Touhou Koumakyou: New Classic Guide – Release, Gameplay, and Changes

Overview

**Touhou Koumakyou: New Classic** is available now. Released on September 10, 2026, this title is a remake of *Embodiment of Scarlet Devil* developed by Team Shanghai Alice under the new **Shanghai Alice Reprise** label. It is the first fully localized mainline entry in the series, supporting 11 languages. The game launches on Steam, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and PlayStation 5.

Overview and Story

The official description defines *Touhou Koumakyou: New Classic* as a vertical-scrolling shoot 'em up where players dodge barrages to uncover the mystery of the Scarlet Mist.

The story follows the original incident: Gensokyo has been blanketed in a scarlet mist. The Hakurei shrine maiden, **Reimu Hakurei**, and the magician **Marisa Kirisame** set out to resolve the incident. Their investigation leads to a Western-style mansion that materialized within the mist, where "she" awaits—the Scarlet Devil herself.

Gameplay Mechanics and Changes

The New Classic version introduces several mechanical adjustments and quality-of-life features compared to the original 2002 release, while preserving the core bullet hell experience.

**Hitboxes and Bullet Behavior** All hitboxes in the New Classic version are now circular, equivalent to the inscribed circle of the original square hitboxes. In practice, this makes all bullets smaller than in the Classic mode, altering the precision required for dodging.

**Stage and Boss Adjustments** Several stage layouts and boss patterns have been modified: * **Stage 3:** Extra waves of enemies have been added to the end of the stage. This change renders the common corner safespot strategy from the Classic mode unusable. * **Remilia Scarlet:** The delay between waves of Remilia's second nonspell has been decreased. Players can no longer prematurely deal large amounts of damage to Remilia's final spell before it is declared. * **Flandre Scarlet:** Similar to Remilia, players can no longer prematurely damage Flandre's QED spell before the spell card is declared. * **Safespots:** Despite other changes, safespots for specific spells such as *Eternal Meek* and *Starbow Break* remain usable.

**Accessibility Features** A new feature allows players to challenge the game with **infinite lives**. This mode includes a death counter, enabling players to experience the full game and patterns without the pressure of life management.

**Unconfirmed Community Observations** Community reports suggest additional tweaks, though these remain unconfirmed by official documentation: * Rank may no longer fluctuate dynamically, with patterns fixed as if rank is at a static level. * The deathbomb window may be fixed at 8 frames, matching the standard for modern Touhou games, rather than decreasing with use. * Reimu's B shot damage may have been reduced.

Characters

Players can choose between two characters, each with distinct combat styles:

Here is the short version:

* **Hakurei Reimu:** The shrine maiden of the Hakurei Shrine. Reimu is described as hard to hit and possesses a wide attack range, making her suitable for players who prioritize coverage and survivability. * **Kirisame Marisa:** A magician living in the Forest of Magic. Marisa utilizes a combat style specialized in high firepower, offering a more aggressive approach to clearing enemies.

Game Modes and Editions

The release includes two distinct versions of the game.

**New Classic vs. Classic Mode** * **New Classic Version:** Features 1080p visuals, remastered art, and completely rearranged background music by ZUN. This mode includes the new systems and gameplay adjustments listed above. * **Classic Version:** Preserves the original 2002 gameplay as much as possible. Note that all text in the Classic version remains in Japanese.

**Standard and Deluxe Editions** * **Standard Edition:** Includes both the New Classic Version and the Classic Version. * **Deluxe Edition:** Includes all main game content plus a Digital Sound Player App. On Steam, the Deluxe edition includes a soundtrack playable within Steam instead of the app.

**Music and Art Credits** The music and art were remastered by an "older and wiser" ZUN. All background music in the New Classic version has been completely rearranged by ZUN. Additional art credits include player sprites by ZUN's wife and enemy sprites by Unabara Iruka of Twilight Frontier.

Platforms and Localization

*Touhou Koumakyou: New Classic* is distributed on the following platforms: * Steam * Nintendo Switch * Nintendo Switch 2 * PlayStation 5

The game is localized into 11 languages, marking the first time a mainline Touhou Project entry has received full localization. This removes the language barrier for new players while preserving the original Japanese text in the Classic mode for archival purposes.