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Phantasmagoria of Flower View/Gameplay
< Phantasmagoria of Flower View | Redirected from Phantasmagoria of Flower View: Gameplay
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Controls
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Left, Right, Up, Down "Move", and combinations of these movements. Moves your character around in the 2-dimensional playing field.
"Slow". When this key is pressed and held, the transforming "field" of your character becomes visible. The transforming field can be of various shapes and sizes depending on your character. In addition the hit box in the center of your character becomes visible, and your character's movement becomes slower for better control when maneuvering through complex patterns. Referred to as below
"Spell". Casts the highest level charge spell your character is currently capable of. Charge spells are like bombs -- they have a lot of impact on the opponent's field. Depending on the level your spell is, it may also have the effect of destroying all targets and obstacles currently on your field. However, this also empties your meter. This may not be used to unleash a level 1 attack.
"Fire". The primary firing key. When held, this key will "charge up" your spell attack, allowing you to choose any level spell you want. For example, if the spell level is at 3, holding the "fire" key will charge it so you can use a level 1 spell, a level 2 spell, or a level 3 spell. However, it is limited by the current spell level: it cannot go up to a level 4 spell. It also unleashes "charge shots" to destroy targets. Depending on the level of the spell cast, it may also clear your field. This version of a spell will lower your meter by (level of attack - 1) bars. In other words, level 1 attacks are free.
An alternate control scheme allows you to hold down the fire button to fire, while charging is done through the slow button.
Keyboard controls are as follows:
Full
- The Arrow Keys or Number Pad: Move
- Z: Fire
- X: Spell
- Left Shift: Slow
The Left and Right setups are designed for and only permitted in human vs. human match mode. At any other time, Full keyboard will automatically take precedence.
Right
- The Number Pad: Move
- Down Arrowkey: Fire
- Right Arrowkey: Spell
- Left Arrowkey: Slow
Left
- F, H, T, and B: Move
- Z: Fire
- X: Spell
- Left Shift: Slow
Note on movement: Rather than using combinations of left, right, up, and down when using the letters (Left setup) or the numberpad (Right setup, permitted with Full setup) it is possible to use the keys in the desired diagonal direction (r, y, v, and n for the letters, or 7, 9, 1, and 3 for the Number Pad)
Additional Keyboard Controls
- Esc pauses the game and brings you to the in-game menu
- Ctrl fast-forwards through any dialogue
- Home produces a .bmp screenshot in the /snapshot directory.
- Enter may be used as an "okay" key on menus, if the Right or Left control setups are in use, then this will confirm both player's selections on the character selection screen.
Field Layout and ScoringEdit
In Phantasmagoria of Flower View, you have the option to choose one of multiple characters to go through the story mode, which consists of 9 levels. Each character has their own specific set of movement type, "fields", and offensive weapons such as spells and "specials". Depending on the skill level of the player, characters may also find that they are disadvantaged against certain other characters for various reasons.
The playing field is split into two halves vertically, with the human player usually taking the left hand side by default, whilst the AI takes the right hand side. The objective is to survive longer than the other player. Survivability is dependent on defensive, offensive and dodging skills.
After the initial established field, obstacles and targets begin to fill the screen.
In the upper left corner, there is a counter showing both the combo counter and a score counter (labelled Spell Points), with a constantly shrinking timer bar. The score counter goes up when you destroy things, which also increases the timer bar. It resets if you get hit or the timer bar expires. The score counter determines how many points each fairy is worth, which gets added to your total score, shown in the upper right corner. It also dictates how fast your spellbar recharges as you kill fairies, spirits and 'delete' bullets.
To distinguish between the Score Counter in the upper-left and Total Score (see below) in the upper-right, the former will be referred to as "Bpoints" (Bar points) and the latter as "Tpoints" (Total points) from here on.
At 100,000, 300,000, and 500,000 Bpoints a level 4 attack is automatically unleashed against your opponent. Furthermore, at 500,000 Bpoints you also get a free level 3 attack unleashed at the same time. If you reach 999,990, it stops increasing and every fairy you destroy from then on shows a yellow BONUS! marker - by this point you will be racking up Tpoints and spellbar like mad.
You get an extra life at 10, 30, 50, 70, and 90 million Tpoints. In Extra Mode, you get an extra life every 5 million Tpoints up through 40 million for a total of 8 lives. You get Tpoints for killing fairies/spirits/etc and also for destroying (any) bullets with spells.
Each killable object (fairy/spirit/etc) yields Bpoints and Tpoints. Fairies increase the score counter by (10*[number of fairies killed this match] + 100) and spirits increase it by 1200 [to check: does this 1200 number increase with kills too?]. Thus as the match progresses, your score counter will increase faster since each fairy increases it by much more and there will be many more spirits to kill (spell card kills count for Bpoint gathering).
