History VideoGame / Contact

[[caption-width-right:336: Terry might [[IncrediblyLamePun well be in a sticky situation...]]]]

* EverythingsBetterWithMonkeys: The bad guys have a pet monkey [[spoiler: who leads you into traps.]]

* StatGrinding: There's no traditional levels; you just level up Terry's various stats by using them. This makes the few weapons tied to unusual stats ''very'' valuable, as they let you level them by idly plinking at a BonusBoss instead of farming EP to use their skills.

* LongSongShortScene: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GuzYJebXMA This]] plays ''just'' before the final boss under four lines of dialogue, then it's never played again, or before.

[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/contact_game_5453.png]]
[[caption-width-right:200: Terry might [[IncrediblyLamePun well be in a sticky situation...]]]]

* GainaxEnding: Big time. [[spoiler: The Professor unceremoniously abandons Terry and disappears with the cells, apparently aware of his status as a videogame character. Terry tries to fight you, the player, for all you've done to him. The [=CosmoNOTS=] go right back to their music careers without chasing the Prof. Mint, for some reason, takes the time to bring Terry back home like the Prof. promised to, and asks him to "help her" "next time," despite all the grief Terry (and you) put her through.]] TheStinger doesn't clear anything up. [[spoiler:The Professor writes a letter asking Terry and the player's forgiveness, as he knows he's only a game character made of data but had thought he was fighting off what the developers and localization team were making him do. He's decided YouCantFightFate, but at the same time wonders why he has emotions, explaining that he spent all the time the game was off living without the player. the professor then asks if you respected and cared about Terry or treated him as the hero in a game, that he and Terry are alike, and he's going to travel the world while his data stays as the professor in-game. He then asks about the player, keeping what they said to him as a memento, and goes off to search for something only he can find.]]

* AbsurdlyHighLevelCap: All of your stats have a maximum level of 100, and the stats tied to a skill progression have it last all the way to 100 -- this despite the fact that even if you focus on just one stat, you'll likely finish the main story with it in the 50s at most.

* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: Ayaka says she likes "bad" boys and will only date you if your Karma stat is below negative 30. Due to the way the Karma stat works, [[ExaggeratedTrope this requires a lot of murder]].

* DeathIsASlapOnTheWrist: You get sent back to the ship and lose some Fame. Fame is only useful if you want to date one specific girl anyway.

* GameGourmet: The planet you're tasked to explore has all kinds of meats, fruits, vegetables, and other foods that you can obtain and often cook up to recover HP and gain temporary stat boosts. Some of them include canned stew, BBQ meat, juice, Swanky Soup, milk, raisin bread, strawberries, and grapes.

* HyperactiveMetabolism: You gain the health benefits of food instantly, but it still takes time to digest (during which the stat benefits apply), so [[DownplayedTrope you can't just stuff your face with hamburgers indefinitely]].
* KarmaMeter: Your "Karma" stat, quite literally. It goes up when you kill evil creatures and down when you kill [=NPCs=] and non-hostile wildlife. It doesn't ''do'' very much -- if it's too far into the negatives normally-friendly [=NPCs=] will either attack or flee on sight, and that's about it.

** First, you fight Mint, who is sick and tired of you screwing up the [=CosmoNOTs'=] plans -- it's a thrilling battle on a minijet in flight, but the simple fact is that she's not much of a fighter compared to [[spoiler:the Mu-reanimated dragon]] you just beat.

* ThePowerOfRock: [[spoiler: Nadia uses her keyboard to create storms]], thereby impeding your progress to [[spoiler: Akumojo Castle]]. To get around this, you have to [[spoiler: switch out the storm-making music for the upbeat [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Blue Sky March]]]].

* RomanceSidequest: Terry can woo four girls in the game, culminating in them living in the ship with him. Oddly, already having one girl does not mean another girl can not come. You can even have all four living with you at once, with no real repercussions -- they'll act a bit put out if you talk to them while another girl is following you, but that's it.

