Touhou Kaikidan ~ Mystic Square

Touhou Kaikidan ~ Mystic Square closes out the Touhou era on the PC-98 and is also the most polished entry of the entire quintet. The player chooses from four characters — Reimu, Marisa, Mima, and Yuuka — and each has such different shot patterns and magic attacks that the game plays a little differently every time through. The plot sends the heroines into the demonic world of Makai to investigate the source of a supernatural disturbance, and the individual stages match that with a noticeably darker, temple-tinged journey.

Compared to the previous entries, several years of accumulated experience show: the bullet patterns are the most complex of the entire PC-98 era, bosses have more phases with clearly distinguished attack sets, and the game communicates what it wants from the player more clearly. The item-collection system rewards a bold push toward the enemies, so scoring isn't just cosmetic but a real reason to play more riskily. Technically, this is the peak of what could be squeezed out of the old platform — bullet density is high, movement stays smooth, and the graphics are more careful than in any earlier entry. The music again relies on FM synthesis and ranks among the most beloved soundtracks of the early series.

After Mystic Square, the creator went quiet, and the series returned only years later on Windows, where it became a globally known phenomenon. That's exactly why the fifth entry is seen as a bridge between two eras: it contains almost everything that defines Touhou, just in a technically more modest form. Today it's the best choice for a player who wants only one of the PC-98 entries — it offers the greatest depth, the best boss fights, and the strongest atmosphere. The difficulty is higher than in its predecessors, which might discourage a newcomer, but the choice of four characters makes it possible to find a style that suits the player, and the lower difficulty tiers offer a way through even for less experienced players. In the end, Mystic Square is a game that can be recommended even to people who otherwise don't care for shoot-'em-ups — it's short, clear, and its bullet patterns can be read more like a puzzle than a punishment.