Touhou Soujinengitranslation ~The Genius of Sappheiros is a Touhou Project fangame created by Strawberry Bose released at Comiket 78. It is a traditional turned-based Role-Playing Game influenced by Console RPGs, particularly the SaGa series. It follows the Touhou stage based format with each stage being its own dungeon. It is the first of the three games in the Touhou Omen Trilogy.
One hot day in Gensokyo, a strange mist begins to roll in and cover the entirety of Gensokyo much like Scarlet Mist Incident. However, this particular mist didn't block out the sun, but it instead appeared to weaken youkai and was even killing the weaker youkai. At the request of Yukari, Reimu begins to investigate the fog's appearance and resolve this incident joined by Marisa, Sanae, and Aya.
An expansion of the game was released in Comiket 79 called The Genius of Sappheiros: Lingering Summer Heat, featuring new playable characters, items, skills, and game play balances.
An Updated Re-release called The Genius of Sappheiros: Weekend was released in Reitaisai 9. The game rebalances many things and adds more features in it.
Another Updated Re-release called Touhou Soujinengi V ~ The Genius of Sappheiros was released for the Playstation Vita in April 2016, and later ported to PC in October 2022 via Steam, which further rebalances the game and adds in Hieda no Akyuu as an available party member, who was originally Dummied Out. The Steam release then got an English translation in March 2023.
Spoilers regarding Original Characters and plot will be hidden.
Examples of tropes used in The Genius of Sappheiros:
- Absurdly Sharp Blade : Kurenai´s claws can cut rocks.
- A-Cup Angst : It does not involve Sakuya! Rather, Satori and Tenshi call each other flat-chested.
- Background Music Override: The theme of Stage 21 continues to play even when battling and winning a battle.
- Badass Crew: The team as a whole, which at the end they're capable of beating foreign western gods as well as the hate incarnate.
- Behind the Black: Many treasure chests are hidden on-screen, which are usually behind a wall.
- Bonus Dungeon: In V, the Hieda Manor Basement is unlocked towards the tail end of Stage 21, and completing it unlocks Akyuu as a playable character.
- Boss in Mook Clothing: The final dungeon of both the original and the expansion have several enemies that are much harder than the regular mobs. Aside from being very hard, they're also more uncommon. They usually drop awesome equipment or have higher chance to drop rare material.
- Several places also have tougher enemies than the regular mob, but not as many as the final dungeon.
- Character Select Forcing: Part of the Trial-and-Error Gameplay and the
difficulty of the game. Bosses sometimes require specific characters to even have a chance of winning. In particular, many of the lategame bosses (and even regular enemies) all but require the use of Alice to tank their attacks.- The party split is also this too since the teams need to be either physical or magic oriented to be able to breeze through the dungeon.
- Demonic Possession : During the expansion, the playable characters and Hina become possessed by the resentment.
- Disc-One Final Dungeon: Eientei and later Bhava-Agra.
- Dual Boss : Some of the earliest examples include Patchouli and Sakuya, Remilia and Nitori, Rin and Utsuho.
- Duel Boss: Several character-specific material sidequests in the expansion are this. Nothing's stopping you from bringing a full team, but you won't get the quest reward.
- Eldritch Abomination : Played straight and then subverted in the expansion. The bosses include a dragon, a demon, Hina's aura, and a being called Existence Hater. But the final boss takes the form of a fish, and then a ball.
- Equippable Ally/Fastball Special : In a way. Yuugi's weapon named "Suika" involves throwing Suika (Ibuki) holding a watermelon ([1]
) - Expy: Kurenai Matsuba is a comedic copy of Meiling. A red-headed, chinese crab youkai that works as a gatekeeper, is treated as a Butt-Monkey, and her name is a play on Meiling's Alternate Character Reading name, Kurenai Misuzu.
- Field Power Effect: Aside from the land meter, characters and enemies can set up a field effect that affects everyone, but sometimes it only affects one side. Only one field effect may be active at a time. If someone else use another field effect, it would overwrite the existing field effect.
- Final Boss, New Dimension: The final phase of the final boss is on some sort of space void.
- Final Boss Preview: In the expansion, the previous Big Bad faces off with the instigator of the expansion's incident.
- Flunky Boss : Alice can use her dolls. The final boss can bring their maids (fought earlier) to battle. The expansion final boss can bring various monsters in one of its phases.
- Fusion Dance: The Gorgon sisters do this during their final battle.
- Generic Doomsday Villain: The expansion's Big Bad is only interested in complete destruction of Gensokyo.
- Giant Space Flea from Nowhere: All of the high-leveled sidequests. Also some of the expansion's bosses.
- Glass Cannon: Remilia, fast and extremely powerful, drops like a rock when sneezed at.
- Guide Dang It!: Obtaining all the formations. The game doesn't hint you at all about how to get them.
