Natsuki Chronicles Reviews
Natsuku Chronicles is a seriously entertaining title, which fans of classics like Border Down and R-Type Final will absolutely lap up.
I’m often horrible at these types of games, finding that the skill jump from easy to medium to be too much of a challenge but I found Natsuki Chronicles fares as a good starting point for beginners. In saying that, this game isn’t easy either and will require a ton of play-throughs of the same level, especially the later ones and on higher difficulties, to best determine which weapon types work the best and also your strategy. But even so, fans of the bullet hell genre should most definitely add this game to their library.
If you've long been turned away by the opaque nature of shoot 'em ups, Natsuki Chronicles might just be the game for you.
Natsuki Chronicles is a great entry into a classic genre of games. While the somewhat stale story and overwhelming options proved more distracting than positive at times, this is ultimately a title that I will come back to many times in the future.
Unoriginal art direction aside, Natsuki Chronicles is a thoroughly entertaining shoot ’em up that any fan of the genre should check out. Though thanks to its generosity with handing out additional credits and shields in each of its game modes, it’s even suitable for those with only a passing interest in the genre looking for a good entry point. Only players who truly wanted to follow its story will find real fault with it – everyone else will find it to be a blast from beginning to end.
In the end, Natsuki Chronicles is a solid shoot-'em-up. The action provides a nice balance between hardcore and novice-friendly gameplay, while the various tweakable options are welcome for players of all skill levels. Despite a lack of modes, there is some replayability thanks to an online leaderboard system and various difficulty levels and items to unlock; it gives players a reason to return despite the lackluster story. If you're a shoot-'em-up fan, Natsuki Chronicles is well worth checking out.
Natsuki Chronicles is a great surprise in a genre already quite familiar to players, especially those with a long history, and offers everything that works in that genre: unrestrained action, chaotic artistic style and refined gameplay. While it is not so innovative, it offers a very rewarding experience for the enthusiasts of shoot'em up games.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
All in all, Natsuki Chronicles should be considered an absolutely essential purchase if you have the slightest interest in shoot ’em ups. Even if you’re not typically great at this sort of game, Natsuki Chronicles provides plenty of support to help you get better and make consistent progress — while if you’re a hardcore veteran, the game’s tougher difficulty levels coupled with the ability to turn off the various “helper” features will provide you with a stiff challenge.
If you love shoot 'em ups as much as I do then you'll have an absolute blast with Natsuki Chronicles. Its clever and vastly different modes make for top-notch shooting entertainment whether you prefer the steadily-paced story or action-packed arcade gameplay.
The events of Natsuki Chronicles take place three years before a battle between Natsuki Sugiura, our protagonist, and the Garm in Ginga Force. The game begins with players as Natsuki where they go through her first assignment with the RDF as the rookie right up to her confrontation with Alex and Margarette. Afterwards, Natsuki realizes the truth about the Magni Company, MSS and RDF and decides to go against them.
Natsuki Chronicles is a smooth, polished shooter that has some great, modern RPG-lite features that make it accessible despite the shoot-‘em-up genre being one traditionally known for being brutally challenging. A bit more effort in localizing the audio would have gone a ways for making the in-stage narrative easier to soak in, but that is a pretty minor complaint about an otherwise very entertaining game.
In some ways, Natsuki Chronicles is a slight thing. It’s certainly not going to be the game that makes people who never play shoot-em-ups reconsider that stance, nor is it the sort of thing that you’re likely to devote months of play to unless you have a burning desire for a new shooter and this is the extent of your options in that regard.
Natsuki Chronicles is a great shmup that was clearly developed by shmup fans. The game has a refinement to it that eases any pain points someone might have had with other titles in the genre. The accessibility of the systems and constant rewards creates a challenging but approachable experience. The only setback is a few hard-to-spot enemies and a frame drops, but you’ll probably be having too much fun to notice.
Overall, there is plenty of game here and enough to challenge even the most hardened shoot-’em-up fanatic, but also enough tricks up its sleeve to cater for newcomers. Natsuki Chronicles will be on my ‘pick up and play’ list for a while.