History Main / ThemedCursor

* Divinipedia, the wiki for ''VideoGame/KidIcarus'', has a cursor shaped like a bow and arrow, with the bow firing when you hover over a link.
* The ''Literature/WingsOfFire'' wiki has a cursor shaped like a dragon's hand, usually themed after the latest book's protagonist.

* The old UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem emulator [=NESticle=] turns your cursor into a bleeding, severed hand.

[[caption-width-right:192:[-L-R: ''VideoGame/DungeonKeeper'', ''VideoGame/HeroesOfMightAndMagic'', ''VideoGame/Persona5Royal'', ''VideoGame/SteamWorldQuest'', ''VideoGame/SpongeBobSquarePantsOperationKrabbyPatty'', ''VideoGame/AgeOfEmpiresII''-]]]

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* ''VideoGame/LiveALive'' has a different one for each chapter. The cursor for the final chapter depends on which character you decided to be the main hero.

* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'' has [[TheScrappy Navi]] as the Wiimote pointer. ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSpiritTracks'' used sparkles as an indicator of where you touched and ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaPhantomHourglass'' used [[ExpositionFairy Ceila]] (or Leaf/Neri if you were using their powers) to do the same.

--> '''Priest (VideoGame/WarcraftIII)''': [[WesternAnimation/ToyStory I have been chosen]] by [[MediumAwareness the big metal hand in the sky]]!

* ''VideoGame/{{Splatoon}}'' has a squid-shaped cursor that bobs up and down.

* Divinipedia, the wiki for VideoGame/KidIcarus has a cursor shaped like a bow and arrow, with the bow firing when you hover over a link.

* The ''Literature/WingsOfFire'' wiki has a cursor shaped like a dragon's hand, usually themed after the latest book's protagonist.

* ''VideoGame/SixCatsUnder'': The cursor acts as the PlayerCharacter, since you're playing the ghost of an elderly cat lady.

* ''VideoGame/HypnospaceOutlaw'' introduces these in its Hypnospace Plus expansion pack, as appropriate for a game based on 90s computing.

* ''[[VideoGame/ExtrapowerAttackOfDarkforce EXTRAPOWER Attack of Darkforce]]'': The cursor is an angled stylus coming out of a softly flashing stylus.

** ''VideoGame/MystIV'' takes it even further. Not only is the cursor actually your hand, you can use it to interact with things that are ordinarily useless by tapping on them to hear the sound they make. Also, some objects can't be touched (usually due to high voltage), causing the cursor to recoil and the screen to shake (since the orientation of the screen is pretty much tied to where the hand is at).

* ''VideoGame/{{Ripper}}'' has a spinning knife as your cursor that points in the directions you can move, and spins in a circle when idle. Dialogue is triggered by a talking skull connected to a partial spine, and interactions in puzzles is used with regular Windows-like cursors, red for hotspots and white for idle.

* ''VideoGame/{{Starcraft}}'' has... some fiddly scifi thing... for its "click me, I'm selectable" cursor. And the standard arrow is green with a dash of TronLines.

* ''VideoGame/TreasurePlanetBattleAtProcyon'' uses different cusors depends on what faction the player is playing as.

* In some games the cursor itself exists in universe.

** In ''VideoGame/{{Anachronox}}'' your cursor is in world, but still arrow like, but is in fact Fatima, your [[spoiler: dead secretary brought back to life in a]] Life Cursor.

* Divinipedia, the wiki for VideoGame/KidIcarus has a cursor shaped like a bow and arrow, with the bow firing when you hover over a link.

* ''VideoGame/GoldenEye1997'' has an out-of-game crosshair cursor.
* In the ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}}'' (RTS) series the cursor is the hand of whatever race you're currently playing as. [[StopPokingMe Some characters are quite aware of the fact that they are being poked by a hand.]]
--> '''Priest (VideoGame/WarcraftIII)''': [[WesternAnimation/ToyStory I have been chosen]] by [[MediumAwareness the big metal hand in the sky]]!
** The Order of the Silver Hand are actually named (out-of-universe) for said Human cursor (a steel gauntlet).

* ''VideoGame/{{Starcraft}}'' has... some fiddly scifi thing... for its "click me, I'm selectable" cursor. And the standard arrow is green with a dash of TronLines.
* In ''VideoGame/TheNeverhood'', the cursor is your standard arrow--but like everything else in the game, it's made of clay.

