New Touhou dropped! Touhou 19's soundtrack is an interesting beast for a lot of reasons. It's the first Phantasmagoria game since the 9th, meaning we'll be getting lots of remixes. It's also the longest mainline Windows Touhou soundtrack to date with a whopping 23 tracks! But weirdest of all, UDoALG's music did not make a very good first impression on me.
The music in this game can be divided into three categories. The three standard battle themes, the five new character themes, and the remixes. The demo only included the standard battle themes and three remixes, many of which rank among the weaker or less interesting tracks in the game. It wasn't until the final game released and I heard the new character themes and all the other remixes when I realized, "Wait... this is actually really good!". Seriously, those new character themes are some of the best original tracks ZUN has made in years, and there are some damn good remixes in here too. Taken as a whole, this might be my favorite Touhou soundtrack since LoLK? Just wait until you see all the 5/5s I have in here.
Intelligence Of Beast
If there's one thing ZUN hasn't missed a bit on, it's the title themes. 17 and 18 both already had fantastic title themes, and Intelligence Of Beast is no exception. Bursting out of the gate with its signature harsh synths, Intelligence Of Beast immediately establishes itself as a more intense and heavy take on the title theme, and it works incredibly well. The interplay between those synths and the tense piano in the first half is fantastic, though the second half isn't quite as strong.
4/5 Stars
Pre-Battle Conversation Theme
There isn't much I can say about this one, it's just a pre-battle theme, but I like the groovy bassline and tense strings. It almost sounds like a score for a spy film, very unique for the series.
3/5 Stars
The World Is Made From Cuteness
This is the only one of the three standard battle themes that I think is genuinely really good and even it took me a bit to really vibe with. It's just so happy and fun, with a cheery main melody, plucky piano, and a bopping verse. There still is some of that modern ZUN weirdness in here, some slurred notes and a strange pre-chorus, but the bulk of this track is a blast to listen to.
4/5 Stars
Magical Beast Scramble
Marisa's theme does not fare as well. I'm split on this track because its frantic nature does actually fit the gameplay of a Phantasmagoria game, it sounds pretty fitting and even good in-game. But when you're listening to it on its own, Magical Beast Scramble just sounds kind of all over the place, with pretty poor guitar usage and some very off-beat chords. I can see what ZUN is going for with this one, it just doesn't fully coalesce for me.
3/5 Stars
The Oni Go To The Perpetual Mountain
The last of the three standard battle themes, this is just such a forgettable track for me. I can't really describe why it doesn't fully work for me like with Magical Beast Scramble outside of it just not being a track whose melody I remember at all. It sounds mostly fine, it has a decent chorus, it just feels so generic especially when Suika has so many other great themes ZUN could've used.
3/5 Stars
Tiny Shangri-La
So this has mostly sounded pretty negative so far, but now we get to the new character themes, which are all fantastic. ZUN really kept his cards hidden until the final release because Tiny Shangri-La is an incredible piece. I love the spacey synth opening, I love the erhu sound and how well-used it is, I love how prevalent the piano is, and I love how clean it all sounds! Everything about Tiny Shangri-La sounds incredibly polished and complete, and I think it has the potential to become a classic Touhou track in the future.
5/5 Stars
A Brave And Leisurely Beast
Enoko's theme is the weakest of the five new character themes by quite a bit, but it's not bad either. It's a fun and playful theme carried by some very plucky synths and a fantastic finale. It's not one of the more memorable Touhou tracks, at least not right now, but it's a very solid listen that balances chaos and cheerfulness really well.
4/5 Stars
Vampiric Cryptid Chupacabra
Chiyari's theme almost sounds straight out of Seihou, like a blend between Illusionary Sputnik Night and Enigmatic Doll but slightly spookier. The return of the The Cliff Hidden In Deep Green synths was a pleasant surprise, and I love the creepy vibe the whole track has. Another gem!
5/5 Stars
The Path To Yomi Where None Turn Back
Hisami's theme is probably the best job ZUN has done making an "off-kilter" track in quite a while. The unconventional time signature, eerie melody, off-beat percussion, and piano trills that sounds like ZUN falling onto his keyboard mesh together incredibly well, and the ZUNpets come in at just the perfect time to turn this initially ominous track into something more militaristic and energetic. Every time I listen to Path To Yomi, I go from gentle swaying to hardcore head-banging without even noticing.
