In all my time fighting yokai, I’d never thought it’d be as successful in a bikini and riding a banana. That’s what I take away from my experience playing Twilight Parade: Moonlit Mononoke – a bizarre, short-lived shmup set to the tune of Japanese yokai and buxom ladies.
Alas, there is no plot, character development, or even customisations as seen in the excellent Maiden Cops, also from Eastasiasoft. Instead, there are four characters to choose from, each riding a broomstick of sorts, with a swimsuit alternative selectable below that.
There are no introductions in Twilight Parade: Moonlit Mononoke or tutorials – just a title screen with the option to start the game, check out the credits, or have a look at your trophy progress, which is effectively beating the game repeatedly with each character. An achievable Platinum, but will you go all the way?
Not that a shmup needs any sort of tutorial, unless it has a complex weapon system (Söldner-X: Himmelsstürmer), but it would be nice to know if there’s a boost of any sort, as by far, this is one of the most excruciating for the speed at which you move. Granted, speed depletes when you hold the fire button, but with the volume of enemies, it makes sense to have a trigger finger.
So, Twilight Parade: Moonlit Mononoke has no boosts or power-ups, nor does it have any collectables besides getting a high score. Each girl has a talisman that sort of nukes enemies on-screen, and there are three. However, it’s essential to save these for the boss battles, as bullet hell is a MASSIVE understatement. Death is so prevalent during the boss stages that it may as well be a Souls-like as without talismen, the projectitles are unavoidable. Butt…
You have infinite credits. What is potentially game-breaking isn’t the monotonous music and sound effects or lack of features, but how you can more or less hold down shoot and stay in one position until each boss dies. The only downside is your score resetting, but without local or online leaderboards, it’s all so… pointless.
There are two motivating factors: an inevitable Platinum, and the opportunity to see the visuals. I really like the illustrations – not of the heroes, but the vibrant display of yokai, or Japanese spirits, monsters, deities. With literally hundreds, if not thousands, the enemies on display, capture the quirkiness of Japanese folklore, even if out of their comfort zone and shooting projectiles and jugular ladies. I can’t say the same about the bosses who resemble the heroes, only giants. There’s nothing titillating about them besides their ginormous boobaloos, and despite that, Twilight Parade: Moonlit Mononoke isn’t an adult game and just a bit of fun.
How much fun depends on your motivations. If you’re looking to climb the leaderboard or play co-op, you’re out of luck. And as accessible as it is to have infinite continues, it does take the challenge out a little, serving everything on a plate for you to effectively complete it relatively quickly and without much in the way of replayability. Extra content such as customisation, an art gallery, story arcs… any of those things would be beneficial, but if that’s not important to you and you want a straight-up, no-fuss shmup, give Twilight Parade: Moonlit Mononoke a look.
