Touhou Project

Touhou Hisoutensoku ~ Choudokyuu Ginyoru no Nazo wo Oe
Japanese Title: 東方非想天則 ～ 超弩級ギニョルの謎を追え

English Title: Chase the Enigma of the Superdreadnought Guignol

Airdate: August 15, 2009

Plot

A mysterious giant is seen wandering around Gensokyo. It can suddenly appear and can just as suddenly vanish seemingly without a trace. Everyone who sees it becomes curious and wonders about the truth behind this strange sight. Sanae Kochiya, Cirno, and Hong Meiling each have their own fears and dreams about the giant, and each sets out in pursuit of this roaming behemoth.

Exploring the Forest of Magic, the Scarlet Devil Mansion, and other locations in Gensokyo, the heroines face many challenges and obstacles in their pursuit of a mystery that's far deeper than it first appears.

Gameplay

Touhou Hisoutensoku retains the same mechanics of spell cards, spirit orbs, and weather as Scarlet Weather Rhapsody, but also introduces new playable Touhou characters, spell cards, and weather-types. Many existing spell cards, weather-types and graphics from Scarlet Weather Rhapsody have been altered and in addition to the new characters, existing characters all have new spell card moves. Additionally, each playable character now has a system card (e.g. healing, weather change, bombs, etc.) associated with her that's usable by any character once unlocked.

Touhou Bunkachou ~ Double Spoiler
Japanese Title: ダブルスポイラー ～ 東方文花帖

English Title: Shoot the Bullet Again!

Airdate: March 14, 2010

Plot

Aya Shameimaru is out to take pictures and write articles about her enemies again. After a long time of writing articles, she suddenly sees another tengu who also writes newspaper articles, Hatate Himekaidou who calls Aya's Bunbunmaru Newspaper a shame. Aya has a photo contest with her, they both win and lose, because you can also play as Hatate.

However, unlike Aya, Hatate doesn't take pictures with cameras and instead uses spirit photography. Hatate has bragged about this often.

Gameplay

In Double Spoiler, you can play as Aya Shameimaru or Hatate Himekaidou. Just like Shoot the Bullet, the heroines must take pictures of various bosses and their bullet patterns while avoiding them as well.

Touhou Sangetsusei ~ Yousei Daisensou
Japanese Title: 妖精大戦争 ～ 東方三月精

English Title: Great Fairy Wars ~ Eastern Three Fairies

Airdate: August 14th, 2010

Plot

This game was meant to be a continuation of Strange and Bright Nature Deity.

It is war between the fairies! A group of fairies destroyed the house of Cirno and she is out for revenge. So she declared war between her and the culprits. As Cirno tries to find the culprits she must play and freeze trough the bullets, when she finally can confront the culprit at stage 3 to punish them.

It begins, depending on which path you take, with one Fairy on each stage. On the final stage, the Three Mischievous Fairies battle together at all once, however, Cirno is the strongest and won't lose to the fairies. Cirno was victorious and the fairies were punished.

After, Cirno wanders around for a while, bored of 'weak' opponents. While wandering, she encounters Marisa Kirisame, making Cirno think she is a worthy opponent. They battle, and later, Marisa pauses and realising how powerful Cirno was. Marisa goes slightly harder, but is still defeated. Marisa claims that she didn't try as an excuse for her loss.

Gameplay

The game plays somewhat like a fusion of the Shoot the Bullet series and the Phantasmagoria series, combined with "standard" Touhou gameplay. Cirno is able to shoot regularly, but also possesses a new "freezing" technique that adds a new twist to the game. Similar to Aya's camera, Cirno has a counter that fills up during gameplay. To activate this technique, hold and release the shot button. When activated, Cirno's freeze attack will attack the immediate area directly in front of her, and freeze any bullets it comes in contact with for a duration proportionate to the percentage of charge before vanishing afterwards. When other bullets come into contact with frozen bullets, they too will freeze, allowing for large chains to be frozen in this way. Points and bombs are awarded for freezing large numbers of bullets.

Like the main-series games, Fairy Wars contains full stages each home to their own specific midboss and boss. However, Cirno is the only playable character, and there are only three stages during a playthrough instead of six. On the other hand, though, there are six different "routes" the player may choose to take, depending on which order they choose to play the three stages in. There is also a seventh extra route which must be unlocked before being playable.

Touhou Shinreibyou
Japanese Title: 東方神霊廟

English Title: Ten Desires

Airdate: August 13, 2011

Plot

One day in Gensokyo, a large amount of spirits are being found throughout the city. Reimu, Marisa, Sanae, and Youmu intend to see what is going on. Depending on who you choose, one of them goes out and investigates.

