Info about 東方催狐譚 ～ Servants of Harvest Wish:

Official game description:
**Since this is a Danmakufu game, its possible that this game might not work on your PC if you have Windows 11. Windows 11 is known to have issues with danmakufu.**  
**Set off on a journey to an autumnal paradise in this bountiful Touhou fan game made by overseas fans!**  
東方催狐譚 ～ Servants of Harvest Wish is a fan-made Touhou Project game made using the Touhou Danmakufu ph3 shooting game engine and is the second game made by Team Dreamcatcher. Servants of Harvest Wish provides quality gameplay, wonderful music, a unique plot and many secrets to be unfold. Join Reimu Hakurei, Marisa Kirisame, Sanae Kochiya and Ryouko as they explore various locations to expose the mastermind pulling the strings from behind the scenes.
\- Game Introduction -
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Servants of Harvest Wish is a vertical-scrolling shoot'em-up game with 6 stages + an additional extra stage. The game features a "Harvest Mode" mechanic that cleverly combines both survival and scoring play. Each character has a set of two shot types, plus a unique ability linked to gameplay. This game can be enjoyed from casual players to skilled STG maniacs thanks to the various difficulty levels.  
The game features various secrets that can be unlocked through both regular runs and practice runs. Discover all different methods of unlocking Abnormal Barrage Spell Cards, as well as something special for expert players.
\- Story -
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A new incident causes all of the crops throughout Gensokyo to wither right before the harvest season, exposing the Human Village to the threat of famine. Expecting different reasons, the heroines set off to expose the heartless youkai who are behind this incident, but none of them knew what had happened behind the scenes beforehand. Explore all scenarios in order to piece all clues together while enjoying the marvellous gameplay elements inbetween.
For Steam Deck Usage
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We implemented a Proton Compatibility mode.  
To fix graphic issues when using proton, please run the th\_sohw\_proton.sh shell script located in the game file root directory before launching the game. If you do not want to tinker with this, go to settings and set boss aura as reduced or lower to fix flickering and slowdown ingame. In this case you will still get flickering during loading animations but not during actual gameplay.

Release date: 3 Aug, 2020

Categories: Bullet-hell, Single-player, High Score Chasing, Survival, Character-based Combat, Linear Progression


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Outstanding Touhou fan game (weight 0.54): Many consider this one of the best Touhou fan games, even surpassing some official titles. It's praised for its solid original music, cool patterns, high-quality graphics, BGM, danmaku, characters, and story, feeling like a legitimate and lovingly crafted Touhou STG.
- Highly enjoyable and well-crafted (weight 0.53): Players consistently praise the game for being fun, addictive, and a joy to play. Many highlight its high replay value, impeccable music, and overall polished feel, noting it as a significant improvement over previous titles and a beautiful, awesome experience.
- Exceptional quality for a free game (weight 0.46): Reviewers are amazed by the game's completeness and craftsmanship, especially considering it's a free title. Many feel it's too good to be free, comparing its quality to paid games and recommending it highly.
- Excellent art, characters, and design (weight 0.42): The game receives high marks for its excellent character design, well-written original characters, and great visuals. Players appreciate the detailed aspects, wonderful stage/boss design, and appealing art style that feels natural and fresh.
- Superb and fitting soundtrack (weight 0.41): The music is consistently lauded as cool, exquisite, and high-quality, with many 'bangers.' Reviewers note its ZUN-like style, fitting atmosphere, and unforgettable tracks that enhance the gameplay experience.
- Accessible yet challenging bullet hell (weight 0.38): The game strikes a good balance, being approachable for beginners while still offering a satisfying challenge for experienced players. Its simple yet sturdy gameplay, balanced shot types, and clear hitboxes contribute to a stress-free and enjoyable bullet hell experience.
- Responsive controls and engaging gameplay (weight 0.27): Players appreciate the game's good controls, especially the precise analog stick usage and lack of delay. The gameplay is described as cool, fun, challenging, and entertaining, contributing to an overall impressive experience.
- Memorable stage and boss performances (weight 0.13): Specific stages and boss encounters are highlighted for their brilliant performance effects, particularly the synergy between mid-bosses and BGM in Stages 4 and 6. The music composition for each stage is unique, with Stage 6 evoking a sense of 'ancient and magnificent East.'
- Engaging replay value with unique challenges (weight 0.09): The game offers decent replay value through its unique challenges, such as Anomaly and Overdrive Spell Cards, which are difficult but not frustrating. Specific stage designs, like Stage 5's mid-boss and Stage 6's summons, contribute to this engaging experience.
- Charming and interesting story (weight 0.09): Players find the game's story funny, cute, and interesting, with a simple yet great plot. The thoughtful dialogue makes it easy to follow and enjoyable.
- Generous deathbomb window (weight 0.09): The game features a super long and generous deathbomb window, which significantly lowers the difficulty and provides ample time for players to use bombs, making the system considerate.