* StatGrinding: There's no traditional levels; you just level up your various stats by using them. This makes the few weapons tied to unusual stats ''very'' valuable, as they let you level them by idly plinking at a BonusBoss instead of farming EP to use their skills.
* SuicidalOverconfidence: {{Averted|Trope}}; enemies who deem your stats dangerously high will flee when you come close instead of attempting to attack you.

* WarpWhistle: The ship sticker, appropriately, warps you back to the ship.

* TemporaryOnlineContent: With the end of Nintendo WFC, everything on [=WiFisland=] has become permanently inaccessible to anyone that hasn't already unlocked it. Most notably, this includes a BonusBoss.

* FunWithAcronyms: "Cosmic Nihilist Organization for Terror". What the heck does it mean? No idea, but you can abbreviate it to "[=CosmoNOTs=]", and that's really all that matters.

* TemporaryOnlineContent: With the end of Nintendo WFC, everything on [=WiFisland=] has become permanently inaccessible. Most notably, this includes a BonusBoss.

* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: Ayaka says she likes "bad" boys and will only date you if your Karma stat is below negative 30.

* PeoplePuppets: [[spoiler:You, the player, are doing this to Terry for the entire game. it's subtle enough that even he doesn't realize it until the end of the game, at which point he immediately calls you out.]]
* PostFinalBoss: [[spoiler: Terry himself, who has finally figured out that you've been {{People Puppet|s}}eering him all game and isn't gonna have any more of it.]]

* ZeroEffortBoss: [[spoiler:Terry in the PostFinalBoss fight]] can't beat you even if you set the DS down and walk away, because [[spoiler:you don't actually have an HP meter for him to deplete.]]

* ClothesMakeTheSuperman: Terry gains different abilities depending on the costumes you find.

* PeoplePuppets: [[spoiler:You, the player, have been doing this to all the game characters without knowing it. Especially Terry, who calls you out on this during the game's ending.]]
* PostFinalBoss: [[spoiler: In a unique spin on this trope, it's Terry himself.]]

* ZeroEffortBoss: The PostFinalBoss can't beat you even if you set the DS down and walk away.

* AbsurdlyHighLevelCap: All of your stats have a maximum level of 100, and the stats tied to a skill progression have it last into at least the late 80s -- this despite the fact that even if you focus on just one stat, you'll likely finish the main story with it in the 50s at most.

* DoorDumb: Lester gets stuck on the final door in the Caldoaxa Ruins. After you beat him in a boss battle and he flees, the Professor tells Terry that ''it's a sliding door''.

%% LevelGrinding

* BallisticDiscount: You can attack and kill [=NPCs=] and shopkeepers are not an exception. They will invariably drop whatever they sell, making it a good M.O if your cash reserves are running low. There are some precautions to be had, though: the scientist that sells you potions in Ft. Eagle is stronger than all the enemies fought up to that point and can easily dispatch you if you attack him the first time you arrive on the island. The storekeepers in Aegis are behind counters and you will not be able to pick up the loot they drop. Aside from that, there isn't a real penalty other than earning bad karma points and that only influences the chances of otherwise docile animals attacking you on the spot.

* ClothesMakeTheSuperman: Terry gains different abilities depending on the costumes you find. Which leads into...
* ElementalPowers:
** PlayingWithFire: The Nitro Boost suit.
** BlowYouAway: Flyboy.
** MakingASplash: Aqua Shot.
** DishingOutDirt: Knuckle Mole

