I commit an unspeakable act

Channel:

areaofmobeus

Subscribers:

815

Published on June 5, 2021 4:25:52 PM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZQRPahs3nA

Game:

Counter-Strike: Source (2004)

Duration: 26:47

320 views

5

Calm down, I didn't use Vampire Fang.

Touhou Kouryudou ~ Unconnected Marketeers has been really fun, in no small part due to the addition of the c a r d b a s e d g a c h a mechanic which makes the game almost feel like a rougelike. You can completely snap the game in half if you so desire, or find a decent middle ground to improve your experience.

Though admittedly making the game pretty much unlosable, I do like the little combination I have here: early ramp in power to push through the slow startup coupled with lategame damage control in all situations. Unlike using powerful defensive or offensive actives, this actually lets you attempt to dodge all things that you would've previously bombed through.

Many players who have reached the threshold skill level for beating a certain difficulty suffer from the dilemma of "1CC mentality": clearly define what you can and cannot dodge, and spam bombs through uncertain territory. No longer having this block allows players to explore new areas stress free, while motivating them to overcome the more difficult patterns at their own pace.

The music is excellent as always, though it's a shame two of the best tracks the game has to offer will not be featured here. While the reception seems to have been a bit hit or miss, the technical advancement of ZUN's music is evident in many pieces, featuring complex structures previously unseen while not delving into the esoteric and avantgarde. Hot take, but I believe Immemorial Marketeers tops Idolatrize World, especially in context of being a video game soundtrack.

Really though, I...'m not sure about some of these character designs.

Timestamps with comments:

00:00 Stage 1

As uneventful as stage 1 is. The amount of scumming that I've done for meme runs have made me completely memorize this stage, even on different difficulties.

01:41 Mike Goutokuski

...so if the spell card record is any indication, I find Mike a lot harder than Takane. Everything else is whatever, but the second spell is a thing of nightmares.

02:37 Stage 2

Stage of me making dumb mistakes. No comment.

04:18 Green Nitori

This is the boss that will get you a couple of times on your first playthrough, then will become a pushover on any difficulty for subsequent runs. Just stay a bit above the bottom of the screen, and you're fine.

05:55 Stage 3

ZUN composing with a major progression? This must be a sign of the end times. There's a little slowness to the stage that I'm not that fond of, but at least the soundtrack is good.

08:24 o p i u m

Sannyo's nonspells are pretty terrifying, though I'm starting to get a hang of them now. At least it's not as bad as chicken girl actively pulling out attacks from the wrong stage number. The third spell performance has been strangely appalling so far, as I've never had a problem with it in the trial version.

10:19 Stage 4

First time hearing new music after the trial version, and immediately in love. The stage itself has a few nightmarish bullet spams and even hosts a timeout miniboss, making it probably the hardest stage in the game. This is, however, but a sign of things to come...

13:16 Reimu 2: Electric Boogaloo

I'm sure Reimu in Imperishable Night still occasionally haunts our nightmares to this day, so good on ZUN for bringing her accursed yin yang orbs back. Misumaru makes me want to die, and it doesn't help that her design is basically the "I love graphic design" meme.

15:01 Stage 5

Very active, but not really difficult. There's a nice little micrododging segment in the middle too, rather fun stage overall. First time we see the three-time miniboss and the true culprit, fake umamusume.

17:59 Tengu JJJ

Blue Aya has fairly relaxing nonspells and spells that have obvious bomb timings in case you fuck up. You really can't go too wrong here, so overall I'm more comfortable facing her than Sannyo or Misumaru.

20:05 Stage 6

A rather laid back final stage with a nice atmosphere. As aimed bullet lumps go, not having memorized where they come from where kinda hurts but the latter half may well be the easiest stage 6 yet.

22:16 Gay CEO of Capitalism

Fun, fast nonspells with lots of amulet spam. This has to be a favorite bullet type since their tiny hitbox allows for really close calls. The spells are a little uninspired and there's a pathetic timeout sequence, but at least the last spell is pretty cool. Turns out I didn't need the phoenix tail after all, but it's for moral support.

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