Touhou 09 - Phantasmagoria of Flower View

Overview

Phantasmagoria of Flower View is the ninth game within the Touhou Project, released on the Windows OS in 2005. It is similar to Phantasmagoria of Dim.Dream in that it is also a versus-styled shooter where the player indirectly combats another character through charging and releasing Spell Cards.

Plot

Spring has come once again, and the flowers are blooming as per usual. Or at least, that's how it seems. This time around, there are far more than normal, and even flowers which do not bloom in Spring are blooming. After noticing the thick covering of flowers all over Gensokyo, (most of) the heroines decide that something must be up, and so they head out in search of answers.

It doesn't take much time for each of them to bump into one another, all of them demanding answers from whomever they meet, but to no avail. It's not until they reach Komachi, the primary cause for everything that happened, after stumbling across the higanbana field where she is resting that they learn that the flowers are possessed by ghosts which are waiting to be ferried across to Higan (the plane where they are judged by the Enma) by Komachi, who had been neglecting her duties. They also learn that a similar event happened in 1945 (around 60 years ago, during World War II) due to the large number of souls which had to be ferried to Higan, once again due to Komachi's slacking.

After a battle between Komachi and whoever the player selected, Sikieiki, who is Komachi's boss and the Judge of the Dead, shows up to give Komachi an earful due to her slacking. However, she also takes this oppotunity to lecture the selected heroine on her various faults, which ends up in a battle between them so that Sikieiki can prove her point.

Gameplay

Phantasmagoria of Flower View is a competitive vertically scrolling Danmaku shooter, where two players engage in a toned down style of Danmaku gameplay on a split-screen. After certain conditions are met, both players will be able to release a variety of Spell Attacks based on which character they are using in an attempt to reduce the remaining health of their opponent.

There are four difficulties: Easy, Normal, Hard and Lunatic. Each difficulty affects the number and speed of base bullets that appear onscreen, as well as the difficulty of AI opponents. Additionally, each difficulty has a specific initial Spell Attack level.

In Story Mode, the player faces off against 9 AI opponents, each one more difficult than the last. The game also features a Match Mode where the player can face off against individual AI opponents or real-life players, as well as watch AI vs AI matches. There is also a netplay patch, which makes multiplayer possible through LAN or the internet.

Defeating Enemies and Damaging Opponents

In Phantasmagoria of Flower View, the player must defeat onscreen enemies in order to build up Spell Attacks to damage an opponent. Enemies and opponents can be defeated through the use of the following abilities:

Shot

The shot is the basic way of attacking enemies. The shot's strength and area of effect is different depending on which character the player has chosen.

Spell Gauge

The spell gauge is a visual indication of a character's stored magical power, which appears at the bottom of the player's side of the screen. After the gauge fills to certain points, it becomes possible to unleash more powerful attacks, as well as influence the opponent's field. The gauge is divided into four parts, each part being referred to as a level.

The spell gauge is filled a little by each enemy you defeat. You will gain a larger boost if small white bullets are eliminated from the field after being caught in the explosion from an enemy that has been defeated. Losing health will also grant a boost towards the spell gauge, and if the player happens to be on their last life, a level 4 spell will granted. Level 4 spells can also be obtained by collecting special "G" bonuses (see "Special Bonuses")

To activate an attack from the spell gauge, the shot key must be held, which will charge the gauge. When the shot key is released, an attack from the spell gauge will be released depending on where the charge indicator was on the gauge at the moment of release. Different characters will charge the gauge at different speeds. The spell gauge can only be charged as high as its current fill level.

Spell Gauge Abilities

There are 4 spells available for use:

Level 1
Unleashes a special attack that is capable of destroying multiple targets at once. Has no direct effect on the opponent.

Level 2 - Fairy Level
Unleashes a more powerful version of the special attack and, depending on the character selected, it will surround the opponent with obstacles. It will also remove any bullets in a moderate radius from the player.  Decreases the spell gauge by 1 level.

Level 3 - Witch Level
Destroys everything within a large radius of the player, and will clutter the opponent's field with obstacles and targets in fixed patterns based on the character selected.  Decreases the spell gauge by 2 levels.

