Touhou 6: Koumakyou – The Embodiment of Scarlet Devil (2002) (PC)

A Dream That Is More Scarlet Than Red

Touhou 6: Koumakyou – The Embodiment of Scarlet Devil (or, for the sake of brevity, Touhou 6) is the sixth installment of the Touhou Project. Touhou 6 was developed by Team Shanghai Alice’s only member, ZUN, the one behind Touhou. The Touhou Project is most famous for its soundtrack due to a few tracks being really popular online. These games have the reputation of being very difficult (most are top-down vertical scrolling bullet hell games). Most of the games are available online via English translations. They’re worthy experiences for arcade shooter fans looking for a challenge.

Gameplay & Structure

Touhou 6 contains six difficult stages, with each having a mid-boss and an end-boss fight. Before beginning the game, a choice is given to select between two protagonists: Reimu Hakurei or Marisa Kirisame. Throughout the game, the player will be focusing on shooting as many enemies as possible while collecting drops, and dodging. Collecting drops will power up the protagonist, which will help make the game easier. There are also “spell cards” that function like bombs in other shooters (they eliminate every minor enemy on screen). This game had been developed with the intention to function without complicated systems and to be simple but difficult. When the protagonist encounters any boss, there is some dialogue, but the dialogue is always brief.

Touhou 6 is considered to be more difficult than later games due to the pacing of gameplay. Most of the difficulty lies while fighting boss fights, and trying to avoid anything that comes down the screen. The player will often have to navigate between very tight spaces between bullets to survive. It is also important to note that the game starts out with three lives and three continues. In order to get a good ending, the player must beat all six stages without using any continue (in normal mode or above). This game is difficult so it’s best for players to practice and learn attack patterns before trying to get a good ending.

An Eternity That Is More Transient Than Scarlet

Touhou 6 is a challenging game for players who seek a tense experience. It’s a game I’d recommend to people who are interested in Project Touhou, but it could scare away people who can’t undertake the learning curve this game offers. I wouldn’t recommend going into this game expecting to complete every challenge with ease. It might be better to start with Touhou 7 (Perfect Cherry Blossom) if too much difficulty is an issue. It took me some time, but I’ve completed this game on normal difficulty having used two continues by the end. The soundtrack is something I’ll return to often, especially since there are so many well-done covers out there. Touhou 6 is a solid entry to the series coming from someone who’s never played another Touhou game, but who’s able to persevere through its difficulty.

Pixel Perfect

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I’m Zerinus, a hobbyist video game lover, music lover, writer, and a professional in IT. You can find me at @DivineZerinus on Twitter.