* GainaxEnding: Big time. [[spoiler: The Professor unceremoniously abandons Terry and disappears with the cells, apparently aware of his status as a videogame character. Terry tries to fight you, the player, for all you've done to him. The [=CosmoNOTS=] go right back to their music careers without chasing the Prof. Mint, for some reason, takes the time to bring Terry back home like the Prof. promised to, and asks him to "help her" "next time," despite all the grief Terry (and you) put her through.]] A scene after the credits, which only appears some of the time, is even more confusing. [[spoiler:The Professor writes a letter asking Terry and the player's forgiveness, as he knows he's only a game character made of data but had thought he was fighting off what the developers and localization team were making him do. He's decided YouCantFightFate, but at the same time wonders why he has emotions, explaining that he spent all the time the game was off living without the player. the professor then asks if you respected and cared about Terry or treated him as the hero in a game, that he and Terry are alike, and he's going to travel the world while his data stays as the professor in-game. He then asks about the player, keeping what they said to him as a memento, and goes off to search for something only he can find.]]

* GuideDangIt: Each of the costumes represent about 1/6 of the abilities in the game. You need all the elemental outfits, at least, to get through the main quest. And good lord, are each of them easy to miss.
** Also applies to some of the LevelGrinding and the romantic sideplots, such as they are - leaving the girl's location before handing over a sufficient number of gifts and securing her affection restarts the whole thing.

* HyperactiveMetabolism, partially subverted: You gain abilities and health by eating food, but it takes time to digest, so you can't cram burgers into your face indefinitely.
* KarmaMeter
* LighterAndSofter: Compared to other Grasshopper Manufacture titles.
* LevelGrinding

* ManBehindTheMan: In a meta sense, Akira Ueda, who previously worked on the Shining Soul series. Most assume Creator/Suda51 was the one running the show, but he was just a producer who, as mentioned above, [[http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20060601/sheffield_01.shtml had little involvement]]; it was Ueda's game.
* MindScrew
* NoFourthWall: The Professor talks directly to you, the player.
** Because the player is an actual character, and the link between the two screens.
* NonStandardCharacterDesign: The Professor and everything belonging to him.

* PowerTrio: The Professor, Terry and the player.

* QuirkyMinibossSquad: The [=CosmoNOTs=].

** Arguably the reason why ''[[VideoGame/{{Mother}} Mother/EarthBound]]'' fans took notice of the game lies in similar elements. The favorite food naming for example...
* ShiftingSandLand: Aegis.
* TheStinger: After the credits, a special scene with the Professor writing a letter ''may'' occur. No one is sure why it only appears on some players' games and not others.

* YouBastard

* FiveManBand:
** TheHero: [[TheHeart Mint]]
** TheLancer: [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Lester]]
** TheSmartGuy: [[TeamMom Nadia]]
** TheBigGuy: [[BigBrotherInstinct Bull]]
** TeamPet: The white monkey.
*** They're also in a band with the thematically corresponding instruments for their roles.
** The [=CosmoNOTS=].
*** BigBad: Mint
*** TheDragon: Lester
*** EvilGenius: Nadia
*** TheBrute: Bull
*** PetMonstrosity: [[spoiler: the nameless dragon that the [=CosmoNOTS=] control with a cell and which serves as the penultimate boss]]
*** But, curiously enough, although they mostly serve as semi-malevolent [[MiniBoss minibosses]] for most of the game, when they're all in a group they act more like...
* EverythingsBetterWithMonkeys: Yes, you read the FiveManBand bit right. The bad guys have a pet monkey [[spoiler: who leads you into traps.]]

* GourmetGame: The planet you're tasked to explore has all kinds of meats, fruits, vegetables, and other foods that you can obtain and often cook up to recover HP and gain temporary stat boosts. Some of them include canned stew, BBQ meat, juice, Swanky Soup, milk, raisin bread, strawberries, and grapes.

* FiveBadBand: The [=CosmoNOTS=].
** BigBad: Mint
** TheDragon: Lester
** EvilGenius: Nadia
** TheBrute: Bull
** PetMonstrosity: [[spoiler: the nameless dragon that the [=CosmoNOTS=] control with a cell and which serves as the penultimate boss]]
*** But, curiously enough, although they mostly serve as semi-malevolent [[MiniBoss minibosses]] for most of the game, when they're all in a group they act more like...