At the end of the match/level, you get lots of Tpoints for:
- every half Health dot you have remaining (100k Tpoints each)
- longest combo (length times 10k Tpoints)
- how many Fairy- or Witch-level spells you cast (150k Tpoints each)
- how many Dragon-level Boss spells you call (300k Tpoints each)
- how many enemy Bosses you nullify by calling your own Dragon-level spell (300k Tpoints each time, in addition to previous one)
- remaining lives after beating Round 9 (10 million Tpoints each)
In Match Mode and in Story Mode, you may notice spinning flowers in the top right corner. These represent the number of wins that character has had, similar to how in Fighting Games, one gets a little icon of sorts below their health bar. In Story Mode, only the enemy will have these, you only need one win to advance so you never accumulate these. Also in Story Mode, the computer will tend to become easier to defeat the more of these it has.
In Story Mode, you have little yin-yang icons under your score counter in the upper left. Those are your lives. Run out, and you'll need a continue.
At the bottom you have spell information: the bottom left number affects Level 2 and 3 spells, the bottom right number affects Level 4 spells (bosses) and the bar shows your spell levels and you cast different level spells by charging it up to different amounts (limited by how much you've filled it up). See below for more on spell power numbers.
HealthEdit
All characters initially come with 5 health dots in the top middle part of the field. These go down by halves whenever your character's hit box (Focus/Slow to see it) collides with another object. However, you may find that up to three dots may be reduced from your health at a time. This is affected by the type of object you collided with and the intensity of the collision, whether it was a brush or a total collision. It is also affected by how late into the match you are - early hits (e.g. within first 15 seconds) won't do as much damage as later on. You cannot die from losing multiple halves: your character is always reduced first to a 1/2 dot and a warning is given. Only after that warning can you actually be killed.
If your character collides with an object and loses health, the objects within a small radius around your character will be dissolved to allow you to recover. You'll also receive a small boost to your spellbar, offering a chance to retaliate against your opponent; however, if this spell hits them, they'll also receive a boost to their spellbar, so obviously it's more advantageous not to be hit in the first place. Lastly, if you are ever unfortunate enough to see the "Last Life" warning, your spellbar will instantly be raised to level 4. Unless the enemy is very close to using a 4th-level spell at this point (whether through a spell, the Bscore or a pickup), the best plan in general is to use it immediately. See "Spells" below for more.
You also start with a number of lives, 3 by default. Setting this higher will mean you won't get any point bonuses at the end of a Story Mode stage - meaning less extra lives and a lower Total Score.
Combo CounterEdit
The Combo Counter on the top left shows how long your current combo is. A 'combo' is defined as a cumulative destruction of fairies, spirits and bullets in a single chain reaction of explosions. Starting a second chain reaction elsewhere will re-start the combo counter. The maximum combo that the counter will register is 999.
TargetsEdit
Targets are objects which may be eliminated by shooting them:
Fairies: There are two types of fairies -- large and small ones. They come in from the edges of the field. They are the primary targets and are extremely easy to destroy by shooting. These also have an explosive impact for objects around them (although this does not affect your character at all). Shooting one of the fairies in a row usually causes a chain reaction along the entire row.
Spirits: These glowing butterfly/wing-like objects are formed in the top third of the playing field from the destruction of fairies by your opponent. They vary in speed and size, and generally drift towards the bottom of the screen. Like fairies they may be destroyed by shooting at them, although a bit more fire power is needed to eliminate them. When spirits come in contact with the characters' fields, they become Activated with a bubbling sound effect.
Activated Spirits: Glowing balls created when Spirits come in contact with your Field. Whereas unactivated spirits tend to drift downward, Activated ones will drift upward at a reduced speed. These are now easier to destroy by shooting, and for all intents and purposes they have the same explosive range as fairies. However, if left undestroyed, activated spirits dissolve into 3 white balls with red outlines which drift toward the last known position of the character.
Shooting certain fairies and spirits (activated or not) will have an impact on your opponent's field -- either they fly into their field and become level 1 obstacles, or they become "Ex attacks". Shooting and destroying targets also raises your spell levels. Furthermore, destroying level 1 bullets indirectly by a nearby fairy or spirit's destruction will send that bullet to the opponent's screen. Bullets destroyed directly by a Spell's "blast wave" (as opposed to a fairy/spirit that got destroyed by the Spell) will only count towards Bpoints and your spell bar - they will not be sent to the opponent's screen.
