This week's game is Hana Taaka Daka?!, a PC Engine cute 'em up that's about a tengu going up against a whole lotta tanukis. I'm not a fan of all of its mechanical choices, but it's so aesthetically on point that it's hard to complain:
As far as I'm concerned, Natsume is one of the top dogs when it comes to making cute 'em ups thanks to Pocky & Rocky (that counts as one, right?), so it's no surprise to me that Hana Taaka Daka is another good one. I'm just a fan of Natsume's output in general, really! Getting to play as a tengu is great and all your enemies being tanukis means that you never quite know what you're going to encounter. This game takes full advantage of its silly premise and cute vibes to ensure that you're never not staring at a gorgeously colorful background, a nice big enemy sprite, or a goofy reference to something in Japanese pop culture. Mechanically, it's doing some interesting stuff, such as a size changing mechanic that affects your strength and ability to navigate certain areas, an emphasis on charging your shots, and introducing hidden areas that affect the ending. Not all of these choices are things I'm particularly fond of, honestly, but when the game is this joyous and good looking, it feels petty to dwell on the things I don't care for. This isn't on the level of Air Zonk, but it should absolutely be in the conversation of recommended PC Engine shmups.