[Hiatus] Touhou Soujinengi ~ Shuumatsu: The Genius of Sappheiros ~ Weekend!

[Validon98]

I'm just taking care of this for now so that I can make the prologue update later.



So, here it is, Strawberry Bose's first collaboration with Hachikuma, The Genius of Sappheiros! This game was my introduction to Touhou RPG fangames as a whole, and it holds a special place in my heart for that very reason. Granted, it's part love, part hate, but it's the thought that counts at the very least.
The history of this game is a bit longer than that of The Devil of Decline. Sure sure, Genius of Sappheiros has its roots in Hachikuma's previous works such as KanonRPG (which I've never played) and Defiant of Shrine Maiden (which I'm not going to finish until it gets an English patch), but it terms of the game itself, it has three versions. The original version was pretty damn unforgiving. Whenever you picked up items, they were unusable until you left the dungeon. If you got wiped, those items were gone. If you got them from a treasure chest, you could simply reclaim them from there. If it was a drop, then kiss that sucker goodbye. This, taken together with a rather difficult game, made it pretty damn difficult.
The second version, known as Lingering Summer Heat, added a postgame story and raised the level cap from 70 to 99, giving the main game's characters new abilities as well as introducing new playable characters. It did not take away that stupid item collection gimmick, however, so it was still difficult.
The third version, the one I am playing, is Weekend. The game did not get expanded further besides a couple of new spells, but the game was heavily rebalanced. Blue Magic? Much easier to learn. Item drops? The drop rates are much more in your favor. That stupid item collection gimmick? GONE! :toot:
They added minimaps and an Easy Mode as well, for those thinking the original difficulty was too damn hard.

Now, in terms of how this is going to go, I'm going to run it pretty much like Devil of Decline. The game is in English, but the story's an excuse for beating up people anyways. Not that I'll ignore it (the moment I ignore the story in a game is the day I die), but I'm not going to show the entire game's script. The TPK counter returns, and it's in-game too! And of course I'll describe all of the stuff I'll be getting as the game wears on. So, the next chance I get, I'll do the prologue so we can get this show on the road, proverbially of course.

Girls do their best and are preparing.
Please watch warmly until it is ready.
Debilitating mist is all about Gensokyo!
Magical girls think you can solve this mystery.

[Validon98]

Prologue: Sunny with a Chance of Mist

Let's get this started!



The Hakurei Shrine.



Population: One busy shrine maiden.



It's summer, what do you expect? She complains about the heat a little.



That is true. Genius of Sappheiros and Devil of Decline both happen between Undefined Fantastic Object and Ten Desires. Somehow. Don't ask me how.



Uh, that's some strange mist coming in.



What's Yukari doing in Muenzuka? I mean, this isn't Labyrinth of Touhou or anything where you kind of would have noticed Another Space's arrival here.



Yeah, weird, right?



Hey Marisa. You've got a lot of books out there.



Mist here too, huh? She notes how it's sort of making her airing out her stuff pointless.



Hey Akyu. Still putting the Gensokyo Chronicles together, I see.



How is it coming inside the house? Well, actually I think the window's open. Never mind.



Hmm?



Ahh, Keine! What can I do you for? And what's the problem?



Uh, what do you mean?



Oh, that's not good. That's practically the entire youkai population of the Human Village.



The mist? Could that really be it?



Here too, huh?



Mokou, that Bakebake is not alright. Not at all.



I didn't think a karakasa would be interested in shopping here, but whatever.



Well, it is summer...



Is that all you care about?



Youkai are fainting, that's what's going on.



Don't say that around Yuka. She'll punt your head off or something.



That's sort of dangerous, you know. Maybe you shouldn't do that.



It's a kedama. What, are they new to you or something, Cirno?



Oh. That's kind of bad. Really bad.



I know this is a serious situation, but that face. >o<



Nitori, you're sleeping on the job.



How the pained moans of your fellow youkai didn't wake you, I have no idea.



Murasa, chill out a second. Nothing is going to be fine if you freak out at a time like this.



Byakuren's fine, at the very least. Not that any of the other youkai fainting is something to be ignored...



Hmm? Who could possibly think this is a good idea?



Oh yeah, that's true. Hmm...
She resolves to investigate on her own. Good luck then.



Ayayayayayaya...



Run, damn it!



Noticing all of the fainted youkai, she resolves to search out the truth, hopefully to make a good article along the way.



Isn't the Yakumo Household in, you know, another dimension or something? How would the mist get here?



CHENNNNNNNNNNNNNN~! *nosebleed*
Ahem. Yeah, Chen?
She says something about the mist. Yeah, we kind of get that.



I guess so. But who is powerful enough to cover Gensokyo in mist? Well, there is Remilia, but her mist is red, not white.




Captain Obvious, thy name is Yukari.



Yeah, it's not killing youkai, but it is harming them.



Other party? So, there is someone causing this. So, we're in incident territory. Do you have a clue who's behind this?



I doubt it so much.



To Reimu? Well, you do so every other time...



Alright then, that's the nonskippable cutscene over with. Onto the part I can actually control!



It's summer, what do you expect?
I wish it were summer right now. Actually, I wish it were late spring. That's the perfect temperature for me.



That is canon, ghosts cool the air around them.



Oh, hey Marisa. So, you get everything back inside your house? Reimu asks why Marisa is here.



Oh?



Reimu, I don't think it's a ghost.
It's actually mushrooms in miso. Yeah...



Sorry Reimu.



They're from the Forest of Magic, so I don't think they are entirely wholesome.



Nothing else to talk about, huh?



Hello?



Oh, Sanae! What's the matter?



Sanae mentions a gift from Kanako from the kappa. This perks Reimu up for some reason despite the fact the the present is totally obvious.



See?



So, yeah, you did say that. What did you mean by it?
Sanae mentions that she expected Reimu to have gone out by now to resolve the incident.



I don't trust anything Kanako does. Hello, Earth to Sanae, your goddess causes problems!
Sanae asks again about why Reimu hasn't gone.



That is true. Marisa also mentions that an incident regarding mist is "old hat." True, there were three previous incidents involving mist.



Okay, so that's why you don't care. If neither of them care enough to resolve it, then what's going to happen?



We could get random intervention from our special guest Voice from Nowhere! Representing youkai and demons since I started LPing Devil of Decline.



I love how Sanae is completely freaked out by this.



Case in point. Well, when you don't really see Yukari like the other two do, you aren't really used to gaps.



Reimu accused her of eating stuff from the shrine. Is that supposed to be flirtatious or something?



I really wouldn't piss off Reimu right now Yukari. I really wouldn't.



Seriously? I doubt you have one on hand...



Hmm? Well, it doesn't seem like the mist is.



I don't know. Maybe not.
Yukari replies that it is a possibility, and notes that the rumor has been going around, making a youkai attack on humans possible soon.



Sure, it's not like we have anything better to do!



We know that. that's why you have to come with us, Reimu.



Alright then, let's get this incident resolution effort going, then!



Who?



Oh, Aya. What's your deal?



I really hate text cutoff. But I guess so. Aya offers to join, obviously, and Reimu accepts. So, it's up to us four, huh? This should be easy, then.



True, we need a destination. But we sort of have no leads at all. In Devil of Decline we sort of bumbled along and then the villains just popped out from nowhere. Here? Not so much.



Or Tenshi, as she notes afterwards. Granted, they've all started incidents in the past related to mist, but if you use some common sense, it can't be Remilia, because her mist was red, and it can't be Tenshi, as her mist was red too. Suika is a possibility, but she decides to go after Remilia.



And here's the world map. We'll explore more of it later.



And back at the shrine we have a save point. Next time, we'll recruit some additional help and see what's up at the Scarlet Devil Mansion.

[Validon98]

Volume 1- Part 1: Sitting on our Ass

The game is divided into "volumes," according to the loading screen. So I'll be basing the part titles around that. I could be conventional and just say Part 1, Part 2, etc., but I'm deciding to be weird.
Now, before we start much of anything, we've got to go over some game-related stuff. So let's do that, shall we?



Here's the main menu screen. We've got a bunch of options up top and our basic stats right there. You can see that everyone has a "Lives" and "Bomb" stat. Well, basically, Lives represent how many times a character can be knocked out before being inflicted with a permanent Removal status that lasts as long as you don't use a healing circle. Bombs are used for special attacks, making them a little less spammable than in Devil of Decline. MP, Lives, and Bombs are all restored via healing circle, so we'll pretty much always be full right before boss fights.



The stats screen. We've got STR, VIT, DEX, AGI, INT, and POT. They do the exact same things they did in Devil of Decline. Below, you can also see PATK, PDEF, MATK, MDEF, ACC, EVA, IND (Induction, which determines the chance of landing status effects and the strength of their effects), RES, SPD, and our elemental resistances. The elements are the same as before, being Fire, Water, Earth, Electric, Light, Dark, Mystic, Slash, Pierce, and Blunt. That's about it for stats.



The Formation screen lets us change our formations. There are a LOT more formations here than in Devil of Decline, but I'm only really going to go over the ones I'm going to use as they come up.



This is the Growth menu, one of the most important in the game. Characters gain Power as the game goes on, which can be spent to gain passives and occasionally skills. Spending Power isn't permanent, however, meaning you can switch around  what you spend the points on as time goes on. Knowing what passives you should have active at what time is important for beating the game. Every character has four Growth trees unique to them, three Growth trees to represent the three generic weapon types they can equip, a Growth tree to represent the character's unique weapon type, and six Growth trees to represent each of the six base stats. I'll go over each character's Growth trees when I recruit them (I'll talk about the ones of the characters I start with in a minute).



The Options screen. You can turn all of these things on and off if you want. I'm keeping Easy Mode off for this playthrough. Moving on.



The Items screen. We've got nothing. Okay then.



The Party screen, which allows us to switch our party around whenever we want. As you can see, there is a Commander slot at the far right. The Commander does not actively participate in combat, but has two special abilities, one costing one Bomb and the other costing three Bombs. The Commander also offers a passive boost to the party in some way. The Commander, although she won't actively participate in combat, gains XP like any other party member, which allows you to level up characters who are behind in levels very easily.



The Skills screen, which lets you equip your skills. You can have up to six Skills active at a time, and, much like Growth, choosing the proper Skills for the job is important.



The Record screen shows various things, including the Bestiary, the Equipment list, and information about the Formations you have. This is a good reference, so make use of it when necessary.

That's all for the menu, so let's talk about the characters we have. In general, characters have various roles that they can fulfill based on what Skills you equip and what you put your Power into.

