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This is a brief document written by someone who has played Phantasmagoria of Flower View for a month or two. It is certainly not comprehensive. The author is also not someone who has considerable experience in other Toho games and thus some terms used here may be inconsistent with those used by the Toho fan community.

Controls:

Left, Right, Up, Down, and combinations of these movements. Moves your character around in the 2-dimensional playing field.
"Slow". When this key is pressed and held, the transforming "field" of your character becomes visible. The transforming field can be of various shapes and sizes depending on your character. In addition the "hit box" in the center of your character becomes visible, and your character's movement becomes slower for better control when manoeuvring through complex patterns.
"Spell". Casts the highest level charge spell your character is currently capable of. Charge spells are like bombs -- they have a lot of impact on the opponent's field. Depending on the level your spell is, it may also have the effect of destroying all targets and obstacles currently on your field.
"Fire". The primary firing key. When held, this key will "charge up" your spell attack, allowing you to choose any level spell you want. For example, if my spell level is at 3, holding the "fire" key will charge it so I can use a level 1 spell, a level 2 spell, or a level 3 spell. However, it is limited by my current spell level: it cannot go up to a level 4 spell. It also unleashes "charge shots" to destroy targets. Depending on the level of the spell cast, it may also clear your field.

Health:

All characters initially come with 4 health dots in the top middle part of the field. These go down by halves whenever your character's critical area hits another object. However, you may find that up to one and a half dots may be reduced from your health at a time, because colliding with an object can nudge your character in various directions, which may in turn cause them to collide with other objects. Also, the amount of health taken can be affected by the type of object you collided with and the intensity of the collision, whether it was a brush or a total collision.
If your character collides with an object and loses health, the objects within a small radius around your character may also be dissolved to allow you to recover.



Layout of field:

In Phantasmagoria of Flower View, you have the option to choose one of multiple characters to go through the story mode, which consists of 8 levels. Each character has their own specific set of movement type, "fields", and offensive weapons such as spells and "specials". Depending on the skill level of the player, characters may also find that they are disadvantaged against certain other characters for various reasons.
A typical playing field is split into two halves vertically, with the human player usually taking the left hand side by default, whilst the AI takes the right hand side. The objective is to survive longer than the other player. Survivability is also dependent on defensive, offensive and manoeuvre skills.
After the initial established field, obstacles and targets begin to fill the screen.

Objects:

The destruction of any objects on the screen will add to your running tally of "hits" found on the top left corner of the field. This keeps tab of cumulative destruction of objects in a row, but if you get hit or your attack pauses/misses, the count resets to zero. Up to 999 cumulative hits is possible. (Destruction of objects by spell casting also counts).
Targets are objects which may be eliminated by shooting them:
Fairies: There are two types of fairies -- large and small ones. They come in from the edges of the field. They are the primary targets and are extremely easy to destroy by shooting. These also tend to have an explosive impact for objects around them (although this does not affect your character at all). Shooting one of the fairies which come in a row usually causes a chain reaction along the entire row.
Butterflies: These glowing wing-like objects seem to be formed in the top third of the playing field from the destruction of fairies by your opponent. They vary in speed and size, and generally drift towards the bottom of the screen. Like fairies they may be destroyed by shooting at them, although a bit more fire power is needed to eliminate them. When butterflies come in contact with the characters' fields, they turn into Bubbles with a bubbling sound effect.
Bubbles: Glowing balls, these are transformed butterflies. Whereas butterflies tend to drift downward, bubbles will drift upward at a reduced speed. These are easier than butterflies to destroy by shooting, and for all intents and purposes they have the same explosive range as fairies. However, if left undestroyed, bubbles dissolve into 3 white balls with red outlines which drift toward the last known position of the character.

Shooting certain fairies, butterflies and bubbles will have an impact on your opponent's field -- either they fly into their field and become level 1 obstacls, or they become "Ex attacks". Shooting and destroying targets also raise your spell levels.

Obstacles are objects on the field which cannot be destroyed by shooting. Both levels of obstacles can be destroyed by casting a spell of sufficient level:
Level 1 obstacles are objects which can be destroyed by exploding fairies or bubbles close to them. They come in the form of small dots of various colours, usually white. These drift in random patterns, usually downward. They tend to be easy to avoid, although they can prove extremely hazardous if there are a lot of them.
Level 2 obstacles are objects which cannot be destroyed by normal means -- they have to be avoided and allowed to drift off the screen. These tend to come in the forms of larger circles, petals, stars, etc.
"Ex" Attack Obstacles are obstacles generated in your field by the opponent destroying fairies, butterflies, etc. Specials fly into your area as glowing patterns which look like doilies. The spot where they go to is usually where the Ex attack obstacle will spawn. These specials differ by character, and some Ex attacks will also react to your character's initial position.



