Obviously, the above is a heavy fan-fiction, especially once we factor in existence of print-works it becomes apparent that StB couldn't have been the end. Purists will disagree, but for me it is StB that feels like an actual end of an era, a distanced perspective on completed tale, which contents can never return in the same form. Reading of Bunkachou documenting it and in the end closing it. The next game, MoF, with it's plot showing how newcomers from the Outside World change Gensokyo irrevocably, drives this point further across. DS has none of that. It slots between mainline games without bringing focus to itself, other than being somewhat awkward in lacking Taoist 2hus that will be set as competitors to Buddhists later on. The tone inside DS is, like I said, "things are happening", but outwardly DS is just one of those things that happen among many others. Each game between MoF and TD (with the exception of GFW and arguably Soku) provides feeling of new, interesting newcomers coming to Gensokyo to much greater degree than previous titles, making excitement the new norm. And even in this DS is similar to other titles around it, if on smaller scale. This time it's not a newcomer to Gensokyo, but a newcomer to real journalism that is the latest excitement.
Like I said at the very beginning of this writing, Hatate is a net positive for DS in my eyes. Sure, she might detract from the obviously best tengu there is, but only if you don't pay attention. From gameplay perspective I applaud ZUN for trying to differentiate between Aya and Hatate, even if I think that Aya is generally balanced, while Hatate bounces between being too good on some spellcards due to her better charge recovery and being terrible on others due to her almost unmovable camera. The more important part however is how existence of Hatate tells us more about Aya. There are obviously straightforward comments, the dialogue sequences and spellcard notes in Spoiler Level being the forefront of such. But there is another layer. Under assumption that both Aya and Hatate are experiencing the same or at least very similar situations in each spellcard, it is possible to compare how they react to them. Things like Aya general background knowledge of various kinds, eye for detail and investigative type of curiosity are more visible thanks to Hatate's inexperience, which causes latter to be more easily impressed, to look for right words and to produce theories that on one hand are wild, but on the other aren't tainted by preconceived notions. Likewise, things where both reporters are similar, like being rather proud and curious or putting care into their photos and articles, if in different ways, allows to peer into "average" tengu like with no other species of youkai, because only in DS such possibility to observe various individuals in the same situations exists in all of Touhou. Existence of Hatate in DS deepens Aya and for that reason alone I'm grateful for her inclusion, even if I'm not Hatatefag.
To end this at last, I want to make sure it doesn't come out in wrong way. In those posts I have often criticised DS in comparison to StB. But this doesn't mean DS is a bad or a mediocre game. I had a lot of fun with it, it's a great game, it still scratches the itch for photo games one would surely get after StB. But while DS is a good game, it stands next to a great game that is StB. And this is why, despite a lot of sentiment for the newer title, I needed to express my preference to the original photo game.
I'm sorry again for dumping all of this, I'm sorry also for delay to anyone that was actually reading this. I can only hope it will be useful for someone.
>>49345313
I wish I had a half of that dedication to things I'm obliged to do!
Also, pouring that many words over any subject might be a sign of mental illness, now that I think of it.