First of all,
Game Status
We'll be honest. We genuinely tried to launch this game for Cirno Day but last month, we had to make a difficult decision to delay our game. If we were to rush and launch the game today, much of our team would not be proud of the final release. Many features would be missing, many menus would be left unpolished, and the stages wouldn't be as grand as we like. We decided to push the launch date so we can create our game that would make Cirno proud.
The game is getting closer and closer to being finished. Stage 5 is now in full production with many of the danmaku art complete. Cutscenes and backgrounds are still in progress. Stage 6 has started danmaku programming and we can now restore the original vision for the stage. Stage 6 is going to be a trip, and the music...our team is REALLY proud of the stage 6 music.
After that, we are going to work on Polish and as many extra trials as possible! You'll also see a major marketing push starting in January of next year.
Awards
We want to thank everyone who stopped by our booth and voted for our game ! Our great Cirno has been traveling all around the USA and her work has not gone unnoticed. In the last few months, Cirno and the Touhou Danmaku Maze team have won multiple awards!
Geekfest West 2026 - Seattle, WA
1st Place - Excellence in Game Design
1st Place - Excellence in Sound & Visual Presentation
2D Con 2026 - Minneapolis, MN
1st Place - Best Art Direction
The Next Update
At this point, we are very proud of the early access version of the game. It gives a great look into our vision of the game and good amount of scope of the gameplay. Our team had a meeting about the next update and we agreed that we will not update the game until v1.0.
We want v1.0 to be a big splash and we won't be able to do that if we keep updating the game. With that being said, we will continue to do newsletters and showcase the status of the game. Here's a preview of some of the changes you can be excited for!
New Opening Video We had a special guest redo our opening video! We'll reveal the artist when the game launches!
Visual Novel Engine Update All the characters in the game got a facelift by our amazing director Ferdy making all the art more consistent with the game and somehow even cuter!
Menu Cleanup All the menus got a small facelift where everything is now clean and ready for v1.0. Here are some examples~
Cirno Day Reveal - Stage 5 Teaser
We're keeping stage 5 under wraps until we get closer to the release date but here's a quick teaser! Do you know who it is?
Stage 5 is a heavy gimmick stage featuring nasty routing puzzles right off the bat, leading to an action packed middle section with another surprise waiting, ending with a finale that is going to make people throw controllers! It's a wild and gimmicky level that's fitting before we get to the serious stage 6 final boss.
Closing Thoughts
Trust us, we wanted to celebrate Cirno Day with a bang but I don't think Cirno would want us to released a half finished game. Our team has already put years into this game and it's time to give it the launch that it deserves.
We can't wait to see everyone play this game, and I know many Touhou fans are holding out for the final launch. It's going to be a treat!
Everyone, go celebrate Cirno Day!!!