Most Touhou fangames aren't that old, really. As far as I can tell, the fangame scene really took off around 2009 or so, and that's when every Comiket started seeing a huge rush of vidya. There were certainly games beforehand, though... like this one! Moedan takes all the way back to 2005, and in some ways it really kinda shows it.
![[Image: H7UGwc9.png]](https://i.imgur.com/H7UGwc9.png)
A basic shump game, Moedan gets points from me for focusing on the part of the Touhou shooters I really enjoy, that being the spellcard patterns. With 50 spellcards and two ways of clearing each one, Moedan focuses entirely on how you clear spellcards, either by timing them out with increasingly complex patterns, or shooting them until they explode with increasingly complex patterns. A single spellcard might transform from the occasional circle of bullets to a huge tidal wave of them, and each one is surprisingly unique.
![[Image: wUOp7BK.png]](https://i.imgur.com/wUOp7BK.png)
As far as I can tell, Moedan has an excuse plot where a young ZUN is being taught about bullet hell games. The game itself serves as a good lesson, though! The spellcards start off relatively easy, and gently curve up in difficulty as you go, avoiding the problem of being ridiculously hard and skill gating you from getting into the game to begin with. I played it about when I played some actual shooter games, and it worked out pretty well - it helped me make it through Touhou 13!
![[Image: dm4bzC4.png]](https://i.imgur.com/dm4bzC4.png)
The main functions of the game are shot type and method of battle. You can play with either Wide or Linear shot type, giving yourself a spread of bullets that doesn't change form when you focus or not - which is actually quite useful, allowing you to use focus solely for dodging features. Simply shooting until you clear it is the easier method in most cases, giving you the silver medal. However, if you time it out as they increase their firepower, you get a gold medal! You get a preset amount of lives and bombs per spellcard with no way to change it, so you'd better be ready to make them count.
![[Image: zqlXn0f.png]](https://i.imgur.com/zqlXn0f.png)
However, the game is... basic. And I admit, this isn't the most fair judgement thanks to how long since it's been made! But it's very clear that it shows its age, and while the gameplay holds up fine, there's no real derivation or changes. It's 50 spellcards with a couple optional bonuses (do two at once), no more, no less. No difficulty levels or secrets or anything. It is worth playing, but you can probably crank it out in a couple afternoons.
![[Image: gFnEh5Z.png]](https://i.imgur.com/gFnEh5Z.png)
Just remember the lessons of your teachers Flandre, Alice, and Merupo and you'll make it through!
THE VERDICT
While Moedan lacks extra content, I don't feel I can make it that much of a ding. After all, this was 2005! The times were different from a game made in 2018. I do think the lack of difficulty levels or secrets makes the game a bit short, but it can still be addicting - it's another of the few Touhou fangames I 100% cleared, and I would have never expected to do that with a shump game of all things. Ultimately, taking into account the standards of the time, Moedan gets 4 Reimus out of 5 from me.
A basic shump game, Moedan gets points from me for focusing on the part of the Touhou shooters I really enjoy, that being the spellcard patterns. With 50 spellcards and two ways of clearing each one, Moedan focuses entirely on how you clear spellcards, either by timing them out with increasingly complex patterns, or shooting them until they explode with increasingly complex patterns. A single spellcard might transform from the occasional circle of bullets to a huge tidal wave of them, and each one is surprisingly unique.
As far as I can tell, Moedan has an excuse plot where a young ZUN is being taught about bullet hell games. The game itself serves as a good lesson, though! The spellcards start off relatively easy, and gently curve up in difficulty as you go, avoiding the problem of being ridiculously hard and skill gating you from getting into the game to begin with. I played it about when I played some actual shooter games, and it worked out pretty well - it helped me make it through Touhou 13!
The main functions of the game are shot type and method of battle. You can play with either Wide or Linear shot type, giving yourself a spread of bullets that doesn't change form when you focus or not - which is actually quite useful, allowing you to use focus solely for dodging features. Simply shooting until you clear it is the easier method in most cases, giving you the silver medal. However, if you time it out as they increase their firepower, you get a gold medal! You get a preset amount of lives and bombs per spellcard with no way to change it, so you'd better be ready to make them count.
However, the game is... basic. And I admit, this isn't the most fair judgement thanks to how long since it's been made! But it's very clear that it shows its age, and while the gameplay holds up fine, there's no real derivation or changes. It's 50 spellcards with a couple optional bonuses (do two at once), no more, no less. No difficulty levels or secrets or anything. It is worth playing, but you can probably crank it out in a couple afternoons.
Just remember the lessons of your teachers Flandre, Alice, and Merupo and you'll make it through!
THE VERDICT
While Moedan lacks extra content, I don't feel I can make it that much of a ding. After all, this was 2005! The times were different from a game made in 2018. I do think the lack of difficulty levels or secrets makes the game a bit short, but it can still be addicting - it's another of the few Touhou fangames I 100% cleared, and I would have never expected to do that with a shump game of all things. Ultimately, taking into account the standards of the time, Moedan gets 4 Reimus out of 5 from me.
![[Image: s2n7oi.png]](https://files.catbox.moe/s2n7oi.png)