Level 4 - Dragon Level
Clears the entirity of the player's field, and a creates a mirror version of the player's character (called a "Boss") which appears on the opponent's field to create devastating effects which include combinations of level 2 and 3 spells and some unique attacks, based on the character selected. These Bosses will dissappear from the field once they receieve a specific number of hits based on the number present on the bottom right of the player's field, or if they are not destroyed within a certain amount of time. Decreases the spell gauge by 3 levels.

Additionally, whenever the score counter reaches 100,000 and 300,000, a level 4 spell is unleashed upon the opponent, and when it reaches 500,000, a level 3 and a level4 spell are unleashed at the same time.

If an opponent launches a spell (no matter which level), the player will be able to neutralise it through the activation of a level 4 spell and vice-versa, adding a much more tactical approach to the use of spells.

Spell Level

At the bottom corners of the player's field, the strength of their spells are displayed. The initial spell levels are set depending on which difficulty you have chosen. In story mode, the base spell levels increase by 1 after each round, which can happen until a maximum level of 16 is reached.

The number on the left-hand side affects the power of the player's level 2 and 3 spells, and it increases whenever a spell of level 2 or higher is activated. The number on the right-hand side is shared with the opponent, affecting the power and health of the boss that is sent out during a level 4 spell. This number increases whenever a level 4 spell is activated.

Stage Enemies

There are 3 types of stage enemies that will attempt to hinder the player throughout the game:

Fairies
These come in two sizes - small and large. They are the primary targets in the game, and are incredibly easy to destroy. After destroying one, a small explosion is created which destroys anything within its radius, allowing the player to destroy a whole row of them with just one shot.

Spirits
These are formed whenever the opponent destroys a certain amount of faeries. They vary in speed and size, and they tend to float towards the bottom of the field. They require a bit more firepower to destroy.

Activated Spirits
These are created when spirits come into contact with the player's field (which is created when the focus button is held in). Unlike normal spirits, these drift upwards and have a reduced speed, making them easier to destroy. If they are left undestroyed, however, they will dissolve into 3 white bullets with a red outline that drift towards the last known position of the player's character.

Destroying stage enemies may cause them to become level 1 obstacles or EX attacks (see "Obstacles") on the opponent's field, and any level 1 obstacle caught in their explosion range will be sent to the opponent's field.

Obstacles

Obstacles are bullets that appear on the field which can only be destroyed through the use of an appropriate spell (with the exception of level 1 obstacles).

Level 1 Obstacle
Small bullets which are either light blue or light red. Light blue bullets are mostly randomly generated, and are aimed in the general direction of the player's character, whereas light red bullets  tend to appear whenever a spell is used, and travel in random directions. If a level 1 obstacle is caught in the explosion of a stage enemy, it will be reflected onto the opponent's field with the same colour and speed.

Level 2 Obstacle
Improved versions of level 1 obstacles, they have many different forms.

EX Attack Obstacles
Bullets which are generated when fairies and/or spirits are destroyed. They fly onto the player's field as glowing patterns, and then spawn wherever the pattern stops, some of them even reacting the player's initial position. These bullets are different based on the character.

Hit Combos

After defeating an enemy, they will explode. These explosions can damage and destroy other enemies, and when other enemies get caught in the successive explosions of previous enemies, a combo counter will appear in the top left-hand corner of the player's field, indicating the number of enemies caught in the chain reaction.

After a brief moment of inactivity, the combo counter will reset to 0.

Special Bonuses

There are 4 special bonus items which can be obtained whenever an enemy's boss or Lily White is defeated.

The "EX" item will unleash a number of EX attacks upon the opponent, and the "G" item will fill up the player's spell gauge. The blue item which resembles the point items from previous Touhou games adds 100,000 points to both the score counter and total points. The orange item causes a large number of bullets to appear at the top of the opponent's field.

Extra Mode

Unlocked once the player has viewed endings 1 - 12 in story mode, allowing the player to play through Komachi's "story mode." Throughout Extra Mode, there are no continues, and both the player and the opponent start with half a health dot each. The AI also has an invincibility period which is shown under the player's sprite, meaning the player must survive through this period before the match can be won.

After completing Extra Mode with Komachi, the player will then be able to play through Sikieiki's "story mode," and once this has been completed, all characters can be played in Extra Mode and Komachi and Sikieiki can be played in the official story mode.