5/5 Stars
The Deviants' Unobstructed Light - Kingdom Of Nothingness
But of course, ZUN had to save the best for last. Idolatrize World is often considered the peak of ZUN's recent final boss themes, but honestly, I like this one better. Zanmu's theme is just so climactic and grand, from the simple but powerful melody, to that haunting vocals, to the way the song keeps building and adding more instruments. Even though the melody remains pretty much the same, you barely notice because of how well-paced those additions are and how phenomenal the final half is. Genuinely one of my favorite Touhou themes in recent memory, ZUN killed it with this one.
5/5 Stars
The Japanese Wilderness The Girl Watched
Time for the remixes! This was one of my favorite tracks in Mountain Of Faith for how ethereal and emotional is, so ZUN decided to basically give it a club remix, and it works surprisingly well? The driving percussion turns a stunning tear-jerker into a fast-paced head-bopper, and the bridge is converted into an absolutely killer drop. Definitely up there with my favorite remixes of the game.
5/5 Stars
Spritual Domination - Who Done It
The original Charming Domination had two versions, one being very piano-heavy and the other being very synth-heavy. This remix basically fuses the two while adding super frantic percussion and it really works. We get the calm piano pre-chorus of Ran's version and the powerful synth-y chorus of Yukari's version. Kinda wish we got a Necrofantasia remix like this.
4/5 Stars
A Pair Of Divine Beasts
Yeah, this one's basically the same, maybe a little faster but otherwise there aren't too many major changes to differentiate it from the original. Still a fantastic track.
5/5 Stars
At The Harbor Of Spring
At The End Of Spring is one of my favorite video game tracks of all time and I think it's a pretty much perfect piece of music, so I shouldn't have been surprised that this version isn't as good. There are some changes I like such as the added choir and synth, but the chorus isn't quite as powerful and the percussion feels off. Still, if the original is a 10/10, this is like a 9.5. The melody is still brilliant, and the piano is as lush and flowing as ever.
5/5 Stars
Unforgettable, The Nostalgic Greenery
The one remix that really doesn't work for me as well as I was hoping, ZUN changed way too much here. Some of the synths that were only used sparingly in the original are vastly overused, the synth is way too loud, and the ZUNPet melody has been messed with. I love the original and much of its greatness is still here, it's a vast downgrade for me.
3/5 Stars
Corpse Voyage - Be Of Good Cheer
Even ZUN knows the Touhou 11 soundtrack is perfection because he barely changed Orin's theme at all. The only thing I can really notice is that the harp is a bit more prevalent and the chorus has a bit more reverb. Same score as the original.
4/5 Stars
The Long-Awaited Omagatoki
Outside of the more frantic percussion and heavier chorus, this isn't too different of a remix from the original track. Not that it's a bad thing, I love the original track.
5/5 Stars
Futatsuiwa From Sado
Once again, not too much different aside from the percussion, but I'm not really surprised considering we've already gotten a lot of remixes of this one in the fighting games. Either way, Mamizou's theme will always slap.
5/5 Stars
Tortoise Dragon - Fortune And Misfortune
I always liked Tortoise Dragon but I think most can agree the original felt a bit weak. This version is hands down an improvement on the original, heightening the power with pretty much everything. The synths are sharper, the choir is louder, and the chorus feels like it punches you in the face. Yachie really got done justice here.
5/5 Stars
Prine Shoutoku's Pegasus - Dark Pegasus
Speaking of doing justice, holy crap! Saki's theme is actually good! Well, okay, maybe that's a bit unfair. The original Dark Pegasus felt way too laid-back and chill to be an extra boss theme, but this remix fixes everything. The synths are punchier, the percussion sounds cleaner, the piano feels more urgent, choirs are thrown in, the ZUNPets sound more forceful, it's all so intense! This. Is. What. This. Song. Should've. Been. The. Entire. Time.
This still isn't one of my favorite extra boss themes, but I like this remix a lot. Saki gets a medal for most improved, and I feel even more justified in finding WBaWC's soundtrack to be ZUN's weakest.