The first place the heroine heads of to is the Netherworld, where spirits often go. While investigating, the heroine encounters Yuyuko Saigyouji. Yuyuko states that she has no idea what the spirits are going around for. The heroine battles with Yuyuko, and Yuyuko is defeated. Yuyuko states that they are no ordinary spirits; they are 'divine spirits'. Yuyuko gives the heroine a hint: the graveyard behind the Myouren Temple. The heroine proceeds to the temple. While looking around, the heroine confronts Kyouko Kasodani, the temple's cleaner. Kyouko is easily defeated, and the heroine goes to the graveyard of the temple. Not too long after, the heroine meets Kogasa Tatara, who asks the heroine to defeat a girl who's guarding the place. Instead, the heroine attacks Kogasa and continues on. Eventually, they meet Yoshika Miyako, the Jiang Shi protecting the mausoleum. Yoshika is ultimately defeated and opens the door to the mausoleum.

Inside, there are way more divine spirits then there were before. The heroine tries to proceed, but encounters Seiga Kaku. Seiga resurrected Yoshika and used her as a guard of the mausoleum. Seiga, with the help of Yoshika, battles the heroine to prevent them from proceeding. However, they are defeated. Seiga states that this temple was built in order to prevent someone from being resurrected. As the heroine goes in further, the heroine finds Soga no Tojiko, who is quickly defeated. Eventually, the heroine encounters Mononobe no Futo. Futo battles the heroine and is defeated. After being defeated, Futo realises that the 'Crown Prince' is being resurrected and quickly goes to see what is going on. The heroine continues in the mausoleum and sees a ton of divine spirits. After a bit of wandering around, the heroine encounters Toyosatomimi no Miko, a Saint who had just been resurrected. The divine spirits were gathering here to see the resurrection of a holy person, the holy person being Miko. The heroine and Miko battle and Miko is defeated.

Some time later, the heroine investigates around the Myouren Temple. After going around, an angry Nue Houjuu comes out. Nue seems to be angry that Miko was resurrected. Nue attacks the heroine, but is easily defeated. After going through some danmaku, the heroine meets Mamizou Futatsuiwa, who claims that Nue sent her here. Mamizou heard that the heroine defeated Nue and Miko. Mamizou decided to have a battle with the heroine to see how powerful she was. In the end, Mamizou is defeated.

Gameplay

The gameplay element unique to Ten Desires is the spirit and trance system. When a player collects a certain amount of spirits over the course of the game, their trance gauge fills up. Upon being completely filled, the player may activate "trance mode," rendering them invulnerable to bullets, increasing attack power, and giving bonuses to score. If the gauge is one or two-thirds full when the player is hit, they will enter trance mode for a few moments before dying.

Touhou Shinkirou
Japanese Title: 東方心綺楼

English Title: Hopeless Masquerade

Airdate: May 26, 2013

Plot

According to the teaser website, the focus of the game appears to deal with the themes of Faith covered in previous installments of the Touhou series. The small “world” within Gensokyo of humans is plagued with hardship and as such, they became pessimistic. People began to feel hopelessness when the imminence that the future would not change began to approach. Should also be of note that the phrase in brackets (ええじゃないか！) can be translated as “Isn’t this great!” The transience of life became accepted and life itself changed to suit this pessimistic style of thinking. Thus, order became chaos. The more devout became aware of these changes, and sought to fix this. Thus, Faith was needed once more. Monks were able to establish temples, Taoists (?) who wished to leave behind their earthly ties and gain immortality and priestesses who wished to be reinstated to their rightful place…

These girls have decided. As such, it was time to declare “It’s my turn!”

A charming battle using weaponry of Faith is about to begin.

Touhou Kishinjou
Japanese Title: 東方輝針城

English Title: Double Dealing Character

Airdate: August 12, 2013

Plot

Reimu's, Marisa's and Sakuya's weapons started shooting themselves. In the meantime, usually calmed youkai in different places have started rebelling.

Gameplay

Double Dealing Character features three playable characters (Reimu, Marisa and the long awaited return of Sakuya).

As foreshadowed by a screenshot of the game revealed by ZUN, Double Dealing Character has a Spell Practice Mode.

Danmaku Amanojaku
Japanese Title: 弾幕アマノジャク

English Title: Impossible Spell Card

Airdate: May 11, 2014

Gameplay

The player controls Seija Kijin, who's using a total of nine different "cheat" items to survive and clear the spell cards. Two items can be selected before the spell card, and has a maximum amount of uses during the card.

The items are:


 * “Bloodthirsty Yin-Yang Orb” (teleports you to a position that can be adjusted, defaultly near boss)
 * “Gap-Folding Umbrella” (warps at screen edges, hides outside the board if held)
 * "Cursed Decoy Doll” (attracts aimed bullets)
 * “Body Double Jizo” (dies in your place)
 * “Tengu’s Toy Camera” (clears bullets)
 * "Four-Foot Magic Bomb” (timed bomb)
 * “Ghost’s Send-Off Lantern” (invincible, allows movement and shooting)
 * “Nimble Fabric” (invincible but no movement or shooting for duration of button press).
 * "Miracle Mallet (replica)" (deals large amount of damage if used close to boss, requires charging and has no invincibility during charging)

Shuusou Gyoku
Japanese Title: 秋霜玉

Airdate: December 30, 2000

Plot

On Earth, the environment had nearly been destroyed, and humanity was on the verge of destruction. However, Kakutasu Company perfected an energy source more powerful than atomic energy. They used this power, known as Saboten energy, to stop the ruin of Earth. However, this energy was very unstable, and caused large accidents. Eventually, it was controlled, and humanity began to prosper once again.

