The legacy of Touhou: Scarlet Curiosity and how exactly we got to where we are now requires a bit of explanation. The roots of the Touhou Project series (starting with the second game in 1997) are focused on bullet-hell gameplay mechanics, where the player must swiftly navigate an array of incoming projectiles in order to progress. As more entries into the franchise were made, the core interactive elements were tweaked and experimented with. The main setting for the series is the land of Gensokyo – a sealed away world where humans and the supernatural yōkai exist together. Touhou Project games were successful enough overseas (over a dozen games, plus spin-offs), that XSEED saw value in bringing one of these titles to the Western market. But Touhou: Scarlet Curiosity isn’t even an official game in the series. It’s a fan-made RPG developed by Ankake Spa, that takes place in the Touhou universe.
It’s safe to say Touhou: Scarlet Curiosity is unique for circumstances like that alone. But to understand what the game is about, it’s best to see it with your own eyes in the new trailer.
There’s two main characters: Remilia Scarlet (vampire) and Sakuya Izayoi (her maid). The official plot synopsis is as follows:
Touhou: Scarlet Curiosity begins with the so-called “Scarlet Devil” Remilia Scarlet, who, at 500 years old, is desperately searching for something new to end the monotony of immortality. After stumbling upon a newspaper article about a powerful and mysterious monster terrorizing the countryside, she rushes out to see if this could finally be the excitement for which she yearns. Unfortunately, not only is she unsuccessful in her search for the monster, but she returns to find her manor in ruins. It would seem the monster has come to her! With a renewed sense of determination (and a much-needed respite from her boredom), she vows to take revenge on this fiend and make it pay!
When it comes to gameplay, it plays out like any standard fantasy action role-playing title. You go around fighting monsters, navigating through levels, and taking down bosses to move things forward, The journey gives you more experience and toughens you up, unlocking more special abilities as you accumulate XP. Remilia is more of a brute-force type of fighter, while Sakuya specializes in the careful and calculated kinds of strikes. By obtaining better equipment as it becomes available, the offensive capacity for our protagonist duo extends further. The bullet-hell aspect comes back during the boss fights, staying with the soul of what Touhou Project is about.
Touhou: Scarlet Curiosity is available digitally for PS4 for North America (Europe release is in the works, apparently). To see what other projects XSEED has going on, check out their website, Twitter, and Facebook.
