Favorite Stage Designs

[Nobu]

MoF stage 4 and SA Stage 4 and 5 immediately come to my mind as being awesome. All three are synched and choreographed perfectly with the music, have strong and interesting patterns, and are a joy to play.

Anyone else have any stage designs they'd like to mention that really stand out to you, and why?

[nintendonut888]

Just stages, hmm?

The second half of IN stage 4 is very fun almost entirely because of how well it synchs with either boss theme (though Reimu's works better).

I'm also very fond of MS stage 5's second half, even though I've never survived it.

What else...?

LLS stage 6 is one of my favorite stages because of how laid back both the stage and the song are, and they somehow make it still feel like the end.

[Janitor Morgan]

The fanboy in me wants to say EoSD Stage 4, but I think PCB Stage 5 and UFO Stage 6 have it beat -- the former because of how the music swells as Youmu arrives as well as the fairly interesting patterns, and the latter because it helps build anticipation using the music and the constant rows of Space Invader fairies.

[Formless God]

IN Stage 5, SA Stage 4, UFO Stage 4 and UFO Stage 6 for both impressive designs and synchronicity (did I spell that right ?)

[theshirn]

synchronicity (did I spell that right ?)

Go listen to the Police.

Umm...UFO stage 6 comes to mind, just for lolspaceinvaders.

MS stage 4, just for Maple Wise.  The white knives on white background is not so nice, but on the whole I like it.

[PostCrisisJ2]

PCB Stage 4 and MoF Stage 4 [despite the latter always messing me up].

[Drake]

oh nobu you so sly

[LHCling]

LLS Stages 4, 5 and 6 topple the others, with particular emphasis on 4. While I'm at it, SoEW Stage 4 is also nice.

Granted there are qualities of almost each and every Stage that I can point out, but the 4 above mentioned are the ones that leave the best impression on me as a whole.

Cut: And interrupted twice while hitting the post button. Slow internet is slow.

[Alfred F. Jones]

Everything in the latter half of UFO. UFO Extra is really fantastic, too. It's so pretty~

[Sen]

I'm tempted to say UFO Stage 4 just for the music and how brilliantly the stage syncs with it. The same applies to MoF Stage 3.


But, as for stage portions that are just ridiculously fun, I'll go with UFO Stage 3, with an honorable mention to EoSD Stage 3.

[Azinth]

MS stage 4 (item-collecting bonanza), SA stage 5 (fun Touhou streaming wtf), EoSD stage 3 if you're constantly PoCing like a suicidal maniac (which any self-respecting player should).

I don't like most Touhou stages.  Oftentimes it feels like he cares more about music synching than actually making his stages interesting. :/

[ebarrett]

UFO extra. No contest.

As for regular stages: SoEW stage 4 for giving the impression of being much faster-paced than it actually is, MS stage 5 for "ok now here's all the first half's patterns all at once" second half, and SA stage 5 for being bullshit hard but absolutely fair.

UFO stage 4 would make it into the list as well, but since you need to chain UFOs during it if you want to have enough resources for the endgame, all the fun goes down the drain.

[ふねん1]

SA Stage 4. The amulet patterns consistently change across the stage, despite their shared "aimed" aspect, and match well with the background. The music also flows quite nicely (specific phrases start when midbosses/lasers appear). Honorable mention to SA Stage 5, mostly because of how the music transitions perfectly into the end of the stage (though it also follows a format of starting phrases when new stage portions begin).

[Silent Harmony]

Out of the three I've played enough times to remember the stage (in game order):

EoSD Stage 4
PCB Stage 5
SA Stage 4

The first two I like because there's nice variety in what comes at you, but decent practice and memorization makes them much easier to deal with. They, to me, truly reward memorization and good play.

The third one is just fun. Can't really explain it but it's my favorite in the game.


On another note PCB S4 is my least favorite stage. Wave after wave of what basically comes down to 50% streaming, 50% bullshit. And good luck making the BS easier without homing (which sucks everywhere else in the game) or SakuyaB.


EDIT: As usual, these rants are based on lower difficulties

[Furienify]

Assuming you're not screwing up:

PCB Stage 3 (you finish Marisa Stole the Precious Thing Doll Judgement just as you finish Alice)
EoSD Stage 6 (Climaxes just as Remilia flies into the screen)
MoF Stage 5 (Same with opening graphic and Sanae midboss; hands down my favourite stage theme in general)

[Lybydose]

PCB Stage 5 because of music syncing.

[Solais]

PCB Stage 4, IN Stage 4 with Marisa's music (I aet u donut :V), Mof Stage 3-4, SA Stage 3-4, UFO Stage 6.