Characters

Phantasmagoria of Flower View features 16 different playable characters and one un-playable character:

Reimu Hakurei - The Wonderful Shrine Maiden of Paradise

Basic Performance
- Normal Speed: ★★★
- Charge Speed: ★★★★★
- Focused Speed: ★
- Scope: Large Circle
- Scope Generation Speed: ★★★
- Specialty: Small Hitbox
- Charge Shot: Hakurei Amulet
- EX Attack: Yin-Yang Orb
- Charge Lv2: Spirit Sign "Ying-Yang Sign"
- Charge Lv3: Spirit Sign "Fantasy Seal"
- Boss Attack: Spirit Sign "Hakurei Illusion"
- Motto: "Wafting Clouds and Stream"
  Serenity of mind becoming a person who is identified with the clouds in the sky and the stream below.
  This phrase shows that Reimu isn't bound to anything and lives naturally.

Reimu is surprised by the increasingly large number of flowers, causing her to go out in search for answers as she believes that it is her duty, but also because she doesn't wish for people to think of her as negelctful.

Marisa Kirisame - The Oridinary Magician

Basic Performance
- Normal Speed: ★★★★★
- Charge Speed: ★★★
- Focused Speed: ★★★ and a half
- Scope: Infinite forward
- Scope Generation Speed: ★★★
- Specialty: Gauge fills quickly
- Charge Shot: Illusion Laser
- EX Attack: Earthlight Ray
- Charge Lv2: Magic Sign "Stardust"
- Charge Lv3: Magic Sign "Stardust Reverie"
- Boss Attack: Magic Sign "Illusion Star"
- Motto: " Sturm und Drang"
  This phrase shows Marisa's character preferring power and might.

Marisa doesn't look too deeply into the situation at hand, and she sets out to find the cause simply because she feels like it.

Sakuya Izayoi - The Perfect and Elegant Maid

Basic Performance
- Normal Speed: ★★★
- Charge Speed: ★★★★
- Focused Speed: ★★★★
- Scope: Travelling direction opposite sector
- Scope Generation Speed: ★★★★★
- Specialty: Activated spirits do not drift upward
- Charge Shot: Jack the Ripper
- EX Attack: Another Murder
- Charge Lv2/3: Time Sign "Private Vision"
- Boss Attack: Time Sign "Mysterious Jack"
- Motto: " Cut the Gordian Knot "
  This phrase shows Sakuya's elegance and her knife skill.

Sakuya feels that the incident isn't anything dangerous, and so she searches for answers so she can satisfy he curiosity.

Youmu Konpaku - The Half-Human Half-Ghost and Half-Baked

Basic Performance
- Normal Speed: ★★★★★
- Charge Speed: Half a star
- Focused Speed: ★
- Scope: Slowly Expanding Oversized Circle
- Scope Generation Speed: ★
- Specialty: Her sword can destroy bullets
- Charge Shot: Stopping/deciding wandering sword
- EX Attack: Hesitant soul
- Charge Lv2/3: Hesitant Sign "Sword of Earthly Desires"
- Boss Attack: Hesitant Sign "Disillusion of Half-ghost"
- Motto: "Whole Body and Soul"
  This phrase shows that the half-human half-spirit Youmu is doing her best both in the aspects of both Body and Spirit.

Youmu begins searching for answers whilst admiring the scenery which had been created, although she has no idea as to where she should start. However, she is one of the very few who notice the ghosts which are lingering around the flowers.

Reisen Udongein Inaba - The Moon Rabbit of Insanity

Basic Performance
- Normal Speed: ★★★★
- Charge Speed: ★★★ and half a star
- Focused Speed: ★★ and half a star
- Scope: Rotary Eye Type
- Scope Generation Speed: ★★★★★
- Specialty: Activated spirits move upward quickly
- Charge Shot: Mind Explosion
- EX Attack: Metaphysical Mind
- Charge Lv2/3: Wave Sign "Luna Wave"
- Boss Attack: Scatter Sign "Luna Megalopolis"
- Motto: "Periods of Ebb and Flow"
  Everything flourished must ebb.
  This phrase shows that Reisen lived at the prosperous Moon Capital and then escaped during the Lunar War so as to join her two masters later, and is now living freely after the events of     Imperishable Night

Reisen doesn't see any need to worry about the flowers, but she decided to check them out anyway. She also takes this as an opportunity to search for Tewi, who wandered off somewhere without saying anything.

