Hey, you know what's probably weird? Reviewing an incomplete game! But Shanghai.exe is well put together and well executed enough that I'm going to make an exception for it!
![[Image: 8WT2ZNN.png]](https://i.imgur.com/8WT2ZNN.png)
What is Shanghai.exe? Named after Rockman.exe, Shanghai is a solid take on the Battle Network series, putting Touhou characters in a Battle Network-style world and plotline... and Battle Network mechanics, of course. It's been in constant development since 2014, adding chapters and events at a time and putting out various demos as the developer goes along. The battle system itself takes various parts from the main battle network games (the Crosses of 6 and the Styles of 2/3 are combined into one system, for example), to create a system that uses aspects from both of them. If you don't know Battle Network stuff... probably not going to explain it in this review.
![[Image: rqVlpys.png]](https://i.imgur.com/rqVlpys.png)
The story itself is your average Battle Network story, only with Touhous - Alice and Shanghai beat up various bad guys to foil the vague and sinister plans of a nebulous evil organization. Fighting your way through a world where everything from a shrine's donation box to a sunken ship is on the web, the dynamic duo confront a combination of original characters and Touhou characters - which are probably my favorite aspect of the game, seeing how they get redesigned to match the cyberworld aesthetic. The game is already fully translated in English, with a translation ongoing even as the dev continues to make it!
![[Image: vE3uqFY.png]](https://i.imgur.com/vE3uqFY.png)
One of the most impressive parts of Shanghai, though, is the sheer amount of content. Among other things, there are implied to be 21 or 22 unique Navi bosses, 256 chips to collect in three types, various boss rematches - and not just the basic V2 and V3 forms! There's even a side part of the game about fighting SP Viruses, top-level versions of generic enemies. Shanghai.exe looks like it's going to have content for days, similar to Dangerous Patchouli and Code R. Always a major highlight! And of course, the Battle Network games were already known for extensive postgame, so when you add more on top of that...
![[Image: z1mNDt8.png]](https://i.imgur.com/z1mNDt8.png)
If there's one issue Shanghai has, even though it may just stem from being incomplete... it can be demanding. Really demanding! It has a tendency to expect a lot out of you with a couple bosses serving as proper difficulty spikes. Of course, that might change once the resources of a complete game are available, but this game really wants you to know and understand Battle Network mechanics through and through. Sure it explains the basics, but strategies are harder to come up with than they might be in a more forgiving, mainstream game. (Also this is really petty but I wish all the bosses were Touhou navis and it had no OC navis)
![[Image: 6LiOlZc.png]](https://i.imgur.com/6LiOlZc.png)
While it may not be done yet, Shanghai.exe's development cycle and already apparent quality have me hooked. I'm glad it was a different Touhou/Battle Network crossover game that collapsed and failed!
THE VERDICT
Honestly? Shanghai.exe is great. It really understands the Battle Network series - it was appealing enough that the wait for Shanghai got me to start playing BN myself, having played 2, 3, and 6 by now thanks to the game's excitement. It has an open and friendly developer, who's upfront about the progress he's making. It's got a well-designed battle system, combining some of the best aspects of the Battle Network games. And it has a fuckton of extra content, with boss rematches, powerful enemies, requests, and plenty of other things left to implement and subsequently find. It might be premature, but I give Shanghai.exe a perfect 5 Reimus out of 5.
What is Shanghai.exe? Named after Rockman.exe, Shanghai is a solid take on the Battle Network series, putting Touhou characters in a Battle Network-style world and plotline... and Battle Network mechanics, of course. It's been in constant development since 2014, adding chapters and events at a time and putting out various demos as the developer goes along. The battle system itself takes various parts from the main battle network games (the Crosses of 6 and the Styles of 2/3 are combined into one system, for example), to create a system that uses aspects from both of them. If you don't know Battle Network stuff... probably not going to explain it in this review.
The story itself is your average Battle Network story, only with Touhous - Alice and Shanghai beat up various bad guys to foil the vague and sinister plans of a nebulous evil organization. Fighting your way through a world where everything from a shrine's donation box to a sunken ship is on the web, the dynamic duo confront a combination of original characters and Touhou characters - which are probably my favorite aspect of the game, seeing how they get redesigned to match the cyberworld aesthetic. The game is already fully translated in English, with a translation ongoing even as the dev continues to make it!
One of the most impressive parts of Shanghai, though, is the sheer amount of content. Among other things, there are implied to be 21 or 22 unique Navi bosses, 256 chips to collect in three types, various boss rematches - and not just the basic V2 and V3 forms! There's even a side part of the game about fighting SP Viruses, top-level versions of generic enemies. Shanghai.exe looks like it's going to have content for days, similar to Dangerous Patchouli and Code R. Always a major highlight! And of course, the Battle Network games were already known for extensive postgame, so when you add more on top of that...
If there's one issue Shanghai has, even though it may just stem from being incomplete... it can be demanding. Really demanding! It has a tendency to expect a lot out of you with a couple bosses serving as proper difficulty spikes. Of course, that might change once the resources of a complete game are available, but this game really wants you to know and understand Battle Network mechanics through and through. Sure it explains the basics, but strategies are harder to come up with than they might be in a more forgiving, mainstream game. (Also this is really petty but I wish all the bosses were Touhou navis and it had no OC navis)
While it may not be done yet, Shanghai.exe's development cycle and already apparent quality have me hooked. I'm glad it was a different Touhou/Battle Network crossover game that collapsed and failed!
THE VERDICT
Honestly? Shanghai.exe is great. It really understands the Battle Network series - it was appealing enough that the wait for Shanghai got me to start playing BN myself, having played 2, 3, and 6 by now thanks to the game's excitement. It has an open and friendly developer, who's upfront about the progress he's making. It's got a well-designed battle system, combining some of the best aspects of the Battle Network games. And it has a fuckton of extra content, with boss rematches, powerful enemies, requests, and plenty of other things left to implement and subsequently find. It might be premature, but I give Shanghai.exe a perfect 5 Reimus out of 5.
![[Image: s2n7oi.png]](https://files.catbox.moe/s2n7oi.png)