- In particular, two formations stand out for being ones that you won't get just by playing the game, those being Hyper Library and Thunder Line. Hyper Library requires Patchouli to have die many times then head to the healing circle at the Hakurei Shrine, whereas Thunder Line requires you to defeat a number of a specific oarfish enemy found in the Sea of Tumultuous Clouds and Bhava-agra, then speak to Iku.
- Hate Plague: The main plot in the expansion.
- Health/Damage Asymmetry: The bosses later have over ten thousand HP while your party only have around 400. The expansion have bosses in over hundred thousand while your party members are capped at 999.
- 100% Completion : There are ~560 enemies to scan (includes bosses, which are scanned automatically upon defeat), ~800 items (includes weapons, shields, armor, accessories, crafting materials), and 552 chests. The game keeps track of the percentage completed, but there's no reward.
- "I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight: The first half of the expansion is entirely this as you beat up your former party members to free them from their Demonic Possession.
- Infinity +1 Sword: Every single character have their ultimate weapon and armor. They can only be crafted using an ultimate character material which have very little chance to drop. All of them can be upgraded in the expansion.
- It is also possible to craft two non-character specific Plus Ones in the Kusanagi no Tsurugi, a sword, and the Gungnir, a spear (which, despite the name, is not exclusive to Remilia), both of which have the same five-star rarity as the characters' ultimate exclusive weapons. The Gungnir stops being a Plus One in the expansion, while the Kusanagi can be upgraded into the expansion's non-specific Plus One, the Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi.
- Konami Code : The player can obtain Mokou early by talking to Akyuu, going to the Bamboo Forest, and traveling in accordance with the code. This was removed in V.
- Leaked Experience: Inactive party members still gain Pow, but at a reduced rate.
- Let's Split Up, Gang!: Some dungeons require you to split your party in 2 or 3.
- Lightning Bruiser: Mokou and Youmu are fast, powerful, and capable of taking a few hits before they drop.
- Limit Break : Works similarly to Final Fantasy VIII, in that it may charge up when attacking or getting attacked, with higher possibility on lower health.
- Load-Bearing Boss: After defeating the expansion's Final Boss, the stage where you're in crumbles. Fortunately there's no escape sequence as Yukari will come and take you out. You can still visit the stage after the ending though.
- Luck-Based Mission : Satori learning enemies' abilities.
- One skill stands out in particular, Hyper Fang Crush, which can only be learned from a single boss. While that boss is one that can be summoned during the first phase of the final boss fight, it is a massively luck-based situation for A: The boss to use the skill, B: The boss to target Satori with the skill, C: Satori to learn the skill, and D: For you to not wipe for attempting to have Satori learn the skill. V slightly rectifies this by giving Hyper Fang Crush to a few more enemies and allowing you to rematch the boss that originally taught Hyper Fang Crush in the post-game (alongside her two colleagues).
- Metal Slime : This game has Yukkuris, which fit all the criteria: Low HP, high defense, immunity to magic, likes to run away, massive EXP yield when defeated. There are multiple Yukkuri variants that serve as expies to the various Metal Slime types: regular (The basic Metal Slime), Yukkuri Sisters (Metal Medley, three stacked on top of each other), Stray Yukkuri (Liquid Metal Slime, appears to be melting), Yukkuri King (Metal King Slime, a giant Yukkuri) and Yukkuri Emperor (Platinum King Jewel, a gem with a Yukkuri's face).
- Mind over Manners : Satori, upon denying the request from the party to join them, decided to reveal Reimu's not-so-polite thoughts to back her up, then start on the other party members' thoughts as well - which are petty and totally unrelated things. She got so much into mind reading that she didn't realize that every single party member (including those who normally object to violent methods) is now surrounding her with a livid expression, hellbent on beating her up.
- Mysterious Mist: What causes the plot of the game in the first place, harming youkai.
- News Travels Fast: Seriously, how does Akyuu find out how you've defeated certain bosses so quickly?
- Original Character: Featured late into the game, they are the instigators of the incident
- One-Winged Angel : The final boss, it consists of the Gorgon sisters fusing into one
- Our Angels Are Different: Angels are included in the "Foreign God" category along with demons, each rank becomes more and more heavy-armored and technological, with some resembling battleships, and the strongest one being a loli fused with a dragon.
- Power Copying : Satori learns enemy abilities by being hit with them, but she isn't guaranteed to learn it. In V, Akyuu can also do this by recording enemies in the Gensokyo Chronicle by last-hitting them, gaining bonuses based on the number of each species recorded.
- Putting the Band Back Together: The first half of the expansion.
- Puzzle Boss: Almost every bosses in the game can obliterate you immediately if you don't know what the boss can and will do. See Trial-and-Error Gameplay.
- Remixed Level: The first half of the expansion dungeons are remixes of earlier dungeons, with the same gimmick but different layout.
