How hard are the PC-98 games?

[Smash The Oni]

I'm about to play the PC-98 games, but I'd like to know the difficulty of each game in comparison to the Windows games. I usually stick to Normal mode.

[Sombres]

Going from personal experience, 1 and 5 were the hardest in my opinion, but nothing enough practice shouldn't solve. I only really managed to make a 1cc on 2, on normal, after a lot of practice. You might have lots of fun with the third one. I would say they are a bit harder in comparison to windows games if you're used to hitboxes and focused movement, but it probably goes easier on the patterns due to that. The second game also gives you more bombs at the last life (depending on the configs, perhaps - or maybe it always gives you 5 bombs).

[TresserT]

They're... different from the more recent games. The PC-98 games use a LOT more randomness, especially in stage design. They also have a ton of streaming. The patterns tend to be less complicated, but it's harder to judge hitbox sizes even if you're used to the PC-98 ones, ESPECIALLY with the super tiny bullets.

If you've played the len'en games, they play a lot like evanescent existence.

Of course, I'm not counting 1 or 3 since they aren't standard shooters.

In general I'd say PC-98 is harder than most windows games, but it'll vary per person. They test different skills.

Personally, and I play on Lunatic mind you, I think MS is among the harder games in the series, up there with UFO and LoLK. LLS is about average in difficulty. SoEW is pretty easy.

[Karisa]

This is ranking by 1cc difficulty (not no-bomb runs or scoring or anything), in no particular order:

LLS is significantly easier than average Touhou games-- I'd go as far as saying it's 1 difficulty lower (LLS Hard is more like a Normal, LLS Lunatic is more like a Hard). There are a few ridiculous patterns, but you can bomb them.

MS is the closest to Windows gameplay, but notably it relies more on bullet speed than density. I'd say it's one of the harder games to 1cc if you prefer planned strategies over reflex dodging as I do, but easier than the (similarly styled) EoSD, especially in stage 2 and 3. It's also like PCB in that it doesn't vary as much by difficulty-- harder Easy than average, barely any change from Normal to Hard. (Note that on Lunatic, Yumeko is up there with the hardest stage 5 bosses, due to two specific patterns.)

SoEW's patterns aren't too hard, and it's a short game, but you have to adjust to its very limited mechanics-- no focus, no health bars, no deathbombing (if anything it seems there's a bomb delay, where you have to press the button well in advance), no autocollect even by bombing, irregular bullet hitboxes, and rapid-tapping Z (or autofire) is stronger than simply holding Z. The bosses don't even change between Hard and Lunatic; Lunatic only makes stage enemies shoot revenge bullets.

PoDD is widely considered the hardest Lunatic 1cc in the series (well beyond UFO), though a lot of that comes from only getting 4 extra lives. I'd say it's worth a try even if you don't like PoFV (I don't).

HRtP barely changes by difficulty, is also a short game, and its unlimited extends every 400,000 points make it trivialized by bomb-spamming (just make sure the orb bounces off Reimu during the bomb to extend the combo). Lunatic makes all the cards shoot bullets, but also raises their point value, so you can still combo them with bombs just as easily. The bosses after stage 5 get pretty ridiculous on any difficulty and can randomly corner you, but you can bomb through them too, by using bombs to safely slide the orb into them.
(Though HRtP might seem really hard to a Normal player, if you're not used to planning out strategies yet.)

[WodofGar]

I found the PC98 games to be some of the easiest in the series, actually. I've beaten LLS on hard (but that game is really easy already) and MS on hard (with Mima, she's OP), as well as the extra stages of both. SoEW is the most unfair, but if you know it, it's almost a joke.  PoDD is like prototype PoFV but less complicated, and Aya isn't there to cave your perfect run. LLS is the easiest, which is ironic because Yuuka is supposed to be super powerful. I find her to be the easiest final boss in the series, by far. MS plays like a SNES Touhou 6, but has Mima in it. Yumeko will difficulty spike you in the ass.

