Unconnected Marketeers
Touhou Kōryūdō ~ Unconnected Marketeers is the 18th game in the Touhou ''Project series of danmaku'' shoot 'em ups. The game was first announced at Touhou Yomoyama News on February 27, 2021, and had a demo released on March 21. The game's full version released on May 4, 2021, on Steam.
Gameplay
Unconnected Marketeers is a danmaku shoot 'em up game, in which the player moves along an automatically scrolling stage, killing enemies, dodging their projectiles, and fighting bosses at the end of each stage. The player's main method of attack is using a shot. The player can focus their shot, which will slow down the player, as well as their shot's rate of fire, but tighten the range of fire and increase its damage. The player is also given spell cards, which will clear bullets in their path, give the player invulnerability when active, and deal immense damage, but are limited in their supply. When enemies are killed, they will drop 'Power' items, which will increase the damage of the player's shot, and spell cards are also dropped, but only in specific areas, mostly after defeating bosses.Unconnected Marketeers introduces a system of cards and currency. As well as power items, enemies may also drop currency, which can be used to purchase one card at the end of each stage. Some cards will give the player extra lives or spell cards, whereas most will improve the player's survivability in some way with special abilities, which are either applied passively, or need to be activated on command. Many of these abilities are based on those of characters from previous games.
Unconnected Marketeers continues with an achievement mechanic where specified goals are given to optionally challenge the player to obtain which is granted after completing. However, it does not affect gameplay.