Shoot the Bullet: Gameplay

This article covers some gameplay points of Shoot the Bullet.

Controls

Arrows - move

Shift or X - Focus mode.

Z - shoot picture. (See note below)

As a first in the Touhou series, Aya can move at three different speeds. In order of decreasing speed: normal (not holding either focus or shoot), focus (hold focus), or charge (hold focus + shoot). People familiar with Phantasmagoria of Flower View may recall that Aya has an above-average normal movement speed; the same is true here, though there is no other PC to readily compare it to.

In order to take a picture, Aya's camera needs to be charged to 100%. You'll be notified of that happening by a sound, as well as the text 100% and Enabled around the crosshairs near her. Every scene begins with Aya's camera at somewhere around 50-70% charge (with the word Disable underneath it in grey). The camera charges itself, albeit slowly; you can increase the speed of the charge by holding down focus + shoot, simultaneously sticking you in a very slow movement speed.

Note that you CANNOT take a picture while focused, as pressing the shot button causes the game to put you in charge mode.

The crosshairs dictate the center of the (potential) picture. Normally, the crosshairs will stay near to Aya, slightly leading in the direction she is heading. You may move the crosshairs by holding down the picture button (only at 100%) - this enables you to take pictures at other locations, but at the expense of picture size (think of it as a zoom). In this mode, time slows down incredibly - but not completely, and Aya may be killed while this is in progress. Furthermore, you can only hold the picture button for so long before Aya is forced to discard the shot (frame becomes too small) - and the accumulated energy.

Any picture taken drains the camera entirely, setting it to 0%/Disable. However, bullets and other things (Alice's dolls, Letty's mist, etc.) caught in the picture not only disappear, but also restore a tiny amount of charge each. A well-taken picture can reduce the amount of charge time towards the next frame significantly.

If a picture includes the boss, it is scored a Success, pegged to the side, and you regain charge for any bullets caught in it. (Scoring considerations are below.) If a picture does not include the boss, it says Failure, and the picture is discarded - but the amount of charge you gain from bullets is doubled.

Playable Characters

Only Aya Shameimaru is playable.

Stages

Currently it has been found that there are ten 'levels' in StB, as well as an Extra (EX) level. The number of scenes in each level varies. Though you can select any scene you wish from levels you've unlocked, the game will only recognize the existence of the next level above your highest open level (eg. if the highest level you have open is 4, then attempting to select level 5 will only show you its unlock requirements, and levels 6-10 will not be selectable at all.)

To enable a level, a player must either:

- achieve a certain number of cleared scenes in the level before it, or
- achieve a certain number of total cleared scenes from all levels.

A scene is defined as being cleared when a player takes a given number of pictures of the boss sprite within the time limit. Cleared scenes may be distinguished by pink Japanese text at the bottom of the screen, where Aya is talking (or what can be thought of as a description of the scene, though not entirely accurate) as well as the character 済 next to a scene label in cyan. (Incomplete scenes have no mark next to them.) Getting hit or running out of time constitutes a failure.

Note that, in case of a failed scene, your total count of photos taken for that scene and best photo are still updated, while your scene high score is not - allowing for oddities such as a single photo score having a higher value than the highest total score for the scene.

Stage Listing

Spoiler alert. Many credits to the MotK discussion thread.

Level 1 - Wriggle, Rumia - No preconditions

Level 2 - Cirno, Letty - 3 cleared scenes in Stage 1

Level 3 - Alice, Keine - 8 cleared scenes total, or 3 cleared from level 2

Level 4 - Reisen, Medicine, Tewi - 14 cleared scenes total, or 3 from level 3

Level 5 - Meiling, Patchouli - 20 cleared total, or 3 from level 4

Level 6 - Chen, Youmu - 25 cleared total, or 3 from level 5

Level 7 - Sakuya, Remilia - 30 cleared total, or 3 from level 6

Level 8 - Ran and Yuyuko - 35 cleared total, or 3 from level 7

Level 9 - Eirin, Kaguya - 40 cleared total, or ? from level 8

Level 10 - Komachi, Sikieiki - 45 cleared total, or ? from level 9

Extra - Flandre, Yukari, Mokou, Suika - 66 cleared total

Scoring

Your score depends on a number of factors.

- Boss Shot. (multiplier) Awarded when the boss is in the picture. You need this to get a valid picture, but you get a bonus for it anyway. You won't get this (or a successful picture) if you manage to clip the feet of the boss only - the engine needs to agree that it was a significant portion (not necessarily entire) of the boss sprite. Note that you will still see other bonuses for failed shots, but you receive zero points for it.

- <color> Shot. (multiplier) Awarded when there's a significant amount of a particular color of bullets in your shot. Note that, depending on the scene, it's possible to get two or more color bonuses at once. In other circumstances, if the bullet colors are very varied, you'll be awarded a Colorful Shot or Rainbow Shot bonus.

- Self Shot/Two Shot. (multiplier, usually 1.2x?) Awarded when Aya herself appears in the picture. Note that the particular distinction between the two, and why sometimes both may be awarded in the same picture, is not yet clear.

- Risk Shot. (bonus points) Awarded when Aya is close to bullets or the boss, akin to a graze bonus of older Touhou titles. The amount naturally varies with respect to the overall threat of the situation (how close Aya is to a bullet/s).

- Nice Shot. (multiplier) Awarded when the "spell circle" of a boss is in the picture. The "spell circle" is a pentagram, encased in circles, that tends to appear quickly at preset points in a boss' attack pattern. Note that spell circles, while not always implying an immediate wave of bullets, can still be used to predict boss movements - and is not considered an attack, meaning Aya may stand in it without fear of being hit. It generally starts fairly large, centered over the boss, but shrinks in size and disappears quickly.

- Empty Shot. Appears when nothing is in the picture except lasers. This is just a message. No bonus is awarded.

- Solo Shot. (bonus points) Awarded when only the boss or Aya herself appears in the picture except lasers, i.e. Empty Shot + Boss Shot or Self Shot. This bonus is 100 points.

- The base score of the picture presumably comes from the number of bullets and other objects in it. Other objects may include Alice's dolls, Letty's mist, Medicine's poison fields, and the like. While they are not bullets in the strict sense of the word, they are treated as such for photos, including removal from the screen.

- Not all bullets are equal. The game itself provides some hints on this matter - larger bullets score better than smaller ones, but you naturally can pack more smaller bullets into one shot. As well, the velocity of the bullet matters - the game will give more points for faster bullets. In certain cases, a bullet may be worth zero points. (rf: Reisen may, as in Imperishable Night, "phase" bullets around. If you catch a picture of these bullets in transition, it's possible to have a successful picture worth 00 points.)

- Common sense suggests a larger picture would be best for getting points - and if one doesn't relocate the center, the Self Shot bonus is automatic. However, there can exist situations where moving the picture center may actually score higher than simply settling for what is immediately in front - though those situations may require exemplary skill and awareness for a noticeable improvement.

- Understanding the timing of bullet generation is also critical for high scores in some scenes. While such things as lasers are self-evident (where the more of it you catch, the more points you get), there is a difference in optimal timing between something that spits out bullets with a constant velocity, and one with an acceleration on it, for example. Further, things that appear to generate bullets in circular patterns or in a "fog" may be caught right after a moment of bullet generation for maximal impact.

- There are certainly other strategies and points not mentioned above. See what you can discover yourself!