LogFAQs > #978352481

ViewtifulJoe posted...

I knew they were out there, some RPG stuff and a Mario Kart inspired racer, but it took until now to finally see one. Even weirder thought, someone nearby knows what Touhou is.

Sorry for the long wait, had some stuff going on. I take it you don't know anyone IRL who knows what Touhou is? I've seen a few people recognize it these days and even a decade ago during its heyday I had someone recognize the "Death Waltz" which I think I've mentioned earlier.

ViewtifulJoe posted...

No I don't think so. I didn't play the 4th game that comes after that one because they changed it too much, but I think that's where they wrap it up.

Ah I see, I know the feeling of not catching up to a newer game in the series that wraps up plots from older ones. In fact, I think that's where I'm at with Touhou now.

ViewtifulJoe posted...

I used to be like that. Probably because a lot of the titles were in Japanese and I had no faith I'd be able to find them again.
On one hand, capturing the spellcards comes off like the canonical approach but after a while, don't gameplay oddities get pulled into fan interpretations and become just as good? Like without ZUN saying otherwise, you can focus on the timeline where Sagume trips over a bomb, botches her entrance and there is no fight.
It's kind of like Dark Souls 1. I used to do all the fights normally with different builds. Now that's gotten old and I get more of a kick out of using weird unsporting strategies like hitting Capra and Manus from outside their boss rooms, unplugging O&S' AI and the like.

I'm pretty unique when it comes to Touhou since I tend to follow the official stuff over fan interpretations. I used to follow a few fanworks but eventually I focused on only following the official media, which there are already a whole ton of. The main thing with doing the spell cards is that when I actually try to capture them I notice how they're all pretty unique and it's actually interesting to puzzle out a way to beat them the way ZUN intended without a cheesy exploit. The decimal games like the photography games and the fighting games basically require you to capture spell cards too so I feel that to be consistent with them I should try to cap them in the main games too.

I'll admit I used to have fun with exploits too once I discover them for the first time. I remember finding out about the Strikers ditman glitch in resident evil 4 for the first time. Eventually though I do still think "playing it normally" optimally is what I find most enjoyable.

ViewtifulJoe posted...

That makes sense though and I don't think it really condemns Nue's. The palanquin ship crew have a mission. They're more immediately hostile toward the player.
With Nue it's like "Haha okay you finally caught me, let's throw some lasers at each other."
There's no real stakes, so I don't mind the song being calmer. With stuff like 6 and 11, you've found and aggroed the local crazy person so it makes sense they'd have those songs. I do think Mokou's easier than Nue, but it's the same kind of deal. Mokou's not really trying to win because she knows you can only antagonise for a while her at most and her song's pretty relaxed. And I know Suwako's also a no stakes fight but with a livelier song. Difference there is she's a deity whose fellow deity and underling lost to you, so she has to try and win some of her shrine's dignity back.

I'd say Mokou's theme is very fast. It's also in a minor key so it's definitely more on the intimidating energetic side than Nue's is, which is what I usually expect from an Extra boss.

ViewtifulJoe posted...

Harder than the Shoot The Bullet/Double Spoiler ones? I know there's some brutal ones in those games.

Easily. Those cards are meant to be captured. Pristine Danmaku Hell is basically what you save every bomb in your run for lol.
Powdered_Toast posted...

I think the Buddhists are way better than the Taoists.

I think pretty much everyone does. The buddhists not only have more members but they get more screentime as well.