Touhou Speedruns: Dive Into Fast-Paced Bullet Hell!

Hey guys! Ever heard of Touhou? It's this crazy-popular series of bullet hell games known for its insane difficulty, awesome music, and a huge cast of super cute anime girls. But did you know there's a whole community dedicated to speedrunning these games? Yeah, people are seriously good at them, and it's a wild ride to watch! So, buckle up as we dive deep into the world of Touhou speedruns, exploring what makes them so unique, challenging, and utterly captivating.

What Makes Touhou Speedruns Special?

Touhou speedruns are a breed apart from your average speedrun. It’s not just about blasting through levels; it's about mastering complex patterns, optimizing routes through bullet hell, and making split-second decisions under immense pressure. It's a true test of skill, memory, and mental fortitude. One of the biggest draws of Touhou speedruns is the intense difficulty of the games themselves. These aren't your casual shooters; we're talking about screens filled with bullets coming at you from every direction. Speedrunners need to navigate these chaotic patterns with laser-like precision, often relying on frame-perfect movements and memorized sequences. This level of difficulty makes each successful speedrun incredibly satisfying to watch, knowing the sheer amount of practice and dedication it took to achieve.

Another aspect that sets Touhou speedruns apart is the sheer variety of strategies employed. There's no single "best" way to speedrun a Touhou game. Players constantly experiment with different routes, shot types, and bombing strategies to shave off precious seconds. This leads to a constantly evolving metagame, with new techniques and discoveries being made all the time. This makes watching Touhou speedruns consistently interesting, as you're always learning new things about the game. The complexity is really what makes it shine, the speedrunners are always finding new patterns and finding new ways to squeeze the most juice out of the game as possible. This aspect encourages more players to give speedrunning a chance since the community is constantly innovating.

Finally, the community surrounding Touhou speedruns is incredibly passionate and supportive. Speedrunners are always willing to share their knowledge, offer tips and tricks, and encourage newcomers. This creates a welcoming and collaborative environment where everyone can learn and improve. The Touhou community is built by people that enjoy the games at their core, so anything that expands on the experience is always welcome. This aspect also helps the growth of the speedrunning community since there is always help available.

Getting Started with Touhou Speedrunning

Okay, so you're intrigued and want to try your hand at Touhou speedrunning? Awesome! Here's a quick rundown to get you started. First, you'll need to choose a game. Touhou has a wide variety of games, each with its own unique mechanics and challenges. Some popular choices for beginners include Touhou 6: Embodiment of Scarlet Devil, Touhou 7: Perfect Cherry Blossom, and Touhou 8: Imperishable Night. These games are generally considered to be more accessible than some of the later entries in the series.

Next, you'll want to familiarize yourself with the game. Play through it a few times, learn the enemy patterns, and experiment with different shot types. Don't worry about speed at first; just focus on surviving and understanding the game's mechanics. Once you have a good grasp of the game, you can start researching speedrunning strategies. Check out websites like Speedrun.com and YouTube for videos and guides. Pay attention to the routes that other runners use, the strategies they employ, and the tips they offer. There are also communities on Discord and other media that are always available to help and give advice.

Now it's time to start practicing! Begin by focusing on specific sections of the game, such as the early stages or boss fights. Try to optimize your movements, learn the best bombing strategies, and memorize the enemy patterns. Don't be discouraged if you make mistakes; everyone does. Just keep practicing and you'll gradually improve. It's important to keep a positive attitude while practicing, this activity is supposed to be fun and engaging, so it is important to prevent burnout and negativity. Speedrunning can be a long and difficult journey, but it's also incredibly rewarding.

Record your runs so you can analyze them later. Watching your own runs can help you identify areas where you can improve. You can also share your runs with other runners for feedback. This will require you to be a little brave, but the community is very welcoming and willing to help out. So it is a great idea to get out of your comfort zone and show people your hard work. Compare your runs to those of more experienced runners to see how you can improve your strategies. This is an effective way of learning new tricks to improve your score and optimize your gameplay. The point of speedrunning is to have fun and constantly improve, this will help you accomplish that.

Touhou Speedrunning Terminology

Like any specialized community, Touhou speedrunning has its own lingo. Understanding these terms will help you better understand the runs you're watching and communicate with other runners. Here are a few key terms:

• No Miss Clear (NMC): Completing the game without dying. This is often considered the ultimate challenge in Touhou speedrunning.
• 1cc (One Credit Clear): Completing the game using only one set of lives (continues). Similar to NMC, but allows for some deaths as long as you don't run out of continues. This is a more approachable goal than NMC for most players. This is still difficult to accomplish.
• Bombing: Using a bomb to clear the screen of bullets and avoid taking damage. Bombing is a crucial skill in Touhou, and speedrunners often use it strategically to save time or avoid difficult sections. Bombing is more than just a panic button.
• Routing: Planning out the most efficient path through the game, including which enemies to kill, which items to collect, and which strategies to use. Good routing is essential for a fast speedrun. Routing is the mental work behind speedrunning.
• Glitches: Exploiting unintended mechanics or bugs in the game to gain an advantage. Glitches are sometimes used in Touhou speedruns, but they are often restricted to specific categories. Be careful with glitches, they can break the game or get your run disqualified.

Top Touhou Speedrunners to Watch

Want to see some masterful Touhou speedrunning in action? Here are a few top runners to check out:

• Mokou: A legendary Touhou speedrunner known for their incredibly fast and consistent runs. Mokou is the benchmark for many Touhou speedrunners.
• Hina: Another top runner with a focus on technical skill and innovative strategies. Hina is always pushing the boundaries of what's possible in Touhou speedrunning.
• Cirno: A rising star in the Touhou speedrunning community, known for their aggressive playstyle and willingness to take risks. Do not let the character fool you, Cirno is an ice cold player.

The Thrill of the Run

Touhou speedruns are more than just watching someone play a game quickly. It's about witnessing a display of incredible skill, dedication, and mental fortitude. It's about seeing the boundaries of what's possible being pushed further and further. And it's about being part of a passionate and supportive community.

So, whether you're a seasoned Touhou player or a complete newcomer, I encourage you to check out the world of Touhou speedruns. You might just be surprised at what you find. Who knows, maybe you'll even be inspired to pick up the controller and try it yourself! So get out there and give it a shot, you might be the next star.

Whether you are a seasoned speedrunner or just starting, Touhou is a great game to get into. The speedrunning community is always welcoming new players and the games are hard but fair. So do not get discouraged and try your best, you might just surprise yourself.