Spells:



There are 4 known spell levels which may be used by a character. For level 4 spells there are also more subtle levels from 1 to 16 which affect the intensity and length of your spell's attack (Dragon and Fairy intensities).
Spells may be obtained by building your spell levels simply by destroying enough targets. Alternatively, losing health may also increase your spell level. In addition, when you are in your last health, you get an automatic level 4 spell level bestowed on your character. A level 4 spell can also be obtained via a "G" special bonus. A level 4 spell cast by your opponent may be neutralised entirely by you casting a level 4 spell in turn. If both players have a level 4 spell charge, the first to cast their spell may be disadvantaged in that their spell can be neutralised by the other.
Level 1 spells unleash your special attack which may be capable of hitting multiple targets on your field. It has little, if any impact on your opponent.
Level 2 spells unleash a more powerful version of your special attack. Depending on your character, level 2 spells may surround your opponent with your spell's obstacles, similar to specials obstacles, but targeted at the position of your opponent. It can also destroy a small radius around your character.
Level 3 spells destroys all objects within a certain radius of your character. It can have an extremely cluttering effect on your opponent's field, introducing a lot of obstacles and targets in fixed patterns. (These patterns are again specific to characters).
Level 4 spells will clear your entire field of the obstacles currently on it. A mirror version of your character will fly into your opponent's field and unleash devastating effects which might include combinations of level 2 and level 3 spells, as well as some unique attacks. Again, the form of level 4 spells are dependent on the casting character.
For level 4 spells there are 16 subtle levels as indicated by a bar running along the bottom edge of the field. This bar seems to charge up in accordance with the number of consecutive objects you destroy in one go. When the level on the bar reaches 16, and charges up to a full bar again, an automatic level 4 spell will be cast without depleting your spell charge. Alternatively, an automatic level 4 spell may be cast to defend against your opponent's spells.

Special bonuses:


Special bonuses may be obtained by shooting at the character sprites which come into the field to unleash attacks. Both the mirror image of your opponent (level 4 spell) and Lillie (who unleashes a whole heap of dots of various colours) may be shot at. Depending on the intensity and effectiveness of your shooting, you might be able to destroy the sprite and shorten the assault. Destroying your sprite will cause a special bonus square to drift down.
"Ex" will unleash a whole lot of specials upon your opponent's field.
"G" will give you a level 4 spell-casting capability, regardless of your original level.
(There are two other special bonuses with kanji on them. I am not sure of what they do, although one of them seems to increase the power of your primary fire).


Strategy:



Time your shooting of the fairies and bubbles to have maximum impact on level 1 obstacles. For Lillie and some special attacks, strategic destruction of fairies and bubbles can be critical to surviving the encounter, as they reduce the number of obstacles your character will have to weave past.

Keep calm. More damage may be done if you rush around. Keep your movements economical and minimal. Sometimes sitting still can save lives.

If you are fairly confident in avoiding collisions, always try to shoot the enemy character sprites -- if you are good enough in carrying out a sustained assault, the spell can be cut short and you can also get the special bonuses. With Lily especially, if you are firing at her up close and personal, you will find that she explodes more quickly (thus reducing the number of dots you have to deal with). In addition, the game helps you shoot down the bosses by giving a guide at the bottom of the field showing where the "Boss" is. If you can't see where they are due to the special effects, follow the guide.

If you see a "G" special bonus drifting down at you, and you have a level 2, 3 or 4 spell, immediately fire it off so it can clear the area for you to get the bonus, plus give your opponent a giant headache at the same time.

If you can micro-control your character's movement, you will find that avoiding collisions will be much easier. Remember that even if objects intrude on your character's sprite, if they don't touch the critical area, you're safe. The game will award you bonus points if you steer your character extremely close to hazards without colliding. (By extremely close, I mean that usually the hazard would be within your character sprite.)

Cast spells by holding the "Fire" button down whenever possible. This has a disadvantage because whilst holding the "fire" button down, you are defenseless and can only dodge things. However, it allows more control over your spell casting and in addition your spells will recharge more quickly using this method.

USE your spells, don't keep them there "just in case". The more you use them, the quicker they will recharge, and the harder a time given to the enemy. If you find your character trapped in a corner or having a lot of obstacles charging right at your position, cast a level 2 or 3 spell to give you some room to move away from there. It will save you a few lives. Remember, spells destroy everything at a certain radius.

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