Tied for my favorite in the series with 11. It has some of the strongest general theming, art/character design, and music of all the Touhou games. UFOs, Space Invaders-style enemy placements, etc., all that stuff gives this game a distinct flavor.
Mechanically I feel this is the strongest Touhou game thanks to the UFO system. It recontextualizes every stage - which were previously rather straightforward and uninteresting before (and after) - into an intense scramble for UFOs. Routing is more important now: you'll have to prioritize UFO-carrying enemies, strategically wait for UFO colors to change, decide when to bomb, and decide where to move to maximize UFO bonuses. This kind of system makes the game a lot more intense compared to others, it's really satisfying. Most of the spell cards are pretty tough, but you can get tons of bombs and lives through UFOs, so it balances out.
Mechanically I feel this is the strongest Touhou game thanks to the UFO system. It recontextualizes every stage - which were previously rather straightforward and uninteresting before (and after) - into an intense scramble for UFOs. Routing is more important now: you'll have to prioritize UFO-carrying enemies, strategically wait for UFO colors to change, decide when to bomb, and decide where to move to maximize UFO bonuses. This kind of system makes the game a lot more intense compared to others, it's really satisfying. Most of the spell cards are pretty tough, but you can get tons of bombs and lives through UFOs, so it balances out.
Full disclosure, I had to give up and take an easy 1cc for this game becuase I spent about a month straight bashing my head against the wall trying to get the one run I needed to clear Byakuren on Normal, but, man, it just wasn't coming. My own disabilities seemed keen to prevent me from reaching that goal. I was about ready to be done with the game, and just wanted to move on.
I actually like this game. A return to regular bombing is great! I think the choice to make you lose huge entire chunks of your power when you die sucks, becuase dying twice on a boss means you're basically doing nothing at all to them. The UFO mechanic, honestly, I like it. I see why people don't like it, because sometimes the Blue Man will enter your home without your permission, but routing stages to get huge points into a UFO to then give you a bunch of life pieces all at once, that's super satisfying. It feels great. The danmaku in this game isn't super easy, but it's not nearly as bad as some of the stuff in 11. I think this game is fun. I feel bad for moving on without an actual normal 1cc, but after a month of it, I just wanted to play something else.
I love this game for bringing Makai back into Touhou canon for certain. Byakuren also having one of ZUN's best patterns in his entire career, Devil's Recitation, is the cherry on top. A definite return to form after the pointless changes of 10 and 11.
Favorite track - Rural Makai City Esoteria OR UFO Romance in the Night Sky
I actually like this game. A return to regular bombing is great! I think the choice to make you lose huge entire chunks of your power when you die sucks, becuase dying twice on a boss means you're basically doing nothing at all to them. The UFO mechanic, honestly, I like it. I see why people don't like it, because sometimes the Blue Man will enter your home without your permission, but routing stages to get huge points into a UFO to then give you a bunch of life pieces all at once, that's super satisfying. It feels great. The danmaku in this game isn't super easy, but it's not nearly as bad as some of the stuff in 11. I think this game is fun. I feel bad for moving on without an actual normal 1cc, but after a month of it, I just wanted to play something else.
I love this game for bringing Makai back into Touhou canon for certain. Byakuren also having one of ZUN's best patterns in his entire career, Devil's Recitation, is the cherry on top. A definite return to form after the pointless changes of 10 and 11.
Favorite track - Rural Makai City Esoteria OR UFO Romance in the Night Sky