A Japanese indie bullet hell for PC. Crap...
Okay, after this introductory marathon I have planned out, I'll get to posting console games. But I'm only here because Yamuu is too laz-*bricked* unskil-*bricked* ... busy, to play and review a series that's near and dear to my heart.
That series being a well crafted, beautifully orchestrated, and genuinely difficult series of bullet hellz known as the Touhou Project, produced by Team Shanghai Alice.
Now, before we get into the thick of it, I want to give some background on the games here, since the reviews themselves will be long enough as is.
Touhou Project is a series of currently 14 different danmaku (Japanese for 'curtain') bullet hell games. In these games, you select one of two or more characters to play the game with, each one having her own speed, hit box size, and other special attributes. After that, you select a shot type that will determine things such as the area your projectiles cover, how much damage your shots inflict, and what your special attack is.
I'll use the 6th game in the series for an example.
After selecting the difficulty, I am given the option between playing as Reimu Hakurei, and Shinto Shrine Priestess, or Marisa Kirisame, a western style magician. Now I want to be capable of moving fast so I have an easy time collecting point and power drops from enemies, so I select Marisa, the faster of the 2 with the larger hit-box. But now, I have to chose between the her 2 shot types. I could go for the laser themed class, or the astral themed class. I feel confident in my ability to dodge projectiles, so I'm going to go with the astral themed class, as it has a stronger side arm, with a less than underwhelming special attack.
After selecting your character and shot type, it's time for the games to begin.
The series consistently has the player run a gauntlet of 6 stages in a row, each ending with a boss character (and occasionally a mid-stage boss, depending). In each stage, you try to dodge wave after wave of projectiles so majestic one might consider it art. All while bobbing your head to some of the best music video games have to offer. Getting hit by a single projectile results in an instant death. Die enough times and it's game over.
In order to complete the game, you must complete all six levels without using a continue (running out of lives) on normal difficulty or higher. Doing so will give you that characters ending, along with unlocking that character and shot type for the Extra sStage. What's the extra stage? Well, I'll leave that for the first review.
Every game in the series contains a large number of references to Japanese mythology and culture, and I will do my best to explain them. However, if you want to look at in depth synopses (synopsi?) of the characters and story, feel free to visit the wiki (a link will be provided below).
Lastly, it's time to address how I'll be handling these reviews.
Much like Yamuu, I will be scoring these games off of multiple categories, these categories being:
- Stages - As previously stated, each entry in the series has 6 stages that the player has to marathon. This category will be scored based off of how fun/interesting/obnoxious the stages of that game are.
- Bosses - Second verse, same as the first. At the end of each stage, you fight a boss character, so this category is scored off of how creative the bosses special attacks are, along with how interesting the characters and how enjoyable their dialogue is.
- Music - One of the greatest things about this series is just how fantastic the music is. Lone developer Zun is a diamond in the rough, crafting each and every track of each and ever game to stand out and be unique. The games music will be scored based off of how well it fits the character, situation, and if it's enjoyable to listen to.
- Story - Though the plot of most Touhou games tend to be pretty bare bones, I still find it important to review how unique and enjoyable the plots are. That being said, this is a skewed rating system, rating plots in comparison to other Touhou games rather than all games ever. Embodiment of Scarlet Devil may not have a plot as grand as Final Fantasy 7, but it's a heck of a lot better than Ten Desires.
- Gimmick - Each entry in the Touhou Project series has its own game play gimmick. From the U.F.O.'s in U.F.O., to the Divine Spirits in Ten Desires, each game has a mechanic that sets it apart from the rest of the series. This will rate its uniqueness, usefulness and relevance.
- Extra Stage - The Extra Stage is the ultimate test of skill and determination, putting everything you've learned to the test. This category will rate the final stretch based off of its fairness and memorability.
Alright, I've rambled enough for one evening. Starting May 10th (or 17th, depending on availability) I will begin posting the weekly marathon blog titled Touhou Tuesday!
P.S. I will be ending each entry with a link to my personal favorite song of the game, along with my favorite remix of said song. Since this is an introductory post, enjoy my favorite title theme, A Dream That is More Scarlet Than Red
Talk to ya later everyone!
--foamy
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