The Inspirations for the Soundtrack of Touhou Kourinden ~ Mythos of Phantasmagoria

Touhou Kourinden ~ Mythos of Phantasmagoria is an expansive experience, and as any RPG fan knows, a massive game demands an equally monumental soundtrack to capture its world. Clocking in at a staggering 76 tracks, this score had to do some heavy lifting – ambiently painting sprawling landscapes, maintaining high tension during intense bullet-hell battles, and carrying the emotional weight of major character arcs. At the time, it stood as the largest musical undertaking in the Drillimation Danmaku Universe, a title it proudly held until it was eventually surpassed by its successor, Touhou Kichouden ~ Mythos of Phantasmagoria 2. Crafting a tracklist of this scale required pulling from a vast web of musical styles, classic gaming soundtracks, and unique thematic elements. In this post, we’re pulling back the curtain to dive into the specific inspirations that shaped the soundscapes of this epic journey.

This evolution represented a major stylistic departure from the raw, MOD tracker-influenced tracks that defined the Chuhou Joutai trilogy. Instead, Mythos of Phantasmagoria embraces a sweeping, classical approach, heavily indebted to legendary RPG composers such as Koichi Sugiyama (Dragon Quest) and Nobuo Uematsu (Final Fantasy). By channeling their mastery of grand, orchestral storytelling, the score elevates the game’s high-fantasy setting and delivers a truly cinematic experience.