Reimu: The Shrine Maiden of Paradise herself, with rather balanced stats with the exception of a low Speed and a high POT. She can serve as a Light elemental attacker, a healer, and as a supporter that specializes in protecting your party from attacks that would be otherwise very dangerous. Early on, she's good for her Light attacks, but later on she'll mainly be for using her barrier spells, although that doesn't mean she cannot fulfill her other roles at the same time. Her Growth trees are Spirit Attack (focuses on increasing Light damage), Barriers (focuses on increasing the effects of defensive barriers), Exorcism (focuses on increasing Reimu's offensive abilities such as SPD, PATK, and CRT), and Concentration (focuses on increasing defense abilities such as DEF (both physical and magical) and RES). Her unique weapon is a Gohei, which provides Exorcism (I'll explain that in a moment) and increases her Spirit Sign spells (such as Fantasy Seal). Her Last Word is Hakurei Healing Border, which heals the party to full. Her Commander passive reduces magic damage to the party by 5%, her 1 bomb spell is Hakurei Border (which reduces all damage by 20%) and her 3 bomb spell is Fantasy Seal Explosion (which grants Exorcism 100 to all allies).
Starting Skills: Homing Amulet (ignores reflect and Magic Barrier, Low power Light attack), Persuasion Needle (Low power Light attack), Ofuda of Curing (heals Permanents), Fantasy Seal (Low power all targeting Light attack, costs one Bomb), Aura Gem (Medium power healing, costs one Bomb), Fantasy Heaven (High+ all targeting Light attack that ignores reflect and Magic Barrier, costs two Bombs)

As for Exorcism, that stat has to do with a stat monsters have called Divine Barrier, which reduces all damage by a percentage equal to the amount of Divine Barrier. Divine Barrier 50 means that all damage coming to that monster is reduced by 50%. Exorcism reduces the amount of Divine Barrier an enemy has by a percentage. A weapon with Exorcism 50 would reduce the Divine Barrier of the aforementioned monster to 25. Exorcism 100, therefore, completely negates Divine Barrier.

Marisa: Has good MP, Speed, and INT, but has terrible HP and STR. She's either used for Mystic attacks or elemental attacks, based on which Growth and Skills you use. Her Growth trees are Lasers (deals with Mystic attacks), Astronomy (deals with Elemental attacks), Magic (essentially just stat boosts), and Power (which increases her Master Spark abilities). Her unique weapons are Brooms, which often give more Bombs, MP regen, or Master Spark damage. Her Last Word is Miracle Hakkero, a Field effect that reduces all MP costs to 1. Her Commander Passive increases damage dealt by 3%. Her 1 bomb spell is Hakkero, which increases all damage by 15%, and her 3 bomb spell is Stardust Sanctuary, which nullifies Mystic attacks for a round.
Starting Skills: Stream Laser (Low- Power penetrating Mystic attack that ignores Magic Barrier), Magic Missile (Low power Mystic attack), Non-Directional Laser (Low power all-targeting Mystic attack that ignores Magic Barrier, costs one Bomb), Master Spark (Very High- power penetrating Mystic attack, costs one bomb), Final Spark (Very High+ power penetrating Mystic attack, costs two bombs)

Sanae: Somewhat frail, but has good stats for a caster. Her main usage is for healing and buffing, although she has some attack spells... that are physical, which she has very little power of.
Growth Trees: Wind Priestess (enhances buffs), Miracle (enhances healing), Youkai Extermination (enhances attack, mostly not worth it though), Faith (enhances HP, MP, and Defense)
Unique Weapon: Snakes (reduces Poison, resist Paralysis, and inflicts status effects)
Last Word: Yasaka's Divine Wind (Buffs the entire party's stats)
Commander Bonus: Increases Last Word Chance, 1 Bomb: Miracle Fruits (restores 25% of entire party's HP), 3 Bomb: Summon Takeminakata (increases entire party's stats)
Starting Skills: Sky Serpent (Low power penetrating physical Electric attack), Wily Toad (Low power Large AoE physical Earth attack), Healing Miracle (Low power healing spell), Lucky Omijuki (Low power all-targeting healing, costs 1 bomb), Miracle of Otensui (High power all-targeting healing, costs two bombs)

Aya: She has okay STR and amazing SPD, but she is lacking a little in VIT. Nevertheless, she's great for when you need to either buff the party's Evasion or manipulate turn order.
Growth Trees: Land War (increases offense), Air War (increases SPD and EVA), Tengu Status (increases HP and DEF), Reporting (Increases bombs and casting speed and reduces cooldowns)
Unique Weapon: Fan (more accurate than normal Blunt weapon that increases EVA)
Last Word: Thunderclap Gale (so that's what that "twice per turn" ability she had in Devil of Decline was called, it lets her act twice per turn as well as buffing all her stats and Max HP by 25%)
Commander Bonus: +10% casting speed, 1 Bomb: Tengu's Flight (grants Perfect Dodge to all allies), 3 Bomb: Paparazzi (lets the party move first)
Starting Spells: Tengu Cutter (Low power penetrating attack), Report (fills in information in bestiary and unlocks commentary if level of monster is lower than Aya's level), Wind God's Fan (Low power all-targeting attack, costs 1 bomb), Illusionary Dominance (allows allies to move first, costs one bomb)

Perfect Dodge is essentially a flat percentage chance to dodge any physical attack. There is a magical equivalent called Magic Barrier.
One last thing: The music. This is the title theme and the prologue thrown into one video together. The person who uploaded this music is an idiot for combining multiple songs into one video.  :fail:
Here is the world map theme combined with the theme for Akyu's house. The theme for the world map and the title screen theme are both remixes of Kid's Festival~Innocent Treasures which, like how Devil of Decline had Shanghai Teahouse~Chinese Tea, serves as the game's overall theme song. Expect more Innocent Treasures remixes later on.
The Hakurei Shrine has Maiden Capriccio~Dream Battle as a theme. Quite calm for what normally is a battle theme. And that about does it for music for now. I'd post event themes, but the guy muddled them up and uploaded multiple ones in the same video. Aggravation!



Let's go to Akyu's House to start off with.



You could be a little more polite, guys.



Yeah, because she doesn't really leave her shrine much. Reimu asks if Akyu has any clue as to what's going on.



Real helpful.



I don't know Marisa, Akyu isn't really the fighting type. She was supposed to be playable, but she was dummied out of that role(although like Serela said back in the Devil of Decline LP, there are still some sprites and stuff in the game's files, which I found).



Or you could be one of the most useful people in Gensokyo. Basically, she'll be the one giving us recipes. It's best to check out what she has after beating a dungeon or recruiting a character, and always continue checking in on her so you don't miss out on recipes. Marisa mentions that Kourindou has a Synthesis thing going on there, so perhaps later we could go check up on Rinnosuke. I doubt that he's doing very well, what with the mist affecting his youkai half.



Talk to Akyu again, and she'll mention Mokou's at the Bamboo Forest of the Lost.



Okay, let's get her then!



In order to get her, you have to input the Konami Code through room transitions. For those who don't know, you go up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, and then...



She'll be right there.



Hey there Mokou, how's it going?



It's not her fault! Blame the programmers!



That is true. She offers to join up with us to help resolve the incident! She will join later if you don't get her now, but it's recommended you get her.

Mokou: Pretty much she's got really good physical stats and can not only dish out the damage but take it as well, making her our first tank. She can also auto-revive if knocked out, making her a tank that can keep reviving for more.
Growth Trees: Phoenix (physical boosts), Imperishable Night (defensive boosts), Hourai (HP and auto-revive boosts), Rebel/Pants (MP boosts and cooldown reductions)
Unique Weapon: Fists (Blunt weapon that have various effects)
Last Word: Phoenix Resurrection (revives all party members and grants Reraise on those still alive)
Commander Bonus: Party members might survive a fatal attack with 1 HP, 1 Bomb: Phoenix's Tail (revives a random ally), Phoenix Rebirth (characters will survive fatal attacks with 1 HP on the turn it is cast)
Starting Skills: Tsuki no Iwakasa's Curse (Medium power Small AoE attack that inflicts Curse, costs one Bomb), Honest Man's Death (Medium power shield-ignoring attack, costs one bomb), Flying Phoenix (Low power all-targeting attack with added Fire damage and a chance to inflict Burn)

We also get a formation called Hinotori Skydance for getting her.



Let's see how Byakuren is doing, shall we?



Marisa, it doesn't look like Byakuren is here.



That makes sense. So, uh, where did she go?
Murasa explains she went out. So, we have to wait for her to return. FOR ONE REAL-LIFE HOUR. I took the time to play a little PoDD and do a couple more fights in the Hopeless Masquerade trial. That is probably my favorite of the fighting games.



That is true, Murasa.



About damn time.



No shit, Reimu.



Uh, yeah.



I guess you weren't really aware that your unsealing was in and of itself an incident. So, she's coming with us! More party members! Much like Mokou, she will join your party later, but its better to get her now.

Byakuren: She's got some okay Light and Dark attack spells as well as some healing, but her big things are single-target buffs, single-target debuffs, and status infliction. She is probably one of the most important characters in the game due solely to her buffs and debuffs.
Growth Trees: Support Magic (boosts buffs), Status Magic (boosts debuffs and status effects), Great Magic (boosts MP and MATK), Casting (improves casting speed and decreases cooldowns)
Unique Weapon: Scrolls (boosts magic and provides both Exorcism and Magic Barrier)
Last Word: Flying Fantastica (boosts item drop rate and XP gain)
Commander Passive: Reduces physical damage by 5%, 1 Bomb: Magic Butterfly (restores 10% of party's MP), Devil's Recitation (cuts enemy HP in half, doesn't always work)
Starting Skills: Starfire (Low power Light spell that lowers MDEF), Dark Sphere (Low power Dark spell that lowers MATK), Netherworld Wave (inflicts Confusion), Mystic Fragrance of a Makai Butterfly (all-targeting Charm spell, costs one bomb), Power Down (lowers PATK and MATK), Meltdown (lowers PDEF and MDEF), Omen in Purple Mist (lowers entire enemy party's stats, costs one bomb)



So, let's go now!



Meiling, you're sleeping. Again.



No shit, otherwise you won't be protagonist of a future Strawberry Bose game!



Well, try harder. I've stopped doing it at school, so you should stop doing it here.



Oh right, Sanae hasn't been here either.



Of course, Sanae doesn't know Meiling sleeps a lot. So, I guess we just walk in?



Nope.



Just a minute ago.



"Even if it's you all"? Um, just let us past. We aren't doing anything wrong.



