UFO

Note to those of you viewing this from TVTropes: I have played this game and series a large amount, I’ve come close to clearing the extra stage of UFO, have 1cced the main game on normal.  I have played Touhou games since shortly after StB was released.  I play these games, and you are wrong if you think I don’t.  I have 1cced every single Windows game on hard except for UFO.  Please keep that in mind!  I don’t talk about the gameplay here intentionally because that is not the point of this blog post!

Sorry I haven’t updated, I was on vacation and then I didn’t feel like updating.  Vacation was pretty fun but nothing special or anything you care to hear about.  Not that you even exists, nobody reads this blog, after all.  And nobody who reads it doe care.

Anyways, so this weekend was Comiket 76, and marked the release of Touhou 12, Unidentified Fantastic Object.  I enjoy the game.  I do not think the extra boss song sounds like UN Owen, and I think Nue has a cool design.  That out of the way, there is something I need to rant about that I don’t feel like doing elsewhere.

First of all, without a doubt, by a wide wide margin, Emotional Skyscraper ~ Cosmic Mind is the best song in UFO.  Perhaps ZUN’s best composition.  I am entirely nuts about this song and have listened to it nonstop for the past two days.  I will continue this for a long while still.  The introduction is great because it’s really dramatic and bosslike.  Cool, it’s a last boss, I could use that.  But then, we like get to what is basically the main theme.  And it is awesome.  And then you know what he does?  He works on this a bit, and he takes it up an octave, and doubles it in ZUN Trumpet and ZUN piano.  The last time I recall him doing this like this is Blue Sea of 53 Minutes.  And guess what?  I love that song too!  But would be believe it, this song gets better.  Suddenly it kicks back and goes to something that could be a staff roll, with a new theme.  And it starts layering onto that.  It adds trumpet, and then it just gets bigger and bigger.  ZUN put it the best way.  He says in his description that it’s supposed to be like one of those songs where everybody is singing together.  And with not a single voice, ZUN did a perfect job doing that.  Then the song loops yay.

Now, take this while you go through her spellcards, which are, in order, some boring purple spiral, a really beautiful butterfly + laser card, CURVY LASERS OF DEATH THAT I DETEST, Shinki’s famous (and rather beautiful) wing pattern, some boring other card, and her final card, which produces extremely intricate rings of bullets, and add that Byakuren’s motives are some of the coolest in the series and she is a great character, and you might begin to understand why I love this boss fight.

And then we get to the Staff Roll (screw endings they’re in moonspeak right now)

Okay, this is some boring staff- WAIT A SECOND IS THAT THE THEME FROM COSMIC MIND?

That is what went through my mind.  I will not reiterate why this is a very, very good thing, because I just rambled a rather large amount about Byakuren’s theme.  And even better, as we got into space (which I love and the song perfectly fits this), suddenly there is a green UFO floating off in the distance!

I understand I am totally nuts for what I am about to write and none of this is intended in the least, but deal with it.

First of all, the song is perfect because it has a great “the trip is over, let’s reminisce about it!”  I am a rather nostalgic person so this is some of the greatest emotional boost type music ever.  And the staff roll produces a feeling of looking into the sky at night, full of stars, and just relaxing because of what you just did.

Now, the green UFO makes this though.  That’s just standard staff roll fare, nothing particuarily special.  However, the random floating UFO gives off a few things.

First off, that the story isn’t over.  If the treasure is still around, clearly it’s not over.  This is already a wonderful image, I love continuing stories, and let’s make it come in a sudden “wow, it’s a UFO!” manner.

Second of all, who doesn’t want to see a UFO?  Don’t lie to yourself, you would LOVE to see a UFO.

And third, finally, and most significantly, and probably why I feel I am insane, it’s almost like ZUN is telling you not to grow up. “Hey, you just beat up this big boss, went to the demon world and back, and were on the ship of a captain famous for sinking other ships.  You know, why don’t you try looking at the sky?  If you believe, maybe you’ll find a UFO!”  And there it is, the green UFO in the distance.  I don’t think that really fully expresses how I feel about it, but it gets a good deal of the point across.

I’m nuts, okay?