Phantasmagoria of Flower View
Encyclopedia
} is the ninth official game in the Touhou Project
scrolling shoot 'em up
series. It is often abbreviated as PoFV in English speaking circles. Phantasmagoria of Flower View, like the third Touhou game Phantasmagoria of Dim. Dream, differs from other games in the series in that two equally matched characters fight competitively instead of one player clearing stage bosses. In this regard, the gameplay most resembles Twinkle Star Sprites
by ADK.
Phantasmagoria of Flower View is a competitive vertical danmaku shoot 'em up
, in which two characters engage in moderate-to-heavy danmaku gameplay within individual and separate play areas (aka. split-screen). Upon meeting certain conditions, players are able to unleash a variety of character-specific Spell Attacks upon their opponents in an attempt to whittle down their remaining lives, in a manner like versus puzzle games such as Puyo Puyo
.
In the Story Mode, the player will face 9 increasingly intelligent AI opponents, each more capable than the last. The Extra Mode is basically the same except the player is only given one life at the beginning and the enemies are invincible for a period of time. Phantasmagoria of Flower View also features a Match Play Mode in which the player may face off against individual AI opponents or compete against other human players, as well as observe AI vs. AI matches. With the netplay patch, multiplayer is also possible through LAN
or over the Internet
.
The incident, as it turns out, is a natural occurrence that happens once every sixty years, or one sexagenary cycle
. Once every sixty years, something major happens in the outside world and fills Gensokyo with ghosts, who then infest flowers and make them bloom all over. Right from the beginning, it is not a cause of concern at all.
A total of 16 characters are available to play, among them: all are playable in the Match Mode, 12 are playable in the Story Mode, and 2 are playable in the Extra Mode.
, originally did not plan to make a game for Summer 2005; however, he changed his mind when he realized 2005 marks the tenth anniversary of the Touhou Project, and decided to make a fanservice-type game to mark the occasion. He believed that, in a game, the best kind of fanservice is to pit players against each other so they can have a chance to meet, and so tournaments can happen and so on. In this spirit, ZUN adapted the system used by Twinkle Star Sprites
to create a versus shooter, with the focus on dodging bullets (like other Touhou games) instead of shooting each other down. Quite unlike ZUN's usual games where he is the sole programmer, music composer, and illustrator, alphes from the circle Twilight Frontier
is listed as a "Graphics Helper" in this game.
After releasing the game in the 68th Comiket
, ZUN worked on a netplay patch to support online multiplayers, and released the patch in October 2005. The patch was not without its problems, as online games were often unsynchronized and unstable. However, a year later ZUN announced that he will not continue making patches to enhance PoFV's netplay because he wanted to move forward.
ZUN had also written a short spin-off story to PoFV named , included in the fanbook Seasonal Dream Vision, featuring Yukari Yakumo as its main character.
Touhou Project
The , also known as Toho Project or Project Shrine Maiden, is a Japanese dōjin game series focused on bullet hell shooters made by the one-man developer Team Shanghai Alice, whose sole member, known as ZUN, is responsible for all the graphics, music, and programming for the most part...
scrolling shoot 'em up
Shoot 'em up
Shoot 'em up is a subgenre of shooter video games. In a shoot 'em up, the player controls a lone character, often in a spacecraft or aircraft, shooting large numbers of enemies while dodging their attacks. The genre in turn encompasses various types or subgenres and critics differ on exactly what...
series. It is often abbreviated as PoFV in English speaking circles. Phantasmagoria of Flower View, like the third Touhou game Phantasmagoria of Dim. Dream, differs from other games in the series in that two equally matched characters fight competitively instead of one player clearing stage bosses. In this regard, the gameplay most resembles Twinkle Star Sprites
Twinkle Star Sprites
is a competitive scrolling shooter arcade game originally created by ADK. It was ADK's last production for the Neo-Geo platform. The gameplay, which can be characterized as a combination of a fixed shooter and a versus puzzle game, uses combinations of shots, as well as timed power-ups to attempt...
by ADK.