[Helion]

IN Extra, because of the lack of bullshit until Fujiyama Volcano.
UFO Stage 5 for its hellish music-bullet-enemy syncing.
MoF Stage 2.

Also what is with everyone fitting Shikieiki Yamaxanadu in their names.

[Zengeku]

I don't know, are we taking about the stage aesthetics or the how entertaining they are to play? Well, i'll just try my best.

UFO Stage 5 is really damn beautiful and aside from the orb-spam at the end, its not bad from a gameplay perspective either. I also really like the music in it.

UFO Stage 4. Its a stage that consists almost wholly if not completely of dodging. There is nothing that needs to be memorized and its not unfair or anything. Its fun to do and the music in it is awesome. One of the only good parts of UFO imo.

SA Stage 4: The stage is very beautiful and very challenging. Most of it is completely fair but if need arises, SA's power/bomb system kills any possible issue. It also helps that its host to my absolute favorite S4 boss in the series though that has no relevance here. I also like how the stage has a lot of variety. First there be beautiful red bullet spam, then there be amulet dodging, then laser grid, then mid-boss, then hard streaming, laser grid again and finally a relaxing end portion that looks great but is incredibly easy. Most Touhou stages are the same thing all the way through them (still very different from each other luckily) but S4 is different. There is of course other stages like this...

[Doomsday]

UFO Stage 5 and PCB Stage 4 come to mind when it comes to design, merely because i love how they sync to the music. There are other stages that I like because of this, but those 2 are the ones I prefer

[Helix ⑨]

PCB stage 5.
Then endless stairs is really endless!
Actually I don't know if it is supposed to be endless....

UFO stage 6 <3

[Ghaleon]

I haven't fully played many of the old th games yet, but lls stage 4... Newer th games just don't have fun stages for the most part IMO.

[Zengeku]

UFO stage 6 <3

 

[Aisha]

SA Stage 5 stands out in recent memory--the music, sound effects, and visuals fit really nicely together. I find the stage quite creepy and somber. I can't think of a stage that I find to be the most fun to play, though. It has been too long since I've played most of the Touhou games, so they all kind of...blend in together.

[orinrin]

Whats with all this Stage 1 hate?  I rather like UFO's first stage.

[DgBarca]

This one because I made it
Hum...I would say...SA stage 1 lunatic err... PCB stage 5

[Zengeku]

This one because I made it
Hum...I would say...SA stage 1 lunatic err... PCB stage 5

That looked pretty well. Just too bad you didn't capture the final one. Makes it difficult to see it with that laser in the way...

[c l e a r]

SA Stage 5 stands out in recent memory--the music, sound effects, and visuals fit really nicely together. I find the stage quite creepy and somber. I can't think of a stage that I find to be the most fun to play, though. It has been too long since I've played most of the Touhou games, so they all kind of...blend in together.

I agree with this.

I like the syncing in MoF Extra too.

[MysTeariousYukari]

PBC Stages 3-5 on Hard and IN Stages 4 and 5 on Hard as well as IN Extra.

PCB Stage 3 Cause Alice always makes me use a continue their, but it's still not THAT annoying
PCB Stage 4 Cause Sister Prismriver almost always beat me(Read as: Game Over), I have only beaten them once, which was today :toot: They have a nice boss theme as well. Lily White can go die in a goddamn fire though, she often kills me 3+ times, and I usually have all of my bombs in stock when I die to her
PCB Stage 5 Cause Youmu makes a Master Spark SFX when she shows up as a Midboss, and she has evil cards on Hard.

IN Stage 4 Cause Marisa is fun, but evil to fight and I just love listening to Love Colored Master Spark.
IN Stage 5 Cause Reisen is freaking evil, comparable to Lily White. Stage 5 is the furthest I have gotten to on Hard, so I can't even mention Stage 6.
IN Extra Cause I can make it to Mokou and her 1st Spell :toot:

[IcedFairy]

Let's see....  EoSD stage 4 and PCB stage 4 both will linger in my mind forever as the stages that slapped me across the hitbox and demanded I learn how to play.  Sorta.

SA stages 4 and 5 for being lovely and distinct.  SA stage 1 also is in my heart, but I can't tell if it's love or rage I feel.  Probably rage.

UFO stage 6 was great.  It's too bad I can't remember any of the other levels because I was too busy trying grab UFOs and swearing about how the bullets blended with everything else because of my color blindness.

And I really like IN stage 6B for all the pretty explosions and Voyage 1969.  IN stage 2 is fun for explosions as well.