Cirno - The Little Ice Fairy

Basic Performance
- Normal Speed: ★★★★
- Charge Speed: ★★ and a half star
- Focused Speed: ★★★★★
- Scope: Small circle
- Scope Generation Speed: ★★★★★
- Specialty: Activated spirits do not self-destruct as quickly as they do for others.
- Charge Shot: Icicle Attack
- EX Attack: Icicle Fall
- Charge Lv2/3: Freeze Sign "Perfect Freeze"
- Boss Attack: Freeze Sign "Cold Divinity"
- Motto: " Kill Two Birds with One Stone"
  This phrase shows Cirno's simpleness as it what most children say when they are told to have any proverb. Her interpretation of it is that she is great, and that her Spell Card "Icicle Fall" is effective both in attack and defense.

Cirno notices early on that something is strange about the flowers, and she is also the first one to realise that a similar event happened 60 years ago. Despite this, she isn't interested in why it is happening, as she only wishes to enjoy herself.

Lyrica Prismriver - The Poltergeist Keyboarder

Basic Performance
- Normal Speed: ★★★
- Charge Speed: ★★
- Focused Speed: ★ and a half star
- Scope: Infinite vertical
- Scope Generation Speed: ★★
- Specialty: Can fire behind self as well
- Charge Shot: Keyboard Spirit
- EX Attack: Phantom Noise
- Charge Lv2/3: Noise Sign "Soul Noise Flow"
- Boss Attack: Noise Sign "Lyrica Solo Live"
- Motto: "Brilliance and Shining of Light"
  This phrase shows that Lyrica is one of the Prismriver Sisters.

Lyrica takes no interest in the incident at hand. All she wants is to collect new sounds and find a good place for a solo performance but, unfortunately, she continues to bump into other characters as she steadily loses her way.

Merlin Prismriver - The Poltergeist Trumpeter

Basic Performance
- Normal Speed: ★★ and a half star
- Charge Speed: ★
- Scope: Horizontal infinite
- Focused Speed: ★
- Scope Generation Speed: ★★
- Specialty: Can fire slanted shots
- Charge Shot: Riverside Song
- EX Attack: Trumpet Soul
- Charge Lv2/3: Noise Sign "Soul Go Happy"
- Boss Attack:Noise Sign "Merlin Happy Live"
- Motto: "Alpine Stream"
  Being superior to music as streaming water on high mountain.
  Merlin's phrase is somehow different from the other sisters', despite it being Lyrica who is different when it comes to ability and the condition to play.

Merlin has no interest whatsoever in the incident at hand.

Lunasa Prismriver - The Poltergeist Violinist

Basic Performance
- Normal Speed: ★★★★
- Charge Speed: ★★★
- Focused Speed: ★★ and half a star
- Scope: Horizontal & vertical infinite
- Scope Generation Speed: ★★★
- Specialty: Can fire three-way shots
- Charge Shot: Tuning
- EX Attack: Slow Sound
- Charge Lv2/3: Noise Sign "Noise Melancholy"
- Boss Attack: Noise Sign "Lunasa Solo Live"
- Motto: "Brilliant and Shining"
  This phrase shows that Lunasa is one of the Prismriver Sisters.

Mystia Lorelei - The Mysterious Night Sparrow

Basic Performance
- Normal Speed: ★★★★★
- Charge Speed: ★★ and a half star
- Focused Speed: ★★★★★
- Scope: Small Forward Circle
- Scope Generation Speed: ★★★
- Specialty: Spirits often come flying right at her
- Charge Shot: Little Battalion
- EX Attack: Bird Watching
- Charge Lv2: Bird Sign "Human Cage"
- Charge Lv3: Bird Sign "Human Cage Double"
- Boss Attack: Bird Sign "Mysterious Song"
- Motto: "Careless Song and Loud Poem"
  This phrase shows Mystia's freewheelingness.

All Mystia wants to do throughout the entire incident is create music, causing her to sing her way into most encounters.

