Does anyone else feel like this is a Touhou clone?

[Ender]

I'm not claiming that all bullet hells are Touhou clones, but just look at this one:
-You play as female magical beings
-You shoot fairies
-The music uses a lot of the same instruments as Touhou
-Graze appears to be a pretty big mechanic in this as well.

[Oguzhan]

Yes and no honestly. I hear that this game is made by the guy who made some of the fan games. So it is clearly inspired by it BUT when you think about it , a lot of bullet hell games with a female cast is similar to touhou. Is touhou even the first one to do it? Not sure. I know its an old series but still. Anyway in the it is a great game so thats all that matters imo.

[Ender]

But what of the other similarities I mentioned?

[Fancydz]

How do you define 'xx-clone'?
Is Torchlight a 'Diablo-clone'? Is Fortnite a 'PUBG-clone'?
It's okay to say this game has similar mechanism with Touhou series, or parts of its design are inspired by Touhou. In fact if you like you can find lots of fan-made games with similarites you mentioned(like graze or shoot faries, etc.), but not all of them are Touhou clone.
Barrage Musical has its own background and character settings, also a special stage design in which bullets come out on the beat of music, these qualitative differences are enough to make itself a unique game.

[Aurinko]

It's definitely a clone. "Clone" is a standard term these days, typically used without second thought even in contexts where it's misleading or improper. If the term has any purpose in discussing and describing video games, then this is one case where its usage is proper.

How anyone feels about the term (I personally don't like it, but it's at least short and to-the-point) or its connotations is another discussion. A piece of art or technology need not be original to be aesthetic or functional and able to justify its own existence, nor does originality necessarily increase its value in any meaningful way.

[玄澈]

I like this game. It arouses my interest to know 東方 project gradually. I have never played STG games before. this game blends bullets with music in an almost perfect way.

A new STG player from China

[Aurinko]

Originally posted by 1053067021:

I like this game. It arouses my interest to know 東方 project gradually. I have never played STG games before. this game blends bullets with music in an almost perfect way.

A new STG player from China

Great! This game being a homage to 東方 Project I'm sure the developer would be pleased. There are lots of references to 東方 and similarities between the two that go beyond mere influence. Visuals, characters, bullet patterns, even the soundtrack seem to intentionally mimic patterns found in 東方 Project. I don't think the creator is trying to hide it - on the contrary it's a public show of respect to 東方 and ZUN. There's a saying "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery". Besides innovation, imitation is also an essential driving force behind all progress, be it art or technology. Before copyright was a thing, imitation was a perfectly acceptable practice amongst artists, composers and inventors, e.g. it was normal for a composer to "borrow" (without explicit permission) a melodic phrase from a colleague and modify and extend it to create something of her own. I feel Barrage Musical is initially a carbon copy of 東方 Project Windows games that has gone through enough post-processing and infusion of its own ideas that it stands on its own.

I should take this opportunity to make it known that Touhou Project games are NOT freeware. It's no secret that you can download them for free, just like anything else. I'm not interested in the ethical debate about piracy/sharing - everyone makes their own choices and tries to rationalize them - but I consider spreading mis/disinformation a bad thing. Whatever anyone decides to do knowing that fact, I only ask that if you enjoy something immensely, consider showing your appreciation in some way (paying money for a reasonably priced product is one of the most effortless ways to do it, but not the only one).

[玄澈]

The interesting thing is, I like this game more than Touhou STG games. In the whole playing of the game, Barrage Musical makes me more comfortable. As you said, “Barrage Musical is initially a carbon copy of 東方 Project Windows games that has gone through enough post-processing and infusion of its own ideas that it stands on its own”. I absolutely agree.
Anyway, I am grateful to it. On one hand, the game itself has brought me happiness, on the other hand, it makes me know Touhou rich and wonderful story.
I like Barrage Musical’s style, and hope that the sequel will continue the style of one's own.

Originally posted by twitch.tv/anriuko:

Originally posted by 1053067021:

I like this game. It arouses my interest to know 東方 project gradually. I have never played STG games before. this game blends bullets with music in an almost perfect way.

A new STG player from China

Great! This game being a homage to 東方 Project I'm sure the developer would be pleased. There are lots of references to 東方 and similarities between the two that go beyond mere influence. Visuals, characters, bullet patterns, even the soundtrack seem to intentionally mimic patterns found in 東方 Project. I don't think the creator is trying to hide it - on the contrary it's a public show of respect to 東方 and ZUN. There's a saying "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery". Besides innovation, imitation is also an essential driving force behind all progress, be it art or technology. Before copyright was a thing, imitation was a perfectly acceptable practice amongst artists, composers and inventors, e.g. it was normal for a composer to "borrow" (without explicit permission) a melodic phrase from a colleague and modify and extend it to create something of her own. I feel Barrage Musical is initially a carbon copy of 東方 Project Windows games that has gone through enough post-processing and infusion of its own ideas that it stands on its own.

I should take this opportunity to make it known that Touhou Project games are NOT freeware. It's no secret that you can download them for free, just like anything else. I'm not interested in the ethical debate about piracy/sharing - everyone makes their own choices and tries to rationalize them - but I consider spreading mis/disinformation a bad thing. Whatever anyone decides to do knowing that fact, I only ask that if you enjoy something immensely, consider showing your appreciation in some way (paying money for a reasonably priced product is one of the most effortless ways to do it, but not the only one).

[Chirpy13]

Originally posted by Some Nue Fanboy:

I'm not claiming that all bullet hells are Touhou clones, but just look at this one:
-Graze appears to be a pretty big mechanic in this as well.

Actually, it seems to be quite the opposite. As far as I can tell, graze does nothing in this game aside from a sound effect, so it's more simlar to MoF in that regard. I've only spent a couple hours on this game so far but from what I can tell so far the main mechanics seem to be quick-kills on regular enemies, point-blanking for coin shedding, and lots of bombing.

[かぐや]

This actually looks like really well made Touhou art styled shoot em up.
Also looks better than this LIDL version of Touhou https://store.steampowered.com/app/930860/The_Party_of_Demons/

[D-Black Catto]

Originally posted by かぐや:

This actually looks like really well made Touhou art styled shoot em up.
Also looks better than this LIDL version of Touhou https://store.steampowered.com/app/930860/The_Party_of_Demons/

lol you're shilling your own game there?

[MaiKai]

Have you guys played by any chance this one and know how do they compare?

Wondering if it's worth having both or if they're too similar to recommend?

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1000440/__Abyss_Soul_Lotus/