I don't usually throw around this word, but my god, what a MASTERPIECE

What a brilliantly crafted experience. The gamefeel, the mechanics, the subweapons, the MUSIC, the visuals, the style of it all, the incredible imagery, the tactful refferences, the incredible bosses, the constant twists and surprises and the subversions of anything you think you know. I didn't expect this game to have this kind of mystic.

I suck at it, and i'm probably not getting the True Ending anytime soon, but i'm just happy to keep playing, improving, discovering, vibing.

(This review has no spoilers)
One of the best games i've ever played, an easy 9/10 that could have been a 10/10 (more on that later in the review)
The music is especially top notch, which is saying a lot, because the shmup/danmaku genre is filled with great soundtracks
This soundtrack isn't just great, it's incredible, it's mindblowing (although the MIDI-inspired instruments might take some getting used to for some players)

The rest of the game is just as good as the soundtrack
The story and worldbuilding is particularly good for a shmup, there is a lot of really interesting lore to uncover, but the game doesn't overwhelm you with it
Everything comes together in a beautifully well done solid experience, the gameplay, the story, the artstyle, the music, everything blends together to form a very consistent flowstate that makes the game fun to just play

The game has multiple gamemodes, including a shorter bite-sized 20 minute "supercut" of the main game which is perfect for shorter play sessions
The main gamemode; Green Orange, is very accessible for new players, and offers a generous continue system, even allowing you to start from any stage you have previously unlocked so far

However, what makes this game a 9/10 and not a 10/10 is that, without getting into spoilers, there is one particular moment near the end of the game which introduces an unfair and unnecessarily punishing game mechanic seen nowehere else in the game (i highly recommend new players to back up their savefile if they see "white woman" (that's a codeword to avoid spoilers), you can thank me later)

Overall, i highly recommend Zeroranger, it is an excellent shmup for both new players to the genre (experience with Undertale and/or a little bit of Touhou will make you acclimate a lot easier though) and veterans alike
There is a free demo if you're not sure about buying it yet
And yes, i would say it's better than most Touhou games, it's that good

good: game
bad: me apparently - after 50 hours I had gotten an ending. No 1cc, no good ending, no arranged ending. Just an ending.