Touhou: Hollow Song of Birds - Stage 5

[@zenryaku5142]

The hieroglyphics actually say something. In the game's code, they spell out "indozin", "kaisendo", "sizimi", "bossisthoth", "mirukani", and "setisgod" in that order. So the devs basically wrote their names as filler text.

[@Flygoniaks]

Mystia showed up as an obligatory midboss due to the title of the game, basically said "AAAAAAAAAAAAAA," and left. Why does this feel like something that could be canon? Also, the stage portion of this is unironically excellent, I wish I saw more people having fun with laser "mazes" that you have to weave through to survive.

[@timmyreobed5043]

Far East El Dorado and Tyrant Of the Scorching Sun are low key the best songs in the game and some of their best work

[@hjt091]

The editor will appreciate this: 'General Set' in Japanese is 'Set Taisho', except because of how Japanese works, Set is written as 'Seto'. A seto-taisho is also the name of a type of youkai made out of pottery. Now guess what youkai's body Set is using as his host

[@Colamarine]

I think in WaHH (don't remember which chapter), Marisa kept flying in one direction for a long time and just saw the same scenery repeating itself. When she finally turned around, she hadn't actually moved from where she began.

[@maxoublue1]

In short, the Hakurei Barrier works just like the Eternal Stairs from Mario 64.

[@codexmarsema9866]

I think it's mentioned in WaHH that Yukari calls it a "barrier of the mind", if that even clarifies things further? Or am I remembering that wrong? Either way, it's not glaringly physical.

[@God-ch8lq]

i thought that gensokyo loops around

[@CrestedPeak9]

The Set fight is already quite the spectacle on Normal, but they really amped it to max on Lunatic. The first spell spawns cat paws that pull the left and right edges of the screen inward, greatly reducing visibility and dodging space, the second spell spawns giant rolling balls that bounce around the screen, the rainbow storm adds on massive aimed lightning lasers that complicate your route... The Set boss fight to many is the highlight of the game, and it's easy to see why. I also had a ton of fun making the Ultra patch for this fight, where I took the chance to add in even more crazy stuff like making the diamonds on the third non fire super fast to force quick macrododges, and making the sandstorm spam on the fourth non fire both directions and move really fast to emulate Kaguya's third Last Spell.

[@moonlitcrusader2023]

Gosh, I love the fight against Set in this game. Probably the most creative uses of Danmaku that I’ve seen in a fight so far. One of the reasons HSoB is my favorite fangame.

[@talesofgames1377]

The virgin "Got caught by that imperial ambush, same as us." vs. the chad "There are better places to take a nap than on the ground you know."

[@SentinelProxima]

2:00 They don't just come in to the *beat* of the music. Their horizontal positions correspond to each note's pitch!

[@Se--Se]

I love how calmly you move during Set's second spell card like, i just yeet to the side at full speed, but she's about to shoot her ten million bullets at you and you just go "oh dear, this looks like trouble, let's avoid such chaos" and you just walk away

[@sigmundroamer6580]

I'm surprised that the editor could resist the urge to make the "You've activated my trap card" joke. Considering that the character's name is Set of all things.

[@talesofgames1377]

Let's just say the obelisk spell ain't a coincidence.

[@DoctorNovakaine]

I'm pretty sure Set did that herself at 16:39.

[@ricokurniawan5636]

According to wild and horned hermit chapter 25, you can never cross the barrier line and if you turn around, you get back to the shrine. It is a non euclidean space. Also, Oyasu Milka posted the meaning of the hieroglyphs on her twitter although I don't know the link.

[@Jann75]

So basically, the SM64 infinite staircase?

[@ricokurniawan5636]

@@Jann75 probably

[@NimonoSolenze]

6:57 - "Eventually, Set stopped thinking."

[@frozenwings2148]

to answer the editor's mention of a boulder i think that's the lunatic version of that cabbage farm spell

[@WishMakers]

Set's fight is truly insane and she has so many ridiculous gimmicks that Kaisendo was like "ok this is really only suitable for Lunatic difficulty" So if you thought the nonsense was already crazy, it only gets more nuts on the highest difficulty. My personal theory is that Shijimi Nono was behind the Set gimmicks :P

[@kizunechao279]

Wouldn't put it past him, tbh.

