief period of time.
I think both mechanics combined incentivize the player to be more aggressive in general in contrast to other shoot em ups where it's more efficient to focus almost purely on dodging. Boss fights also lack time limits and with the right timing it's possible to trivialize some phases.
Obviously the art style is very characterizing of the title as well, every single sprite is clear and colorful, and the tone is generally lighthearted. Each playable character comes with a fully voiced story mode, but the english translation is hilariously bad. It's around the same "engrish" level as the store description.
Overall, I believe the game is pretty good. I don't think it's the best shoot them up for a newcomer, but there's an easy mode and infinite credits so it's not the worst either. I did get a bit sick from the over the top voice acting though.