After I finally convinced my computer to behave and not automatically delete the .exe thinking (erroneously, of course) it was infected, I can put all of today's anxiety toward waiting for the trial to good use. Lunatic Mode, straight away! Go!
Okay, so I didn't 1cc it on my first try, but
I did get to the Stage 3 Boss. Also of note is that I perfected (a.k.a. NDNBNT) Stage 1
on said first try. Granted, the No Trance bit was more because I'm still wrapping my head around how to keep track of it. And am I reading this right, is there really an auto-Trance feature when you get killed? Amidst all the divine spirits, you suddenly become a "vengeful" one upon death. :V
I still need to 1cc the trial before I can completely judge it, but so far I'm quite impressed. Lunatic Mode still feels challenging, despite what ZUN claims about the difficulty. And let's not forget this is only the first half of the game - wait until we see how hard the final boss becomes, I'm calling this one right here. I'm also glad that the spirit mechanic isn't quite like the UFOs that some here may have hoped for (you know who you are). Similar in that you have to go up the screen to get them, but that's all they share. And once again ZUN composed some great pieces of music. Now if only I knew enough Japanese, I'd help out with the translations too.