[@korohacker]

Wait, I never knew you could pass over above the eye in Set's Z-Spell! I need to try that next time xD And I never knew that the yin-yang orbs in laser maze in the stage pop in with the beat of the music. In Easy, there's no revenge bullets, so I just shot through them like a mofo, and in Normal I just shoot till I need to bomb. Yeah, this stage is absolutely my fav among many fangames. It's rather long yet never boring, 2 midbosses, the unique stage theme and pumping boss theme, the variety of attack patterns. I find myself always playing this particular stage on Practice mode whenever I have some time to burn off, and to keep my head occupied. Set's also quite interesting, especially when you go to the Extra stage later, and found out what Nebet's deal is. She's also the primary catalyst for my short yet intense Egyptian mythology learning binge for a while, since at that point 3 games I played (Tokyo Afterschool Summoner, Puzzle & Dragons, and this) all have different representations of Set/Seth's in them, and I like all three of them. And also the original Egypt god Set, who has quite the varied history and events, just like the devs mentioned, and is either malevolent or unfairly accused depending on source.

[@ninjapuppy1257]

I’m glad there’s some Egypt rep in touhou. Even if it’s just fan games.

[@themirrorsamurai8885]

Can I just say that I loved this video? There was so much more commentary than normal, and it definitely helped to make the experience feel more involved as well as explaining things that players might miss by not looking in the right places. (also I seriously liked the Editor's hourglass idea) Now, this stage... I'm so mixed on this stage it's unbelievable. On one hand, I love this stage, it's extremely dynamic and immersive, the music is great and the fairy patterns look amazing. On the *other* hand, this stage is an imbalanced abomination... seriously, did we really need three difficulty spikes in a row (Exhibit A, Omega's danger levels)? Not to mention how unnecessarily long it is... Midbosses are both great, Mystia's a canon character midboss which I (almost) always support and has some nice callbacks to her original nonspell style. Nebet, on the other hand, won me over way back then with some seriously interesting bullet movements. If you haven't seen her midboss spell on Hard yet, go check it out, it looks beyond fantastic. And then... General Set... fun fact, Set's fight on Lunatic was the first I ever saw of HSoB, and I'm pretty sure their ear-stabbing theme and absurd attacks left a big dent on my opinion of the game (though that said I did love the gimmicks and that's what made me want to get into it). On Normal, well... Okay, so I've already mentioned that I don't like Set's theme, but the actual fight has the same problem as the stage - it's way too long. Seriously, Set's theme is pretty average-length for a Stage 5 boss theme, but it looped three times in Omega's video, that's how you know something's up. Not to mention the fight being final boss-length is clearly unacceptable from a game balancing standpoint, especially after a PCB Stage 4-long stage portion and two midbosses (though Set is the true villain of this game, so it's slightly fitting in the thematic regard). Then what about their attacks? Well, I like the nonspells a lot, though their quality definitely goes down as the fight goes on, with the fourth nonspell in particular definitely not being up-to-standard. The spells are on the whole... alright, better than what most of this game's bosses have to offer. Besides Danmaku Ammit, that spell can die in a fire. Also fun fact: Set's spells were originally designed to have a bunch of obnoxious gimmicks, but someone (I'm gonna guess Raichu) realised they were going to far and made said gimmicks exclusive to Lunatic. We've got the first spell stretching the screen, the second spell with giant bouncing globes, the third spell... it's the same besides more explosions, and the fourth spell that forces you to go inside the circles when they're closed (making it even more of an abomination). They really meant it when they said “you're not getting paid to do Lunatic so why bother”, huh... -and then Len looked at that Lunatic and said “nah we can go higher”- (And one final closing note - who else noticed that the talismans in Set's third spell use a different marking from the talismans we usually see in the series? Fitting since they're Egyptian talismans, not Japanese talismans)

[@luckluster]

Always loved this stage and boss fight. The stage for how much it syncs with the music and being a fun rollercoaster even on higher difficulties and Set's fight for being so radically different depending on difficulty, but still being challenging on each one for each player. Set is also literally throwing everything at you, including thy own body, feels like a proper match transcribed into a Shmup, I love it.

