> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.killscreen.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Review: Trouble Witches Neo!
- URL: https://www.killscreen.com/review-trouble-witches-neo/
- Published: 2011-06-20T17:45:00.000Z
- Updated: 2015-11-17T14:39:57.000Z
- Description: Something’s lost in translation in this tribute to tributes to shoot-’em-ups. Jason Johnson wonders how many licks it takes to get to the center of this otaku confection. (The answer: a bazillion neon bullets.)
- Author: Jason Johnson
- Tags: Review, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2024-07-26 09:39

*[Trouble Witches Neo!](http://xbla.snkplaymoreusa.com/lineup/trouble-witches.php?ref=killscreen.com)* is a conflict of style and substance: an uncanny chimera whose embodiment only makes sense within the context of 30 years of otaku lore. It’s instantly oriental and alienating; alluring yet slightly repugnant, like unfamiliar incense lingering in a seedy massage parlor. The game is defined by clashing culture shocks: by little witches, precocious in alchemy, drawn in the exaggerations of *moe*, a comic style that fixates on giant-eyed anime girls; and by the predicament they find themselves in—the sensory overload of a bullet-hell shooter, Japan’s most hardcore gaming niche—as fleets of airships flown by lulz-faced pilots fire a bazillion neon bullets.

To those unfamiliar with Japanese geek fandom, this potion of ponytails and devilish play must be disorienting. Outside of its cultural context, *Trouble Witches* seems as ill matched as a Barbie-doll-themed first-person shooter, or a tank simulator featuring kitten commanders. The tone draws comparisons to cute-’em-ups, lighthearted games like *Magical Chase* and *Parodius* that lampooned traditional shooters. (Think *Don Quixote* to medieval romances.) Yet zaniness has fallen by the wayside here, replaced with a motif that lacks even a hint of irony. Studio Siesta, the developer that unleashed this saccharine barrage, takes cuteness as seriously as it takes gunning down industrial-age mechanisms, which is to say, very seriously. A love letter has been written to love letters of love letters, and the idea of parody has been lost—not in translation, but in iteration.

Outside of its cultural context, *Trouble Witches* seems as ill matched as a Barbie-doll-themed first-person shooter, or a tank simulator featuring kitten commanders.

When I first scrolled past *Trouble Witches*’ purple-pink promo art on the Xbox 360 dashboard, I didn’t stop. Only after having it recommended did I download the demo, then delete it. When the recommendations kept coming, I reluctantly said “Okay.” I bought it, played it, and had fun, but by the end of the night, I was through. The game wasn’t for me. My conclusion turned out to be an objective fact. *Trouble Witches* began life on the PC as a *doujin* game, made by Japanese hobbyists for several thousand Akihabara-ites. By a minor miracle, it was turned into an arcade game, and then picked up by SNK for a remastered international release, after buzz around manic shooters like Cave’s *Deathsmiles* and *Guwange* paved the way for its journey to the West.

The trouble with *Trouble Witches* is that the people who give it enough time to be convinced of its merit are those who are already inclined to like it in the first place: the types who collect scantily-clad figurines and mod their systems to play imported games. The game’s intricacies are far from daunting, but they aren’t evident either. They require otaku intuition, or further reading. After [perusing a FAQ](http://trouble%5Fwitches.mails.ne.jp/trouble%5Fwitches%5Fmanual/tw%5Fgame3.htm?ref=killscreen.com) to grasp the finer points of witchcraft, such as letting off the shoot button to vacuum in a slot machine’s worth of bounty, I gave *Trouble Witches* a second chance and found it a richer experience. The significance of power-up cards, which are peddled in hot-air balloons by sisters wearing pumpkin hats, became clear. As did the variety in the speed, strength, and shot patterns of the witches and their Pokémon-esque sidekicks, such as a sunfish donning a butler’s bowtie and mustache, or a turtle holed up in a magic lantern. The margin of error is hairline, and picking up on these nuances is the difference between competence and credit feeding.

The degree to which you’ll enjoy *Trouble Witches* comes down to how much you’re willing to put into it. Mastering the art of magic circles—barriers that suspend enemy fire in bullet-time—makes the otherwise cut-and-dry shooting and dodging exceptional. These defensive maneuvers not only freeze tsunamis of bullets in their tracks, providing a path for crafty escape, but are also pivotal to unlocking incredible high scores. The alchemy of converting incoming bullets into buckets of yen involves, first, freezing them; then, dismantling the attacking vessel; and lastly, sucking up the spoils as the bullets evaporate into loose change. The technique lends gunplay a multitasking dynamic and, with it, the satisfaction of being abundantly paid for using finesse.

My question is: What’s a twelve-year-old to do with so much money?