is a

versus fighting game A fighting game, also known as a versus fighting game, is a video game genre, genre of video game that involves combat between two or more players. Fighting game combat often features mechanics such as Blocking (martial arts), blocking, grappli ...

in the

Touhou Project The , also known simply as , is a bullet hell shoot 'em up video game series created by one-man independent Japanese ''doujin'' soft developer Team Shanghai Alice. Since 1995, the team's member, Jun'ya "ZUN" Ōta, has independently developed ...

game series, announced on 5 October 2012. The game, by

Twilight Frontier , known as Tasofro for short, is a Japanese ''dojin'' game developer. They are best known for their collaborations with Team Shanghai Alice (ZUN), which include seven official games in the '' Touhou Project'' series. Productions Games Music C ...

and

Team Shanghai Alice , formerly known as ZUN Soft, is a Japanese ''dōjin'' game developer. Since 1995, the sole member of the group, Jun'ya "ZUN" Ōta, has independently developed and self-published the ''Touhou Project'', a bullet hell shoot 'em up series, as we ...

, is labelled as the 13.5th Touhou game.東方心綺楼　～ Hopeless Masquerade.

(黄昏フロンティア) The final version of the game was released on 26 May 2013 at Reitaisai 10.

Gameplay

Like its predecessor, '' Touhou Hisōtensoku'', ''Hopeless Masquerade'' is a two-dimensional versus fighting game, where two characters fight each other with various moves. This game features a completely different style of 2D sprites compared to the earlier fighter games. Match timers have been introduced, something not present in previous Touhou fighter games. It is also the first official game to have a native resolution of 1280×720. Various new systems have been made specifically for this game, most notably a completely aerial-based combat system, special moves performed in a key combo system, and an Instant Guard system, which allows the player to parry attacks by blocking right before the attack hits to prevent spirit loss.

Plot

A gloomy atmosphere fills the human village after a series of recurring disasters and catastrophes, as the villagers become uncaring and fall into disorder. Those of religion believe that they should seize control over those falling into disorder, as an opportunity to gather faith and restore order. A battle between three individuals competing over popularity and appeal becomes underway in Gensōkyō, namely the Buddhist priest, the Taoist, and the shrine maiden.

Characters

''Hopeless Masquerade'' features 10 playable characters: *Reimu Hakurei - Main character. The

miko A , or shrine maiden,Groemer, 28. is a young priestess who works at a Shinto shrine. were once likely seen as shamans,Picken, 140. but are understood in modern Japanese culture to be an institutionalized role in daily life, trained to perform ...

of the Hakurei Shrine. *Marisa Kirisame - Main character. Magician from the Forest of Magic. *Ichirin Kumoi - Character from '' Undefined Fantastic Object''. *Byakuren Hijiri - Character from ''Undefined Fantastic Object''. *Mononobe no Futo - Character from ''

Ten Desires is the thirteenth main game of the ''Touhou Project'' dōjin scrolling shooter series made by Team Shanghai Alice. Gameplay ''Ten Desires'' retains the same core gameplay mechanics of the rest of the ''Touhou'' games, in which the player will ...

''. *Toyosatomimi no Miko - Character from ''Ten Desires''. *Nitori Kawashiro - Character from ''

Mountain of Faith is the tenth main game in the ''Touhou Project'', and the twelfth game overall. As with the other main ''Touhou'' games, ''Mountain of Faith'' is a vertically scrolling shoot 'em up game. ''Mountain of Faith'' was released in the Comiket 72 in ...

''. *Koishi Komeiji - Character from ''

Subterranean Animism is the eleventh main game of the ''Touhou Project'' scrolling shooter series by Team Shanghai Alice. The game was released on August 16, 2008, during the 74th Comiket. Gameplay ''Subterranean Animism'' is a vertically scrolling shoot 'em up ...

''. *Mamizou Futatsuiwa - Character from ''Ten Desires''. * - A

menreiki is a type of yōkai in Japanese folklore, composed of Gigaku masks. It is listed within the 1781 compendium of Japanese supernatural entities, entitled ''Gazu Hyakki Tsurezure Bukuro''. It is mentioned in folklore that during the time of Prince ...

who was born from the 66 masks that belonged to

Hata no Kawakatsu , sometimes called Hada no Kōkatsu, was a legendary figure in Japanese folklore, who is believed to have introduced ritual Shinto dances to Japan in the sixth century. He is also considered the progenitor of a hereditary line which includes many ...

. When one of the masks, the Mask of Hope was lost, it caused the humans to lose all hope and she decided to search for it, but it went in vain. She's a lifeless and emotionally devoid person, and she had to rely on her masks to properly express her emotions. All of her masks are in harmony with one another, but when she lost the Mask of Hope, it caused a severe imbalance and as such, she went berserk.

References

External links

Official site
(Twilight Frontier)
Official gameplay promotional video

Hopeless Masquerade on Touhou Wiki
{{Touhou Project 2013 video games Fighting games Japan-exclusive video games Touhou Project games Video games developed in Japan Windows games Windows-only games Twilight Frontier games