History VideoGame / CounterSide

** Justified with the Old Administration Rifleman troops, as their armour is specifically noted to be comfortable to wear for all day protection from Corruption Rays.
* TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture: The game takes place in an UrbanFantasy version of a vague near-future, where AppliedPhlebotinum has made things like flying ships and particle weapons real, but much of the technology is still reasonably recognizable to people of the real-life [=2020s=]. The end of the "Administration Failure" side story gives the start of the main story a more exact date: the year 2044AD, in the calendar and relative space-time frame of reference [[AlternateUniverse for this reality]], with the events of the side story itself taking place twenty years ago in 2024.

* TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture: The game takes place in an UrbanFantasy version of a vague near-future, where AppliedPhlebotinum has made things like flying ships and particle weapons real, but much of the technology is still reasonably recognizable to people of the real-life [=2020s=]. spoiler:The end of the "Administration Failure" side story gives the start of the main story a more exact date: the year 2044AD, in the calendar and relative space-time frame of reference [[AlternateUniverse for this reality]], with the events of the side story itself taking place twenty years ago in 2024.

* AllegedlyFreeGame: The most valuable currencies are Quartz (which can be earned via in-game quests and bought) and Admin Coin (which is only acquired through microtransactions).

** The Counterside is revealed to be the zombified remains of different Worldlines and it's inhabitants that are trying to devour the Normalside. [[spoiler: It is also revealed that you can travel to different Normalside Worldlines with the correct coordinates. But barring the use of the Arks, the are mostly by accident.]]
** Deconstructed in ''Dead End Road'', [[spoiler: which focuses more on this aspect and the Counterside rather than the usual route against the Demon Lords.]]

%%* ApocalypseHow: Class X-5. The Counterside Effect and Corrupted Objects slowly take over the world, with the world finally becoming another layer of the Counterside. The existence of Simurgh, who was built as an escort vehicle for humanity's space migration fleet in another Worldline implies that even the rest of the Universe isn't safe. The only way to survive is to retreat to [AlternateTimeline another Worldline and start over].

*** [[spoiler:Category 6 breaks the scale, and for good reason; COs can only evolve to Category 5, meaning Category 6s dont come into play naturally.]]

%%** In Episode 8, the Head Priestess's of severao Churches compted for the title of the Saintess

%%** C.O.s are ranked from Category 1 through 6 depending on their Corruption Ray intensity, corresponding with how difficult they are to put down. Categories 1 and 2 are various types of basic {{Mooks}}, 3 tends to be only approachable by Counters, 4 can deal with even most Counters handily (the Elysium Philharmonic, for instance, are mostly Category 4), and 5 and 6 are potentially world-ending threats.
** Mechs are tiered from T1 through T5 based on their combat capability (with some Fennec Fox equipment and the Steel Lane drones falling under T1, scaling up to Titan at T4 and Evolved One at T5), with a few outliers such as Cold Case Horizon rated simply "Beyond Scale."

* {{Expy}}: Many of the characters bear striking similarities or are dead-ringers for characters from VideoGame/{{Arknights}}, VideoGame/AzurLane, VideoGame/BlueArchive, and VideoGame/PunishingGrayRaven.

** Deconstructed on Episode 11,[[spoiler: Where its revealed that each Worldine has a unique form of "Watch: Most Wordlines have Watches, Elysion has Stigmata crests, Arcadena has swords, and Laura and Evelyn's Wordline has Staffs.]]

* GameplayAndStorySegregation: In story and event gameplay, characters will frequently comment on the fight regardless of if they fought or will comment on fighting alone in maps where you are expected to bring at least 2 ships.

''Counter:Side: Beyond the End'' (often stylized as ''[[CapsLock COUNTER:SIDE]]'', previously subtitled ''Administration Licensed'') is a Korean mobile {{gacha|Games}} ScienceFantasy RPG, produced by Studiobside. The original Korean server debuted with {{Creator/Nexon}} as publisher on February 4, 2020. A Southeast Asian version, encompassing most [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASEAN ASEAN]] nations, with text available in English and Thai, and technically playable from anywhere in the world due to a lack of true region locking, was published by Zlong Games and released May 17th, 2021. A Japanese version with added Japanese voiceovers was released by Nexon Japan on December 16, 2021. The official Global version, published by Studiobside themselves and with not only English, French, German, and Korean text but also Korean and Japanese voiceovers, was released on May 26, 2022, with a {{UsefulNotes/Steam}} PC client released on September 1. An update then merged the JP and GBL servers together after Studiobside was able to take over as publisher for the three regions.

* NonIndicativeName:
** While Counters' power sources are known as "Watches", they don't always resemble a timepiece (although they often do); Amy Strickland's yoyo and Yuna Springfield's staff, for instance, are also classified as Watches.
%%** Not all classified Snipers use snipers or long-range guns. Some instead use ''[[SwordBeam lance beams, scythe slashes]], or '''{{Eldritch Abomination}}s''' as projectiles.

