Touhou Project: Embodiment of Scarlet Devil - Stage 1 Normal Walkthrough
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The Embodiment of Scarlet Devil Stage 1 Walkthrough
Welcome to the Touhou Project 6 (Embodiment of Scarlet Devil) walkthrough for the normal difficulty. This lens offers tips and tricks for getting through stage 1 of this difficult vertical shooter. Keep in mind this lens is not a guide to scoring high in this game, it is a survival guide to help players finish the game without continuing.
If this lens looks like another guide or slideshow you may have seen, you may be right. I created a similar guide on associatedcontent.com which you can find here. However, that site limits the descriptions for each caption to 255 characters, and after stage 2 I found the character requirement too restrictive.
So enjoy and have fun reading! Please vote/rate this lens if you really like it too. Note you can find the main homepage for this walkthrough by clicking on one of the "Big Arrow Links" in this lens. After some time off, I've started to include stages 2-5 on Google Sites (nothing against Squidoo, Google Sites is just simpler) and you can find the continuation of the walkthrough there! You can also visit my lensography with links to my other lenses and publications by clicking here!
Here's my favorite link:
Starting Out
Stack The Deck in Your Favor First!
Before you start a new game though, go to the options first and increase the number of lives you can have to 5. Similarly, increase the number of bombs you can carry from the deafault number to three. While doing both penalizes you greatly in terms of the end-stage score bonus, you want to give yourself the best possible chance of completing the game without continuing.With character selection, I would use Marissa-B to go through the game. Her secondary laser attack is very powerful, although it does take time to recharge. But the primary advantage of her B-form over her A-form is her bomb, or her trademark Master Spark attack. Not only is this attack immensely powerful, it lasts for a few seconds and can decimate entire enemy waves, as well as being a free pass against a boss/mini-boss attack.
Stage 1
When you begin, note the opening stage of EOSD is not too difficult. The first three enemy waves come from the left and the right and don't shoot, so collect as many items as possible. 
The fourth wave is when the enemies start to shoot. The pink faries will appear one by one, but note not all of them will shoot. Again, as you defeat them, collect as many items, especially the power-ups, as possible. But be careful not to lose a life! If you do, consider a restart as you may need the extra life later. 
After dispatching the pink faries, you'll encounter two more waves of the non-shooting blue faries. The Midboss - Rumia
Following that is the mid-boss, Rumia. She'll move from left to right at the top of the screen and she'll launch a series of vertical bullets when she's at the left and right sides. 
Rumia will change her attack when she moves toward the center. She has two different attacks. Her attack pictured on the left is misleading as the bullets travel in a group. Meanwhile in her attack pictured on the right, look for the "safety cone" as the bullets also travel as a group but beware of the faster bullets in front during this attack. Post-Midboss
Take out Rumia as fast as possible so the pink faries appear again. The faster you defeat Rumia, the more pink faries that appear, and the more power-ups and items you can collect before the boss. Note once the pink faries are gone, a final blue fairy wave will appear. Stage 1 Boss - Rumia
Enter Rumia, again. She's the stage 1 boss...and in terms of the storyline just a warmup 
Rumia will assault you with two initial attacks, a massive vertical bullet barrage or a 12-way attack. Avoid the vertical barrage by moving to the left or right as this attack targets your last location. As for the 12-way attack, look for the "safety cone" that is present in each attack. 
Rumia also has a third attack, but this is easily dodged as once again she attacks your last location. Simply move to the left or right to avoid this attack. 
After inflicting enough damage, Rumia uses her first spellcard. Simply zig-zag through the bullet pattern and continue to focus your fire on her. 
After dispatching her spell card, Rumia then attacks with lasers and bullets. Avoid these by moving to the left or right slowly, as the lasers appear one-by-one. Don't move quickly though, as if you do the lasers will appear all over the screen and your mobility will be restricted. 
After the laser attack, she will attack you with one of two spread attacks which are easily avoided. 
After enough damage, she'll activate her final spell card. Stay to the bottom to allow the lateral bullets to separate and give you enough room so when she attacks with her blue bullets, you have enough room to avoid the attack. Defeat her and proceed on to stage 2! 