Touhou 1,

I don't wanna talk about HRtP, I suck at breakout. Google the controls, they're weird.
When you get there, have fun fighting Evil Eye Σ. That game is so unfair.

[Smash The Oni]

Okay, thanks for the tips. I already beat HRtP, which only really tripped me up on its final boss (both of them), but I'm glad they're not all Mario 2/Castlevania 3 hard, for a comparison.

[WodofGar]

The PC98 games have some of ZUN's best music IMO. Especially PoDD.

[98digger]

I haven't played HRtP, but I've played the demo versions of all the other PC-98 Touhou games. From my experience, they're slightly easier than the Windows games, with the exception of PoDD; the PC-98 doesn't have a rapid fire feature when using the keyboard to play, so it's actually very difficult. Of course, I've only played the demos (I'm still waiting for ZUN to make all the PC-98 games officially available for download on his website), so I probably haven't played far enough into the games yet to know how difficult the last few stages are.

If you find that the PC-98 games are too difficult, I've discovered that by changing the processor speed in the PC-98 BIOS (or emulator settings), you can slow down the entire game to make it much easier. 

[Ghaleon]

I found them all to be easier than the pc games on average on normal when played on normal, never played them on hard+... Also when I was new at Touhou I kept hearing how evil eye sigma is by far the hardest extra boss (or just boss period IIRC)... I disagree there too... provided you know to mash the fire button instead of hold it... if you hold it...actually I still had a harder time with gengetsu IIRC.

[Smash The Oni]

Update:

SoEW: This one tripped me up with it's control. I found it a lot harder to dodge bullets that I would've had no problem with on a Windows game.

PoDD: Same experiences as PoFV. Didn't provoke too much of a challenge until the end.

LLS: This one was somehow easier than IN. Characters controlled well, and bullets were easy to dodge. A fully powered Reimu feels really overpowered in this game, and it gave me extra lives and bombs like nobody's business.

Haven't played MS yet.

[WodofGar]

LLS Marisa lasers are horribly op, was my first extra win. Does like 3x damage than other types.
SoEW is weird with picking up items, the boxes are tiny af.
PoDD Yumemi is a cheating fuck.
Play MS and prep your anus for PC98 Sakuya.

[Smash The Oni]

Update:

MS: It really wasn't that hard until I reached Yumeko, in which the difficulty spiked through the roof. I also had some trouble with Shinki near the end of that boss.

[WodofGar]

Lol, Yumeko becomes ridiculous on hard and lunatic, I have no idea how people beat that game.

[Raikaria]

Going by how far I've gotten:

To compare to Windows:
EoSD: I can make it to Sakuya or even Remilia sometimes
PCB: Youmu
IN: 1CC'ed as Magic and Scarlet
PoFV: 1CC'ed
MoF: 1CC'ed
SA: Stage 5
UFO: Murasa; sometimes Stage 5
TD: 1CC'ed; can get to Mamizou's 6th spellcard
DDC: Sukana
LLK: Not played

HrtP - I haven't actually played this one
SoEW - It's more mechanics that make this hard than real difficulty; since any SoEW run is automatically no-focus. If it had focus it would be easy. I can get up to Marisa on Normal. Honestly even Evil Eye Sigma, regarded as the hardest EX Boss in the series; is only hard because it's No Focus. If you could focus in SoEW even EES would be about a Stage 5 boss difficulty at worst.
PoDD - Honestly I haven't found Normal that hard; I've actually 1CC'ed it but I don't count the Phantasmogorias as true 1CC's due to how they work
LLS - Am I the only one who finds this somewhat tricky? I can't even get up to Yuuka1 [I die in Stage 5]
Mystic Square - Certainly the hardest PC-98 on Normal. I can hardly even make Stage 4 here [Which is worse than how my UFO runs tend to go too; I die on Murasa/Early Stage 5]

[Failure McFailFace]

They tend to be easier than Windows, but as others have said, they rely more on randomness than dense patterns.

If you're good at random patterns, great! You'll have a good time with PC-98.