- Rewarding Inactivity/Waiting Puzzle : Byakuren can be obtained early if the player goes to the Myouren Temple and waits for 1 in-game hour. This was removed in V.
- Sequential Boss : The final boss and the expansion's last boss have this. The battle is long, and the player is asked to make multiple parties that can be swapped between (if any one party falls, though, it's counted as a loss.]]
- Shown Their Work : Generally, things regarding the gorgon's myth. For example, Litos is a snake goddess, yet she has golden wings.
- Skill Scores and Perks: Every character can have up to 99 points that can put into 14 trees (Due to her restrictions, Akyuu in V only has 11 trees). Six trees have 10 levels and raise stats. Each character has 5 unique trees (one for their exclusive weapon, the others raise various aspects) and 3 weapon trees shared with others, with 25 levels each. Note that it's pointless to put points in more than one weapon tree, as the effects only take place if they have the appropriate weapon equipped.
- In V, a quest can be undertaken to increase the max number of skill points to 125.
- Stone Wall: Alice, best defense in the game, worst offense.
- Super Move Portrait Attack: All party members have this for their Last Word and some spell cards. Some bosses also have this too when using a powerful spell card.
- Trailers: Both official and fan-made varieties.
- Trial-and-Error Gameplay: Few bosses will use their strongest attack on their very first turn or will outright annihilate your party when their HP hits 0 making you guaranteed to lose at least once.
- True Final Boss: Letting the final boss live for several turns in the second phase will turn them into this.
- The Very Definitely Final Dungeon: Lakebed Temple.
- The expansion has Depths of Resentment.
- Weapon-Based Characterization: Every character gets one personal weapon exclusive to her, plus three out of five other weapons shared with others.
- Armed Legs: (Greaves). Alice's exclusive weapon. Low power, striking element, high accuracy, and has defensive bonuses.
- Axes/Hammers: (Called crushers). Used by various, strike element, high power, ignores some PDEF, but low accuracy.
- BFS: (Called Double handed swords) Sakuya's personal weapon. Higher damage but lower accuracy than regular swords.
- Blade Enthusiast: Used by various, lower power but higher accuracy than swords, most carry a status effect.
- Broom Stick Quarterstaff: Marisa's weapon. A cross of a spear and a staff.
- Combat Hand Fan: Aya's personal weapon. A more accurate axe that ignores more defense.
- Guns: Nitori's weapon. Long-range, low-accuracy, high-power stabbing weapon.
- Cool Sword: Used by various. Slashing element, average power and accuracy.
- Good Old Fisticuffs[/]Power Fist: Mokou's weapon. A more accurate axe and inflicts some status effects.
- Improbable Weapon User: Goheis, Snakes, Eyes, and Scrolls. The expansion adds suppositories, ice (in various shapes), and various throwable weapons ("rocks"). They are, respectively, the weapons of Reimu (Goheis), Sanae (Snakes), Satori (Eyes), Byakuren (Scrolls), Reisen (Suppositories), Cirno (Ice) and Yuugi ("Rocks"). V also adds Brushes, Akyuu's weapon.
- Goheis, Reimu's weapon, are a mix between staves and crushers, with higher accuracy.
- Eyes, Satori's weapon, are a slash-type weapon that often deal a portion of their damage as elemental damage or come with status effects.
- Scrolls, Byakuren's weapon, are a slash-type weapon that grant defensive bonuses.
- Suppositories, Reisen's weapon, are an accurate stab-type weapon that can inflict Berserk on the enemy.
- Ice, Cirno's weapon, are a slash-type weapon that always deals water elemental damage.
- "Rocks", Yuugi's weapon, are a blunt-type weapon that typically carries Slayer effects, and are powerful but inaccurate.
- Javelin Thrower: Remilia's weapon. Similar to a spear, but with lower range.
- Katanas Are Just Better: Youmu's weapon. A heavier and more powerful sword.
- Royal Rapier: Litos' weapon. High-accuracy, low-power stabbing weapon that tends to inflict status effects and always ignores Divine Shields.
- Magic Staff: Used by various, strike element, good accuracy, have more emphasis on magical power rather than physical power.
- The Pen Is Mightier: Exclusive to V, Akyuu's signature (and only) weapon type. A well-rounded stabbing weapon, but a bit weak.
- Throw the Book at Them; Patchouli's exclusive weapon. A cross between crushers and staves, but very heavy.
- Snake Whip: Sanae's personal weapon is a snake she uses as a whip. Slashing element, a cross of a sword and staff, inflicts and protects against poison or paralysis. Some are visually closer to an Epic Flail.
- Weapon of X-Slaying: Various weapons in the game has slayer effects against the many enemy species in the game.
- "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: The original ending shows every single character fought as bosses, including the Big Bad. Also shows NPC characters like Rinnosuke and Akyu.
- Wolfpack Boss: Litos´ and Cirno´s personal quests involve in fighting a bunch of furballs and fairies, respectively.
