Like it's predeccesor, Perfect Cherry Blossom features great graphics, great(er) character design, amazing sound, and awesome gameplay. Although both of the aforementioned games are pretty much equal across the board, Perfect Cherry Blossom is clearly the winner in the sound and music department. In fact, I'd have to say that PCB features what is hands-down the best soundtrack ever heard in a freeware game. It's mostly classical stuff, and it's all awesome.

As said earlier in this review, the gameplay is almost exactly identical to EoSD, with the exception of a couple tweaks, which are definitely for the better. There is also a great new playable character, which brings the character total to 3. All 3 are completely different and definitely warrant individual playthroughs. The tweaks include the ability to slow your movement down for tight situations that require precise movement, and the ability to alter your shot and bomb by holding down a button, which is the same button that is used for the slow-down technique. Fortunately, the double-feature button doesn't really get in the way in the least.

The graphics are neither a step ahead or a step back from the graphics in Embodiment of Scarlet Devil. At times, such as during the final boss fight, the graphics are unbelievable, while at other times the graphics are merely good. In the end, EoSD's graphics were more consistent, but PCB has more blow-you-away scenes.

The characters, as always, look great. From their in game look and animations, to the dialogue portraits, these are some of the best looking characters around, technically, and conceptually. The final boss's name is Alice, which is always a huge plus.

It should also be noted that this game doesn't have the whole underlying "Devil theme", so if you were turned off by it in the last game, this game won't be a problem.

Bottom Line: Team Shanghai Alice delivers once again. If for some reason you did not like the last game then this won't do anything to change your mind, but for those who loved (or merely liked) EoSD, this game will satiate your hunger for more.

I realize that I did not go into much detail on the actual gameplay mechanics in this review; you'll find all that in the review for Embodiment of Scarlet Devil.

Controls are: "Z"-Standard Shot, "X"-Bomb, "Left Shift"- Standard shot 2 (hold and press "Z"), slow down.