I tried this out with the English translation patch, and had the same reaction most people have when I tried it: The controls suck, you can't see what you're shooting. BUT I stuck it out and it's actually really fun when you understand the mechanics! I ended up beating the game on normal without too much trouble (at least compared to other shmups I've played). This game could easily be a 4/5 if the controls were a little better and had some quality of life improvements. It has beautiful graphics and a fun world.

Some tips: -Holding the shoot button sends your fairies out, they're like homing missiles, so it's good to get them when you see them. They're especially good for opening the buddha jug things that have bombs and stuff in them.

-You can shoot faster by tapping the shoot button quickly. I wound up alternating between tapping and holding (to send my fairies out)

-Certain bosses seem to be weak to certain magics.

-The red and blue star circles seem to just increase your score. I wouldn't prioritize these if you're just trying to beat it.

-Your shot gets more powerful and bigger as you hit more enemies with it. Using the tapping technique helps A LOT for upgrading your weapon. It becomes much easier to hit enemies when your weapon is upgraded. The max level is 8. The gauge is in the top left. The gauge is reduced when you get hit.

-When you die, you will lose some levels on your shot, which is frustrating because when you're late in the game, you can't really do shit with a low level shot.