* ArchaicWeaponForAnAdvancedAge: Most non-ciunter and several Counter u it's use guns, but said guns require bullets that are: Made of Eternium, can be imbued with CRF, need to be fired in volleys,or be very high-powered, all which can be quite expense. Compare that to Counterswh9 have super strength and super toughness backingmg up their weapon alongside powers and equipment to enhance that power.

%%* BeachEpisode: The summer event. If you change the required units in certain maps with your own version of the unit, they will be given the summer skin.
%%* WarfareRegression: Noted in story that "Warfare" is different from "Anti-corupption tactics"; the latter involves batle lines if Shieldmen holding off the ZergRush of C.Os whole other troops and vehicles provide fire support and a strike group used to deal with stronger individuals. Becomes a plot point in Episode 9 where [[spoiler: Maria is able to turn the tables on the Knights of Redemption whereas the Old Administration veteran Lee Sooyeon was unable to]] and ''Dead End Road'' where [[spoiler:Delta Seven: Pathfinder realises they are royally screwed when attacked by and army of C.Os during an anti-personnel operation]].

* TwentyFourHourArmor: Many of the soldiers in your management make no point about having to take their armor or protective gear off.

* ActionInitiative: Certain characters are marked with "Forward Deployment" meaning they are able to be placed anywhere the map, regardless of enemy boss's HP.

* AlternateUniverse: The Counterside is revealed to be the zombified remains of different Worldlines and it's inhabitants that are trying to devour the Normalside. [[spoiler: It is also revealed that you can travel to different Normalside Worldlines with the correct coordinates. But barring the use of the Arks, the are mostly by accident.]]

%%* EvilIsSexy: Units f antagonist faction have their purchasable skins more seductive and teasing compared to allied units more innocent ones.

%%* {{Fanservice}}: Many of the female playable characters have skimpy or skintight outfits, and many that don't by default have buyable skins that do.

* MesACrowd: You can have both Awakened and non-Awakened versions of the same character in the same party.

* TemporaryOnlineContent: Subverted, most rate-up banners have their units put into the main pool. Played straight with Awakened units where certain units are pulled out of the pool and shuffled around.

* {{Unobtainium}}: What Eternium is. It is used to counter Corruption, power the Counters on the battlefield, and has many other application in the technology of the world. A 4koma reveals that it is also more valuable than gold due to it's properties.

** As you use your units they slowly gain Loyalty, either through suriving encounters and leveling up through Salary Negotiation. [[LevelUpAtIntimacyFive When loyalty reaches 100]], they get a 2% buff to all stats, and have the ability to get a Lifetime Contract, which gives new voicelines and are equivalent to marriage options in other gachas, some characters noting it's basically the equivalent of marriage in the industry.

%%* WarfareRegression: Noted in story that "Warfare" is different from "Anti-corupption tactics"; the latter involves batle lines if Shieldmen holding off the ZergRush of C.Os whole other troops and vehicles provide fire support and a strike group used to deal with stronger individuals. Becomes a plot point in Episode 9 where [[spoiler: Maria is able to turn the tables on the Knights of Redemption whereas the Old Administration veteran Lee Sooyeon was unable to]] and ''Dead End Road'' where [[spoiler:Delta Seven: Pathfinder realises they are royally screwed when attacked by and army of C.Os during an ant-personnel operation]].

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/counterside_beyond_the_end.png

----

%%* LovecraftLite: The world is besieged by an EldritchLocation unleashing alien monsters, and powerful {{Eldritch Abomination}}s lurk in the shadows of the Counterside. The main factor keeping the setting from being a CosmicHorrorStory is that people have the ability to fight back, from superpowered Counters to {{Badass Normal}}s with guns, including a few [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu capable of taking on even the most powerful foes]], and most side stories have characters [[EarnYourHappyEnding earning a happy ending]].

** '''Tropes marked with "%" are in need of being updated or reviewed.'''

* ChurchMilitant: The Miracle Investigation Council 9.

** The logical question of what happens when a Counter decides to use their powers for harming and extorting innocent people may come to your mind while playing, and this is actively answered by the game in the Side Stories “The Militia” and “SWAT Team 4.” For a city of millions, if not more, there are only about ''[=six=]'' people who attempt to stop criminal Counters, with only one of them [[spoiler:in actuality two of them]] being a Counter themselves, and three of those being vigilantes with dwindling resources. As both units note, most people who enter the line of work either die or get broken, and “The Militia” goes further by revealing that the Administration has a “three strikes” system for Counters to get out of jail by fighting Corrupted Objects when the need arises-except this goes up to ''[=ten=]'', and includes committing murder and torture.

* EldritchLocation: The Counterside, naturally. Despite many man-made buildings and materials, the only inhabitants are Corrupted Objects. [[spoiler:Chapter 5 explains that the Counterside is many different worlds from other timelines combined and will eventually consume the world.]]
* EvilIsSexy: Units fro antagonist faction have their purchasable skins more seductive and teasing compared to allied units more innocent ones.
* {{Expy}}: Many of the characters bear striking similarities or are dead-ringers for characters from VideoGame/{{Arknights}}, VideoGame/AzurLane, VideoGame/BlueArchive, and VideoGamePunishingGrayRaven.