Gameplay
Shoot 'em up
Shoot 'em up is a subgenre of shooter video games. In a shoot 'em up, the player controls a lone character, often in a spacecraft or aircraft, shooting large numbers of enemies while dodging their attacks. The genre in turn encompasses various types or subgenres and critics differ on exactly what...
, in which two characters engage in moderate-to-heavy danmaku gameplay within individual and separate play areas (aka. split-screen). Upon meeting certain conditions, players are able to unleash a variety of character-specific Spell Attacks upon their opponents in an attempt to whittle down their remaining lives, in a manner like versus puzzle games such as Puyo Puyo
Puyo Puyo
is the inaugural game in the Puyo Puyo series originally released in 1991 by Compile for the MSX2. Since its creation, it uses characters from . It was created by Masamitsu "Moo" Niitani, the founder of Compile, who was inspired by certain elements from the Tetris and Dr...
.
In the Story Mode, the player will face 9 increasingly intelligent AI opponents, each more capable than the last. The Extra Mode is basically the same except the player is only given one life at the beginning and the enemies are invincible for a period of time. Phantasmagoria of Flower View also features a Match Play Mode in which the player may face off against individual AI opponents or compete against other human players, as well as observe AI vs. AI matches. With the netplay patch, multiplayer is also possible through LAN
Län
Län and lääni refer to the administrative divisions used in Sweden and previously in Finland. The provinces of Finland were abolished on January 1, 2010....
or over the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
.
Plot
Spring has arrived in the oriental enclave of Gensokyo, but this year's spring is just too strong to believe. Every plant is in full bloom, even out-of-season flowers and bamboo trees, and consequently the fairies and creatures are becoming hyperactive. This completely unnatural spring prompted the heroines to set out, either to try and find out the reason behind the hyperactive spring, or just to wander around for lack of better things to do.The incident, as it turns out, is a natural occurrence that happens once every sixty years, or one sexagenary cycle
Sexagenary cycle
The Chinese sexagenary cycle , also known as the Stems-and-Branches , is a cycle of sixty terms used for recording days or years. It appears, as a means of recording days, in the first Chinese written texts, the Shang dynasty oracle bones from the late second millennium BC. Its use to record years...
. Once every sixty years, something major happens in the outside world and fills Gensokyo with ghosts, who then infest flowers and make them bloom all over. Right from the beginning, it is not a cause of concern at all.
Characters
- The mikoMikois a Japanese term that anciently meant a "female shaman, spirit medium" who conveyed oracles from kami , and currently means a "shrine maiden; virgin consecrated to a deity" who serves at Shinto shrines.-Word:...
of the Hakurei Shrine. She goes out to investigate the massive blooming of flowers, thinking that if she doesn't do something about it others will think she's slacking, since it's her duty to solve these problems.
- An ordinary magician. She sets out to find out about the flowers simply because she is bored.
- The maidMaidA maidservant or in current usage housemaid or maid is a female employed in domestic service.-Description:Once part of an elaborate hierarchy in great houses, today a single maid may be the only domestic worker that upper and even middle-income households can afford, as was historically the case...
of the Scarlet Devil Mansion. She didn't sense any danger with the flowers, so she collects tea along with her investigation.
- A half-ghostGhostIn traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
from the Netherworld. The ghost princess of the Netherworld, Yuyuko, wasn't interested in investigating the flower outbreak, so Youmu goes off on her own.
- A rabbit from the moonMoon rabbitThe Moon rabbit, also called the Jade Rabbit, in folklore is a rabbit that lives on the moon, based on pareidolia that identifies the markings of the moon as a rabbit. The story exists in many cultures, particularly in East Asian folklore, where it is seen pounding in a mortar and pestle...
who now resides in Eientei. The rabbits of Eientei became restless because of the blooming flowers so Reisen decides to investigate, and on the way tries to look for Tei, who went missing.
- An ice fairy of the lake. Since the flowers are making the fairies excited, she sets out to enjoy herself amid the excitement.
- The keyboardist of the Prismriver Sisters. She splits off from her sisters this time to go solo, and sets off to gather musical inspiration during the flower outbreak.
- The trumpeteer of the Prismriver Sisters. Not interested in the flower outbreak at all. Playable only in the Match Play Mode.