[@nguyeninhkhanh7932]

How to dodge in Touhou: DANCE TO THE LEFT, THEN RIGHT, YES DARLING KEEP DANCING

[@tekusquid918]

And with this I’ve caught up with the uploads!

[@brockrumery3073]

LOVE this stage, LOVE this stage theme.

[@HorribleTales]

I love stage theme so much.

[@GenesisJames]

Set's SUCH a cool boss!! I love Egyptian mythology, so this was a real treat. Super inspired patterns and I love the visual flourishes that she has!!

[@LushieTilde]

I love the music here. Both the stage and boss theme sound really good. And Sett is a really epic fight, although it's a shame he has a lot of Lunatic only gimmicks.

[@deralufe9094]

Oh really? Thats a shame, I hate it, if you are punished for not playing the game on hightest difficulty

[@MegamanOmega184]

@@deralufe9094 Really? I personally loved it, cause it's a lot more creative and a lot more work went into it than the alternative. It's not punishing you for not playing on a higher difficulty. Rather it's going through the effort to design new/different attacks on higher difficulties, as opposed to just upping the bullet speed/density.

[@deralufe9094]

@@MegamanOmega184 I understand your point but at least its not my style keeping parts of the game "locked" Especially today most casual players get bored after 5min playing the same gameYeah I know what casual player plays a 2hu-fangame but I always disliked ZUNs hidden spellcards on higher difficulties

[@MegamanOmega184]

​@@deralufe9094 Hmmm. While you have a point, personally I find that to be another discussion altogether. Cause this isn't a case of additional spells being locked behind higher difficulties (like say, how Rumia's Moon Sign "Moonlight Ray" is only accessible on Hard or Lunatic), rather it's just the devs being more creative than usual when deciding how to increase the difficulty of choice spells. So, take Farmland "Lettuce Farmer Set" for example. Here the idea is to dodge those flowers coming from below, while also dodging those additional burst she'll fire at you that explode when they hit the bottom. Now, the easiest way to make that more difficult would be to make the flowers come up faster and/or make the explosions bigger. Which is basically how the Hard mode version, Unwavering "From Beginning to End, Lettuce Has No Doubts" got more difficult, cause now Set fires two bursts at you kzbin.info/www/bejne/r2bId5trmc92a8U Now, it would be very easy to just continue that trend when designing the Lunatic version, but what I like is that the devs got more creative than that. On Lunatic the spell is now Heart of Iron "Bloodline that Bursts Across the Earth" and it makes some modifications to the spell, while keeping the spirit the same. The flowers coming from behind you are now lines of white bullets that force you to keep moving back and forth horizontally, and the burst of bullets fired at you is now a ball of bullets thrown at you, that'll also bounce around the field as well kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZpuVdmxnnJKNb5Y

[@deralufe9094]

@@MegamanOmega184 I think you are right. To be honest, one of my bigger games have some addtitional sub-patterns or behaviors depending on the difficulty too. I totally forget this. Anyway maybe its really a way better solution, to add something to attacks depending on difficulty, rather than excluding whole phases or spells.

[@Iris_Descent]

6:07 HA! You sure would love having Seamless Ceiling of Kinkaku-ji on your side for once, wouldn't you? 6:56 same at that first line, Set Anyway good lord this stage and even the boss fight, kinda, are long as hell. I see what people mean when they said a playthrough of this game lasts way too long now. Fun fact: Mokou also had an unlockable Spell Practice-only spell in Book of Star Mythology. also obligatory :set:

[@DoctorNovakaine]

Oh, right, it's an Ido game. Actual religions were going to be referenced at some point. EDIT: The yin-yangs don't just come in on the beat, but also the tone of the note relative to the previous one determines whether they'll appear more to the right (higher) or left (lower). I don't think it's an absolute positioning but it's pretty nifty.

