So we play other games on occasion, you know? Sometimes random games, Jurassic Park, Poker Tower Defense, plain old poker, but recently we got another game(in english no less) called Scarlet Devil Mansion Defense, it uses the same models and was made by the same people who made dots, and it is crazy fun. Drop on by, because it's an easy way to waste 2 hours and is crazy fun as I said. Max people is 5 players though.
Now I woke up this morning and said to myself "I'm going to make a little list of what I think the heroes are like!"... So I did! Now to all people who may berate me, and say 'This is wrong, you are wrong.' This list is from my experience and opinion. If you don't like it, then don't follow it. Kinda like saying sub-doll Hina or tank hina is stupid when compared to the other, blah blah blah. Anyways! These are the heroes and general playstyle!
This guide is generally for full house games!
Reimu:
Reimu's role to to simply be there and rack up as many points as possible. Genji is her damage, her buff is titanic to carries(Sakuya in particular), and her last word weakens ALL enemies map-wide. Her job is simple to stay alive. As such, tank items would be nice. Reimu needs score critically, if she is not killing Yamame every round, she'll just be gimped later.
Works best with: Anyone
Reimu can share a lane with anyone, as long as she's middle and killing Yamame. Genji will always be able to sneak in a few kills.
Works worst with: No one
Reimu works best when she actually isn't killing creeps, except for creeps another lane can't handle. She mainly sits around and kills Yamame and racks up points. She can solo mid if no one else wants to.
Marisa:
Marisa is a score hog, plain and simple. Early on her orreries sun deals super damage and pretty much clears creep waves by itself, easily obtainable, and can rush to it, few other people can do it, but later on she slows down... Until she gets Master Spark, which can really save the day if you max the reactor. She needs score about as much as Remilia, which is not that much.
Works best with: Patchouli
Patchouli can't kill so good mid game, but can really stomp late game. Marisa covers for her until Patchouli can cover her Marisa.
Works worst with: Remilia, Flandre
Flandre needs score, fast to increase her innate and Marisa is too jerk to let that happen! Remilia likewise needs to kill as slow as possible, which hampers Remilia's farming.
Remilia:
Remilia's job is to farm AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. Give her a miko divine suit and a donation box and she will get a MILLION points at the sin wave, provided no one interferes and you do the time stop. Even more if you can shop while very slowly killing the wave. She does good damage with magic and tanks well with her innate and last word, just in case. She is simply an enabler for the other carries, and probably needs score the least out of all heroes.
Works best with: Reimu, Patchouli
Reimu and Patchy generally stays out of the way with Genji/Koa, and you can invite Reimu/Patchouli to kill the creeps sans Genji/Koa. The two will get some extra score that Remilia doesn't really need.
Works worst with: Instagibbers
Let's face it, the carries will get to the point where they will explode any creep wave isntantly. Remilia needs the creeps to live as long as possible, and these characters will not do.
Flandre:
Flandre is a boss killer. With life leech, four of a kind, and Q.E.D she can tank pretty much any mob. She's a pretty simple person to play, but almost needed for what she does. Score is nice on Flandre, needed until level 7 or 8 or 9. You shouldn't really care too much about it after.
Works best with: Tenshi, Patchouli
Tenshi and Patchouli don't kill creeps too fast, Flan doesn't kill creeps too fast. They work surprisingly well together.
Works worst with: Marisa, Sakuya.
The early instagibber of Marisa and the later instagibbing of Sakuya hampers Flan's farming, she needs the score to get her innate up and the creeps to get her money up and these two don't let that happen.
Sakuya:
Sakuya is a-move hero. Her strongest assets are passives, but her defensive ability isn't up there. Against bosses, she needs a tank such as Flandre. Against waves, she'll one shot them ALL later on. Simple, and the glass cannon rings true with her. If they don't die in one or two shots, she'll die. She works best if she solos, but should lane with another person once her passive reaches level 6 or 7 and take turns killing creeps. Give the solo to someone that needs score more.
Works best with: Tenshi(If Remilia is around), Suika
Surprisingly, Tenshi works well with Sakuya early on if Remilia is around. Remilia gives Tenshi a Cheongsam and an Oar and the two can actually take turns instagibbing creeps. Tenshi gibs 6 enemies, then Sakuya gibs six enemies.. Weird relationship. Suika falls under the same umbrella, they'll both have almost equal score if they are together for the game.
Works worst with: Remilia
Oddly enough, Sakuya doesn't work well with her master, the two have directly opposed play styles, and just shouldn't be near each other.