Tewi Inaba - The White Rabbit of Good Fortune

Basic Performance
- Normal Speed: ★★★★
- Charge Speed: ★★★★★
- Focused Speed: Half a star
- Scope: Eye Shape
- Scope Generation Speed: ★★★
- Specialty: Autobomb (when life gauge reaches 0.5)
- Charge Shot: Two Rabbit Chase
- EX Attack: Rabbit Ball
- Charge Lv2/3: Rabbit Sign "Great Fortune Crest"
- Boss Attack: Rabbit Sign "White Rabbit of Inaba"
- Motto: "A Wise Rabbit Has Three Lairs"
  Being cautious enough to get out of lots of trouble.

Tewi got so excited by the sudden appearance of the flowers that she forgot to tell Reisen where she was going.

Aya Shameimaru - The Traditional Genso Reporter

Basic Performance
- Normal Speed: ★★★★★★
- Charge Speed: ★★★★★
- Focused Speed: ★★★★★ and a half star
- Scope: Forward Fan shape
- Scope Generation Speed: ★★★
- Specialty: Bullets in her field are a little slower
- Charge Shot: Auxiliary Fan
- EX Attack: Tengu Gale Bullet
- Charge Lv2/3: Wind Sign "Wind God's Fan"
- Boss Attack: Whirlwind "Wind God Girl"
- Motto: "Talking-lips are Chilled by Autumn Wind"
  Bashou Matsuo's Haiku which says that redundancy brings us to quarrel. It is interesting that Aya uses a phrase such as this due to her affilation with the media.

Aya takes the incident as a chance to find something newsworthy to write about the flowers, which causes her to notice the large number of ghosts lingering around them.

Medicine Melancholy - The Little Sweet Poison

Basic Performance
- Normal Speed: ★★★★★
- Charge Speed: ★★
- Scope: Star shape
- Focused Speed: ★★
- Scope Generation Speed: ★★★★★
- Specialty: Doesn't get hurt when colliding with a spirit.
- Charge Shot: Poison Bee
- EX Attack: Sweet Poison
- Charge Lv2/3: Poison Sign "Nerve Poison"
- Boss Attack: Poison Sign "Melancholy Poison"
- Motto: "Poison Changes into Medicine"
  This may be a parody of the phrase "turn disguise into opportunity".

Medicine has no interest in the incident whatsoever, using it as an excuse to defeat anyone she comes across with her poison.

Yuka Kazami - The Flower Master of the Four Seasons

Basic Performance
- Normal Speed: Half a star
- Charge Speed: ★★★★★
- Focused Speed: Half a star
- Scope: Flower shape
- Scope Generation Speed: ★★★★★
- Specialty: Can fire three-way shots
- Charge Shot: Flower Shooting
- EX Attack: Phantastic Spring Flowers
- Charge Lv2/3: Flower Sign "Reflowering of the Gensokyo"
- Boss Attack: Phantasm "Appreciation of the Beauty of Nature"
- Motto: "Clouds over Moon, Wind on Flowers"
  Happy events tend to be accompanied by problems

Considering that she is the "Flower Master" and that has been around for a long time, Yuka knows exactly what is happening. Unfortunately, this secures her a spot at the top of everyone's suspect list, and the fact that she is caught enjoying the flowers doesn't help much.

Komachi Onozuka - The Ferryman of the River Sanzu

Basic Performance
- Normal Speed: ★★★
- Charge Speed: ★★★
- Focused Speed: ★ and half a star
- Scope: Initially covers screen but starts shrinking instantly
- Scope Generation Speed: ★★★★★★★
- Specialty: Can instantly activate all spirits on screen
- Charge Shot: Tip of Death
- EX Attack: Ties with the Deceased
- Charge Lv2/3: Throw Away "Money from the Yesterday"
- Boss Attack: Death "Higan Retour"
- Motto: "Dying is Loss in Death, Living is Profit in Life"
  It is said that as long as you are alive, you will eventually come across fortune. However, if this results in you wishing for death, from then on you will bear the misfortune of death. It means that if humans don't live on, nothing can be done.
  This phrase shows an aspect of a shinigami's role to stop would-be suiciders from dying and persuade them to live.

The primary cause for everything that happened due to her habit of neglecting her duty to ferry souls across to Higan.