Marisa, don't make things worse.
Sanae asks for her name.



Wow, that's pathetic. I'm ashamed of you guys.



Battle time! Our battle theme for this game is Wind Circulation~Wind Tour. Okay then.



Now, battle mechanics work pretty much the same way as back in Devil of Decline. We have Land, we have Last Words, we attack with our skills. The big difference is that each character is unique and we have a commander, but that's about it.



Here is the commander screen, which only ever has two skills on it (and certain other options only available during certain fights).



And of course, each character has their own skill wheel. For right now, let's beat up Meiling.
She goes down rather easily.



As you can see, we got a bunch of XP and some power, which will get us closer to increasing our Power level.



Yeah, I think we overdid it a little.



Um, let's focus on finding out if Remilia has something to do with this, okay Aya?



That's not exactly good. We're locked out.



So Meiling's locked out too. Too bad for her.



Huh? Okay then if you say so...



A lot. Trust me. Or her. Whichever.



That's not really a new story, Aya. Whatever, though.



Huh, whose doghouse is it?



Not really. Hint: It's Meiling's.



It's a recurring joke in the Strawberry Bose games to have the SDM residents be mean to Meiling. No wonder she got a leading role in Devil of Decline.



Reimu?



Well, Meiling's got nowhere to live now. This kind of sucks.



So, we're in the library, at the very least. At least it has Voile, the Magic Library as a theme. That's always good.
Oh yeah, and each dungeon is called a "Stage." There will be a boss at the end of each stage, mind you.



Rumored? I thought it was common knowledge. Then again, Sanae sort of knows very little about Gensokyo.



Would there be large libraries in Japan? The largest one I know of is the one at Philips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire, but that's only the largest secondary school library in the world, and I doubt it beats Voile.



Agreed. Let's go!



Of course, you can't talk smack about the library without insulting Marisa. Aya, upon hearing this, writes it down as more information for her newspaper. Okay then...



So yeah, first dungeon. Which we'll do next time. Is Remilia related to the incident? And what about the other SDM residents? Find that out within the next couple of updates!

Summary:

Recipes: Gaea Blade, Annwn, Flame Anchor, Incandescent Buckler, Sword Barrier, Bone Shield, Slime Shield, Inferno Robe, Ice Robe, Gaea Robe, Thunder Robe, Metal Gloves, Damascus Knuckle, Magnum Steel, Hinotori Overalls, Dharani Scroll, Truth Scroll, Deva Scroll

Formations: Hinotori Skydance, Magician's Circle

TPKs: None this update, none overall

[Serela]

They do the exact same things they did in Devil of Decline.

Well, not quite; in DoD STR boosts damage when hitting a weakness, and INT boosts critical hit damage, which breaks the game later on. And POT also doubles as magic defense in that game. ...although, for the most part, yeah, same thing.

Sanae's physical power is actually pretty good early in the game, although it certainly drops off later. Reimu, Marisa, and Sanae's weapons also notably have MP drain on hit, Sanae's tend to inflict poison or paralysis, and Aya's fans can inflict Daze on hit. (Not that Aya is used for hitting stuff much after you get other characters... unless you really like her)

[Validon98]

Volume 1- Part 2: Dealing with the Devil

So, we're off to fight the Devil, the Scarlet Devil of Gensokyo~!
Okay, trying to fit that to the tune of the song from The Wizard of Oz is a little difficult.



Items are found in chests, obviously. So pick them up.



Yikes, Maid Fairies already? They come in Sword, Spear, Ax, and Wand varieties, and at Level 1, they're pretty deadly. They are weak to Dark, so Byakuren can pick them off easily.



Buttons do stuff, like open this little passage. The puzzles here aren't that bad. They'll get worse as the game wears on.



Remember the Bulbuls from Devil of Decline? These are what they are in this game, Shivers. Weak to Fire, but that's about it.



You know, after Weekend, maybe they should have just taken this message out. Because it's no longer true! :toot:



Here we have a Sway and a Manuscript. The Manuscript is immune to Light and Dark, but Fire and Slash does it in. The Sway up top is weak to Water and knows Fire Stone. Not too bad.



In a lot of dungeons, there are golden doors you need to bypass. You do that with golden keys. Pretty simple now, much more aggravating later.



I forgot to show this earlier. Uh, shouldn't you be a little more worried, Reimu?



The Giant Hornets can inflict Blind, I think, but are weak to Water. The Ghosts are weak to Light and heavily resist physical attacks, so Reimu should be the one to whack away at them (although Marisa works too).



More Silent Sinner in Blue references! Granted, this is the first and only one in this game, but still.



This is a special enemy. This could be a bit dangerous.



This is Koakuma. She has some powerful Dark attacks such as Koa Bomber, but she goes down easily from Light attacks. Not too bad.



Whoops, Mokou is naturally weak to Water. That makes fights versus Shivers is dangerous.



Silver chests are locked via silver keys and often contain some good treasure. So grab them while you can!



Oh, Last Word Chance? Let's see then!




This is Miracle Hakkero, which reduces all MP costs to 1. Pretty nice, but it's a field effect, so don't overwrite it if you don't want to.



At the end of every stage is a switch which activates the teleporter to the entrance as well as a healing circle. So, let's see what's up in the library.



So, how's it going you two?
Sakuya offers tea to Patchy, who wonders what kind of tea leaves were used.



I don't like it when people say something like that.
Apparently she has been crafting a special tea recipe for a while now.



That tea set in Devil of Decline is a reference to this Deluxe Izayoi Blend.
Patchoulli apparently enjoys it.



I don't know if we should find out.



Oh right, we're in the mansion.
They figure correctly that we're here about the mist. Of course.



Yeah, I would figure that something that weakens you would make your health worse than normal.



I guess so. Not that they're causing any trouble at the moment.



Might as well belt it out.



Gee, I totally did not expect you to say that.
We mention about that emergency exit.



Um, how do you think she sneaks in to steal your books?



Aya, this is not the time!



Don't encourage her, Sanae!



Yeah, let's just cut right to the chase. We want to see Remy, you don't want us to, so let's fight!



And we have Eastern Youkai Beauty as a boss theme. Strawberry Bose sure knows how to pick 'em.
As for the boss fight itself, Sakuya has some physical attacks, while Patchy has some magic attacks. Patchy is weak to Light, so Reimu and Byakuren can tear her apart. All in all, not very hard of a fight.



You guys did not even amount to so much as a speed bump.



Uh, you'd figure they'd keep fighting us, but okay, whatever.



Please no secrets. Secrets in a JRPG are usually bad for our health.



Are you really still on that?



No wonder she still writes her newspaper. We've got people like Sanae encouraging her.



So, Stage 2, huh? Looks like we're in the SDM proper now.



Again, Aya, not in front of the magician.
They talk about how its pretty much just Remilia left.



Flandre? Nah, she's in the basement. I'm sure they kept it locked today! I think...



Whatever the case, this switch opens the front door to the SDM, so we have direct access into Stage 2. Let's keep going, because I'm weird and want to clear this stage in the same update.



Okay, Vampire Bats and a Mora. The Vampire Bat are weak to Pierce and use Blood Drain. The Mora hits hard but is weak to Light and Fire, so we're not completely screwed.



Here's a Patrol, who is weak to Dark yet knows Destruction Beam, which kind of hurts at this point.



And Deuces, who are weak to Light and do something. They aren't really that threatening.




Hakurei Healing Border. Restores your party to full HP. Always useful.



Oh boy, Redcaps. They know Tomahawk, which is pretty powerful, so be careful. Light rips them to shreds, so take note.



Last new enemy here are Beetles, who are physically tough but are brought down easily by Water attacks. I got Cold Inferno earlier for Marisa, so these guys mean little.



The puzzlle of this stage is to go on each side of the SDM to activate these orbs. Why Remilia has this as a security system, I have no idea.



There's the other one, but I can't access it from this side of the SDM.



A bit of exploring later, and I can activate it.



Thus opening this door up, which is a straight shoot down the middle. HCBailly is right, the boss being straight down the middle from the entrance is pretty common in JRPGs.



So, let's do this. Like the first boss battle, we don't need much preparation. Besides making sure you've put your Power into stat boosts to buff your party a little more.



Nitori? What the hell are you doing here?



Oh yeah, the Deluxe Izayoi Blend. I hear its quite a thing.



...Err... I don't think so...
So, uh, why're you here?
She was apparently floating down the river when she ended up here. So I guess the Youkai Mountain's river flows into the Misty Lake? Hmm...



I'd figure it would cause you to sleep more.



Chill out, Nitori! Remilia is also ticked because she feels whoever is doing this is imitating her own mist. Nitori asks her why she hasn't done anything about it.



I can see the problem, then.



Sorry to bother you Remy, but, uh, Reimu sort of thinks you're the culprit.



Remilia? Oh, please don't play along. I rally don't want o be wasting time on people unrelated to the incident.



Of course, Sanae can ignore the conversation and talk to Nitori. That sure is helpful.
Reimu accuses Remy, of course.



Don't encourage her, Remy. Strawberry Bose Reimu is very unforgiving and very temperamental. You've practically signed your death warrant.



And Nitori decides to join in for whatever reason. Okay then. Let's do this!



This fight can catch you a bit off guard in terms of its difficulty, but it shouldn't be too hard. Whack Remy with Light and Nitori with Fire and your set. Also, if you've gotten Wind of Protection for Sanae, equip it on her. I forgot to do that, which was sort of stupid of me.



You look a whee bit crazy there, Remy.



Uh...



Well, that sucks! Better hope it wears off.



And me right after I finished Nitori off. You basically want this to end as quickly as possible, otherwise they'll both snipe you off with their attacks.



Sorry, looks like we've won. Could you stop this?
Remy of course says we can't.



Uh, no Reimu. She's good. She explains how she was angry and was just doing this to let off some steam. Okay then.



Pretty much.



So, everyone's sort of keeping an eye out on this incident, but no one is doing anything about it. Sucks to be you, Reimu.
Sakuya and Patchy come in.



Oh, really? So, it's a magician?



True, we've only got Marisa, Alice, Patchoulli, and Byakuren. But Byakuren's with us and she's all about equality between youkai and humans, so it's not her. So that leaves Alice?



To the Forest of Magic, then? Well, Patchy is right to an extent...



Remy?



More party members? Alright then! That sounds good!
They try to resist a little.



Uh, you guys might want to go, because otherwise her hat is going to be ripped to shreds.



Don't look so glum, Patchy. I'm sure you'll be fine.