Patchouli:
Patchouli ranks right up there with Flan in late game ability. Koakuma at max level is more hax than Flandre and Philosopher Stone is beastly, but she needs score, cannot solo early on, doesn't earn money too well, but later she is hojesus strong if you take care of her. Patchouli needs score badly, but not as much as Reimu. Her late game spells can cost more mana than she actually has, and the boost will give Koakuma even bigger damage.
Works best with: Reimu, Remilia
Remilia tank creeps and pretty much sit there and use their spells and wait till they are dead, and Reimu lets Genji do the work. Patchouli merely last hits for her share and bides her time before she can contribute with Koakuma. With Reimu, they make the summoning team!
Works worst with: Sakuya
Sakuya once again instagibs the creeps, which is terrible for Patchouli, even if she gets Koakuma.
Meiling:
Meiling is the tanker hero, but she can pull off nice DPS as well Kinda a mix of both, but doesn't excel at either. Her innate is probably the second best, with armor doubling with each level, but she needs to solo, and she'll take time, and she can become magic immune for 1 second with a 2 second cooldown. Very useful, but she needs her own lane to get strong and start REALLY tanking. If you lane her with an instagibber, or someone that takes score, she'll gradually turn into China, the useless character.
Works best with: Flandre, Remilia
You lane early with Remilia and snipe her mobs with your spin, it does 5x the damage and has a large AoE, she won't mind TOO much. She will be a little miffed about it if there is no other way though. You tank for Flandre on bosses late game thanks to her lovely lifesteal and China can hold her own against bosses with her Inner Dragon Chi and natural crit.
Works worst with: Everyone else(Including Flan early)
Seriously. She needs to solo or team up with Remilia. Literally everyone else(except Tenshi) can kill better than her.
Suika:
Suika is a beast early on, beast middle, and a beast later on. Probably THE most overpowered character in the game overall, she enables Yamame killing almost immediately and only gets stronger from there. All you need you know is that she is freaking OP.
Suika needs score about as much as Flandre. At level 8 or 9, you don't really have to care much anymore.
Works best with: Sakuya, Flandre
Suika is quite weak for a good part of the same without her mini-suika, Sakuya will gladly pick up the slack since she doesn't need score that much. Flan will too if you two don't mind taking turns. Mini-Suikas last for about half a creep wave, if a little less.
Works worst with: Every not instagibber
Suika typically instagibs, even if it doesn't last a creepwave. The not instagibbers need score the most and your presence isn't helping.
Tenshi:
Tenshi is the most tank in this game with her temperament, but she needs a boss item that gives armor to really bring out the tenko in her. Her passive is also is a boon for most of the game, but she needs score and items to really bring her out, and early game that isn't gonna happen. Babysitting her will be required if you don't have Remilia. Her innate is MASSIVE AoE by the way. It will reach you, I promise. Tenshi needs points badly and fast, which is sad because without items her killing ability is the smallest.
Works best with: Remilia(in the game), Patchouli
Remilia is practically needed for Tenshi to become worthwhile on the front lines. Her killing ability otherwise is terrible minus her keystone press, but when the game gets to the point where Patch can almost kill creeps but not quite, Tenshi will be there and happily help out if there is no Remilia.
Works worst with: Carries(minus Sakuya if Remilia is around)
Carries kill creeps as fast as possible, and Tenshi simply cannot get in on that action unless the carry purposefully kills slow, which in some spots may prove fatal.
Iku:
Iku is a rather versatile character, able to do any situation well, but she excels when you focus in two or even one of three areas. Of course the areas are tanking, DPS, and support. She works with just about any character well, and needs... and I mean NEEDS a kappa lightsaber later on. Don't be fooled into thinking her passive doesn't give a very good shield, it has another very powerful ability. Iku needs score a lot early on, but even at level 5 she'll be pretty set after that. Just killing things normally will give her level 7 or 8 near Rumia. Unlike Sakuya though, she only gets more benefits from higher score. Oddly enough, Iku can use power the LEAST of any hero and still do excellent, maxing one normal skill and still getting to Rumia but depending on what area you want to focus on, you might end up using a little more.
Works best with: Everyone minus Remilia
Iku is a versatile character as I said, she can instagib to lane with Suika, Sakuya, and Tenshi, and she can fast-kill with Flan, Reimu, and Patchouli. The only character that really disagrees with this is Remilia, as Iku does not have a slow-kill button.
Works worst with: Remilia
Remilia slow kills. Iku, although versatile, cannot not kill fast. Don't work too well.
This is a general guide. If you don't know what this stuff means, come by and play to learn, and we'll play some Defense of the Shrines too. It'll be fun!