Well, we made it to the end of the PC-98 games, and what an end it is. Mystic Square is one hell of a swan-song for the console. Four characters, some of the best fights to date, and a Top 3 ZUN soundtrack. Seriously, this is one of my favorite video game soundtracks period, let alone just in Touhou. The sense of drama is unparalleled.
Wondrous Romance - Mystic Square
As per the usual, the title theme is amazing. That godly intro is definitely the highlight in how dramatic and exciting it is, but the whole track is so sweeping and grand. Wondrous Romance absolutely sets the tone for the game to come.
5/5 Stars
Dream Express
Absolute banger of a first stage theme. The ominous build-up building up to that phenomenal drop is so eargasmic, yet the song just keeps getting better from there. The verse is fast-paced and frantic, with a great sense of urgency, while the pre-chorus is more slow and somber. Everything about this song just screams final installment, and while the chorus is just the verse at a higher pitch, it's pulled off so freaking well. Definitely one of the best first stage themes in the series.
5/5 Stars
Magic Formation - Magic Square
Magic Formation is one of the weaker Mystic Square themes but that's just a testament to how good the rest of the soundtrack. Being a first boss theme for a PC-98 game, it's nice and intense but a bit short and repetitive. The main melody sounds like Maiden's Capriccio with some notes taken out, but the driving backing track is the real star of the show here.
4/5 Stars
Dimension Of Reverie
Unlike Dream Express, Dimension Of Reverie barely even has a build-up. It just bursts out of the gate full throttle, maintaining that same fast pace and sense of urgency... at least until the bridge where the song suddenly slows down for a melancholic organ piece. The whole song is phenomenal, but it's that somber ending bit that really makes it for me. The blend between bleak and thrilling is what defines Mystic Square's soundtrack.
5/5 Stars
Spiritual Heaven
Like most PC-98 early boss themes, Spiritual Heaven is a pretty short and simple loop, but the melody is really pleasant and easy on the ears, and the same driving energy that permeates Mystic Square's soundtrack is used to great effect here.
4/5 Stars
Romantic Children
Romantic Children starts great and just keeps on getting better as it goes on. The stellar intro, that catchy main melody, that godly chorus, all culminating in that grand, loud, frenetic, and dramatic final reprise to cap off the song. Most of Romantic Children is pretty slow-paced by Mystic Square standards so when that final bit kicks in, it really hits.
5/5 Stars
Plastic Mind
Now this is an amazing boss theme. The first half is alright stellar, super intense and fast-paced, with a fantastic driving riff in the background, but we all know the highlight is that iconic operatic chorus. I love how jarring the shift is at first, until the backing track comes in again and the whole song comes together. Similarly to Spirit Battle, there's something very orchestral-sounding about Plastic Mind, it's great stuff.
5/5 Stars
Maple Wise
This is one of my favorite tracks in the entire series. It's not as long as some of the other stage themes, but it makes the most of its short runtime. The melancholic western-sounding verse is already pretty great, but then the pre-chorus comes in and you can tell the song is building up to something. And then, the chorus. Holy crap, that chorus. A godly, chill-inducing, climactic, dramatic, grandiose melody that hits you like a truck every time you hear it. And when you learn it was a part of Shinki's theme the whole time, it gives this tune so much more weight. What a gem.
5/5 Stars
Forbidden Magic
I don't really have much to say about Forbidden Magic, though I do think it is really good. The main riff is catchy, the build-up is fantastic, and the energetic chorus is super satisfying. It's just a damn good boss theme, even if it's overshadowed by the high bar Mystic Square often meets.
4/5 Stars
Crimson Maiden - Crimson Dead
I've ranted enough about PC-98 tracks that take a single melody and keep looping it, but this is hands down the peak of that style of music. Crimson Maiden's main loop is short, but it's frantic, intense, and dripping with emotion. Considering this is a theme about a boss whose friend you just killed, there's a raw sense of anger here that really elevates what could've been a pretty average boss theme.
5/5 Stars
Treacherous Maiden - Judas Kiss
I love how dramatic Mai and Yuki's themes are. But where Yuki's theme packs a massive emotional punch, Treacherous Maiden is unique in how emotionless it sounds. Where Yuki was wracked with grief at Mai's death, Mai considered her dead weight from the very start. Treacherous Maiden does a good job of capturing the horror of Mai's reaction while also being a solid fast-paced boss theme.
4/5 Stars
The Last Judgement
The Last Judgement is probably the most upbeat of all the stage themes, with a breezy tempo and a super empowering melody. This is a theme that really makes you feel like a badass, and it's a real head-banger at that. The chorus is definitely the highlight here, it's just so fun and energetic.
5/5 Stars
Doll's Story - Doll Of Misery
Yumeko's theme resembles that of Ellen and Kana in PoDD, taking a fairly solemn melody and bolstering it with some energetic background instrumentations, creating a pretty neat dissonance. Doll's Story sounds both super energetic and fast-paced, and subtly melancholy as well. And the final bit where the main melody kicks back in is pretty great.
5/5 Stars
End Of The World - World's End
This is a stage 6 theme, alright. It's not super long, but it's very tense and has an especially strong feeling of finality to it. You really get the vibe that you're not just at the end of Mystic Square, but the PC-98 era as a whole.
