History VideoGame / BestFiends

The series also has various CGI web shorts animated by Creator/ReelFXCreativeStudios, which are released sporadically on the game's Website/YouTube account, the playlist containing them can be found [[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1f_4ljw6efAXndWWWyIWAVoGYXRf8N1O here.]]

* EnfantTerrible: The short "Baby Slug's Day Out" features a baby slug that is adopted by the Fiends in an attempt to prove "nurture vs. nature". Only Howie is able to see the slug's true evil motives, but no one believes him.

* FailureIsTheOnlyOption: According to the animated short "Boot Camp", the slugs flat-out set themselves up to fail and get defeated by the Fiends. [[TallPoppySyndrome Those who succeed at the slugs' training gauntlet will simply be put through it again]] [[spoiler:only to get walloped worse than they would have been if they had just failed the first time]].

* HiddenPurposeTest: The short "Howie's Gift" tells the story about how Howie, the wizard lizard, managed to get his "greatest gift" when he was younger, going through three tests to prove that he is brave and kind of heart to earn a power beyond his wildest dream. It turns out [[spoiler:he was ''always'' a wizard. The gift was how he got his British accent]].

* UpbringingMakesTheHero: The Baby Slug challenges has the player collecting carrots to feed a baby slug. Raising them like this ends up keeping them from being corrupted by the Slug Army.

* CastOfSnowflakes: The Fiends are like this, but the slugs aren't. While there are many different types of slugs, with more being introduced in specific updates for new levels, you'll run into many of the same slug, and [[CaptainObvious obviously]] they won't all be the same character.

* EarlyBirdCameo: Seriously's [[https://www.facebook.com/SeriouslyHQ/videos/2288517824705092/?__tn__=-R five year celebration video]] gave early previews of three new Fiends: Ru the panda ant, a vinula, and Dina the Hickory Horned Devil. The latter was released just a week after this surprise appearance, albeit with a slightly modified design.

The series also has various CGI web shorts released sporadically on the game's Website/YouTube account, the playlist containing them can be found [[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1f_4ljw6efAXndWWWyIWAVoGYXRf8N1O here.]]

* CartoonBomb: A bomb in this style is the most commonly dropped reward item for filling out a Fiend's meter, which acts like another piece and deals heavier damage. There are a few variants on how they explode and take out pieces: horizontal, vertical, X-shaped, and a square. Rascal has a special bomb that shoots out two horizontal lines at once. As well, some levels have a black bomb that can only be activated by another bomb, and doing so clears out the entire map.

* EarlyBirdCameo: Seriously's [[https://www.facebook.com/SeriouslyHQ/videos/2288517824705092/?__tn__=-R five year celebration video]] gave early previews of three new Fiends: a panda ant, a vinula, and Dina the Hickory Horned Devil. The latter was released just a week after this surprise appearance, albeit with a slightly modified design.

