Touhou 19: Unfinished Dream of All Living Ghost
General Information About Story Mode Gameplay:[edit | edit source]
In story mode, there are several mechanics you need to be aware of to understand what happens in the game. Unlike Touhou 3 and Touhou 9, you do not actually have to outlast a timer to win, or wait for the AI to lose all its lives, although the latter is one way to win. The other way to win the match is going through all the predetermined progression phases without losing all your lives. The last progression phase is always a boss, and once this boss is defeated, the stage will end, and the player will win. A timeout of a boss pattern is still considered a success, so you do not have to deplete the boss healthbar. The progression phases for each stage is given below. It is important to note that the extra and boss pattern levels will be different across the difficulties, increasing with higher difficulty.
Stage 1 and Stage 2:[edit | edit source]
Extra Attack
Extra Attack
Low Level Boss with a Nonspell
High Level Boss with a Nonspell and a Spell
Stage 3:[edit | edit source]
Extra Attack
Extra Attack
Low Level Boss with a Nonspell
Extra Attack
High Level Boss with a Nonspell and a Spell
Stage 4:[edit | edit source]
Extra Attack
Extra Attack
Low Level Boss with a Nonspell
Extra Attack
Low Level Boss with a Spell
High Level Boss with a Nonspell and a Spell
Stage 5:[edit | edit source]
Extra Attack
Low Level Boss with a Nonspell
Extra Attack
Extra Attack
Low Level Boss with a Spell
Extra Attack
High Level Boss with a Nonspell and a Spell
Stage 6:[edit | edit source]
Extra Attack
Mid Level Boss with a Nonspell and a Spell
Low Level Boss with a Nonspell
Extra Attack
Extra Attack
Extra Attack
Low Level Boss with a Spell
Boss with First Unique Spell (Example: Zanmu's First Unique Spell: "Insentient Pure Spirit Shot")
Boss with Last Unique Spell (Example: Zanmu's Last Unique Spell: "Kingdom of Lost Sheep")
Note: These phases refer to the attacks that happen seemingly out of blue, meaning a boss or an extra attack spawning out of nowhere, without the AI charging a level 3 or level 4, or simply by chaining a lot. The additional extra and boss attacks spawned by the AI will NOT count towards stage progression.
To progress through each phase, the player can kill enemies (including spirits), use level 2, level 3 or level 4 charges. Higher hit count will advance the stage faster. Sending an extra attack with a level 3 charge or sending a boss with a level 4 charge will significantly advance the stage, usually allowing the player to reach the next phase. A level 2 charge progresses the stage as well, but it is not as significant as level 3 and level 4 charges. It is important to note that the phases will not advance while there is a boss on the screen, so if the player wants to advance through the phases, they have to defeat the boss first.
Each shottype has its own unique scope, level 1, level 2 (skill), level 3 (extra attack) and level 4 (boss) charges. Not all of these tools can be used mindlessly. For example, Rin Kaenbyou's extra attack spawns a bunch of spirits. This extra attack is great at overwhelming the AI, but against certain opponents, it can be extremely detrimental. The playstyle of every character will be given in their respective Shottype and Story Mode Route section, as not every shottype benefits from quickly advancing the stage.