* In some games the cursor itself exists in universe.
** In ''VideoGame/MarioAndWario'', it's Wanda the Fairy, the player character.
** In ''VideoGame/WonderProjectJ'' the cursor is Tinker. In the sequel, the cursor is [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Bird]]. In both, they serve as your line of communication to Pino and Josette, respectively.
** Your cursor is also the player character in ''VideoGame/BubbleGhost''.
** In ''VideoGame/SonicBattle'', the cursor used on the map screen is a jagged-looking arrow... [[TakeAThirdOption and your current character]], who appears next to said arrow and attempts to follow it wherever it goes.
** In the ''VideoGame/{{Creatures}}'' series, the cursor is known as the Hand--it is, in fact, shaped like a hand. It's actually treated as its own separate entity in the game, and you can name it, and even have Creatures interact with it!
** In ''VideoGame/BlackAndWhite'', your pointer is pretty much your own godly hand, which you can use to pick up and drop stuff, throw things, and even pet or slap. It'll also change depending on your alignment.
** The hand in ''VideoGame/DungeonKeeper'' work like those in ''VideoGame/BlackAndWhite'' and ''VideoGame/{{Creatures}}''. Though more so, the hand can, in fact, possess said creatures and become their minds. The ''Dungeon Keeper'' series example would be one of the most extreme examples of this trope.
** In ''VideoGame/{{Anachronox}}'' your cursor is in world, but still arrow like, but is in fact Fatima, your [[spoiler: dead secretary brought back to life in a]] Life Cursor.
* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'' has [[TheScrappy Navi]] as the Wiimote pointer. ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSpiritTracks'' used sparkles as an indicator of where you touched and ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaPhantomHourglass'' used [[ExpositionFairy Ceila]] (or Leaf/Neri if you were using their powers) to do the same.
* In ''VideoGame/MarioPaint'', the cursor is shaped like Mario's glove.
* ''VideoGame/JewelQuest 3'' has a cursor that looks sort of like a gold fountain pen nib.
* The Flash Game ''VideoGame/HedgehogLaunch'' has an equipment upgrade screen as well as the playing field for hedgehog-launching. The upgrade screen is trying to look like an ancient black and green monochrome computer screen and uses -- a primitive-looking green arrow. (Imagine if a Speak And Spell had an arrow cursor.)
* ''VideoGame/TheDungeonOfDoom'' turns the cursor into a broadsword.
* For some reason, the battle cursor in ''VideoGame/{{MOTHER 3}}'' is a feather pen...

* ''Sburb'' from ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' has a cursor shaped like its logo.
* In ''VideoGame/OdinSphere'' the cursor is your current character's weapon.
* ''VideoGame/RuneScape'' implemented that in 2010.
* The cursor in ''VideoGame/{{Discworld}}'' was a spark from a magical accident that happens at the end of the first cutscene.
* The ''VideoGame/AgeOfEmpires'' series usualy had an arrowhead cursor for navigating the game map which changed to a hand if workers were selected and it was held over a resource and changed into a sword when held over an enemy.
* ''VideoGame/LiveALive'' has a different one for each chapter. The cursor for the final chapter depends on which character you decided to be the main hero.
* ''VisualNovel/{{Kanon}}'' has a blue feather, referring to the theme of wings in the game, and ''VisualNovel/{{Clannad}}'' a branch, referring to the tree on the title screen.
* ''VideoGame/HeavyWeapon'' has a neat, radioactive sign-like crosshair for its cursor during gameplay.
* The ''VideoGame/QuestForGlory'' games have fairly generic cursor icons for actions like Walk, Look, Use, etc....except for ''VideoGame/QuestForGloryIV'', which takes place in a DarkerAndEdgier setting rife with undead and [[EldritchAbomination Eldritch Abominations]]. In keeping with this theme, the Look icon is a disembodied eyeball, the Use icon is a severed, zombified hand, and the Talk icon is a mouth with vampire fangs.
* In ''VideoGame/SimCity 2000'', selecting the Center tool would change your cursor to a set of targeting crosshairs. This made for a nice EasterEgg once the airport became operational:
-->'''[=SimCopter=] One:''' [[OhCrap I'm hit]]! Mayday! ''[=[=][[VideoGameCrueltyPotential crash]][=]=]''

* ''VideoGame/{{Kingsway}}'' is a retro RPG with a fictional operating system built around it, and as such features unlockable custom cursors, such as a sword or skeleton hand.
* ''VideoGame/TreasurePlanetBattleAtProcyon'' uses different cusors depends on what faction the player is playing as.
* ''VideoGame/{{Splatoon}}'' has a squid-shaped cursor that bobs up and down.
* ''VideoGame/HypnospaceOutlaw'' introduces these in its Hypnospace Plus expansion pack, as appropriate for a game based on 90s computing.
* ''VideoGame/BabaIsYou'' has an interesting relationship between the cursor and the game, where the cursor is an in game object[[note]]it implicitly has the SELECT attribute, custom levels can make ''any'' object act like the cursor[[/note]]. One hub area even has you transform it into other objects and back. [[spoiler:There is even a secret level in the cursor!]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Linx}}'': The game's cursor is brightly colored and metallic to fit the game's aesthetic.
* ''VideoGame/CradleSeries'': Each game has a cursor appropriate to the setting, like the Roman-looking arrow head in ''Cradle of Rome''.

* The ''Literature/WingsOfFire'' wiki has a cursor shaped like a dragon that can change color like a [=RainWing=].

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[[quoteright:238:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/WW2_Cursor_Theme.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:238:Genuine UsefulNotes/WorldWar2 era cursors.]]

** In ''VideoGame/SonicBattle'', the cursor is an [[TakeAThirdOption arrow ''and'' your character]].