Personal Touhou Journey

Personal opinions on every mainline Touhou game, backed by data from my compositional analysis. Each game is color-coded by its box art palette. Audio metrics (tempo, brightness, onset rate) come from analyzing 379 tracks.

Brightness = spectral centroid (Hz). Lower = darker/heavier.
Onset rate = note events per second. Higher = busier/denser.

The origin point. A breakout-style game that doesn't play like the rest of the series, but you can already hear ZUN's compositional voice forming. The PC-98 FM synthesis gives everything this raw, crunchy energy.

Data insight: Highest onset rate in the series at 5.91 notes/sec. The FM chip was working overtime.

Where the danmaku formula begins. Marisa's debut. The music has this frantic, almost aggressive energy that the Windows games rarely match.

Data insight: Fastest average tempo in the entire series at 149.6 BPM. ZUN was in a hurry.

The first experiment with versus mechanics. Interesting to see ZUN trying different formats this early.

Data insight: Brightest PC-98 soundtrack (2706 Hz centroid). The competitive energy shows in the timbre.

The template for modern Touhou solidifies here. The music starts showing more melodic sophistication while keeping that FM crunch.

Data insight: Slightly lower onset rate (5.37/s) as ZUN gives tracks more room to breathe.

The PC-98 era finale and arguably its peak. Would love to track down an actual PC-98 in Japan someday to experience the authentic FM synthesis. The hardware limitation became an aesthetic.

Data insight: Second-highest onset rate (5.72/s) and solid brightness.ZUN pushing the hardware to its limits.

Standout tracks: Romantic Children • The Grimoire of Alice (Judas Kiss) • Alice in Wonderland

My first Touhou and first 1cc. The game that hooked me and countless others. Iconic OST, iconic characters, iconic stages. It's slightly older than me which feels surreal. This game has been shaping internet culture since before I could read.

Data insight: Third-highest tempo (142.4 BPM) and brightest Windows-era soundtrack (2781 Hz). The gothic energy is measurable.

Standout tracks: Septette for the Dead Princess • U.N. Owen Was Her? • Flowering Night

The feeling of winter, the sakura petals, the melancholy. This is where ZUN's trumpets really shine. Every early Windows game has this cozy quality that's hard to describe, but PCB captures it best. The death/rebirth spring theme resonates.

Data insight: Highest RMS energy in the series (0.2346). The 'powerful' feeling isn't just vibes, it's measurably the loudest soundtrack.

Standout tracks: Border of Life • Phantom Ensemble • Bloom Nobly, Ink-Black Cherry Blossom

The peak. Best replay value in the series. The intertwining of old and new characters, the urgency of the eternal night, the 'double dash' team mechanics. Everything about this game represents what Touhou does best. This is my desert island pick, no contest.

Data insight: Second-highest tempo (148.2 BPM) explains the urgency you feel. The night isn't ending, and the music won't let you forget it.

Standout tracks: Love-Colored Master Spark • Reach for the Moon, Immortal Smoke • Flight in the Bamboo Cutter

The black sheep with its versus system. Respect to ZUN for taking creative risks in the dusk of the early Windows era, even if it's not for everyone. Sometimes you need to experiment.

Data insight: Darkest early-Windows soundtrack (2224 Hz centroid). The flower viewing has an unexpectedly somber undertone.

The soft reboot. Mountainous Shinto aesthetics, the feeling of autumn, the sense of ascending toward something divine. Clean mechanical reset after TH09. The return to focused single-player danmaku felt necessary.

Data insight: Lower tempo (131.7 BPM) and onset rate (3.09/s); the contemplative mountain climb is reflected in the pacing.

Standout tracks: Faith is for the Transient People • Native Faith • Fall of Fall

The fanbase isn't joking: this is systemically the hardest game. But that motivates me to keep trying. Compositionally unique as you descend to the center of the earth. The journey to Blazing Hell has some of ZUN's best work.

Data insight: Darkest soundtrack in the entire series (2104 Hz centroid). The oppressive underground atmosphere isn't just theming; the spectral data proves it.

Standout tracks: Solar Sect of Mystic Wisdom ~ Nuclear Fusion • Satori Maiden ~ 3rd Eye • Hartmann's Youkai Girl

Lowkey my personal favorite if you exclude IN. Might actually be as hard as SA with those UFO mechanics and aggressive spellcards. But the springtime music and bouncy feeling always motivates me. This is my go-to when I need uplifting energy.

Data insight: Third-darkest centroid (2228 Hz) despite the bright box art, an interesting contrast. The Buddhist temple theme adds depth beneath the cheerful surface.

Standout tracks: Emotional Skyscraper ~ Cosmic Mind • Fires of Hokkai • Sky Ruin

NGL, this is the most painful to play. Unorthodox staging, weird story pacing. The trance system feels half-baked. But Desire Drive carries HARD. That one track saves the entire soundtrack.

Data insight: Lowest tempo in the series (120.7 BPM) but high onset rate (4.47/s): restless energy at slow speed. The 'desire' feeling is this tension between urgency and languor.

Standout tracks: Desire Drive • Spirit of Avarice

The IN rehash in staging and nostalgic callbacks are valid. Sometimes looking back is the right move. Tsukumogami (tool spirits) is a fun theme.

Data insight: Brighter centroid (2594 Hz) returns to early-Windows energy. The nostalgia isn't just narrative; the sonic palette recalls TH06-08.

Standout tracks: Reverse Ideology • Magical Storm

Rough, but the clean art style, refined music, and Pointdevice mechanics really stand out. ZUN peaked in technical polish here. The lunatic vibes are immaculate; this game wants you to suffer beautifully.

Data insight: Second-lowest tempo (112.6 BPM). The slow, deliberate pacing matches the precision required. Every bullet matters.

Standout tracks: The Pierrot of the Star-Spangled Banner • Pure Furies ~ Whereabouts of the Heart

Cirno is in it. Seasonality is a cute aesthetic. That's all I need to know. The four-season gimmick seems fun.

Data insight: Lowest onset rate (2.64/s); the seasons change slowly, and so does the music.

Bombastic and rabid OST.I love it. The new setting with animal spirits and lore expansion into beast hell really carried this one. Fresh energy in the late era.

Data insight: Lower brightness (2371 Hz) returns to mid-Windows darkness. The beast realm has weight.

Standout tracks: Joutounin of Ceramics • Entrusting this World to Idols ~ Idolatrize World

Really enjoyed this one. The roguelike card mechanics are great and add fresh replayability. Glad Sakuya makes a return as a playable character.

Data insight: High onset rate (4.28/s).second only to TD in the Windows era. The market bustle is audible.

Standout tracks: The Princess Who Slays Dragon Kings • Smoking Dragon

Card mechanics and roguelike emphasis continuing.appealing to modern gameplay sensibilities. Bringing back versus after TH09 is interesting. Some tracks stand out.

Data insight: Brighter centroid (2606 Hz) and low energy (0.1515 RMS).subdued but clear. The ghost theme manifests as clarity without power.

I need to add this to my analysis dataset. Sadly could be ZUN's last mainline game.reaching TH20 is a milestone few game series achieve. The hype felt dead on arrival which is bittersweet. Planning to play and form opinions soon.

Data insight: Data pending.need to extract and analyze.

IN is the GOAT (the data agrees: 148.2 BPM urgency).
UFO is my comfort pick (dark undertones beneath the spring cheer).
SA has the darkest OST (2104 Hz centroid) and will humble you.
Early Windows era is cozy. Late Windows era is melancholic.
PC-98 onset rates (5.5+/s) are unmatched. That FM chip was working.