History VideoGame / AnodyneTwoReturnToDust

On February 18th, 2021, the developers announced the game will also be available on [[https://twitter.com/han_tani/status/1351560045306241029?s=20 different ports]], from the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 and [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation5 5]], UsefulNotes/XboxOne and [[UsefulNotes/XboxSeriesXAndS Series]].

* EasterEgg: There are plenty of hidden collectibles and references to Website/YouTube personalities behind invisible walls that the player is encouraged to glitch through.

* HasTwoMommies: Invoked with Nova's relationship to C Psalmist and Palisade, as her internal narration initial identifies them as "Mommies???" before correcting to "Guardians and Caretakers". While Palisade does quickly gravitate towards treating Nova as a child, and Nova views her as a mother figure, [[spoiler:it's only in the wake of Palisade's disappearance]] that C Pslamist overcomes her awkwardness around children to have a similar relationship with Nova.

** DownerEnding: [[spoiler:Stay loyal to the Center and bring upon the Anodyne. It does more than just taking away Dust and emotion, it completely drains all life out of New Theland and returns it to the Center, killing everyone, including Nova, C Psalmist and C Visionary, who are [[TakenForGranite turned into crystal]], TheEnd. It shows quite a big glimpse of what [[EvilAllAlong C Visionary]] [[KillEmAll actually wants]].]]

* TheChosenOne: As the Nano Cleaner, Nova is the only one who can solve the Dust crisis plaguing New Theland, and was specifically created by the Center for this role. [[spoiler:Subverted; the Nano Cleaner is just a role that the Center is fully capable of replacing, and Nova isn't even the first one. In the Confrontation ending, she even witnesses her successor, Zera being given the same speech she was at the beginning of the game]].

* MeasuringTheMarigolds: In the wake of [[spoiler:her grief at Palisade disappearing, Nova interprets Palisade's gift to her as some sort of ritual she has to execute to bring Palisade back, instead of the simple toys that they were; even getting mad at Ashe Beatty when she has fun with the "sacred tools"]].

* PaletteSwap: PlayedForDrama. [[spoiler:Zera has the same model as Nova, just altered to have darker skin, a golden visor instead of a silver one, and a red half-skirt instead of a green one]]

* SpiritualSuccessor: To ''VideoGame/{{Anodyne}}''. It's even stated by the developers once the player starts the game that ''Anodyne 2'' is somewhat of a spiritual successor rather than a sequel. Emphasis on "somewhat" since the player can visit the original Theland, [[spoiler:fully corrupted after the events of the first game]].

* WhamEpisode: Those infected with Dust in Central Cenote City have troubles that are largely solved by Nova cleaning them of Nanodust, but in when she travels to Blue Vale, she finds that Mayor Georg Agricite's town and family are all dead from Dust related fungus, and can only help him come to terms with it. [[spoiler:Except, they're not. They all just left for other areas, including his husband and daughter, and Georg is delusional that digging out their fields will save them. Purging him of nanodust only strengthens his convictions rather than bringing him to his senses, and he ends up lying down afterwards and remains unresponsive.]]

* AddedAlliterativeAppeal: Central Cenote City. [[spoiler: This gets drawn attention to later one as an "omen" when Nova rolls a C on one of the dice that Palisade left her]].

* BrickJoke: At the beginning of the game, Nova's narration initially identifies Palisade and C Psalmist as "Mommies???", and at the end of the Confrontation ending [[spoiler: Nova's narration identifies her as Zera's "Mommy" in turn]].

* TheChosenOne: As the Nano Cleaner, Nova is the only one who can solve the Dust crisis plaguing New Theland, and was specifically created by the Center for this role. [[spoiler: Subverted; the Nano Cleaner is just a role that the Center is fully capable of replacing, and Nova isn't even the first one. In the Confrontation ending, she even witnesses her successor, Zera being given the same speech she was at the beginning of the game]].
* {{Cyborg}}: Not explicitly drawn attention to, as very few residents of New Theland are recognizably human at all, but Nova's "visor" is actually part of her body, as [[spoiler: Zera retains these features even when reverting to an infant made her drop out of her other clothes]].

* GameplayAndStoryIntegration: A few areas do not require a dive sequence before Nova enters them [[spoiler: because these places do not have Dust built up at all.]]