I guess so, Nitori. So, with three new party members and a new destination, will we be able to root out the culprit at the Forest of Magic? And does Alice have anything to do with this? We'll find that out next time.

Summary:

Treasure: Practice Axe (Mokou), Magician's Rod, Practice Sword (Reimu), Practice Lance (Sanae), Javelin (drop, Sanae), Heavy Vest, Large Shield (Mokou), Might Staff (drop, Marisa), Practice Dagger, Adventuring Clothes (Reimu), Fairy Dress (drop, Marisa), Iron, Small Shield (Reimu), Buckler (Byakuren), Cloth Shirt, Rock, Plate Armor (drop), Mage Masher (drop), Frozen Ring (Mokou), Pot Lid (drop), Vampire's Bodice (Reimu), Magic Shield (drop), Bamboo, Fullmetal Shield (Mokou), Gaea Ring, Electric Ring, Inferno Ring

I said the drop rate went up, and boy did it ever.

Skills: Cold Inferno (Medium power Water spell, Marisa), Sleep Beak (attack that inflicts Sleep, Aya), Dark Aura (inflicts Blind, Byakuren), Evil Sealing Circle (Nullifies either Permanent, Variety, or Quick effects on everyone for one turn, Reimu), Miraculous Cure (heals Permanents, Sanae), Hellfire (Medium power Fire spell, Marisa), Armor Bless (raises PDEF, Byakuren), Wind of Protection (raises RES for whole party, Sanae), Tengu Surveillance (targeted ally goes last, Aya), Extermination (Medium power small AoE Light attack, Reimu), Wind of the Mind's Eye (raises EVA for whole party, Sanae), Stardust Missile (Medium power Electric spell, Marisa)

Formations: Luna Dial, Power Library, Kappa Camoflague

TPKs: 0 this update, 0 overall
Frustration: Low. 2 stages down, a hell of a bunch more to go. I'm not worried. Too much.

[Ikari]

Nicely done so far~

I wish the game didn't use such a wonky system for lives though. Making your team as frail as the enemy team is... cruel.

[Serela]

Games that refill your HP after every battle generally employ tactics like that. Devil of Decline just does it without the lives limiter, and Touhou Labyrinth does it with a motivation stat (TP) that decreases after every battle depending on how much hp was lost.

I think it's a lot more interesting then the alternative, which is randoms that overall shouldn't be very hard, but it's just about having enough MP/items to be able to keep healing all the way through the dungeon. Encounters that gradually wear you down like that are a lot more boring in the grindy kind of way, even if it still works. Plus once you factor in items, if they aren't that hard to obtain...

[Validon98]

So, after some good ol' Hellsinker, I decided to do even more of this. Because why not?

Volume 1- Part 3: War of the Dolls

So, we need to go to the Forest of Magic. First of all, let's talk about our new party members, shall we?

Sakuya: She's all about physical attacks, particularly those that hit multiple times or inflict Instant Death. Later on she'll be able to stop time and earn more turns for herself or for the entire party.
Growth Trees: Illusion (Boosts her consecutive attack skills), Time Stop (boosts Time magic), Murder (boosts accuracy, induction, and instant death power), Maid Arts (boosts physical stats)
Unique Weapon: Two-Handed Sword (huge power and Slayer effects, but poor accuracy)
Last Word: Sakuya's World (Buffs Sakuya's stats)
Commander Bonus: +5% condition success rate, 1 Bomb: Perfect Maid (IND and RES up), 3 Bomb: Deflation World (stops all enemies)
Starting Skills: Jack the Ludo Bile (Low power 1-2 hit physical attack), Misdirection (Medium power attack that causes Instant Death), Killer Doll (Low power 2-4 hit attack, costs 1 bomb), Illusional Misdirection (Low power 1-3 three hit attack that causes Instant Death, costs 1 bomb)

Patchoulli: A black mage pure and simple, who works practically identically to how she will in Devil of Decline with the exception of having her own skills (mostly multi-target Elemental spells) and the ability to manipulate the Land extremely well. On top of that, you can have her as a physical powerhouse if you choose, although it is dangerous to place her on the front lines.
Growth Trees: Spirit Magic (boosts spell damage), Magic Mastery (boosts casting speed and reduces cooldowns), One-Week Girl (boosts MP, MATK, and MDEF), Knowledge Storage (boosts physical power)
Unique Weapon: Books (Low accuracy but high physical and magical power as well as MDEF)
Last Word: Big Bang (deals large Void damage to all enemies)
Commander Bonus: +5% Magic damage, 1 Bomb: Sunshine Reflector (reduces magical damage taken by 33%), 3 Bomb: Royal Diamond Ring (Increases magic damage dealt by 33%)
Starting Skills: Summer Flare, Condensed Bubble, Earthen Spear, Spring Wind (Low power all-targeting spell that is Fire, Water, Earth, and Electric elemental respectively), Agni Shine, Princess Undine, Rage Triliton, Sylphae Horn (Medium power all-targeting spell that is Fire, Water, Earth, and Electric elemental respectively, costs 1 bomb), Philosopher's Stone (Very High+ power all-targeting Mystic spell, costs 2 bombs)

Nitori: A strange character in the sense that her special ability is chasers. If she activates a chaser, she attacks along with everyone else who uses the same elemental as the chaser. These are actually pretty good in this game, so I'll be making use of them later on. She also has some spells that can help you avoid attacks, so she's got multiple roles, much like Reimu.
Growth Trees: Research (boosts elemental attacks and chasers), Equip Enhance (boosts PATK, PDEF, and ACC), Invention (boosts regen, among other things), Kappa Wisdom (boosts HP and MP)
Unique Weapon: Guns (Piercing weapon with Slayers and special high accuracy attacks)
Last Word: Atomic Kappa (Very powerful single target physical attack)
Commander Bonus: Elemental strength +10%, 1 Bomb: Bad Camouflage (reduces enemy Evasion to 0), 3 Bomb: Hyper Camouflage (Allies gain Camouflage [EVA???])
Starting Skills: Pororoca Slash (Low+ power physical attack with added Water damage)

Okay then, that's all of the new characters. Let's go to the Forest of Magic now, shall we?



It's right here, if you don't know where it is.



The theme for this place? The Doll Maker of Bucuresti. Alright then.



Why thank you, Captain Obvious. Sakuya is apparently afraid of Patchy's health.



No kidding. I wouldn't think an anemic would.



Okay, don't be pushy, Reimu.
They wonder if Alice really has anything to do with it. I mean, why would Alice do something that would only hurt herself?



Gotta love Strawberry Bose Reimu.



Oh, really?



Huh, so there it is. Didn't Marisa say something about Rinnosuke running a synthesis thing there?
Reimu says they'll check it out later if need be. However, let's check it out now.



Hey, Rinnosuke. You look alright.



Marisa, I know you two are friends, but don't insult poor ol' Kourin like that.



I never really got how Rinnosuke could be half-youkai, but then again I don't get how Youmu's half-ghost (maybe she's Danny Phantom's long lost cousin?) or how Keine's were-hakutaku.



Yes! We sort of want to talk about that.



Oh, please. We just have to use that helmet looking thing on the table, right? Just like in Devil of Decline!
For some reason, Marisa notes we have no recipes, despite the fact AKYU GAVE US SOME ALREADY! How forgetful are you?



Oh, that's awfully kind of you. The recipe set he gives us is the only one we get from him. Akyu gives us all of the other ones.



If you have special codes, you can get some equipment from here. It's potentially game-breaking early on, but eventually the weapons you get will be outclassed by others. So I'm not going to bother with it unlike my first playthrough. For now, let's go after Alice.



Vampire Thorns here are weak to Fire and Slash and can use Blood Drain. Not particularly threatening.



Fairies are basically just more powerful versions of their weaker Maid Fairy cousins. I believe the mage-type ones have multi-target spells now. That could be bad. They are weak to Dark, so if you are using Byakuren or have gotten Silent Selene for Patchoulli, whack away!



The puzzle here is to remove dolls to take down barriers. Again, really not a tough puzzle.



The Ochre Jellies are weak to Fire but resist physical attacks, while the Death Flutter is weak to Pierce and Electric and knows Swoop, which can inflict Stun.



Here's Marisa's house, but there's nothing we can do here.



Whoa settle down Mokou.




Okay, so it doesn't give us Reraise. It would still revive any dead party members though, so that's good.



Kedamas aren't really threatening. I don't know if they have a weakness, though.



I think you're pushing the game's rating, Strawberry Bose. Although this is a doujin so it wouldn't be under the same regulations, I would think.
Anyway, the Apostle is weak to Dark and knows Light skills.



Ugh, Matango and Mr. Gensokyos. The Matango can inflict Sleep and the Mr. Gensokyos inflict Poison. The Matango is taken down by Fire and the Mr. Gensokyos by Pierce and Electric.



More new enemies, the Land Turtle and Pus. The Land Turtle can cover allies, but is brought down by Water, while the Pus can inflict Paralysis with their Bug attack but are taken down by Electric.



Oh boy, Yuki-Onna. It has some pretty bad Water attacks, but Fire kills it dead.



A Lesser Demon is there for no real reason. It's weak to Light. Reimu, kill it.



So, the boss room already? If I were you, I would have Mokou and Patchy for their multi-target Fire attacks. You shall see why.



Before that, though, look at all the Kedamas.



Look at all the dead Kedamas because Non-Directional Laser is awesome.



And it's not going to clear. For the entire game. Sucks to be you, Alice!



Oh, Shanghai. At least, I think it's Shanghai.



So, does that mean it's Yuyuko? No way, she hates using that power. It's kind of why she's a ghost in the first place.



I doubt it's even her, but we can never be sure.



Any reason for doing so if you're innocent?



Goddamn it, Reimu. Always jumping to conclusions...



Alice, I'm sorry, but once she's got an idea she's not going to let it go until she beats the ever-loving shit out of you.



True, true. That's sort of why we came here. Magic means this forest.
We ask her why she's studying it if she's not involved.



Can't you do something about it, though?
Then Patchy insults her as a magician. I would NOT do that. Remember what happened in Sengoku Gensokyo? Yeah.



Oh crap.



Aya, so not the time!



Yeah, break it up! We have no time to waste on people not involved with the mist!



*head desk* Reimu, you asshole...



Eh, I doubt it.



Did you know that before every boss battle, your characters adopt their asskicking poses for a second?
I think that's sort of badass and they should have done that in Devil of Decline. At least in Phantasmal Summoners they have both parties summoning their monsters all at once. That was kind of cool too.
As for Alice, she doesn't do much to you on her own, however...