VIVIT, a robot maid powered by Saboten energy, heads out to do errands for her master. As she leaves, various people fight her, for seemingly no reason. Milia randomly stops her, claiming vengeance for her men, which VIVIT has no clue about. After that, she fights Mei & Mai. After that, she find a huge energy signature, which happens to be Gates, a military veteran. He dares VIVIT to show him her true power, and she does so, defeating him. Then Marie fights her in a gigantic ship, and dares her to go on, for the true terror lies ahead.

However, she is stopped as she goes deeper by her own master. He explains that this errand is to save his daughter, and that her previous enemies were tests. His daughter was sealed in an accident, and VIVIT is the only one who can save her. In one final test, she defeats her master, and goes to save his daughter. As she finds his daughter, she is surprised to see she looks exactly like her. She is suffering, and after a difficult battle, VIVIT manages to save her, completing her master's dreams.

Gameplay

Shuusou Gyoku features one playable character with 3 different modes. Homing missile is good for beginners or people who are too lazy to move. Wide shot is also useful for less movement, and can clear a whole screen of enemies quickly. Laser is great for destroying a boss fast.

The game uses an Evade system to let the players rack up massive scores by constantly grazing. All enemies drop point/power items; their value increases based on the point system and how high you are on the screen when you collect them.

Kioh Gyoku
Japanese Title: 稀翁玉

Airdate: December 30, 2001

Gameplay

A PoFV style game, with massive emphasis on grazing streaming bullets.

Banshiryuu
Japanese Title: 幡紫竜

Plot

The power plant, Red Storm.

Shortly after the exploration of Mars, an outbreak of local, brief storms have been sighted in the middle of the city. This started the deployment of devices that used the energy contained in the crystals.

The crystals themselves contained the power of the Earth, but due to their inability to be controlled, they were changed into easier-to-use energy on Mars, and then sent to Earth. This plan is currently in its testing phase.

The development of new clean and efficient energy. For technology to progress, the current cutting-edge technology must be used to find even more high-energy sources. Before, the most valuable inventor, Elrich, was lifted to even greater notoriety with the discovery of Red Storm... or so he thought.

After half a year, it was time to check the stability of the Red Storm project. However, on that day, something began running wild without any warning... And there was only one hope to protect it.

"VIVIT-r, On Standby. System, OK. ...Yes, Master, I am fine. How may I be of service this time? ...Yes, understood. I shall go at once."

And now, to the place the story will begin.

Samidare
Japanese Title: 五月雨

English Title: Early Summer Rain

Plot

In 2785, full-scale war breaks out on Earth over the various nations' rights to extraplanetary resources. This war ravages the Earth's environment, forcing humanity to flee underground. It also sees the creation of the M.R.S. (Machine manufacture Research and development System), an automated manufacturing and battle system designed to allow wars to take place without actual human participation. Unfortunately, within five years of humanity's flight underground, M.R.S. has completely taken control of the Earth's surface, and the first exploratory group from humanity's underground Shelters is annihilated.

Not long after this first exploratory mission, the M.R.S. system discovers the Absolute Dimensional Barrier technology and eventually refines it into the Dimensional Absolute Barrier Shield; it uses its SMD series of warplanes to test and perfect the system. Unfortunately, the prototype unit, SMD-00x, disappears after activating the barrier for the first time, and though M.R.S. is eventually able to establish contact with the dimensional void into which SMD-00x disappeared, it's never actually able to find the ship again. Nevertheless, the system continues developing the SMD series, creating smaller, more capable craft such as the SMD-24-0x "Samidare", which is piloted by a humanoid control unit, C-22, and the final unit, SMD-31-FX "Gesshoku", whose control unit, C-23, possesses an advanced, self-aware AI.

Meanwhile, humanity is busy urbanizing its Shelters, developing bipedal robots (armed lightweight walking vehicles, or ALWVs), and preparing to take the fight to M.R.S. Sixty years after the cataclysm that drove humanity underground, it finally emerges to retake the surface. By this time, M.R.S. has developed significant internal defects, and the battle is relatively short. Within two decades, almost all M.R.S.-created automata on the surface have been destroyed.

Samidare's main story mode follows the major missions of SMD-24-0x: its testing against the biomechanical construct Sylphid, its encounter with Anareta, the defense system of long-ruined space outpost Tetra-Biblos, and its encounter with the SMD series prototype, SMD-00x. The extra mode follows a flight of the SMD-31-FX several decades later, after SMD-24-0x makes it back to Earth (if you get the good ending).

Gameplay

Samidare is essentially a danmaku shooting game, though the dodging element of gameplay is slightly de-emphasized. This is due in part to the existence of a shield gameplay mechanism, which players can also use to unleash "hyper" attacks. While the player pilots different units in the main story mode and the extra stage, there is no significant change in gameplay.