console game

Cleared the Touhou gothic horror action game ‘Red Devil’s Remilia Ⅱ Requiem of Yophantas’ for Switch released by CFK on the 14th. It’s a really difficult game.

Teenagers experienced frustration and doubts about whether this type of game would be okay, but when they tried Coin Rush with 20 coins on Very Easy difficulty, even older kids were able to clear it. All you have to do is play with the settings that suit you.

Review written and screenshot provided by: Game Focus reviewer Kim Myeong-hoon
Article written by: Reporter Hyukjin Lee

Before going into the review
To borrow the official game introduction, ‘Red Devil’s Remilia Ⅱ Requiem of the Scarlet Devil’, which appeared on Nintendo Switch, is a side-scrolling action game ‘Red Devil’s Remilia II’ featuring characters from the IP ‘Touhou Project’ loved by fans around the world. As a sequel to ‘Symphony’, it is a ‘Touhou Gothic horror action’ game that boasts HD graphics, full voice support from luxurious voice actors, and increased game volume.

However, the reviewer reveals that he came across the game as a complete beginner, having no prior knowledge of Touhou Project and having not even played the previous work, ‘Symphony of Colors’.

I played the game under the impression that it was simply a ‘Metrobenia-type’ game, without any understanding of the game characters, game mechanics, or skills.

The basic systems of ‘Crimson Demon Remilia Ⅱ Requiem of Yohwan’, ‘floating’ is life.
It is a side-scrolling action game. One chapter consists of several stages and a final boss battle, making up a total of 8 chapters.

Please note that when you start a chapter and set up a new subweapon, your Holy Spirit reserves are also reset. You can set the starting chapter when continuing. However, existing scores do not carry over, so if you are aiming for a high score, you must start anew from Stage 1.

Basic operations are simple. Moving left and right, jumping, attacking, subweapon change and subweapon use. However, there are special operations that combine commands such as backstep or flying kick.

After jumping, you can hover by pressing the jump key once more. While in flight, the energy gauge is consumed. It could be said that this floating state is the signature of this game, but due to the nature of the game, which becomes a kind of ‘barrage action’ when it comes to boss battles, avoiding the barrage while floating becomes the alpha and omega of the game.

The stage structure before the boss battle is also designed with the assumption that flight is possible. However, be careful because it is impossible to float again in the air when floating is stopped.

At the beginning of the chapter, designate 3 subweapons. Subweapons are used by consuming Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is dropped by stage enemies, so proceed through the stage by catching as many enemies as possible for a smooth boss battle.

A variety of subweapons are available, including omnidirectional lasers, Yin-Yang Jade, and the Philosopher’s Stone. It is said to be prepared according to the setting of Touhou characters, but the reviewer has no idea…

You can adjust the difficulty level or number of continues in the settings. According to the game system, if you are pricked by a thorn or fall, you die ‘instantly’, so you cannot even hand out a business card with the default 3 coins. Be careful, as there are many falling sections full of evil.

If you run out of coins during a boss battle and the game is over, you have to start over from the beginning of the stage. The collected Holy Spirit is reset, so you must capture all enemies one by one again.

An unbreakable heart comes from low difficulty and abundant coins.
I got discouraged during the jump section of Stage 2, so I immediately set the difficulty level to Extra Easy with 20 coins and beat it.

However, even with this setting, I got game over several times, so it is still a new type game. Uneasy. Falling 20 times in a row during a simple 4-step jump…

Of course, in the later stages when I got used to flying, I was able to break through with almost 1 coin… Anyway, the difficulty is amazing, so make up your mind or if not, open the settings window.

Appreciation varies greatly depending on the level of difficulty. Breaking your heart quickly is the path to happiness.
There is a clear difference between the appreciation of the first half played with 3 normal coins and the second half played with 20 extra-easy coins.

When playing on normal, I felt like the game was at an unreasonable level. I couldn’t understand how the game was designed to be beaten, and I thought there was no answer other than memorizing the entire stage and avoiding all the enemy patterns.

They say you’ll die in one hit from the thorns on the floor, but it’s weak to think that all you have to do is jump well. The enemy sprays bullets up and down from the other side, and the hit ally bounces back and dies…

It is weak to think that falling is not a big deal because you can float. When the map scrolls by jumping, enemies quickly approach from the other side and target the wealthy character with an attack. If you are hit, you cannot re-float, so you fall to your death.

Boss battles are even more absurd. Is this really possible? Don’t you have to be a Touhou fan or a teenager…

I managed to get over the jump section by gritting my teeth, but after the game over and continuing, I had to start from the beginning of the stage again. I thought it would be easier to just give up and not get stressed out by holding on to an unreasonable game.

The score up to this point is 40 points. Can teenagers play games like this? This game is too harsh for people in their 40s who have slow reactions and are weak at platform games. The thought that ‘Elden Ring’ was a game of reasonable difficulty crossed my mind.

You don’t need graphics, voice, or systems, and a game should be playable, right? This raises the fundamental question of the game: what is the meaning of the game if only a small number of parts can be cleared?

And lowering the difficulty… it’s a proper game. The enemy’s deterrent pattern is easily dealt with by just rushing in and attacking with a couple of hits, and you get used to the jumping section after seeing it about 10 times.

Boss battles can be divided into patterns where you should never be hit and patterns where you just run away after being hit. If you reduce the boss’s health faster than your own, you will win anyway. From the moment Patchouli’s subweapon – Philosopher’s Stone – became available, the boss battle became more challenging. It is the final weapon that can achieve both attack and defense by simply mixing it after floating.

After setting the difficulty level, it became a game that even people in their 40s could play. Appropriate enemy placement, well-placed recovery items, and fun boss battles to identify and attack patterns. It’s a well-constructed game.

After finishing it and looking back, I think I could have given it 75 points. It is a game for fans who are familiar with the Touhou IP, and although it is not a game that will appeal to the general public, it is a game that will appeal enough just because it supports full voice, additional elements, and, above all, is ‘playable on Switch.’

There was a huge frame drop in certain sections – about 2 to 3 frames – but fortunately the frame rate was stable during boss battles.

The overall volume is small. Assuming an experienced person plays one-coin play, it may be a bit exaggerated to say that it only lasts about an hour. Of course, given the genre of arcade side-scrolling action, the amount is not a big problem.

After clearing, various content such as a mode to play as Reimu Hakurei and boss rush will be added, so fans will be able to enjoy it for a while longer.

I faced it without any prior knowledge, and it was so difficult that I gave up once, but I was able to see the ending anyway with the power of money, or rather, the power of Continue. I probably would have given up right away if there wasn’t a function to start from the last cleared chapter when continuing. I think it was a possible result because I was able to somehow gather my concentration and build up one stage at a time.

It’s hard to recommend this game to anyone, but if you’re a Touhou fan, it’s a completely different story. Put your fandom into the jump key and try extra hard one-coin play. If you are a fan who is familiar with Touhou-style bullet hell action, maybe(?) it is possible. It’s a realm of imagination, but…