She summons one of three formations of dolls. This one here is Dolls Triangle, which is heavily resistant to magical attacks but dies to Fire and physical attacks. Mokou can deal with that. There's also Alice Phobia,which summons four dolls, each of which is associated with one of the main elements and weak to the opposite. Each doll will counterattack with a multi-target spell if hit with its associated element. Alice also like to heal in this formation. Finally, there's Dolls Wall, which is resistant to physical attacks yet dies to Fire, so we want Patchy to deal with them. During any formation, Alice regens HP and MP, so kill them quickly. Once a formation has been defeated, Alice will not resummon that formation again, so once her three formations are cleared, the battle becomes ridiculously easy. Until then, however, you've got to be careful.




You are sort of on Alice, you know, Sanae.



That looks like that would hurt. It buffs us up, though, so that's good. As you can see, I have Patchy here instead of Marisa. I sort of reset the battle a few times. Because I sort of forgot how the battle worked.



Oh, our first TPK. Wonderful. There's a lot more where that came from, don't you worry.
After some more struggling, I put Alice down.



That about does it, Alice. Sorry for beating you up.



GEE, YOU THINK!?



Heh, what's a JRPG without a ragtag bunch of misfits as main characters? Not really much of a JRPG.



I really think that you and Patchoulli should stop fighting.



Yep, we've been told that.



Yes.



Ding ding ding, we have a winner! Not that I think she's related to the incident, but you know, it never hurts to check.



Right, that place I can never remember how to spell!



Awesome, more party members as well!



Probably. I mean, as long as we nicely ask her. Or beat her to a pulp. Whichever.



You're kidding, right? We've got to go confirm a suspicion, and you want to go sidequesting? This is ridiculous! I really don't want to waste time on unimportant matters.



Apparently they called Satori an item. How cruel.



Our heroes, ladies and gentlemen.
So, we're done with the Forest of Magic. And we'll never come here again. But can we convince Satori to join our cause? Is Yuyuko related to the incident. If she isn't, then does she know anything about it? Find out within the next... three updates! Yeah, it's going to be a bit before we get to the Netherworld.

Summary:

Treasures: Bamboo, Fire Shard, Crow Feather (drop x1, treasure x1), Cold Hat, Silver Tray, Snakeskin, Pretty Mirror, Grilled Night Sparrow, Judge's Rod, Twilight Tag, CD-ROM, Turtle Shell (Reimu), Inferno Shield, Electric Shard, Iron, Tortoise Armor (Mokou), Longsword (Reimu), Magic Shard, Ghost Cat Tail, Staff of Purgatory (Marisa), Battleaxe (Mokou), Gaea Shield, Earth Shard, Steel (drop x2, treasure x1), Rock, Magician's Robe (Marisa), Magic Mushroom, Donation Box, Water Shard (drop x1, treasure x1), Poison Lily, Hakutaku's Lunchbox, Magic Medal, Ring of Darkness, Ring of Light, Dragon Lance (Sanae), Iron Dagger

Skills: Miracle of Dispel (heals Permanents, Sanae), Colosseo World (field effect that prevents healing, Sakuya), Royal Flare (Very High power all-targeting Light spell, costs 1 bomb, Patchoulli), Hakurei Amulet (Medium power reflect and magic barrier-ignoring Light spell, Reimu), Wind of Prayers (buffs whole party's MATK, Sanae), Silent Selene (Very High power all-targeting Dark spell, costs 1 bomb, Patchoulli), Wind of Swords (buffs whole party's PATK, Sanae), Charming Fragrance (inflicts Charm, Byakuren)

Recipes: Exorcist's Gohei, Magician Broom, Rat Snake, Saddle Fan, Claymore, First-Edition Manga, Automatic, Viper Clothes, Stylish Maid Uniform, Sleep Guard, Paralysis Guard, Petrification Guard, Confusion Guard, Blind Guard, Silence Guard, Berserk Guard, Charm Guard, Control Guard, Curse Guard, Poison Guard, Stun Guard, Death Guard, Disable Guard, Restrict Guard, Spiritual Guard, Iron, Bamboo, Rock, Magic Medal, Pretty Mirror, Steel

Synthesis Done: Claymore (Sakuya)

Formations: Dolls Division

TPKs: 1 this update, 1 overall
Frustration: Rising. You know, I didn't get TPKed by a boss until later in my first run. I wonder how I managed that. Perhaps it was because I threw Mokou into the commander slot and had her use her 1 bomb spell?

[Ikari]

I have no idea how many times I died to Alice. All I know is that one hand isn't enough to count it.

It's funny how the next two dungeons radically change. The bosses become fairly easy, even laughably so for the second one, but the dungeons themselves...*Shudders*

After months, I finally managed to reach the palace's boss after dying hundred of times against those weird yellow chtulhu-like thing. The pre-boss dialogue was worth ever TPK.

[Validon98]

Oh yeah, Mind Flayers. Hahahahahahaha... Oh the memories. Both from this and Devil of Decline.
And yes, I remember that pre-boss dialogue. Oh man, won't I have a field day with that.
Also, I've started Stage 4. Go Hell of Blazing Fires. Go stupid rock things that can cast Instant Death. And go Hellhounds which can use Fire Breath.
I think this entire part of the game was a little bit forced. We could have just gone to the Netherworld, but nooooooooo, we get to fry in Hell instead.

[Serela]

Nitori's specialties are both chasers and elemental physical attacks in general! With elemental enchantments on (which she can do herself with a gun), her elemental attack skills become more powerful, and that amplified with her weakness damage boosts makes her facemelt some bosses. (As in, "oh wow I beat it in one hit" sometimes) Also dabbles in slayers.

Physical Patch isn't so bad since she's the only one who can really throw some power into knife attacks (Sakuya kinda can, but the massive power she's known for comes from 2h swords, not herself) and that is important in a few specific sitautions.

Sanae's Wily Toad one-shots Doll Triangle if she has a good weapon on, actually. But Alice isn't very hard, so. (She IS the first boss you have to actually think a little bit, though, rather then approaching it blindly and winning)

Mindflayers are a ho, but if you prepare specifically for them, they aren't so bad :D

[Ikari]

Sanae's Wily Toad one-shots Doll Triangle if she has a good weapon on, actually. But Alice isn't very hard, so. (She IS the first boss you have to actually think a little bit, though, rather then approaching it blindly and winning)

Yeah, that was actually the only stance I had no troubles with. Sanae pretty much ate those dolls away like a hungry hungry miko.

It's funny how Alice often takes the role of "First boss where you'll have to plan things and actually think" in a good number of Touhou rpgs. This one and Labyrinth of Touhou gave us wonderful examples.

Mindflayers are a ho, but if you prepare specifically for them, they aren't so bad

They're absolutely OP if you don't have a PAR resistance accessory, or like me, are really unlucky. Fighting one is alright, but getting 3(4?) of them in an encounter is pretty much the run away button winking at you, either saving or TPKing you.

[Validon98]

Stupid maintenance mode making me unable to update for a while...
But enough of that. Two updates in one day (at least where I live), because I can.

Volume 1- Part 4: Highway of Hell

Now that we've gotten Alice, let's take a look at her, shall we?

She's THE tank of the game. Mokou has tank qualities, true, but Alice is the one that can and will shield your party from harm on a regular basis. Most of her skills deal with providing her shield's defense to other characters or something similar. So yeah, she's pretty damn awesome.
Growth Trees: Manipulation (boosts shield -based spells, get this maxed out ASAP), Craft (boosts physical stats and shield usage, get this maxed out as well), Dummy (boosts her fields and status effects), Self-Destruct (boosts damage, not worth it in my opinion)
Unique Weapon: Greaves (high accuracy, low power weapons that inflict Daze and generally give resistances)
Last Word: Alice Guard (reduces all damage done to Alice to 0 for three turns)
Commander Bonus: Shield Activation Chance +15%, 1 Bomb: 7-Colored Puppet (all shield chances on your party set to 100%), 3 Bomb: Alice Formation (formation bonuses doubled)
Starting Skills: Marionette Parrar (gives all people in a selected column Alice's shield bonuses, effect is boosted if in the same column as Alice), Remote Sacrifice (defends and attacks on the same turn)



So, here we are. Let's go in!



Hey guys. You misspelled "Geyser." You forgot an "e."



Okay. So, we just have to pass through here, right?



That is true. Not many people are fond of underground youkai. Though I myself have no problem with any of them except maybe Parsee.



Well, crap. So, how are we supposed to get down there?



Ehh, okay. That doesn't sound too bad.
They ask Nitori why she knows about the underground despite her not living there.



Ah, that's right. The kappa kind of built the reactor that's down here that powers the surface. Thanks to this place, the Human Village has electricity, although people seem to forget that little fact.



Yeah, Kanako and Suwako both know about this place. And I'm not surprised they tell you nothing about it. Otherwise Hisoutensoku wouldn't have happened.
Also, apparently there is an elevator, but neither Nitori nor Sanae can operate it. So we're going down the good old fashioned way.



Through the fire and flames we carry on! *insane guitar solo*
Ahem. The theme here is... uh... Lullaby of Deserted Hell? Well, it is for about, like twenty seconds, at least.



The puzzle here is just finding these buttons to make those spirits disappear. Orin, you should really be more careful about where you leave those things.



First enemies here are Flames. They use some Fire attacks and are weak to Water. Go Patchoulli!



Hell Mendozas here are weak to Piercing and Electric, but pack Fire Arrow and Tentacle. That attack is sort of dangerous. Be careful.




Blow them away, Patchy.



So I guess the enemies from the Underground Waterway back in DoD is a Hell Cobra, not a Hell Viper? Meh. They're weak to Water.



Two things. First of all, that's a lot of lava. Second of all, why are the enemy icons giant feet? I mean, really?



Skeletons are weak to Fire, Light, and Blunt and sort of attack you. Meh.



Here we have another Infant Demon, except this one knows Demon Shock, so be careful.



The Xing Tian is weak to Pierce and Light and knows Skewer, which can be a bit dangerous, as it can hit the people in the back.



More golden doors. Wonderful.




Sometimes, you just have to nuke the ever-loving shit out of things, you know?



Crap, a Salamander. They know Tail Chop and are generally annoying to kill (weakness to Water, but still). Thankfully, this is the only one I have to fight.



Ergh, Hellhounds. They know Fire Breath, which hurts. They're weak to Water, so Patchy, keep at 'em.



Okay, these are Sessho-sekis. They know Death and are resistant to physical attacks, although Light kills them dead.



Another special enemy? Hold up a second.