Sikieiki Yamaxanadu - The Highest Judge of the Court of Paradise

Basic Performance
- Normal Speed: ★★★★
- Charge Speed: ★★★
- Focused Speed: ★★
- Scope: Instant Large Circle
- Scope Generation Speed: ★★★★★★
- Specialty: Spirits only emit one red bullet
- Charge Shot: Charge of Virtue
- EX Attack: Danmaku Judgement
- Charge Lv2/3: Guilt Sign "Wandering Sin"
- Boss Attack: Judgement "Last Judgement"
- Motto: "Heaven Knows, Earth Knows, I Know, You Know"
  A saying which comes from the Later Han Dynasty of China. When a man tried to bribe Yang Zhen (楊震), a high official, saying that nobody will know, Yang Zhen responded with: "Heaven knows, Earth knows, you know, I know. Why do you say nobody knows?" and rejected the bribe, causing the line to become a motto to justify moral behavior.
  This phrase shows Eiki's role of judge and her character of virtue.

Lily White - The Constant Annoyance

Lily has a tendency to appear whenever matches drag on for too long, unleashing a barrage of bullets in order to defeat either the player or the opponent.

Scoring

There are 2 ways to increase your score in Phantasmagoria of Flower View, not including stage bonuses.

Enemies

Any fairy, spirit or Boss defeated will increase the player's score slightly. Fairies award 10 x [number of fairies destroyed this match] 100 to the score counter, whilst spirits add 1,200. Once the score counter reaches 999,990, it stops increasing and instead, each fairy destroyed shows a "BONUS!" marker, which adds a substantial number to your total points.

Spell Points

Whenever you begin a hit combo and the combo counter appears, spell points will also be accumulated, and will be shown under the combo counter. However, after a brief period of inactivity, the spell point count resets to 0, and any accumulated spell points will be added to your score.

Clear Bonus

At the end of each stage, you will be provided with bonus points based on how well you performed. The bonus is calculated like this:

Every half of a health dot remaining x 100,000
Longest combo x 100,000
Number of Fairy/Witch spells cast x 150,000
Number of Dragon spells cast by Spell Points x 300,000
Number of times the opponent's Dragon spell was reversed (by another Boss Attack) x 300,000

Additionally, if it is the final round during Story Mode, another bonus is granted:

Lives remaning x 10,000,000

The total value is then added to the player's total points.

Music

In Phantasmagoria of Flower View, every character has their own theme which plays when you encounter them. The translated name of each theme is provided below the original version:

- Title Screen theme
    花映塚 ～ Higan Retour
    Kaeidzuka ~ Higan Retour

ZUN note:
    It's the same old tune, yep.
    This is probably one of the silliest parts of the game itself, but it's remained constant over time.
    Maybe it's not silly enough. But this is Gensokyo.

- Reimu Hakurei's Theme
    春色小径　～ Colorful Path
    Spring Lane ~ Colorful Path

ZUN note:
    I tried to write this one so you would feel spring itself through the piece. Not purely Japanese, but more like Touhou style.

    I thought it'd be good to not have it wear down on people during long battles, so I controlled its intensity, but compared to other, more intense pieces, it seems pretty sedate. Like Reimu?

- Marisa Kirisame's Theme
    オリエンタルダークフライト
    Oriental Dark Flight

ZUN note:
    The way I first composed this one made Marisa sound like a bad guy, so I added on a bit of playful antiquity to it.

    In doing so, that antiquity gave it a hint of Middle Eastern flair, which could be a problem. However, given the nature of this game, I'd like to believe this properly reflects the endless stream of action and suspense that happens.

- Sakuya Izayoi's Theme
    フラワリングナイト
    Flowering Night

ZUN note:
    Since all of Sakuya's pieces from Embodiment of Scarlet Devil were all very hard and driving, I tried to make this one more human, or more fitting for a first stage.
    I can't explain why I don't think this melody fits, but how about you? What's weird to me is that if you think it's going to be an Asian piece, it sounds like it, but treat it as Western and it sounds like that too. If you think it's childlike, it's childlike, and if you think it's more mature, it sounds that way. Am I the only one who thinks so?

- Youmu Konpaku's Theme
    東方妖々夢　～ Ancient Temple
    Mystic Oriental Dream ~ Ancient Temple

ZUN note:
    It's not the Perfect Cherry Blossom version, but the arranged version recorded in Ghostly Field Club. It draws out the coldness of the land of the dead.
    I used the boss themes for other characters, but here, I thought this one fit Youmu well, so I used it. Rather, I liked this one.

