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Let's Play Ten Desires
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Let's Play Ten Desires
No, it's not a porn title, even if it sounds like one! It's the latest Touhou game, and I'm gonna LP it in one shot.
THE PREMISE: Mysterious divine spirits started to appear in Gensokyo, and nobody was doing much about it, but then they got in the way of Reimu's flower viewing so she's off to raise some hell.
Reimu knows who's in charge of ghosts, and these are at least LIKE ghosts, so TO THE NETHERWORLD
First midboss is an unnamed divine spirit that has nothing to do with anything! It summons smaller spirits, which shoot out piddly little starbursts. I yawn, and blow it up.
In the second half of the stage, the enemies wake up enough that it actually seems like I'm being attacked a bit! Still pushovers, though.
Yuyuko Saigyouji
Stationary Phantom
Species: Ghost
Ability: Manipulation of death
Wait a minute, this isn't a new character at all!
Reimu insists that this is all Yuyuko's fault, Yuyuko acts fluffily enigmatic, and a half-assed duel ensues.
[ BGM - Ghost Lead ]
Boss fights in Ten Desires have an emphasis on getting as close as you can to the enemy - the closer you are, the more collectible spirits the boss produces, which adds to the indicator in the bottom left corner. What is it? We'll see later!
Yuyuko is a significant step upfrom the nameless midboss! Her butterfly bullets move in unexpected directions at times, so you have to be aware of what's around you.
This is basically a Super Junior Version of the final boss fight from Perfect Cherry Blossom, when Yuyuko made her debut - the attacks all feel the same, but are much, much easier.
This is a classic reflection on the new design philosophy - Yuyuko shoots bullets up and to the sides, where they form more bullets to attack indirectly. This means that she's a threat, while still allowing me to get up close for the spirit bonus.
Spirit gauge is full now.
Battle over! Yuyuko doesn't seem very worn out, as she was using about 5% of her full power.
She points out, though, that divine spirits and ghosts have next to nothing in common, and this doesn't concern her at all. She does, however, give a hint that there's something suspicious about the graveyard behind Byakuren's temple...
Stage 2! On the road to Myouren Temple.
A lot of fairies and spirits are gathering about.
A stranger appears for the midboss fight!
She creates wierd blue walls that reflect bullets back inwards. It's a little claustrophobic.
Embarassing mistakes: Part of the Touhou experience!
Kyouko Kasodani
Echoing Sutra Chant
Species: Echo spirit
Ability: Reflection of sound
Kyouko seems to be a follower of this youkai temple - Byakuren is kind to both humans and youkai, so she has many followers.
One of her morning duties is meeting challengers. Reimu is one!
[ BGM - The Youkai Girl at the Gate ]
Kyouko's sound reflection power seems to be able to reflect danmaku as well.
In her spell cards, you see tricks like this - small bullets flying off the edges of the screen, then echoing back as huge bullets. Look out!
her final attack is an echo sphere that accumulates bullets, then lets them out all at once. Be careful not to step inside the sphere while it's gathering!
Kyouko says that defeating her won't accomplish anything, Reimu gives no fucks. To the graveyard!
Stage 3! Myouren temple graveyard.
Big green spirits are bomb fragments, big purple ones are life fragments. High priority items.
Kogasa Tatara
Troubled Forgotten Item
Species: Karakasa
Ability: Scaring humans
It's another oldcomer! Kogasa implores Reimu to do something about the youkai ahead - no matter how she tries, she always times out on her spell cards.
Reimu will do this, as soon as she defeats the youkai right in front of her!
At least on Easy and Normal, Kogasa has no spellcards here - she just shoots out spirals of rainbow bullets, then blows up.
Onward! There are some fiesty spirits around. Nothing too bad, though, so it's straight on to...
Yoshika Miyako
Loyal Corpse
Species: Jiang-Shi
Ability: Eating anything
Yoshika doesn't seem to know anything about the divine spirits, but she knows that she's here to protect the magnificent mauloseum below. It's time for a battle!
[ BGM - Rigid Paradise ]
Already, Yoshika's ability is at work! If I destroy the slave enemies on either side of her, she can absorb the spirits they drop to recover her health. I have to be careful if I want to capture the card.
Poison danmaku! Nice and straightforward, no gimmicks here.
TRANCE MOOOODE
When the spirit gauge is full, I can enter 10 seconds of Trance Mode, where my attack power is increased, I'm impervious to attack, and any spirits on the screen automatically get dragged into me.
This is useful here, since on this card, Yoshika constantly spawns spirits to eat, so you need to catch them before they get to her.
Zombie defeated!
She's fine, being undead, but her brains seem to have been scrambled a bit. Reimu's going on ahead.
Stage 4! The catacombs underneath Myouren Temple.
Resistance is fierce. The spirits are gathering up ahead.
Attack of the sudden stranger!
One lifebar, then she retreats without a word of explanation.
Huge swarms of cannon fodder for me to absorb spirits off of!
Seiga Kaku
The Wicked Hermit of Passing Through Walls
Species: Hermit
Ability: Walking through walls
Apparently, Yoshika was Seiga's cute and rotting underling.
Speak of the devil! Yoshika's revived again. Anyway, Seiga's obviously the culprit of this incident, so let's battle!
[ BGM - Old Distant Hermit ]
It's two against one! Seiga is the main enemy, but Yoshika is providing cover fire.