- The violinist of the Prismriver Sisters. Not interested in the flower outbreak at all. Playable only in the Match Play Mode.
- A night sparrow who loves to sing. This time she just wants to find a place to make music.
- The leader of the rabbits in Eientei. The rabbits grew excited with the flowers, Tei included, and she went out to play without telling anyone.
- A reporter in the tenguTenguare a class of supernatural creatures found in Japanese folklore, art, theater, and literature. They are one of the best known yōkai and are sometimes worshipped as Shinto kami...
society, she writes for her own newspaper, the "Bunbunmaru Shinbun". Thinking that the flowering incident would bring a scoop, she goes to stalk potential news makers.
- An abandoned doll who gained free will over the years due to exposure from the lily-of-the-valleys. The massive blooming strengthened the poison in the lily-of-the-valleys, prompting Medicine to test the poisonous power she wields on whomever she comes across.
- A yōkaiYōkaiare a class of supernatural monsters in Japanese folklore. The word yōkai is made up of the kanji for "otherworldly" and "weird". Yōkai range eclectically from the malevolent to the mischievous, or occasionally bring good fortune to those who encounter them...
with the power to manipulate flowers. Although the flowering incident isn't her doing, she became the prime suspect when she's only enjoying herself.
- A shinigamiShinigamiis the personification of death in Japan. It's unclear when the concept entered Japanese culture; it may have been imported from China , or possibly been imported from Europe during the Sengoku era—that period in European history featured a common motif of the Grim Reaper gathering souls...
who was supposed to ferry dead spirits across the Sanzu RiverSanzu RiverThe Sanzu River , or River of Three Crossings, is a Japanese Buddhist tradition and religious belief similar to the River Styx...
, but her slacking off made the already abundant spirits reside in the flowers of Gensokyo, hence causing the massive blooming incident. Playable in the Extra Mode and the Match Play Mode.
- The Enma responsible for judging the dead of Gensokyo. Dead spirits aren't coming across the Sanzu River so she goes to check on her subordinate Komachi. She also takes this opportunity to lecture whoever that heads her way on their various faults. Playable in the Extra Mode and the Match Play Mode.
Development
ZUN, the sole member of the developer Team Shanghai AliceTeam Shanghai Alice
is a one-man Japanese dojin game developer specializing in shoot 'em ups. The team's only releases thus far have been the Touhou Project games and related merchandise.-Games:*The Embodiment of Scarlet Devil...
, originally did not plan to make a game for Summer 2005; however, he changed his mind when he realized 2005 marks the tenth anniversary of the Touhou Project, and decided to make a fanservice-type game to mark the occasion. He believed that, in a game, the best kind of fanservice is to pit players against each other so they can have a chance to meet, and so tournaments can happen and so on. In this spirit, ZUN adapted the system used by Twinkle Star Sprites
Twinkle Star Sprites
is a competitive scrolling shooter arcade game originally created by ADK. It was ADK's last production for the Neo-Geo platform. The gameplay, which can be characterized as a combination of a fixed shooter and a versus puzzle game, uses combinations of shots, as well as timed power-ups to attempt...
to create a versus shooter, with the focus on dodging bullets (like other Touhou games) instead of shooting each other down. Quite unlike ZUN's usual games where he is the sole programmer, music composer, and illustrator, alphes from the circle Twilight Frontier
Twilight Frontier
Twilight Frontier is a Japanese doujin game developer. They are noted for making high quality derivative works of other games.-Productions:...
is listed as a "Graphics Helper" in this game.
After releasing the game in the 68th Comiket
Comiket
, otherwise known as the , is the world's largest self-published comic book fair, held twice a year in Tokyo, Japan. The first Comiket was held on December 21, 1975, with only about 32 participating circles and an estimated 600 attendees. Attendance has since swelled to over a half million people....
, ZUN worked on a netplay patch to support online multiplayers, and released the patch in October 2005. The patch was not without its problems, as online games were often unsynchronized and unstable. However, a year later ZUN announced that he will not continue making patches to enhance PoFV's netplay because he wanted to move forward.
ZUN had also written a short spin-off story to PoFV named , included in the fanbook Seasonal Dream Vision, featuring Yukari Yakumo as its main character.