4/5 Stars
Memento Of The Avaricious Beast
Well, this is an uncommon one. A remix of a spinoff theme in a mainline game. I haven't gotten to SHoSS yet, but to be quick about it, I think Yuuma's theme is really good but not amazing. I love the chorus, but the stop-and-go WBaWC-esque percussion prevented me from truly loving it like everyone else did. Once again, this remix is a pretty big improvement. Most of the remixes made the percussion more frantic, but I think it works especially well to carry Yuuma's theme along, all the while the synths sound more refined. The chorus isn't too different, but that's not too big a deal considering that was the best part. To put it simply, Yuuma's theme is fantastic this time and I finally get the hype.
5/5 Stars
Beast Kings' Rest
This is a fine ending theme, it's chill and laid-back, almost lo-fi sounding actually. It's not one of the better ending themes for how simple and sparse it is, but it's incredibly calming and pleasing to listen to so I don't really mind.
3/5 Stars
Do Beasts Have Intelligence?
And as per the usual, the staff roll theme is just a slightly altered version of the title theme. It's a lot softer than Intelligence Of Beasts, but otherwise, it's just as memorable of a motif as it was at the start of the game.
4/5 Stars
Now for the characters. There's five new characters in UDoALG which is pretty good for a Phantasmagoria game considering the last one had like three, plus Aya I guess. The game still came out somewhat recently, but my first impressions are that they're good. UDoALG in general has a lot of really stellar character interactions and the many storylines give me a lot to work off of compared to some of the other recent entries.
Son Biten
Finally, Goku is in Touhou. Okay, obvious joke aside, Son Biten really is just one of those character archetypes where you wonder what took ZUN so long to get to them. A Touhou based off the Monkey King seems like a no-brainer, and Biten is a fantastic execution of the concept. Her design is clean, her laid-back personality is fun, and her theme is a bop. She's one of the more light-hearted characters in the game, but her burgeoning friendship with Sanae is cute and the fact that Yachie tricked her into thinking she was the actual Son Goku is hysterical.
4/5 Stars
Enoko Mitsugashira
ZUN thought Enoko was going to be the most popular Touhou from this game, and yeah, it's not hard to see why. The appeal of Enoko is simple, she's a cute dog girl. But aside from those distinct bear traps she uses as bracelets which symbolize her connection to Cerberus that I actually really like, I just don't find Enoko all that memorable or interesting of a character. Like with Biten and Sanae, her friendship with Marisa is cute, but as a character, she feels just a tad basic.
3/5 Stars
Chiyari Tenkajin
Chiyari's design is top-tier. As someone who adores Hecatia's anachronistically casual goth outfit, Chiyari having similar taste in clothes and even a similar "Welcome To Hell" tagline on her shirt makes me so happy. I'm very much here for this trend of characters from hell dressing with modern day clothing. Character-wise, though, Chiyari is just kinda alright. She's a disheveled shut-in who kinda just vibes which makes for a charming enough character, but it also means I can't get too much of a read on her (likely because there isn't much to read). Though, like with the last two, her friendship with Yuuma is once again very cute.
3/5 Stars
Hisami Yomotsu
So... Hisami turned out to be the smash highlight out of Touhou 19's cast and I'd be lying if I said she wasn't also my favorite of the bunch. Even on her own merits, she has a sleek, memorable design and creepy yet friendly vibe that I find really cool. But we all know why Hisami is really popular, because of her hilariously intense thirst for her boss Zanmu. After decades of yuri shipping, master/servant pairings, and masochist headcanons (poor Tenshi) within the fandom, ZUN just drops a character who falls under all of these umbrellas out of complete nowhere and it's hysterical! Hisami presents herself as this confident bombshell, but in reality, she's an absolute disaster when it comes to seducing Zanmu and it makes for such a fun dichotomy. S-tier character, silly in all the best ways.
5/5 Stars
Zanmu Nippaku
Despite really liking her theme and her servant, Zanmu doesn't quite blow me away as a final boss character... yet. Her backstory of being a human-turned-oni is neat, but so far she just seems to be the same kind of manipulative figure we've been getting pretty regularly over the last few Touhou games. Like with Okina in VFiS, Yachie in this game, and Megumu in Lotus Eaters, I'd like to see more of Zanmu in the future to really get a better read on what makes her unique. But so far, she's just pretty alright.
3/5 Stars
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