Touhou 7: Perfect Cherry Blossom

About Touhou 7: Perfect Cherry Blossom

Perfect Cherry Blossom is a vertically scrolling shoot 'em up bullet hell game. Similarly to the previous game, Embodiment of Scarlet Devil, the game consists of six regular stages with four levels of difficulty. Perfect Cherry Blossom also features a practice mode to play through previously completed stages, a replay mode for watching saved game replays, and a music room to listen to the game's soundtrack and view ZUN's comments on each song.

If the player completes the game without using a continue, they are shown the "good ending" of their particular shot type, and unlock an additional "Extra Stage"; otherwise, they are revealed a "bad ending" and are unable to save a replay. Unlike the previous game, the player is not prevented from reaching Stage 6 and achieving the good ending on Easy difficulty.

The player can enter "focus mode" by holding the focus button, which slows the player character's movements, alters their shot, and shows their hitbox, making it easier to dodge enemy attacks. The player can also use bombs, which grant temporary invulnerability, clear the screen of bullets, and deal varying amount of damage to enemies depending on the shot type. The player has a limited supply of bombs per each life, with each individual shot type featuring two different bombs (one fired while unfocused, the other while focused). Upon being hit by an enemy bullet, the player can avoid losing a life by using a bomb within a small window of time (the timing determined by the chosen character), a technique known as "deathbombing."

In the spring of the 119th season of Gensokyo, an event later known as the Spring Snow Incident (春雪異変) occurs. Gensokyo is stuck in an eternal winter, with snowstorms continuing well into May. The three heroines, each for their own reasons, set out to resolve the incident and return spring to the land. Reimu Hakurei is motivated by the cold temperature making her life at the shrine miserable. Marisa Kirisame finds a cherry blossom petal in her home in the Forest of Magic and sets out to see if winter is affecting the outside world as well. Sakuya Izayoi is forced to act to prevent the Scarlet Devil Mansion from running out of supplies and fuel. Canonically, Reimu is the one that resolves this incident.

In Stage 1, "The Spring of Silvery Snow," the heroine encounters Letty Whiterock (レティ・ホワイトロック). Letty is a yōkai (later explicitly stated to be of the yuki-onna variety) who possesses the ability to manipulate cold. She attacks the heroine to protect the winter environment, which she considers her "happiness." According to official lore, her power is equivalent to the forces of nature during winter, but she becomes virtually powerless and hides in the shadows during other seasons.

Proceeding to the village of Mayohiga in Stage 2, "Black Cat of Mayohiga," the heroine faces Chen (橙), a nekomata (two-tailed cat demon). Chen serves as the shikigami to Ran Yakumo, who is herself a shikigami, making Chen a "shikigami of a shikigami." She possesses the ability to use sorcery but is notably weak to water; getting wet dispels her shikigami possession, reducing her to a regular cat youkai.