* ShoutOut: A boatload. The developers definitely seem to be [[OneOfUs delightfully nerdy]].
** The characters themselves:
*** Edward's name comes from [[Literature/{{Twilight}} a certain literary figure]].
*** Karma, a chameleon, gets her name from the Music/CultureClub song "Karma Chameleon".
*** Gene is named for Creator/GeneKelly, well known for his tapdancing abilities.
*** Temper is a Franchise/{{Batman}} parody UpToEleven, even parodying the famous "hero that Gotham deserves" line in his side quest.
*** [[Creator/DennisHopper Dennis]] is a grass''hopper''.
*** Newt is a reference to UsefulNotes/IsaacNewton, with his description saying he had an apple fall on his head as a tadpole and that he too has a connection with physics, ''defying'' them rather than ''defining'' them via his super fast tongue.
*** Freddie is no doubt an homage to [[{{Music/Queen}} Freddie Mercury]], being a one-man band (which Mercury effectively was, being a musical virtuoso).
*** One of the most obvious references has to be Lapoleon, with his imperial ambitions à la UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte.
*** Not only is Kim, an earthworm, named like ''VideoGame/EarthwormJim'', it's heavily implied she's his little sister, and has grown up in his shadow to the point that [[BerserkButton she probably would not react well to hearing his name in conversation]].
*** Probably averted with the characters Gordon and Wu, who as of June 2017 are listed side-by-side on the Strawberry Patch page. Why exactly Seriously would be giving a nod to an 80-year-old Hong Kong billionaire businessman is uncertain.
** The levels:
*** 80: [[Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire Game of]] [[Series/GameOfThrones Thorns]]
*** 95: [[Film/IndianaJonesAndTheTempleOfDoom Temple of Boom]]
*** 160: [[ComicBook/JudgeDredd Sludge Dread]]
*** 381: [[Music/LinkinPark Linking Park]]
*** 417: [[Literature/TheShining The]] [[Film/TheShining Shining]]
*** 421: [[Music/TheRollingStones Rolling Stones]]
*** 562 is called "Get Down!", which doesn't seem too unusual until you get to the next one which is called "Get Down Again!", probably a reference to the "Little Tortilla Boy" joke by comedian Creator/PabloFrancisco.
*** 681: [[Film/ReturnOfTheJedi It's a]] [[MemeticMutation Trap!]]
*** 683 squeezes in another musical reference via its title "[[Music/AreYouExperienced Purple Maze]]".
*** Not only is 691 called [[Franchise/MortalKombat "Test Your Mite"]], it even gets as close to replicating the TYM display as you can get in this game.
*** Yet another musical reference appears via the Hero World Tour area: the [[Music/LedZeppelin Dread Zeppelin]].

* ADayInTheLimelight: Eight Fiends[[note]]Bo, Edward, Gene, Howie, [=JoJo=], Temper, Whisper, and Gordon[[/note]] have gotten solo mission packs, side quests that each feature only the respective Fiend as a playable character. Initially, they only had 20 levels and the prizes were diamonds, gold, and keys, but they've since been augmented to 30 levels with a new costume for the quest's main character at stake.

* TertiarySexualCharacteristics: Sometimes all that separates the girls from the boys are eyelashes and/or lipstick. [[AvertedTrope Brittle doesn't get anything like that till later on, and Karma doesn't get any at all.]]

* AddedAlliterativeAppeal: Many things in the game are named according to this scheme.

''Best Fiends'' is a connect-3-or-more PuzzleGame with RPG elements. The story is about a meteor crashing into Mount Boom, home to the slugs, which turns most of them into a vicious army that starts taking over the land of Minutia, home of tiny critters who fight back.

* OurProductSucks: The game has a Webby Award-winning commercial advising the players against their game, tilted "Don't Play Best Fiends".

Now has a followup, ''Best Fiends Forever'', which involves travel through time and parallel universes.

* IdleGame: ''Best Fiends Forever''

* SelfDeprecation: The official webpage for ''Forever'' takes a few stabs at itself, saying the game will cause you to "'''LOSE TOUCH''' with your family and friends!" and encouraging you to "'''RECOMMEND''' it to people you don't like!". Possibly, the point about having to learn basic math to calculate the damage your Fiends will inflict is written in the same tone as well.

* ADayInTheLimelight: Seven Fiends[[note]]Bo, Edward, Gene, Howie, [=JoJo=], Temper, and Whisper[[/note]] have gotten solo mission packs, side quests that each feature only the respective Fiend as a playable character. Initially, they only had 20 levels and the prizes were diamonds, gold, and keys, but they've since been augmented to 30 levels with a new costume for the quest's main character at stake.

* HeroOfAnotherStory: Various side-quests involve a quintet of earthworms that have their own slug-fighting adventures. [[NintendoHard Beware - these levels can be quite tough.]]

*** Yet another musical reference appears via the Hero World Tour area the [[Music/LedZeppelin Dread Zeppelin]].