Explain Touhou to a newcomer

[Ryjoebob No.]

Aight so I've delayed long enough on actually diving in, but I have to know some stuff before I get too deep into this stuff. And considering the vast knowledge base/obsession here, I should get decent answers.

1. What should I know about Gensyoko before I get too deep into playing the games and mucking around with fan material?

2. Where can I learn about the girls and potentially figure out favorites? And potentially why some of these memes are so prevalent.

3. Any tips for surviving the games besides using raw gaming instinct? I've already messed with Touhou 1-6, but some info on surviving better would be nice. Especially tips involving keeping track of the sheer beauty of the Danmaku going on without losing track of myself.

Looking forward to whatever fresh hell you end up sending my way. Probably.

[Anonymous No.]

>>42565113
>1. What should I know about Gensyoko before I get too deep into playing the games and mucking around with fan material?
It is neither Cutesokyo nor Grimsokyo. They're both wrong. Touhou has always had a cutesy comfy exterior with darker undertones in the background. Don't believe anyone that says otherwise.

>2. Where can I learn about the girls and potentially figure out favorites? And potentially why some of these memes are so prevalent.
Play the games and read the print works, and make sure to check out the omake.txt's that come with every game. They give more info on characters that appear within said game. You'll form your own favorites over time from this. As for memes, either lurk or just use google, there's a billion explanations for every 2hu meme

>3. Any tips for surviving the games besides using raw gaming instinct?
In most situations, do not focus on your character but rather focus on the area around them, mostly the area right in front of them. Keep your character in your peripheral vision and dodging many different types of danmaku should become a decent bit easier. This tactic can harm more than it helps with specific spellcards however

Also keep in mind the controls/mechanics for these games if you don't already know them. Shift to focus and slowdown, X to bomb, and other game-specific mechanics like UFO's ufos or WBaWC's animal spirits. Life pieces and 1UP's are almost always more valuable than bombs, so focus on getting those when you can

[Anonymous No.]

>>42565304
To add on about gameplay you also wanna probably start with a game that doesn't have a powerful crutch mechanic to help build a good foundation. I.e. dodging curvy lasers or understanding criss cross patterns and what not.

[Ryjoebob No.]

Alright I just downloaded a ton of touhou games, and I'm going to jump back in and see what happens and how horribly I get blasted. Thank you, and wish me luck.

[Anonymous No.]

gud luck friebd you should play toho 6

[Anonymous No.]

>>42565113
Lore comes from:
- Games. Dialogue and endings are obvious. It's easier to miss lore that can be found in song titles, stage backgrounds and spell cards.
- Text files included with the games
- Official manga & printworks
- Music CDs
- Interviews with ZUN
- The source of inspiration behind the character. Folklores, myths, history, etc.

The PC98 era is in a state of soft canon; it's canon unless something newer contradicts it.
Have fun going through fan content. There's like 20 years of the stuff and it all varies in medium, tone and adherence to canon. Seeing a wide variety of interpretations of a character is fun and will let you see what traits are consistent them.

[Anonymous No.]

>>42565113
The en.touhouwiki.net wiki is a good place if you want to spend an afternoon chasing hyperlinks and reading a fuckload of pages, it also has sections regarding fandom content of characters and events which can provide context for memes.
Read the manga and print works as well, they have a lot of information and perspectives from the characters.
Gamewise, Perfect Cherry Blossom and Imperishable Night are good starting points and bring up some of the series' most important characters. Also, don't agonize over easy mode or getting a 1cc run starting out; there is no shame in playing on easy and using continues. PCB and IN allow you to set your starting lives as well regardless of difficulty, so feel free to do so to get the hang of the game and most importantly: enjoy playing touhou.

[Anonymous No.]

Is it even worth it getting into Touhou as a newcomer nowadays?

[Anonymous No.]

>>42565113
>Especially tips involving keeping track of the sheer beauty of the Danmaku going on without losing track of myself.
PC98 games tend to be easier due to lower detail + primarily black backgrounds

[Anonymous No.]

>>42565113

[Anonymous No.]

>>42579069
Yes, the games are still very enjoyable and you can catch up decently quickly, although there's no real need not to take things slowly.

[Anonymous No.]

>>42565304
This guy pretty much nailed it.
Just have fun with it op.

[Anonymous No.]

>>42565113
What's there to explain? Its a indie franchise with a shit ton of fans.