What is a good order to play the games?

[thehelmetguy1]

I'm a beginner in the touhou series, so far having only done a 1cc run of PCB and IN. So, what should I try next? And if there is a good answer to this, in which order should I play them?

[Despatche]

Release order, except for the PC-98 games. Those should be treated as their own thing entirely.

[TresserT]

Release order is a pretty good one. EoSD (th6) has no gimmicks so it's good for getting used to the core system, and PCB (th7)/IN (th8) are two of the easiest games in the series so they're good for beginners. Once you get through those 3 you can really play in any order comfortably.

MoF is also pretty easy and has a very unintrusive system. EoSD hasn't aged well at all, so MoF might be a better first game.

I would avoid anything past SA until you've gotten through the earlier games. UFO, TD, DDC, and HSiFS all require a pretty strong understanding of the system, and LoLK is stupidly hard.

[thehelmetguy1]

I see. Thanks for the help.

[Dreamleaf]

Having recently gone through 6-16 myself I'd say do them in order. I'd play 6 next. If you like PCB and IN you'll like 6 too, although the lack of a visible hit box is a bit painful. A lot of the stories in the later games tend to be connected too, particularly after 10 so if you're into the story you'll be able to follow it a bit better (not that it makes THAT much of a difference mind you)

Also imo 11, 12 and 15 are the tougher ones if you're going for normal 1ccs in each so be prepared for those ones if and when you get to them. As TresserT pointed out LoLK in particular is crazy hard. I pity the poor ignorant fool who walks into that game thinking point device mode is their ticket to a free 1cc...

[CyberAngel]

To add to the above, don't be afraid to play on Easy. You'll get the story and a good taste of gameplay, and will be able to come back and pick your favourites once you have a good idea what the series as a whole can give you.

[nav']

^True. Plus Easy is a very good choice should you ever become interested in playing for score.

[thehelmetguy1]

Hmm, I will take a look at it then.

[Karisa]

I'd personally recommend against starting with EoSD, even though it's a very common choice. It's missing multiple features from later games (boss icons, stage practice replays, auto-collecting items below full power, quick restarting with Esc-R), and has more boss movement randomness than usual. I feel it doesn't give a good first impression of the series. It plays more like the PC-98 games actually, so if you like it, you might also enjoy MS and LLS.

MoF seems like a better choice for simple mechanics, though if you play on Easy, be warned that the final spell is unusually difficult for an Easy mode, actually more dangerous than the Normal version.

For EoSD to IN, are you using vpatch? The older Windows engine tends to have significant input lag on newer computers, but there's a patch to prevent that. The patch also contains several useful features that weren't included in the older games, like the ability to speed up replays with control (and slow them down with shift), and to resize the window in windowed mode.