- Reisen Udongein Inaba's Theme
    狂気の瞳　～ Invisible Full Moon
    Lunatic Eyes ~ Invisible Full Moon

ZUN note:
    I made a few tweaks to the original to make it a little more nostalgic. I had my reasons for the original, but for this game, it may have been a little too much. Almost like "why's it so serious?"
    Well, Imperishable Night's pieces were all just a little too much. Because it was about night and time... well, maybe that doesn't make any sense. Could you say this one's about flowers and idiots... (oops)

- Cirno's Theme
    おてんば恋娘の冒険
    Adventure of the Lovestruck Tomboy

ZUN note:
    The old stupid cute song has become cool. It's weird how that worked, and it makes you wonder.
    Still, the melody itself seems pretty dumb. I wrote this in an Asian style, light and intense, not worrying about whether it fits the image of a little girl. Instead of Asian, it feels more Touhou, and I seem to have developed a specialty pattern without realizing it.

- Prismriver Sisters' (Lyrica, Merlin, and Lunasa) Theme
    幽霊楽団　～ Phantom Ensemble
    Ghostly Band ~ Phantom Ensemble

ZUN note:
    I rearranged this piece to exude a lighter atmosphere than the original. Some time later, I want to make a piece that showcases the sisters performing solo.
    Lunasa on violin, Merlin on trumpet, piano and accordion for Lyrica makes sense in this piece, but if you think about it, who's playing the drums and keeping beat?

- Mystia Lorelei's Theme
    もう歌しか聞こえない　～ Flower Mix
    Deaf to all but the Song ~ Flower Mix

ZUN note:
    It's now three times more strong.
    It sounds up-tempo enough to drive someone insane, but that's its purpose. Mystia is enjoying the flowers herself.
    Mystia's song is said to bewilder people, but if you listen to this, it sounds like a pretty harsh song. Of course it'll drive people nuts. A punk youkai.

- Tewi Inaba's Theme
    お宇佐さまの素い幡
    White Flag of Usa Shrine

ZUN note:
    I designed this to be a little playful, sentimental, and Japanese.
    How is it? It came out fairly easygoing and cute, and I think it fits this kaeidzuka to a T.
    Actually, the notes and scales used aren't Japanese. If you were to ask me "where's the Japan in it?," I really couldn't tell you. But doesn't it seem Japanese?

- Aya Shameimaru's Theme
    風神少女　(Short Version)
    Wind God Girl

ZUN note:
    This is the short version of the theme to Bohemian Archive in Japanese Red. The original piece was a long six minutes, but such long battles in this game cannot happen, so I took the main    section and looped it.
    I imagined a wind god girl looking good playing the trumpet when I made this.
    A world where feelings fly on the winds. This is the image I had in mind for Phantasmagoria of Flower View.

- Medicine Melancholy's Theme
    ポイズンボディ　～ Forsaken Doll
    Poison Body ~ Forsaken Doll

ZUN note:
    Phantasmagoria of Flower View's most unique composition. I wrote it to be a little Western and fairly dark in image.
    This boss-like and strangely uplifting piece hints at older arcade games.
    The sound of bells at the beginning of the song is a strangely unsettling sound. This is poison.

- Yuka Kazami's Theme
    今昔幻想郷　～ Flower Land
    Gensokyo, Past and Present ~ Flower Land

ZUN note:
    I thought to create a piece bright and fluid, with the elegance of a flower. It didn't come out that way.
    The main melody here is done on piano, and particularly as I was writing it, it brought back fond memories.
    I thought it'd be better to make the piano part longer, but piano doesn't seem to fit the game all that well, so it's shorter.

- Komachi Onozuka's Theme
    彼岸帰航　～ Riverside View
    Higan Retour ~ Riverside View

ZUN note:
    To sweep away everything, and see what remains is the destiny of the mid-boss. This one reflects that fate, as well as the feeling of sweeping away.
    Touhou has done this sweeping idea in the past, but I feel like this is the first time I've put so much exhilaration and pathos into a piece.
    On the higan retour, that there would be no regrets as this piece...