ObstaclesEdit
Obstacles are objects on the field which cannot be destroyed by shooting. Both levels of obstacles can be destroyed by casting a spell of sufficient level:
Level 1 obstacles are bullets which can be reflected (sent to the opponent's screen) by exploding fairies or spirits close to them. They look like small dots - either light blue or light red. Light blue bullets are vaguely aimed at you (i.e. you cannot stream them as they're aimed in your general direction only) and light red bullets ignore your position. Randomly generated bullets tend to be light blue - light red bullets are more often seen in spellcards. They tend to be easy to avoid, although they can prove extremely hazardous if there are a lot of them. Upon reflecting them (blue explosions from activated spirits and fairies), they retain the same colour (to be confirmed?) and speed as before.
Level 2 obstacles are objects which cannot be destroyed by normal means -- they have to be avoided and allowed to drift off the screen. These tend to come in the forms of larger circles, petals, stars, etc.
"Ex" Attack Obstacles are obstacles generated in your field by the opponent destroying fairies or spirits. Specials fly into your area as glowing patterns which look like doilies/giant_snowflakes. The spot where they go to is usually where the Ex attack obstacle will spawn. These specials differ by character, and some Ex attacks will also react to your character's initial position.
SpellsEdit
There are 4 spell levels which may be used by a character. For level 2, level 3, and level 4 spells there are also more subtle levels from 1 to 16 which affect the intensity and length of your spell's attack (Dragon, Witch and Fairy intensities).
Spells may be obtained by building your spell levels from destroying targets and (any) bullets (including with Spells). Alternatively, losing health may also increase your spell level. In addition, when you are in your last health, you get an automatic level 4 spell level bestowed on your character. A level 4 spell can also be obtained via a "G" special bonus. A level 4 spell cast by your opponent may be neutralised entirely by you casting a level 4 spell in turn. If both players have a level 4 spell charge, the first to cast their spell may be disadvantaged in that their spell can be neutralised by the other.
Level 1 spells unleash your special attack which may be capable of hitting multiple targets on your field. It has no direct impact on your opponent.
Level 2 spells (Fairy level) unleash a more powerful version of your special attack. Depending on your character, level 2 spells may surround your opponent with your spell's obstacles, similar to specials obstacles, but targeted at the position of your opponent. It can also destroy bullets in a moderate radius around your character.
Level 3 spells (Witch level) destroys all objects within a large radius of your character. It can have an extremely cluttering effect on your opponent's field, introducing a lot of obstacles and targets in fixed patterns. (These patterns are again specific to characters).
Level 4 spells (Dragon level) will clear your entire field of the obstacles currently on it. A mirror version of your character will fly into your opponent's field and unleash devastating effects which might include combinations of level 2 and level 3 spells, as well as some unique attacks. Again, the form of level 4 spells are dependent on the casting character.
The power of spells is determined by the numbers in the lower corners. The lower left number affects the power of your level 2 and 3 spells. It increases whenever you do a level 2 spell or higher, capped at 16. The lower right number is shared with your opponent, and affects the power and health of bosses. It goes up whenever either player sends a boss.
Special bonusesEdit
Special bonuses may be obtained by shooting at the character sprites which come into the field to unleash attacks. Both the mirror image of your opponent (level 4 spell) and Lily White (who unleashes a whole heap of dots of various colours) may be shot at. Depending on the intensity and effectiveness of your shooting, you might be able to destroy the sprite and shorten the assault. Destroying the sprite will cause a special bonus item to drift down.
"Ex" will unleash a whole lot of specials (EX attacks) upon your opponent's field. "G" will fill up your spell gauge.
The other two power ups... The blue one with Kanji "点" people may recognize as the Point item from the previous Touhou games. It adds 100,000 Bpoints and Tpoints, which typically will get you an instant Level 4 spell.
The orange one with Kanji "弾" has the character for 'Shot'. This one is similar to the EX item, but instead of sending a horde of EX attacks, it releases a large number of bullets that appear on the top of your opponent's screen.
Extra ModeEdit
Once unlocked, you can play as Komachi (and later, Shikieiki) in their 'Story Mode'. You start with 0 extra lives and all fights are Deathmatches - both you and your opponent have half a health dot to start with. The AI has an Invincibility Period that is shown under the sprite of your character. You must survive this long before you can win. Mind you, Komachi and Shikieiki will be putting forth danmaku barrages so dense that the AI (which does not have Lunatic's super dodge algorithms) will likely die within 3 seconds or much less. Your opponent will be getting much greater bullet/EX attacks to toss at you.
Once you have beaten Shikieiki's Extra path, all characters can be played in Extra Mode and the two boss characters can be played in Story Mode.
StrategyEdit
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