In some of her spellcards, Yoshika is also a meatshield! Seiga spends a fair amount of time behind her zombie, and if Yoshika is defeated, Seiga can just revive her again.
I'd like to go on the record as hating curved lasers.
But I won regardless!
As it turns out, the divine spirits are only here because someone of great import was revived down below. Not an evil ruler in need of defeat - no, Seiga says that that person already exists, and is the one above ground residing in Myouren Temple. In fact, Myouren Temple was placed here for the specific purpose of preventing her ressurection...
Beyond the door! Stage 5 has us surrounding an ethereal tower lit by flashing lightning.
Soga no Tojiko
Ghost of the Children of the Gods
Species: Ghost
Ability: Summoning thunder
Tojiko, sadly, gets no dialogue of note.
She does, however, get this TOTALLY NUTS spellcard. Just look at that, it's awesome.
Enemy resistance is getting very intense! We must be on the right track...
Mononobe no Futo
Deceased Nirvana Hermit from Ancient Japan
Species: Human (?)
Ability: Feng Shui
Futo was just ressurected! Is this who the spirits were reacting to?
It's hard to say, but she sees Reimu as the final trial she must face before she can be truly revived. Behold the fusion of the secret art of the Mononobe family and the way of the Tao!
[ BGM - Legend of the Great Gods ]
NICE
BOAT
Futo's danmaku theme is all over the place - she has these refracting big bullet slashes, boat powers...
Even this huge firestorm attack!
Whirling in a typhoon of danmaku, Reimu pulls through to defeat this Feng Shui wizard!
Futo seems pretty put out about her defeat! However, she notices the common spirits gathering around the mauloseum... the Crown Prince has been ressurected!
She thanks Reimu for a rousing battle, and runs off.
Final stage, within the great mauloseum itself! Spirits twinkle all around like stars and planets.
No midboss here.
Toyotatomimi no Miko
Shoutoku Taoist
Species: Saint
Ability: Listening to ten conversations at once
The newly-ressurected Miko identifies Reimu as an ally of the priestess who sought to deny her ressurection. Reimu says Byakuren's more of a business rival than a friend.
Miko can see Reimu's worldly desires, and thusly knows what she will do next. She will attack, even without any reason to do so. Reimu agrees, hell yes, that's exactly what she's going to do.
"This era, where humans deny my existence and I have become legend, is what I was waiting for! Now, try to defeat me! And spread the legend that I live once more!"
[ BGM - Shoutoku Legend - True Administrator ]
The final battle begins! Miko starts out with waves of arrows that split into smaller bullets.
Honor - Colors of Twelve Levels
Massive prismatic spikes that explode outwards into swarms of bullets! Stay close to her when the spikes start, and near the bottom when the bullets start to spread.
Next lifebar brings even more arrow rings, now two at a time! The danmaku is very dense here.
Hermit Sign - Taoist of the Land of the Rising Sun
These massive sunbursts only have openings in them for a split second, and come in pairs. Getting through the gaps is no easy feat...
FUCK IT, TRAAAANCE
We're up to three rings of arrows at once, now! Bullets are all over the damn place.
Summon - Royal Clan's Chaotic Dance
Not always doing the heavy lifting herself, Miko calls Tojiko and Futo back to fight for her!
The time for arrows has passed! Now is the time for GRATUITOUS KNIVES.
Secret Treasure - Armillary Sphere of Ikaruga-Dera
One of my favorite of Miko's spellcards - waves of bullets appear and spin in a vortex around her. Evading them is often a matter of going with the flow.
Light Sign - Halo of the Guse Kannon
These ones, on the other hand, simply radiate outwards at high speeds. A true test of twitch reflexes.
Discernment - Laser of Seventeen Articles
Enormous amounts of slow, implacable danmaku emerging from twisted lasers. Fight for every pixel of safe ground!
AND HERE'S THE FINALE
Falling Stars on the Divine Spirit Mauloseum
Any of the glowing bullets that get too close to Reimu turn into regular bullets aimed straight at her. Sometimes, Miko lets out a flash, and all bullets on the screen take aim as well.
THE BARRAGE IS LONG AND UNRELENTING
BUT IT IS OVERCOME
And I couldn't begin to tell you what happened in the ending.
Some fun background! Toyotatomimi no Miko is based on the historical figure Prince Shoutoku, who was involved in the triumph of the Soga clan (Note: Soga no Tojiko) over the Mononobe Clain (Note: Mononobe no Futo). In the Touhou version, Miko was born into a position of power, and became captivated by Taoism and its ability to grant amazing powers and immortality to its followers. However, Taoism is a poor religion for a ruler of others, because the powers it grants are free to anyone who undergoes the ascetic training.
Miko, longing to conquer death, met with the Taoist hermit Seiga, who suggested that she openly preach Buddhism, but practice Taoism in secret. Unfortunately, Miko all but destroyed her body in her pursuit of immortality, and was forced to the desperate measure of a ritual that would take her life in exchange for being revived in a future age.
Once Futo had undergone the ritual first, the death-fearing Miko was confident in undergoing the ritual herself, and died. She planned to revive as soon as the nation felt restricted by Buddhism, and once again longed for a new saint such as herself. Unfortunately for her, Buddhism went on to be the primary religion of Japan for over a thousand years. Ultimately, the only way she was able to revive was that rumors began to spread in the real world that she had never existed - and so did she spread into the world of legend, and thusly into Gensokyo.
Then some jerkass shrine maiden shot her in the face.
Thanks for reading!
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