- Sikieiki Yamaxanadu's Theme
    六十年目の東方裁判　～ Fate of Sixty Years
    Touhou Judgement in the Sixtieth Year ~ Fate of Sixty Years

ZUN note:
    Obviously, a theme for a last boss. A melodious last boss theme is a Touhou trademark. This time, Japan rebirth sakura country are the images I mixed together.
    This song full of strength and ephemerality is a song for the as-yet unseen most beautiful land of sakura.
    As silly as the whole game may be, this piece alone evokes strong feelings.

- Pre-Battle Conversation Theme
    花の映る塚
    The Mound where the Flowers Reflect

ZUN note:
    Though it's an edit of the title theme, it adds a little to the nervousness before a match. Maybe it makes it all that much more illusionary.
    If there was a problem, it's that there is no nervousness to speak of before a match. Something just seems wrong, from the beginning.

- Pre-Boss Conversation Theme
    此岸の塚
    Mound of Life

ZUN note:
    As it's the end of the game, I prepared an element of impatience.
    Exceptionally short, it's not much to speak of. Well, at least it's a Touhou-sounding piece.

- Ending Theme
    花は幻想のままに
    The Flower Like the Fantasy

ZUN note:
    I don't know... Touhou ending themes, in their entirety, always sound like bad endings.
    Could it be that clearing shooting games itself gives humanity a bad ending? (nah, no way)

- Staff Roll Theme
    魂の花　～ Another Dream...
    Flower of Soul ~ Another Dream...

ZUN note:
    I thought about making a lighter staff roll than normal, but I regret making it both light and almost empty. Like I should have made one of those two stand out.
    Well, I hope it has a sense of closure. But, it also feels like a beginning to me. It's not bad, right?

Secrets, Unlockables and Bugs

Phantasmagoria of Flower View features a number of unlockables:

Unlocking Characters

There are many characters present in the game which must be unlocked before the player can access them:

Cirno and Mystia for Story Mode
To unlock these additional 2 characters for the Story Mode, you must have seen 2 unique endings.

Lyrica and Tewi for Story Mode
To unlock these additional 2 characters for the Story Mode, you must have seen 4 unique endings.

Aya, Medicine and Yuka for Story Mode
To unlock these additional 3 characters for the Story Mode, you must have seen all the endings from 1 to 9.

All characters for all modes
To unlock Lunasa and Merlin for Match Mode, as well as all other characters for Story and Extra Mode, beat Extra Mode with Sikieiki.

Snapshots

While playing, if the "home" button is pressed, a screenshot of the current screen will be saved to the "Snapshots" folder. These screenshots are saved as uncompressed .bmps, taking up 900kb per screen.

Saving Replays Can Possibly Crash the Game

Many players have experienced frequent game crashes after saving a replay. Fortunately, there is a way to get around this: choose a save slot initially, head back to the replay listing, and then choose again.

Endings

Phantasmagoria of Flower View has 14 different endings, each one being triggered through meeting a certain criteria:

- Ending 1
Finish story or extra mode on any difficulty using Reimu. Using a continue will not affect the ending.

- Ending 2
Finish story or extra mode on any difficulty using Marisa. Using a continue will not affect the ending.

- Ending 3
Finish story or extra mode on any difficulty using Sakuya. Using a continue will not affect the ending.

- Ending 4
Finish story or extra mode on any difficulty using Youmu. Using a continue will not affect the ending.

- Ending 5
Finish story or extra mode on any difficulty using Reisen. Using a continue will not affect the ending.

- Ending 6
Finish story or extra mode on any difficulty using Cirno. Using a continue will not affect the ending.

- Ending 7
Finish story or extra mode on any difficulty using Lyrica. Using a continue will not affect the ending.

- Ending 8
Finish story or extra mode on any difficulty using Mystia. Using a continue will not affect the ending.

- Ending 9
Finish story or extra mode on any difficulty using Tewi. Using a continue will not affect the ending.

- Ending 10
Finish story or extra mode on any difficulty using Yuka. Using a continue will not affect the ending.

- Ending 11
Finish story or extra mode on any difficulty using Aya. Using a continue will not affect the ending.

- Ending 12
Finish story or extra mode on any difficulty using Medicine. Using a continue will not affect the ending.

- Ending 13
Finish story or extra mode on any difficulty using Komachi. Using a continue will not affect the ending.

- Ending 14
Finish story or extra mode on any difficulty using Sikieiki. Using a continue will not affect the ending.