Definitely one of the better touhou fangames out there even if the experience didn't resonate with me all that much. The visuals are defined by a distinctive, cute sprite art style that complements the puzzle platforming well and the cute cutscenes at the end of each of the game's ten worlds feature a variety of touhou characters and will definitely entertain fans of the series.
The best part of the game for me was the soundtrack. The largely classic-sonic inspired soundtrack works surprisingly well. Each stage theme fits the visuals and has just the right amount of energy for puzzle platforming - that is to say, not so intense that it feels like you're doing action stunts but energetic enough to keep you engaged with the levels and their challenges.
The gameplay itself is definitely fine and people who are more into puzzle games will probably enjoy it more than I did but the mechanics feel a bit rudimentary. There's not much sekibanki can do besides moving, jumping and carrying around trampoline heads and springs and this makes a lot of the puzzles feel samey.
It doesn't help that some of the gimmicks felt annoying and time consuming rather than posing a new dimension of challenge. The last three worlds for instance are mostly made up of levels where the solution is still relatively easy but everything is so spaced apart and you're having to lug around so many heads and springs one at a time that they just felt tedious to get through. There are certainly some great gimmicks (I especially liked the gap portals in worlds 9 and 10) but a lot of the design aspect felt like it wasn't reaching its potential.
Just as a personal preference as well, I wish more of the game leaned into precision platforming. Some of the secret levels focus more on precision platforming as opposed to puzzling and it's a good change of pace.
The best part of the game for me was the soundtrack. The largely classic-sonic inspired soundtrack works surprisingly well. Each stage theme fits the visuals and has just the right amount of energy for puzzle platforming - that is to say, not so intense that it feels like you're doing action stunts but energetic enough to keep you engaged with the levels and their challenges.
The gameplay itself is definitely fine and people who are more into puzzle games will probably enjoy it more than I did but the mechanics feel a bit rudimentary. There's not much sekibanki can do besides moving, jumping and carrying around trampoline heads and springs and this makes a lot of the puzzles feel samey.
It doesn't help that some of the gimmicks felt annoying and time consuming rather than posing a new dimension of challenge. The last three worlds for instance are mostly made up of levels where the solution is still relatively easy but everything is so spaced apart and you're having to lug around so many heads and springs one at a time that they just felt tedious to get through. There are certainly some great gimmicks (I especially liked the gap portals in worlds 9 and 10) but a lot of the design aspect felt like it wasn't reaching its potential.
Just as a personal preference as well, I wish more of the game leaned into precision platforming. Some of the secret levels focus more on precision platforming as opposed to puzzling and it's a good change of pace.