Common complaints:
- Unappealing Art and Music (weight 0.36): The character designs are frequently criticized as amateurish, awkward, or generic, lacking a distinct style. The background music is largely forgettable, with monotonous rhythms and a lack of memorable melodies.
- Performance and Resolution Issues (weight 0.35): Many players experienced frequent crashes, significant frame drops, and stuttering, even with low graphics settings. The game also suffers from poor resolution scaling and limited options, making it look rough on modern displays.
- Inconsistent Difficulty Spikes (weight 0.33): Player feedback on difficulty is mixed, with some finding the game too easy and others too hard, even on easy mode. There are notable difficulty spikes, particularly in Stage 5 and the final boss, which feel disproportionate to earlier stages.
- Poor Bullet Visibility (weight 0.28): Several players reported difficulty distinguishing bullets from the background or other game elements, leading to unexpected hits. Some dark bullets are particularly hard to see without adjusting screen settings.
- Uninspired Level Design (weight 0.13): Some level designs, particularly Stage 5's horizontal enemy lines, are criticized for limiting movement and forcing boring zigzag patterns. The overall gameplay is described as ordinary bullet hell.
- Subpar Compared to Fan Games (weight 0.11): The game is perceived as less complete and unique than other fan-made bullet hell titles. It fails to capture the distinct feel and pillars that make games like Touhou stand out.
- Underwhelming Harvest System (weight 0.09): The Harvest system feels largely unimportant and unrewarding. Its automatic activation upon boss defeat and meaningless gauge decrease at the start of new stages are disheartening for players.
- General Polish Needed (weight 0.08): The game's graphics, interface, and overall system require significant improvement to meet product quality standards. This suggests a lack of polish across various aspects of the game.

Gameplay feedback:
- Lower Overall Difficulty (weight 0.43): Many players found the game to be less challenging than official Touhou titles, especially on Normal difficulty. This is attributed to generous systems, longer deathbomb windows, and abundant bullet resources, making it accessible for new players.
- Mixed Difficulty Curve (weight 0.3): While generally easier, the game's difficulty curve is noted as different from official Touhou games. Some early stages might feel harder, but the overall progression is balanced, with Stage 5 having overwhelming danmaku and Stage 6 feeling softer.
- Core Gameplay Loop (weight 0.23): The game emphasizes bullet avoidance over enemy elimination. Players collect petals from grazing or killing enemies to build a power meter, which then contributes to bomb fragments or a flash bomb when full.
- Familiar Mechanics Mashup (weight 0.22): The game incorporates a blend of mechanics from various official Touhou games, such as the Cherry Point system from 'Perfect Cherry Blossom' and deathbombing similar to 'Imperishable Night'. This creates a recognizable yet distinct gameplay experience.
- Life and Bomb Acquisition (weight 0.13): Extra lives are primarily gained through score accumulation, with increasing costs, and occasionally from specific boss encounters. Bomb fragments are collected via season items, non-spell/spell cards, and a special mechanism, with 8 fragments yielding one bomb.
- Traditional Stage Structure (weight 0.12): The game follows the classic bullet hell structure of 6 main stages plus an extra stage, with some stages featuring group battles. There's also a 'Lunatic Extra Mode' for advanced players.
- Advanced Skill Challenges (weight 0.11): Despite being easier for a casual clear, achieving perfect runs (like LNN bosses or full NMNB) still presents a significant challenge, requiring high raw skill and numerous attempts, aligning with expected bullet hell difficulty for mastery.
- Character and Difficulty Options (weight 0.09): The game offers a good variety with four original characters, each having two distinct shot types. It also provides multiple difficulty settings, including a hidden fifth difficulty, catering to different skill levels.
- Movement and Shot Types (weight 0.05): Players can choose between a primary shot for spread attacks and faster movement, or a secondary fire for focused damage and slower movement, allowing for strategic bullet weaving.
- Last Word System (weight 0.05): The game includes a 'Last Word' system, where collecting enough 'wheat' items can unlock an additional spell card after defeating the final boss, adding an extra layer of challenge or reward.