4/5 Stars
Legendary Illusion - Infinite Being
And here we are. The end of an era, the culmination of everything Mystic Square has been building up to, the best song of the game, and one of the best songs in the series. Everything about Legendary Illusion is perfect. It's drenched in drama and melancholy from start to finish. The intro is fantastic, super eerie and intimidating. The verse is majestic, perfectly fitting Shinki's status as a god. The pre-chorus is exciting, hyping up for the song's peak. And then, two minutes in, you get that absolutely transcendent chorus, taking Maple Wise's melody and playing it far more seriously. Man, I love this song, genuine masterpiece.
5/5 Stars
Alice In Wonderland
Mystic Square has one of the best streaks of songs out of any game in the series. Legendary Illusion is already phenomenal, but Alice In Wonderland is almost just as good. Similarly befitting the last PC-98 extra stage theme (and technically the last PC-98 stage period), Alice In Wonderland has a nostalgic feel to it. The whole melody is incredibly lovely, but there's something about that chorus that really hits you in the feels.
5/5 Stars
The Grimoire Of Alice
Capping off that legendary streak, The Grimoire Of Alice is a real banger of an extra boss theme that doesn't quite surpass Cute Devil but comes incredibly close. In almost hilarious contrast to Alice In Wonderland, this theme is intense and fast-paced from start to finish, with a super catchy and energetic melody.
5/5 Stars
Shinto Shrine
Mystic Square has a lot of ending themes, but I can at least say they're all pretty great. Being the bad ending theme, Shinto Shrine bringing back the World Of Empty Dreams motif works pretty much perfectly.
4/5 Stars
Endless
Befitting the good ending, Endless is a mostly cheery theme with a super catchy main melody and a driving drum beat. However, those brief moments where the song slows down still feel oddly melancholy given the circumstances. I do still really like that part of the song but it's definitely an interesting choice.
4/5 Stars
Eternal Paradise
So the PC-98 uses FM synthesis for its music, along with the Sega Genesis. I'm saying this because Eternal Paradise sounds straight out of Sonic, between the hopeful melody and the instrumentation that just feels so distinctly Sega. You probably need to hear it for yourself, but tell me it doesn't sound like this song was made using the same soundfont, it's so uncanny. That's not a bad thing, by the way, the sheer good vibes of Eternal Paradise makes it a pretty perfect good ending theme.
5/5 Stars
Mystic Dream
The intro of Mystic Dream is so chill-inducing, it's so intense and haunting. The chorus isn't quite as strong, but overall, this is a great staff roll theme.
4/5 Stars
Soul's Resting Place
Soul's Resting Place might be my favorite PC-98 name entry theme. I like how all of them have a pretty ominous tone, but Soul's Resting Place is the most ominous of the bunch.
4/5 Stars
Peaceful Romancer
I'm kinda surprised Peaceful Romancer is an ending theme, it's way too energetic and upbeat, almost as if it should be a staff roll theme instead. Either way, it's still a phenomenal track. It's fast-paced throughout and the chorus is just incredible.
5/5 Stars
As far as characters go, Mystic Square is definitely an improvement on Lotus Land Story. While the early bosses still don't have much going on, the story of Makai is interesting and the latter bosses are quite memorable.
Sara
Who?
1/5 Stars
Louise
Poor thing, all she wanted was to leave Makai. Louise could've just been a forgettable second boss but the fact that she was an innocent civilian who had no part in Shinki's plan made her so much more likable and sympathetic than she had any right to be.
4/5 Stars
Alice Margatroid
Alice! Here's another future Windows character, and a pretty great one at that. There's a lot to like about Alice, between her (future) friendship with Marisa, her solitary nature, and her bond with her dolls that frequently toes the line between wholesome and creepy. The mystery about her potentially being a former human is also pretty cool.
5/5 Stars
Yuki
Yuki and Mai's dynamic is one of the coolest things in Mystic Square, but I prefer Yuki. Her furious reaction if you defeat Mai gives her a lot of character, which is only bolstered by the music.
4/5 Stars
Mai
What an asshole. Seriously though, I do kinda love the cruel twist of Yuki being wracked with grief and Mai just thinking of Yuki as a meatshield, but it's also hard not to despise the character after you hear what she says.
3/5 Stars
Yumeko
So plenty of PC-98 characters would get overshadowed by Windows counterparts, but the fact that ZUN would introduce another knife-throwing maid the game after Yumeko debuted is just plain sad. Still, knife-throwing maids are pretty badass and Yumeko definitely stands out as one of the more memorable PC-98 characters even if she lacks Sakuya's depth.
4/5 Stars
Shinki
Everyone wants Mima to return, but Shinki is the one I want back the most. Makai exists, UFO confirmed it, so why can't its god show up again? Her design is sick, and her storyline has a lot of neat subtext. Sure, she claims she wants to start a tourist agency, but the background during her fight showing Makai on fire opens a lot of questions. Did Shinki start the agency because Makai was going to shit, was she scared about her power and destroyed it mid-fight on accident, or did she want to destroy it? Oh, and her potential connection to Alice is pretty fascinating too. Shinki has the potential to either be one of the most affable and sympathetic villains in the series, or one of the most tragic, or one of the cruelest.
5/5 Stars
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