Alice Margatroid (Touhou Project)/RicePigeon's version

''If one word could be used to describe Alice, it's a coward. With the character's many dolls covering space for it and keeping its opponent away, this Alice's only weakness is Alice itself.''

Gameplay


Alice is technically a four-button character, but plays like a standard three-button character, using the extra buttons for shortcut;, when used combined with or  acts as a shortcut for the character's   and   dash commands.

True to Alice's personality, this character is centered around keepaway. All of Alice's normals have two different versions; the standard version, and a close range version done by holding or. The standard versions of its normals mostly involve the use of dolls for attacking mid to long range, and each one covers a different area of the screen. The close range versions of its normals obviously lack the range of their default counterparts, but are generally faster and can chain into each other, whereas its standard normals do now.

Alice's specials also cater to their keepaway style. Volatile Doll, for instance, not only throws explosive dolls as far as 2/3 of the screen away, but also launches Alice backward from the recoil. Edo High-Explosive Pawn acts as a standard grounded projectile, used for zoning an opponent due to its differing speeds. Doll Placement controls both horizontal and vertical space, acting as area denial. Alice also possesses an EX version of this move which allows them to cover twice as much space. Doll Arrangement completes its arsenal of space control by covering the space around Alice, making approach difficult, or used offensively to pin an opponent in a corner. Doll Set can be used to bluff Doll Placement, and the doll will remain idle until activated or Doll Set used again. Doll Activation will activate Alice's idle doll, effectively turning it a homing version of Doll Placement. Skillful use of both Doll Set and Doll Activation can be used both offensively and defensively, such as extending combos or as a trap.

Alice's Hypers also focus on their keepaway style. Shanghai Doll is a standard laser beam that controls horizontal space, while Return Inanimate tosses a doll that explodes into a pillar, controlling vertical space. Goliath Doll is unique in that it is Alice's only true reversal due to having startup invincibility. Despite the attack's appearance, Goliath Doll is classified as a grounded melee attack, not a projectile, and thus cannot be blocked by airborne opponents. Holding will cause the doll to follow the opponent, but Alice itself will not gain any additional startup invincibility.

Their A.I. is almost entirely centered around keeping the opponent as far away from them as possible, and as a result it can be fairly easy, but also extremely tedious to fight against.

General
"Thinking of nothing but researching the new fighting techniques, everyone's so starved for battle."

"Nothing is better than strength in numbers. Big things are a combination of small things!"

"I'm not alone. There's no way I can lose."

"Tell me more about this Artificial Intelligence you speak of."

"Soon the ultimate doll will be complete."

Character-specific
"Aren't there about ten thousand soldier dolls buried under your country? Amazing."

- vs. Hong Meiling

"There's a kind of porcelain called china isn't there? Aren't dolls made from that pretty fragile?"

- vs. Hong Meiling

"I don't really have anything to do with music, nor do my dolls. Why do you ask?"

- vs. Hong Meiling

"The way your power has consumed you, its almost the same as the way I control my dolls."

- vs. Lie Meiling

"If this new power of yours was infused into one of my dolls, would it become autonomous with killing intent?"

- vs. Lie Meiling

"It's too dangerous to create an autonomous doll if all it will do is rebel against it's master."

- vs. Lie Meiling

"Every time a service was held for a doll, it gets dropped into Gensokyo, I see."

- vs. Yukari Yakumo

"Some of the dolls have gone missing. I wonder where they have gone?"

- vs. Yukari Yakumo

"A shikigami is like an autonomous doll isn't it? Is that why you added the chinese one to your collection recently?"

- vs. Yukari Yakumo

"Aw, geez! I need more than just a few dolls to deal with you."

- vs. Reimu Hakurei

"Why don't you just get some allies that you can easily control?"

- vs. Reimu Hakurei

"I told you it wouldn't be like last time. I'm not going to have to resort to THAT again"

- vs. Reimu Hakurei

"I wonder how many can I control at once?"

- vs. Alice Margatroid

"It seems that it's more convenient to control the dolls myself than have dolls that think on their own."

- vs. Alice Margatroid

"I wonder if the other me is from another world or being controlled like my dolls? So then who controls her dolls?"

- vs. Alice Margatroid

"If an earthquake comes, it seems like you'll end up crushed under books right away."

- vs. Patchouli Knowledge

"Moving seems like it'd be such a hassle. Way too many books."

- vs. Patchouli Knowledge

"How come you don't get that little devil to fight by your side?"

- vs. Patchouli Knowledge

"I control my dolls better than you control your knives."

- vs. Sakuya Izayoi

"My knife-weilding dolls are superb at cooking, I don't have to do a thing. They're different from your useless maids."

- vs. Sakuya Izayoi

"My underlings are more disciplined than yours."

- vs. Sakuya Izayoi