Performance notes:
- Optimize game performance (weight 0.12): Players experienced significant frame rate drops, especially after stage 3 and during stage 6. Disabling VSync and backgrounds helped some users achieve better performance, indicating a need for broader optimization.
- Improve Steam Deck compatibility (weight 0.03): The game initially had issues on Steam Deck, requiring specific Proton versions and workarounds like disabling boss auras to function correctly. Official support and optimization for this platform would enhance the player experience.
- Address screenshot-related crashes (weight 0.03): Some players reported game crashes when attempting to take F12 screenshots. While this issue may have been resolved, it highlights a potential instability that should be monitored.

Recommendations:
- Highly Recommended Game (weight 0.55): The game receives overwhelmingly positive recommendations from players, with many suggesting it's a must-try. Reviewers frequently assign high ratings (e.g., 9.5/10, 9/10, 8/10) and express willingness to pay for it, despite it being free.
- Excellent for Touhou Fans (weight 0.31): This game is highly recommended for fans of the Touhou series, especially those who enjoy official-style STGs. Many consider it a strong entry among Touhou fan games and a must-play for the community.
- Accessible Free-to-Play Title (weight 0.24): A significant factor in its recommendation is that the game is completely free, making it an easy choice with no drawbacks. This also makes it a good option for players seeking challenging bullet hell games without a cost.
- Refine Dodging Skills (weight 0.06): For newcomers who have played a few other official or fan works, this game is recommended as a tool to refine dodging skills and correct bad habits, suggesting a learning curve that benefits experienced players.
- Consider Other Fan Projects (weight 0.03): Some reviewers suggest alternative fan projects like Hollow Song of Birds or Book of Star Mythology for players just getting into fan-made games, implying these might offer a different or potentially better initial experience.
- Avoid Lunatic Difficulty (weight 0.02): A specific warning advises players not to attempt the Lunatic difficulty, suggesting it is exceptionally challenging and potentially frustrating for most players.

Other player notes:
- Mixed reception for graphics (weight 0.16): The game's graphics have a retro, NES-like feel that appeals to some players, offering a unique aesthetic within fan games. However, others find the visual style to be 'light pollution'-like or generally unappealing, suggesting it may not be universally accepted.
- Gameplay and story are average (weight 0.14): The game is considered an average Touhou fan shmup, neither outstanding nor terrible. The dialogue and story are not highlighted as strong points, which aligns with some players' personal preferences for Touhou games.
- Context as a fan game (weight 0.13): The game is a free, fan-made Touhou bullet hell game, which is noted as the first of its kind released on Steam. This context influences player expectations regarding quality and pricing.
- Suggestions for improvements (weight 0.1): Players would appreciate the addition of achievements to the game. There's also a suggestion to add a Chinese language version, potentially through cooperation with THB.
- Pricing and rating concerns (weight 0.04): There's a suggestion for fan-made games to have rational pricing compared to other indie titles. Additionally, a player expressed a wish for a neutral rating option on Steam, indicating difficulty in categorizing their overall sentiment.