[@KKYY12]

I want to play this now

[@kyrusdarkblade]

Do it! It's an amazing game. And pretty easy too, it was my first Lunatic 1cc

[@yehwat527]

So this is how it looks like without the helping lag. Ngl I like the perks of the lag somehow, it gave me the power to 1cc Lunatic with Orange on HSoB without breaking a sweat.

[@AFKei]

This is as far as I went in my blind first play, so I wonder how much I have to grind out those spells to 1cc this. The Egyptian vibe really had me there.

[@lunatic0verlord10]

5:14 This has happened especially often in games of the series of doujins.

[@lunatic0verlord10]

0:26 Actually, it's been. In one manga, Marisa tried and she got the same result as the infamous Endless Staircase from Mario 64 minus the creepy music. Even down to deciding to go back only to realize she made zero progress. I think it was in one of the Three Fairies Manga.

[@deralufe9094]

Ah Nod-Chan, my favorite 2hu-fan-oc :V *Sound of Nod-Obelisk*

[@Eeveeolite655]

Honestly, Mystia's very short, but comical dialogue in this game makes me like her much more. Fun stage, catchy theme. But I found set to be a bit lackluster for some reason.

[@Eeveeolite655]

@Ross the Chihuahua 2 I meant more personality wise. Though I haven't played hsob on lunatic yet, that sounds awful lol!

[@niklasstg6957]

I think in wild and horned hermit marisa said smth about flying to the edge to gensokyo but i dont remember what happened. I think she never got past a certain point or she came at the at the other side of gensokyo out

[@Cyril86]

Mystia's line struck me as a Macross 7 reference.

[@lunatic0verlord10]

5:08 Why does she talk like Futo? Also, did she LOOT THE THIEVING LOOTER?!!

[@somechupacabrawithinternet8866]

weaklings! i can have the touhou verse as a snack easily , I, as a creature who's existence is debatable have see a lot of vs shows in which a rather punny boney fellow had a *BONE* to pick with these nice looking, magic throwing girls or how ever, and in all of them i have seen a rather mindless display of their hardcore fallowers as they fight each other in a kids media and my my!, i have to say, watching young fellows act as children is vary funny, but i will say this, that boney pun loving comedian most undoubtedly and with out a shadow of a trickster, most definitely should've won, but it matters not! for i, can easily eat them

[@somechupacabrawithinternet8866]

oh and i do prefer that "undertale" game everyone speaks of i haven't played but i will give it a go,chow!

[@amanojaku4252]

4:09 I think it says Set is God

[@donipamungkas5370]

how many marisa's collection in that house until it becoming into a tower like that stop loittering someone's item marisa

[@playon6968]

5:58 - 6:11 Set rizz real?

[@MrMohamedAhmed730]

Have you been finished all boss fight on touhou games

[@lunatic0verlord10]

0:06 Even the stage name agrees with you.

[@lunatic0verlord10]

15:37 Are you intentionally charming others, Marisa?

[@lunatic0verlord10]

6:03 Got the same idea as you, it seems.

[@lunatic0verlord10]

1:19 *YOU TWO KNOW ABOUT SYMPHOGEAR?!! OH MY GOD!!! YES!!!*

[@MegamanOmega184]

Symphogear is bar none, the best anime that I swear no one has ever heard of

[@lunatic0verlord10]

@@MegamanOmega184 Except for us, it seems. Say, is there any Symphogear Danmakufu script out there?

[@MegamanOmega184]

@@lunatic0verlord10 Would be cool to see, but best of my knowledge, no

[@lunatic0verlord10]

@@MegamanOmega184 That's sad :(

[@moodu.m.a1888]

Shit I’m Late

[@lunatic0verlord10]

1:30 Wait! So "Toki" is a fan of Mystia's and Kyouko's band?

[@lunatic0verlord10]

3:42 Is she palls with Hecatia?

[@lunatic0verlord10]

5:55 Such a shame this is Marisa's scenario...

[@lunatic0verlord10]

6:58 Stop ripping off Junko. Next thing we know, you'll be yelling at the sun.

[@SackyBalls444]

"I wanna teach you a lesson about how fearsome bullied kids can get if you push 'em too far" Marisa no!

[@tekusquid918]

And with this I’ve caught up with the uploads!