Zombie Fairies. I think they can inflict Curse or something and might be weak to Light and Fire. I didn't stick around for much longer due to the fact that I was trying to get out of the dungeon to restore MP.



That special enemy was Kisume. Thwack (I wish I had Thwack right now, but that's another game, sadly) her with Electric attacks and make sure Alice uses Hourai Doll to attract attacks to her. Thankfully, she only has single target attacks, so as long as you keep piling on the hurt, she'll go down.



So, boss time?
Boss time. Make sure Patchy has Royal Flare and her Water spells on for this. Or Marisa, if you're using her.



Pretty fire.



Utsuho's carrying out her work, as usual.



I thought you liked the fire.



Ehh?



Oh, hey Orin. You know, when you think about it, that line's sort of disturbing.



Seems like everyone can hear us cutting bloody swaths through Gensokyo.



Okay.



Ah, yes. Be glad it doesn't affect you unlike some other game.



So cute~!



Yep. At least you know that.



Wow, when they said you were bird-brained they weren't kidding.
We tell them we're here to see Satori, in a very polite manner. Huh, that's not how we'd normally act.



It's not like we're here to do grievous harm to anyone. We're here to get someone that will help us do grievous harm to somebody.



Uh, do we have any?
Apparently Nitori has some cucumbers.



Is this really going to work?



Daww...



Hey hey, don't scare the kasha while she's eating!



Well, Utsuho likes them too. They're so cute when they're happy. Poor Orin is all sad because of Utsuho, though. Aww...



Oops, they're on to us!
They won't let us through!



Maybe.
I guess we're just going to have to fight, eh?



Oh boy, this looks bad.



Okay, Utsuho is weak to Light, so bust out stuff like Fantasy Heaven and Royal Flare in order to take her down. Try to take her down within two turns, with most of your damage on the second turn. Don't pile it all on during turn one, otherwise she'll use Mega Flare and killlllll youuuuuuuu.
Orin is weak to Water, but isn't too threatening otherwise.




This is what happens if you leave Okuu at low help.



Fantasy Heaven!
They go down the second time.



If you're reading this, then sorry Nindella for beating the crap out of your favorite character.



Uh, no. I don't think so, but knowing Strawberry Bose Reimu, we're probably going to beat the shit out of her first.



Yeah, that's right. We explain how we need Satori to get some information out of Yuyuko, and they're fine with it.



Yeah, otherwise you'll be hurt pretty damn badly.



Cute~!



More cute~!



So, Stage 5? If this were a normal Touhou game, we'd be almost done.
Too bad this isn't a normal Touhou game.



Yeah, that's no place for a kappa.



So that's obviously why the underground is unaffected.
Also, they note that at this point it would have been a lot faster to have just gone after Yuyuko. That I agree with.



I guess so...



Right, we're not going to do this until later, though.




They look so cute, even when beat up~.

But will Satori agree to come with us? How bad could the Palace of the Earth Spirits possibly be? And when will we find out who the culprit is? Trust me, not for a long time.

Summary:

Treasure: Rock (drop x2), Iron, Rusty Blade, Magic Medal, Heatwave Amulet (drop), West Peak Sect Silver Spear (drop, Sanae), Crowbar (drop, Alice), Steel, Pretty Mirror (x2 drop, x1 treasure), Red Eyes, Elemental Sphere, Curse God's Bug Spray, Rage Choker I (Sakuya), Purgatory Shield (Alice), Gold, Bamboo, Fire Shard (drop)

Skills: Killer World (field that increases Instant Death chance, Sakuya), Puppet Shield- Holland Dolls, Russian Dolls, London Dolls (reduces physical damage by 90%, magicial damage by 90% and covers an ally respectively, Alice), Hourai Doll (casts Decoy on self, Alice), Wind of Shields (increases entire party's PDEF, Sanae), Sunny Strike (Low power piercing attack that adds Fire, Nitori), Active Elemental (shifts Land towards selected element, Patchoulli), Dolls Phalanx (field that doubles shield activation rate, Alice), Ofuda of Dispelling (heals Variety effects, Reimu), Wind of Arrows (increases entire party's ACC, Sanae), Maruto Break (Low power small AoE attack that adds Electric, Nitori), Private Square (gives Sakuya two free turns, Sakuya), Hot Spot Vulcan (increases Fire power yet reduces Water power, Patchoulli), Spectrum Mystery (protects entire party from an element using Alice's shield, Alice), Arctic Chill (increases Water power yet reduces Fire power, Patchoulli)

Recipes: Chain Greaves, Earthheart Shield, Sacred Shrine Maiden Clothes, Showy Tengu Dress, Fire Runestone, Water Runestone, Earth Runestone, Electric Runestone, Frozen Sombrero, Black Cat's Twin Tails, Hakutaku's Ribboned Horn, Twilight Charm, Night Sparrow Pate, Enma's Rod, Eyes of Madness, Scarlet Devil's Wing, China Badge, Curse God's Goth-Loli Dress, Poison Doll's Limb

Synthesis Done: Exorcist's Gohei (Reimu), Magician Broom (Marisa), Viper Clothes (Sanae)

TPKs: 1 this update, 2 overall
Frustration: Oh boy, is it rising. Trust me, it's going to get a lot worse as the game goes on.

[Hinacle]

Oh god I forgot how cute some of the sprites in this game are.
Dat Orin

[Serela]

Fantasy Heaven deals truly insane damage to Okuu, yeeeeep.

You can either use Aya or Marisa's 3bomb commander skill on turn two to make sure you don't die (As long as you kill Utsuho, but that's very easy with 2 fantasy heavens and the rest of your attackers)

[Validon98]

So, I screenshotted the next update. Getting another dungeon done is always good.
What's bad is the lack of time I have to write it up. So I might get it up tomorrow, if I have enough time then.

Marisa's 3bomb commander skill

*head desk* Of course I could have. I keep forgetting that skill exists, and yet it could be so useful sometimes.

[Validon98]

So, I'm late with this, but I'm good now!

Volume 1- Part 5: A Mind is a Precious Thing to Waste

Let's continue on and get the Palace of the Earth Spirits out of the way!



As you can see, we've got more will o' the wisps, which we'll get rid of. Also, we've got hell ravens as enemy icons. Of course.



NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...
Ahem. So, Mind Flayers. Resistant to most elements with the eception of Electric, and weak to Pierce. Of course, they have their dreaded Mind Blast. Thankfully, Wind of Protection will most likely protect us. As long as Sanae gets it off BEFORE they go...



See this wall?



It's not really a wall. This whole dungeon is full of fake walls like that. Thank you so much, Hachikuma. I really appreciate your dungeon design.



There's a Nekomata in the back. It knows Charm and is weak to Fire. Okay then.



I don't find this funny. Not at all.



Thankfully we can open shortcuts so that we don't have to go through the whole dungeon whenever we need to heal up.



Light the candles, open the door. Simple.



These candles were off, but there's one more. Where could it be?



I hate you so much, game.




Alice Guard. Thankfully, it allowed me to escape from this battle. Stupid Hellhounds with their Fire Breath...



Crap, a Hell's Gatekeeper. He will cast Horus's Gate. At the beginning of every turn. Guess what it does? IT CANCELS ANY MAGIC YOU'RE CASTING. Why...



Okay, so the proper name for this thing is a Goby, not a Dullard. It goes down to... something. Either Fire or Electric. It hurts a bit, though, so watch out.



No, this passage does not lead to the treasure. I really hate when the game does this sort of thing to you.



Last new enemy is a Tsuchigumo. It is weak to Earth but knows Spider Net, which hits the whole party and can reduce ACC and EVA. Not too bad, unless it hits Sakuya, whose ACC sucks already.



Finally, the end. However, if you have found the two Silver Keys...



You can get some treasure which is in a room that is connected close to the end of the dungeon. Not too hard to find.
Before you go into the boss, MAKE SURE SAKUYA HAS COLOSSEO WORLD!!!



Hey Satori. How's it going?



Expenses? Since when do you really needto worry about expenses? This is Hell (sort of), after all.



Yeah, we aren't the best company in the world, are we?



They let us in. We had to beat them up, but they let us in.



Yeah, it was sudden.



Your mind reading is as sudden.



Rumors? It's the damn truth. You'd think someone named Satori would be a, well, satori.



I never really wanted to come down in the first place. We could just beat the info out of Yuyuko.



Reimu, you are a bitch, aren't you?



Exactly! Seriously, just stay here, Satori. Don't let them drag you out of here.



Aya! She's not a sucker!



Yeah, that is true, Marisa.



Yeah, I think she'd be mad... oh wait, she's right there.



Seriously, Alice? Are you wanting to pick a fight with Patchy?
Also, apparently SB ships the two as well. Then again who doesn't?



Uh... Satori...



Yeah, I think you went a liiiiiiiittle too far.



So, boss time?



Boss time.
Satori uses some status effect attacks, but with Wind of Protection you can shrug a lot of them off. So the first part of the battle isn't a problem. However...



She'll switch modes. She has one for each of the four base elements, and each one will stick her with 100 HP regen a turn plus the ability to use some attacks of that element. She'll then charge up and use an ability related to each element. In this case, she uses Thunderclap, which nearly kills my party.



And this is why you use Colosseo World, to negate that regen. However, you can't heal, so this fight essentially becomes a damage rush.



And Thunderclap, as I told you.



Fire mode has her using Heat Ray and then some large powered single-target Fire spell to finish things off. Sakuya dies in this way. She also switches into Water mode, I think, but she goes down before using its ability (which I believe is a healing spell, though I forget).



How I ended it. Not too bad, even though I forgot about the HP regen until after she used Electric mode at the beginning. Meh, 100 HP was easy to make up. She'll also be weak to the element opposite of the one she uses, so make note of that.



Sorry, you forced our hand.



Still, I think we went a little overboard with that. Reimu declares that Satori come with us.



Just leave the poor girl alone. She's got paperwork to do, you know.



She finally accepts! Okay, that helps.



Even though we could have done it TWO DUNGEONS AGO!!! *sigh*



Yeah, if we have Satori with us now, she might as well be useful.



As per usual in Gensokyo. Satori reads Reimu's mind one last time, though I missed what she thought.



Reimu, did you seriously just punch Satori? What the hell, Reimu!
Well, we have Satori now. I honestly think she shouldn't have to put up with this crap, but there's nothing I can do about Reimu. But is Yuyuko related to the incident? What thoughts can we gleam from her? How wild of a goose chase are we really on? All of that will be revealed in the finale (I believe) of Volume 1 (sadly I don't know the exact Volume definitions, so I could be wrong).