Emotions:
- Satisfaction (weight 0.33): Players are highly satisfied with the game's overall quality, especially considering it's a free title. Key factors include well-designed gameplay mechanics, balanced difficulty, beautiful art, stunning music, and effective accessibility features. The game's high replay value and faithful adherence to the Touhou style also contribute significantly to player contentment.
- Excitement (weight 0.13): Excitement stems from the game's engaging content, high quality, and specific thrilling moments like Stage 6 and the Extra Stage. Players express strong recommendations, finding the game addicting, fun, and challenging. The exceptional quality for a free game further amplifies this excitement.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.11): Enjoyment is primarily driven by the core gameplay experience, including fun character experimentation, engaging bullet patterns (danmaku), and appealing visuals. The overall game experience, coupled with good music and character designs, makes playing the game a pleasurable activity for users.
- Frustration (weight 0.1): Frustration arises from technical issues such as game crashes and performance problems, as well as significant difficulty spikes, particularly with Overdrive Spell Cards and mid-stage challenges. Visual clutter, bullets blending with backgrounds, and issues with hitboxes or the bomb system also contribute to player annoyance. Some players also feel frustrated by the game's perceived failure to deliver a unique Touhou experience.
- Appreciation (weight 0.07): Players appreciate the game's thoughtful design, accessibility features, and the developers' evident effort. The game is seen as a refreshing and well-made title that faithfully captures the Touhou style, making it accessible for newcomers while feeling like a new official entry in the series. Specific gameplay mechanics are also a source of appreciation.
- Disappointment (weight 0.05): Disappointment is linked to perceived shortcomings in game quality, such as unmemorable music, poor character designs, and a lack of replayability. Performance issues, certain game mechanics, and the absence of specific language support (e.g., Chinese) also contribute to player dissatisfaction. Some players found the game too easy or felt that the art and gameplay were subpar.
- Admiration (weight 0.04): Admiration is directed towards the game's exceptional spell card and danmaku design, high overall quality, and the developers' care. Players admire its faithfulness to the original Touhou works, often comparing it favorably to paid shmups and other top fan-made Touhou games. The visuals and the developers themselves are also subjects of admiration.
- Neutrality (weight 0.03): Neutrality reflects an assessment that the game is solid but not outstanding. While aspects like game quality, music, character design, and scoring are noted, they don't evoke strong positive or negative emotions, indicating a generally acceptable but unremarkable experience.
- Surprise (weight 0.02): Players are surprised by the game's unexpectedly high quality, especially given that it is a free title. This surprise also extends to sudden difficulty spikes, indicating an unexpected challenge level. The fact that such a high-quality game is offered for free is a recurring point of astonishment.
- Joy (weight 0.02): Joy is experienced through the game's engaging gameplay and the overall fun experience it provides. Players describe the game as an 'absolute blast,' highlighting the pure enjoyment derived from playing.
- Confusion (weight 0.01): Confusion arises from difficulties understanding plot details due to language barriers (Japanese/English) and unclear game mechanics. Players also express confusion when the game fails to work or when distinguishing between drops and bullets becomes difficult.
- Amusement (weight 0.01): Amusement is sparked by humorous elements such as a 'weirdly good description' and the game's ability to address art criticism. The challenge of the game and personal experiences, along with minor technical quirks like OBS capture issues, also provide amusement.
- Recommendation (weight 0.01): Players recommend the game due to their strong positive opinion and overall enjoyable experience, particularly emphasizing its value as a free and accessible title. The game's fun and accessibility are key reasons for these recommendations.
- Mild dislike (weight 0.01): Mild dislike is specifically directed towards the character portraits of shrine maidens, which some players found strange or unappealing. This indicates a minor aesthetic preference rather than a significant gameplay issue.
- Happiness (weight 0.01): Happiness is derived from enjoying the game despite personal skill limitations in the Touhou genre. Players feel happy when they can enjoy the shooting game, especially when utilizing bullet-clearing ultimate moves, which enhances their play experience.
- Relief (weight 0.01): Relief is felt when players, despite their struggles with STG games, manage to clear the Easy difficulty. This emotion also arises when technical issues or problems with the game are successfully resolved, indicating a sense of burden lifted.
- Amazement (weight 0.01): Amazement is primarily caused by the game's completeness and exceptionally high quality, especially given that it is a free game. This indicates a strong positive reaction to the unexpected level of polish and content provided without cost.
- Impression (weight 0): The game leaves a general positive impression on players, suggesting that it makes a notable impact. This is a broad positive sentiment indicating the game's ability to stand out in the player's mind.
- Preference (weight 0): Players express a preference for features found in another version of the game. This indicates a desire for specific elements or functionalities that might be present in alternative iterations or updates.
- Mild disappointment (weight 0): Mild disappointment stems from the game's writing being less aggressive compared to the original Touhou series. This suggests a slight preference for a more intense or characteristic narrative style that was not fully met.}