Touhou 1: The Highly Responsive to Prayers NES Demake (PC-Itchio) - Longplay Sample - Aether Game
9This first game is quite different — it's more of a Breakout/Arkanoid than a shmup, and it doesn't have the Chuhou Joutai Mode that I mentioned above. It’s not one of the best games in the series, but it’s interesting to see how it all began, and its free.
Drillimation System is an interesting developer. He has made several Touhou fangames, including demakes/remakes of the first five Touhou games, which were originally released for the PC-88, but now with a look more similar to the NES, including soundtracks made for the NES as well.
In addition, he developed five more shmup fangames and one RPG (with another in development), which unfortunately don't have any reviews on Steam. I need to try them — they seem interesting.
These demakes aren’t exactly the same games — they have differences, new modes, or new characters — but it's still interesting to revisit or experience these versions for the first time. They are much easier to play than the original versions thanks to the PC-88 emulation.
One of the new modes is named after the developer's own universe created for his other fangames: *Chuhou Joutai Mode*, which I really liked. Basically, you have a life bar that goes from 0 to 30 and regenerates over time. This makes the gameplay much easier: you only die if you mess up frequently, not from a single slip-up. I’m not exactly a great shmup player, but I really appreciated this addition.
Link to the game: https://drillimation.itch.io/touhou-1-the-highly-responsive-to-prayers