Summary:

Treasure: Snakeskin (drop), Watercat Armor (Reimu), Hinotori Feather, Sun Tzu's Art of War, Rock, Crescent Moon Shield (drop, Reimu), Blank Scroll, Bracelet of Insight I (Patchoulli), Enchanted Shield (drop), Vampire's Wing, Arctic Shield, Bracelet of Reflection I

Skills: Freeze Chaser (attacks after Water attacks are used, Nitori), Puppet Shield-Tibetan Dolls (covers one person, Alice), Fantasy Seal -Blink- (Low- power all-targeting Light spell, costs a bomb, Reimu), Another Murder (Low power attack that lowers PDEF, Sakuya), Cluster Move (boosts Earth but lowers Electric, costs a bomb, Patchoulli), Heaven Crack (boosts Electric but lowers Earth, costs a bomb, Patchoulli), Thunder Chaser (attacks after Electric attacks when used, Nitori)

Formations: Hypnotic Barrier

TPKs: 0 this update, 2 overall
Frustration: Lowering. Hey, I survived the Mind Flayers! And I won't have to deal with them again for a long time, trust me.

[Serela]

The 100 hp regen isn't really much of an issue (Especially if you have Marisa and/or Patchouli to hit her new weaknesses), but the real reason you want Colloseo World is her Water form charge move is Elixir. That restores her HP to max, which is reset time.

You also want Reimu, because the Earth charge move is Petro Cloud, which -will- petrify your entire party; so, you use Reimu's status prevention barrier spellcard. Fire and Elec, if I remember right, just have strong skills that aren't too bad.

[Ikari]

I must have been incredibly lucky when fighting Satori because she was insanely easy. For my first 4 tries, she switched to earth and petro-fied (pun intended) my entire party.

The moment where I equip an anti petrification accessory on Reimu (duh), on the fifth try, she switches to water for the first time, uses a random status effect spell (Poison or something I think) that whiffs completely and dies in the next turn.

Random battles were harder, to be honest.

[Serela]

Yeah, Satori is really easy apart from her charge moves. And since two of her forms don't even have real scary ones, and she can be killed before charging without tooo much trouble...

[Hinacle]

Yeah, Satori is really easy apart from her charge moves. And since two of her forms don't even have real scary ones, and she can be killed before charging without tooo much trouble...

The only one that gave me trouble was her water form. That heal screwed me over on my first attempt.

[Validon98]

The only one that gave me trouble was her water form. That heal screwed me over on my first attempt.

Hence Colesseo World.
Also, as to the update, if I'm fast, I might get it up. If not, the fact that power where I live will be knocked out due to a massive nor'easter that'll be sweeping through here this weekend will prevent me from doing anything. My laptop's battery can only last so long. Plus no internet. Yeah.
That's the bad news. The good news is that so far the Netherworld hasn't been as on my ass as it was when I first came here, though I haven't done much beyond the first room. And Patchy has more PATK than Sakuya does at this point. I'm not even joking.

[Serela]

Patch is a powerhouse physically at first (Because her patk bonus POW tree is godly), yeah. Before long though, her magic is just far more appealing apart from using the Marmot Eater on eientei bosses.

There is, however, totally legit reasons to use a dagger on the final expansion boss with her. So I guess that makes twice.

[AnonymousPondScum]

Being Satori is suffering. :V

Also forgive the lateness of this remark but it amuses me how spacey Byakuren and Murasa are in this game. :V

On-topic: I'm a complete n00b to this line of fangames so I'm sorta just waiting here and eagerly awaiting finding out who Reimu horribly mistreats next. :getdown:

[Hinacle]

Being Satori is suffering. :V

Also forgive the lateness of this remark but it amuses me how spacey Byakuren and Murasa are in this game. :V

On-topic: I'm a complete n00b to this line of fangames so I'm sorta just waiting here and eagerly awaiting finding out who Reimu horribly mistreats next. :getdown:

Everyone point and laugh at the newbie :V
Just kiiiiiddiinnnnng~

[Ikari]

On-topic: I'm a complete n00b to this line of fangames so I'm sorta just waiting here and eagerly awaiting finding out who Reimu horribly mistreats next. :getdown:

Hint; It's everyone.

But uh... I never really thought Patchy could melee. I learned something today.

Also Satori, SATORI, WHY MUST I ABSOLUTELY LOVE YOU AS A CHARACTER BUT YOU DON'T HAVE ANY GOOD SKILLS DAMN IT.

I know she learns stuff by getting hit, but that's such a hassle ;~; I wish she had Lancet or something to LEARN THEM from the enemies without having to get punched in the face non-stop.

[Validon98]

Don't worry, PPP. Reimu will cause pain and suffering to many, many people before the game is over. Who else will be the subject of her endless wrath? Well, that's for me to know and for you to find out as I trudge slowly through this game.
Also, I was right on the mark when I said Volume 1 is over. So, this next update (which is nearly 100 images total) will be it for the first story arc. Hopefully I'll have the time to get it up before I get screwed over by the weather. I will not touch the game further until that update is made.
I still have so much more to go... *sigh*

@Ikari: Yeah... a Lancet-type ability would be nice, wouldn't it?
Sadly, this isn't Final Fantasy X. This is Genius of Sappheiros. And I will take Mind Blasts to the face until I get them (which I already have).

[Validon98]

Volume 1- Finale: They Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance

Okay, lame titles aside, let's talk about Satori, probably one of the least useful characters in the game if you don't keep at developing her.

She's the resident Blue Mage of the party. While she has skills of her own, she mainly learns skills through getting whacked in the face by them. Sadly, as she's a caster, she has very poor physical stats. She has a pretty good IND, though, which makes buffs and debuffs just that much more powerful. And she has okay INT, enough to make magic attacks powerful. Her base skill list is all debuffs and Permanents, but the enemy skill ist is massive. If I get any skills for her, I'll list them at the end of the update under the heading "Satori Skills," while her base skills will be listed as usual under the "Skills" heading.
Growth Trees: Satori (boosts skill Learning rate and learned skill power), Trauma (boosts Permanents), Id (boosts Varieties), Third Eye (boosts various stats, especially MP and magic)
Unique Weapon: Eyes (slash weapon that usually boosts certain damage types and usually inflicts status effects)
Last Word: Powerful Mind-Reading (inflicts Control on the enemy party)
Commander Bonus: +5% RES, 1 Bomb: Attack Prediction (Gain 33% Deflect), 3 Bomb: Enemy Techniques (Randomly uses one enemy skill, a waste of time)
Starting Skills: Hypnosis (inflicts Sleep on whole enemy party), Stupefy (inflicts Silence on whole enemy party), Soften (reduces PDEF of whole enemy party)

So, uh, yeah. Satori. Not too useful at first glance. As to learning things, well...



As you can possibly see, upon getting hit with a skill that can be learned, Satori has a set chance of learning it. Even if it hits her with a status down or kills her, as long as she was alive when it hit she has a chance of learning it. If she fails to learn a certain skill in a battle, she cannot learn it again in that battle. This can be very enraging when you finally get her hit with a skill only for it to not get learned.



The one skill I really want at this point is Mind Blast. Full party Mystic damage plus Paralysis. How could you not want this?



As for the Netherworld, it's right over here, in the western portion of Gensokyo.



Wow, this is a bit dreary. Drearier than I originally thought the Netherworld looked like.



That's not how you spell "Netherworld."



Of course not! It's not as if you're not allowed up on the surface... oh wait, you aren't. Too bad, Yukari, we're going to actively screw with that deal between the surface and underground and you're just going to have to accept it.



Well, it's simple. The mist is only in Gensokyo, and the Netherworld is a separate dimension. Patchoulli explains this as well.



Hmm... I don't know. That's not like her. The Spring Incident doesn't count, as she really wasn't aware of what she was doing to Gensokyo in the process. PLUS SHE HATES HER POWER.



That's also true. She's strange. No wonder she and Yukari are friends.



Might as well. We've got no other leads.
The theme song of this place is... supposedly Oriental Mystic Dream~Ancient Temple, but good luck figuring that out. Out of all of the songs in this game, this is the only one I cannot recognize whatsoever, even WITH the wiki saying what it is.



There's a secret treasure over here if you check the east portion of the entrance.



The Netherworld itself is divided into this area, based obviously on Stage 4 of PCB, and that weird death-like swamp place, based on... something. I don't know what.



Senpoku-Kanpokus are weak to Water but know Poison Breath, so note that. The poison will probably kill one of your mages if it hits.



Vouivres are dragons, interestingly enough. They're weak to Dark, but use stuff like Hellclaw Assassination and other things that hurt.



And Darknesses. Weak to Light, they use some Dark attacks. Not too bad. Satori can learn some skills off of them, so take note.



This Hresvelgr here is weak to Light and Pierce, but knows Death Dive (which drains health) and can inflict Control with its normal attacks. Not very friendly.



That crack sure doesn't look ominious.



I guess I was wronnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng...



Those are faces on the wall. Those faces are disturbing.



Swordsmen here are weak to Dark, but use physical attacks. Their Headsplitter attack is learnable.



Ghosties here are weak to Light, inflict Great Confusion (inability to use any skills), and seem to drop Iron like crazy.



As seen here. Honestly, two drops in one battle is pretty amazing.



Always...s, maybe? They are actually birds, so they're weak to Pierce and Electric.



So, that's a Beheaded Ksitigarbha. Immune to Light and Dark, but weak to Earth. Okay then.



Those are Shugenjas, and they're basically the magic counterparts to the Swordsmen from earlier. They cast some status spells and Dark magic. Not too bad.



Oh, a Shade. it knows some pretty bad Dark spells like Dark Breath. And it knows Death. Fantastic. It's weak to Light, obviously.




Sakuya's World boosts Sakuya up by a lot, turning her into a powerhouse. Fun.



I never knew this secret passage existed the first time I came through here. Huh.



This portal here?



Leads back to the beginning. Shortcuts, whee.



A Zaqqum, huh? It's weak to Fire and knows either Curse spells or Dark spells. I forget which.



Back up here are Angels. Weak to Dark, but they know Holy Zapper. Which Satori can learn. Okay.
After moving into a certain room...



Hey, Yuyuko! You look depressed. Something the matter?



Oh. I see.



You don't have to scream so loud!
Youmu brings in some food.



I wouldn't think that Youmu's ghost half could hold something up, but I guess I'm wrong.




Wait, you didn't fry Mystia again, did you?!
That would be sort of bad. I like Mystia. Besides the whole night-blind thing, I'm totally fine with her.