* HasTwoMommies: Invoked with Nova's relationship to C Psalmist and Palisade, as her internal narration initial identifies them as "Mommies???" before correcting to "Guardians and Caretakers". While Palisade does quickly gravitate towards treating Nova as a child, and Nova views her as a mother figure, [[spoiler: it's only in the wake of Palisade's disappearance]] that C Pslamist overcomes her awkwardness around children to have a similar relationship with Nova.
* {{Heel}}: Nova plays one in the Dustbound Village's weekly wrestling matches, as the "Weedoran Witch", and gets pretty into it. [[spoiler: The attempt to promote a HeelFaceTurn against a true Heel in The Center ends up backfiring and sending her running from the village.]]

* HeroOfAnotherStory: [[spoiler: There was at least one Nano Cleaner before Nova, who did something so rebellious that it mandated the introduction of the Glandilock Seed protocol. But whatever any previous Nano Cleaners did is left unstated.]]

* MeaningfulName: Perhaps more so than the first game, an anodyne is something that is unlikely to produce strong emotions or is even a painkilling drug. [[spoiler: The Glandilock Seed halts any dissent, forcing Nova to see any strong emotions as a negative effect of the Nano Dust that must be cleansed, and the true purpose of [[TitleDrop The Anodyne]] is to purge all emotion and personality from the world and draw it back into the Center]].
* MeasuringTheMarigolds: In the wake of [[spoiler: her grief at Palisade disappearing, Nova interprets Palisade's gift to her as some sort of ritual she has to execute to bring Palisade back, instead of the simple toys that they were; even getting mad at Ashe Beatty when she has fun with the "sacred tools"]]

* MindScrew: [[spoiler:The "Nora" segment.]]
* MinusWorld: Intentionally invoked as was done in ''Anodyne''; it's possible to get out of bounds via careful platforming or glitches in numerous areas, allowing the player to explore the quite substantial out of bounds terrain and often find unique scenery, collectibles, and [=NPCs=] that can't otherwise be interacted with. It even has narrative justification and implication, as New Theland was directly created by The Center [[spoiler: and Nova finding the boundaries aren't always consistent or explained fits in with the Dustbound Village outright viewing the Center as a villain]].

** GoldenEnding: [[spoiler: Rebel against the Center. Nova feigns her death, forcing the Center to create a replacement, Zera. Nova returns to free Zera from her Glandilock Seed, accidentally de-aging her in the process. C Visionary shows the full extent of his cruelty to Nova and C Psalmist, driving the latter to have the same HeelRealization Palisade had, sacrificing herself to destroy C Visionary before he can kill Nova. Nova takes Zera as her adoptive daughter and travels the sea with the friends she made along the way.]]

* PaletteSwap: PlayedForDrama. [[spoiler: Zera has the same model as Nova, just altered to have darker skin, a golden visor instead of a silver one, and a red half-skirt instead of a green one]]
* PrecociousCrush: Nova almost immediately becomes infatuated with Elegy Beatty when they first meet. Elegy for her part seems to view Nova as a friend in need of guidance, [[spoiler: and it's only after Nova has matured through the Confrontation ending that she seems to reciprocate Nova's affection]].
* RapidAging: A rare instance of being done in terms of mental development and not necessarily physical. Despite being physically mature at the instant of her creation, Nova is still very new to the world, and throughout the first and second acts, Palisade treats her as a small child. In the third act, after [[spoiler: Palisade is destroyed by the Center]] and Nova finds the Dustbound Village, she acts much more like a teenager, with very raw emotions. In the finale, she has matured into a young adult, weighing the consequences of her decisions and actions, [[spoiler: and in the confrontation ending, even becomes a surrogate mother to Zera]].

* SpiritualSuccessor: To ''VideoGame/{{Anodyne}}''. It's even stated by the developers once the player starts the game that ''Anodyne 2'' is somewhat of a spiritual successor rather than a sequel. Emphasis on "somewhat" since the player can visit the original Theland, [[spoiler:fully corrupted after the events of the first game.]]

* WhamEpisode: Those infected with Dust in Central Cenote City have troubles that are largely solved by Nova cleaning them of Nanodust, but in when she travels to Blue Vale, she finds that Mayor Georg Agricite's town and family are all dead from Dust related fungus, and can only help him come to terms with it. [[spoiler: Except, they're not. They all just left for other areas, including his husband and daughter, and Georg is delusional that digging out their fields will save them. Purging him of nanodust only strengthens his convictions rather than bringing him to his senses, and he ends up lying down afterwards and remains unresponsive.]]