Hmm?
She notes someone has entered the Netherworld. Gee, I wonder who it is?



Yeah, isn't it obvious? But wait, why would you know Reimu would come here? Unless...



I second that. Youmu must not have been too thrilled once she found out exactly what Yuyuko was having her do back in Perfect Cherry Blossom.
Yuyuko doesn't really give a good response.



Might as well. We'll tear through you if we have to, but you can at least try.
Yuyuko notes how everything is getting interesting. Um, so, are you the culprit or not?



Knowing her, she'll leave it up to us and totally not step in to say, "Hey, you've got the wrong person here, go elsewhere." Or she's investigating on her own. Or she's actually the one causing the incident, which I doubt because she seems just as troubled by it as some of the others.



Why are we always playing right into the hands of everyone we meet?
We return back to our group in the process. Let's hopefully get to Hakugyokurou and deal with this.



So, Souls and a Dropper. They're both weak to Light, so Reimu can whack away. The Dropper can inflict Paralysis using Nasal Breath (which Satori can learn), so be careful.



And a Cerberus. Because we totally need Greek mythological references in a JRPG.
It's weak to Water but knows Fire Breath. Not too hard on its own.



More Infant Demons. If Satori was in the party, I'd have her learn Demon Shock, but I kind of just got a few basic skills for her and then said, "Screw it, this is a waste of time." Not exactly in those words, but pretty much.



So, let's go up, shall we? Make sure that Patchy or Marisa have all their Fire spells on. Any element, really, but Fire's as good as anything, plus Patchy is most likely going to have her Fire boosting spell (Hot Spot Vulcan) by now. And make sure that Alice has Holland Doll on to cover an ally, plus Death resistance. That treasure at the beginning of the dungeon I showed you? It's the Charismatic Ghost Band. It resists Death. You can get the Death Guard too to put on someone, if you have the materials for it. Finally, make sure Sanae has Wind of Arrows and Wind of Protection. You might need both.



Yeah, it only took a lot of falling down holes and getting lost, but we're almost here.



Of course, Youmu is in our way.



Well, we don't necessarily know that, do we?



Yeah, a good bodyguard protects his or her employer. If not, he or she'll probably get his or her pay docked, or something.



Well, mind reading works, I guess.



Um, yeah. She's not a satori for nothing, you know.



That'll get you into trouble. Really, now.



Remember the diaper in Devil of Decline?
I'm sorry, but this is what it referenced. Yeah, the diaper was Youmu's recruitment flag. I won't say anything beyond that.



Marisa punches Satori, of course, for going just a tad too far. Poor Youmu looks like she's going to have a heartattack or something.



Yeah, good job, Satori! You just pissed her off even more.
She swipes at us, but she misses.



Um, it might.



Take that!
But then she blocks it! This isn't good. She slashes at Reimu, knocking her back. This isn't good...



It seems that way.



Are we going to do this Chrono Trigger style?



Hell yeah we are. Combo Tech to the face, Youmu!



What the!?



Shit, Yuyuko's here. We're in trouble, aren't we?
We ask her if she's the culprit to her face.



I knew it!



What?
Then Reimu asks Satori to read her. Wait a minute, she's about to...



...Tell us. Well, gee, that sucks. It's almost as if those two stages we spent in the underground were a waste of time...
Oh wait, they were. Strawberry Bose, I hate you SO much right now.



I REALLY hate you right now.



I think we took the path to the bad end or something.
Never mind, we get up right afterwards.



I am not really happy with this situation, but I have no choice, do I?



Welcome to the first fight in the game that's not hard because you don't know what you're doing, but the first fight that's hard because the RNG can and WILL screw you over. They're both weak to the four base elements, but Yuyuko has crazy MDEF. Youmu has no such thing, so taking her down is fine. However, Youmu will go into "stances." There are three: Asura, Devaloka (Deva), and Manussya (Human Realm). Pray she does not go into Asura. If she does, just reset, because even Marionette Parrar won't save you. Also, see how I'm in Free Fight? I reset and changed that. You might want Hakurei Type on.
Also, Yuyuko has crazy EVA and Perfect Dodge, so you need to either debuff her EVA or use an ACC buff, like Wind of Arrows.




Ghastly Dream isn't too bad. It inflicts MDEF down, but that's negliable.
Not pictured: The numerous resets. Yeah, the RNG hit me HARD. I'm not going to get TPKed just because the RNG has a grudge against anyone who dares try to beat the game.



Oh look, just like in Perfect Cherry Blossom, once you beat Yuyuko, she has one nasty surprise left for you in the form of Resurrection Butterfly.



OWW.



Yeah, massive chance of inflicting Instant Death to all party members. Remember how I said that Alice should have Holland Doll on? Yeah, by using it to cover someone, Alice will take the hit for that person. That's why Reimu, despite having no Death resistance on, survived, because Alice took the hit for her. If you think this is the last time a boss will have a desperation attack when it dies, you're in for a surprise.



Well, that's settled. Sorry we had to do that, but I don't take bullets to the face kindly, thank you very much.



Yeah, otherwise this game would be over by now.



Pretty much.
We then ask Yuyuko if she knows something.



Well, that's how things go, right?
Then she refuses to tell us. Err, what?



FUCK YOU! We spent all that time going off to get Satori because we thought you wouldn't say anything, but now you say nothing? Really game? We could be closer to the culprit's trail, but NOOOOOOOOO!



I don't blame you. I blame Yuyuko. She's the bitch who won't let go of information.



Oh, that makes things SO MUCH BETTER! Really, you might as well not bother giving us anything.



Oh, she heard all that.



Whoops.



I guess so. Yuyuko, you are a bitch, you know that?
Satori asks if she can go home now.



Goddamnit, Reimu.



Yeah, we've got no leads now. And Yuyuko isn't saying shit, so where could we go?
Patchy suggests Muenzuka. Well, when you don't have the enlightened dead, you might as well have the place with all the unmarked graves.
We leave. Finally.



Well, maybe it is. Youmu could be useful. As long as she doesn't stab us in the face, I'm good.
Yuyuko goes back inside. The camera pans down...



What the!? The true culprit was watching us the whole time! Does that mean we're the ones being followed?
She notes that Yuyuko acted "as expected." I don't like the sound of that.



Damn it! So, the whole time we've been on this wild goose chase, the culprits have been trailing us to check on our actions. These aren't ordinary culprits, are they? I mean, no one in the actual series goes to this extent to ensure they're not under suspicion. Worse, this person is completely unknown to us at this point.
But now that we have a destination, what will happen? Find out as we begin Volume 2, wherein the wild goose chase continues. On and on. With no visible end.

Summary:

Treasure: Rock (drop), Charismatic Ghost Band (Alice), Serpent Knife, Launch Earrings I (Sanae), Iron (x3 drop), Snakeskin, Rusty Blade, Billboard (Patchy), Eyeball, Pagoda, Sewing Needle, Death Mail (Alice), Moonfang Skypiercer Ji (Sanae), Earthsnake Armor (drop, Sanae), Magic Mushroom, Strength Ring I (drop, Sakuya), Magic Shard, Stormhead Amulet (drop), Silver Tray, Nimble Ring I (drop), Squall Hairpin I, Ashoka's Hammer (Alice), Kamishide, Hinotori Feather, Imitation Slayer, Blank Scroll, Hades Robe (Patchy), Cherry Blossom Petal, Celestial Peach (x2), Philosopher's Cane, Headshot Goggles I, Indefatigable Earrings I (Alice), Untouchable Goggles I, Donation Box

Skills: Never Fail (increases ACC, Byakuren), Psychedelic Art (reduces ACC of entire enemy party, Satori), Unquick (reduces ACC and EVA, Byakuren), Black Miasma (inflicts Petrify, Byakuren), Unresist (reduces RES and IND, Byakuren), Youkai Buster (Medium power column-hitting Light spell that ignores Reflect and Magic Barrier, Reimu), Perfect Resist (raises RES, Byakuren), Artful Enchanter (raises resistance to one of the four base elements for the whole party, costs a bomb, Alice), Blade Murder (Low power attack that reduces PATK, Sakuya), Grand Healing Miracle (Medium power healing spell, Sanae), Makai Temptation (inflicts Control, Byakuren)

Satori Skills: Fire Arrow (single-target Fire spell), Skewer (penetrating physical attack), Mind Blast (all-targeting Mystic spell that inflicts Paralysis), Plasma Ball (single-target Electric spell), Earth Javelin (single-target Earth spell), Ice Chill (single-target Water spell)

Recipes: Bombs Gohei, Heretic Broom, Serpent Fang, Hurricane Fan, Great Maid, Dictionary of Heretics, Magnum Revolver, Shanghai Greaves, Big Eye, The Green Eyes, Platinum Shield, Dark Robe, Violet Pajamas, Burning Breastplate, Frozen Breastplate, Stone Breastplate, Thunderclap Breastplate

Synthesis Done: First-Edition Manga (Patchoulli), Great Maid (Sakuya), Bombs Gohei (Reimu), Platinum Shield (Alice)

Formations: Konpaku Sword-Style Formation

TPKs: 0 this update, 2 overall (plus many, many resets)
Frustration: I'm pissed at the gameplay and at the story. How much more pissed at a game can I get? Much more. Trust me on that one.

Also, for those of you who played the game but are wondering who exactly that figure was, well, I looked through the game's files and found out. Those who haven't played won't know what this means, but for those who have played, well, does

Spoiler:

BEG

mean anything to you?

[Serela]

Yuyuko's counter can be avoided by killing her with poison or a chaser. Both of these are pretty effective ways to damage her in general. Satori's Poison Art self-learned move is the best offense she has even in random battles for a good while, for that matter; and chasers cannot miss ever and hit Yuyuko's weaknesses.

Alternatively, Byakuren can debuff Yuyuko's mdef and then Marisa/Patch can nuke her with magic.

If Nitori has a gun and self-enchants with an element, following up with a spellcard attack, she can kill Youmu and Yuyuko with one attack. Gun POW tree has an ability to ignore Perfect Dodge, too. If she isn't leveled enough for a spellcard, well, she still hurts, just not total facemelt cheese.

And, Youmu is strong, but I didn't find her to be -that- scary...! Then again, I'm pretty sure I'd kill her before she could actually use a stance spellcard.

[achicken]

Fire Breath was one of the first things I learnt; the Salamanders back in the Hell of Blazing Fires teaches that.
Also recommend picking up Satori's all-heal spell by Charming a Shugenja, assuming your Byakuen's charm is good enough.