* {{Fanservice}}: Many of the female playable characters have skimpy or skintight outfits, and many that don't by default have buyable skins that do.

* Flynning:

* GeoEffects: Certain maps have different tiles that do different things:
** Blizzard tiles halves the players' speed and attack speed.
** EMP tiles suppress Mechs.
* GlassCannon: Snipers are very powerful and have a lot of range, but many of them have very low Defense and Evasion with few ways to mitigate damage taken.

* KickingAssInAllHerFinery:% The 1st anniversary provides skins with ornate designs.

* {{Leitmotif}}: Most significant employees have their own theme music, which is often played in cutscenes and stages starring them and also played from the Jukebox in the CEO's Office once that unit is obtained. Various organizations also tend to have their own themes, such as ESPR's distinctive PsychoStrings.

* LostTechnology:% The technology of the fabled Old Administration.
* LovecraftLite:% The world is besieged by an EldritchLocation unleashing alien monsters, and powerful {{Eldritch Abomination}}s lurk in the shadows of the Counterside. The main factor keeping the setting from being a CosmicHorrorStory is that people have the ability to fight back, from superpowered Counters to {{Badass Normal}}s with guns, including a few [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu capable of taking on even the most powerful foes]], and most side stories have characters [[EarnYourHappyEnding earning a happy ending]].
* LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe: Several Defenders have shields to DrawAggro.

** Not all classified Snipers use snipers or long-range guns. Some instead use ''[[SwordBeam lance beams, scythe slashes]], or '''{{Eldritch Abomination}}s''' as projectiles.

* PowerAtAPrice: So you got yourself a Watch? Congrats, you now can have SuperStrength, SuperToughness, and possible ElementalPowers, and possibly more! You also have to feed it Eternium for the rest of your life, otherwise you might start to break down and if you're in the Counterside, possibly become a [[HumanoidAbomination Shadow.]]

** C.O.s are ranked from Category 1 through 6 depending on their Corruption Ray intensity, corresponding with how difficult they are to put down. Categories 1 and 2 are various types of basic {{Mooks}}, 3 tends to be only approachable by Counters, 4 can deal with even most Counters handily (the Elysium Philharmonic, for instance, are mostly Category 4), and 5 and 6 are potentially world-ending threats.

** There are higher-tiers that exist, such as [[spoiler: Tech-Level Unknown Wolvesbane]] and the [[spoiler: Terrabrains of Hive Control]].

** The ''Administration Complete'' event has the a dime-a-dozen.

*** [[spoiler: One of the major plot points of Episode 9.5 is activating Hive Control so the Administator can calculate the future and win the Qlipoth Game. ''Administration Complet'' throws this all out the window by saying he has done this before.]]

* EmpatheticWeapon: Watches effectively work this way, either choosing their owner and appearing on their wrist or deciding who actually becomes a Counter.
* ScrollingText:%

** % [[spoiler: Initially presumed to be Tammel, the girl shown at the start of Episode 1 is revealed to be Yoo Mina of Fenrir Division[[note] by virtue of her wielding Wolvesbane]][[/note]]. However, Adminstration Complete seems to abandon that and switch back to it being [[spoiler:Tammiel]].

* BeachEpisode: The summer event. If you change the required units in certain maps with your own version of the unit, they will be given the summer skin.
* % WarfareRegression: Noted in story that "Warfare" is different from "Anti-corupption tactics"; the latter involves batle lines if Shieldmen holding off the ZergRush of C.Os whole other troops and vehicles provide fire support and a strike group used to deal with stronger individuals. Becomes a plot point in Episode 9 where [[spoiler: Maria is able to turn the tables on the Knights of Redemption whereas the Old Administration veteran Lee Sooyeon was unable to]] and ''Dead End Road'' where [[spoiler:Delta Seven: Pathfinder realises they are royally screwed when attacked by and army of C.Os during an ant-personnel operation]].
** The game has a MilitaryScienceFiction aesthetic with most soldiers equipped with realistic or futuristic guns, but many Counters like most of the Fenrir Squad use [[ArchaicWeaponForAnAdvancedAge swords]], often of implausible size. It's explained as being how their Counter powers work. In the Nanahara Family Alliance, the Nanahara twins use katanas and Nayuka Minato uses a bow, keeping with the theme that they are descendants of prominent families that uphold their tradition.
* WhamEpisode: Episode 3 reveals the main enemy faction, the Replacers, that act as villains for the majority of the plot, with the Episode revealing one of them to be Yoo Mina’s old friend Narae and [[spoiler: ending with her death]].
** The ''[=Operation Pathfinder=]'' Side Story reveals that alternative dimensions exist, and people can actively travel between them. This is more than just to introduce GenderFlip characters, but spoiler: is essential to the existence of the CounterSide itself as a mishmash of alternate dimensions.
* WhatAPieceOfJunk: In "End of the Maze", Sooyeon and a few others have this reaction to Coffin-6, which on the surface is a blocky, brown, decades-old junkheap of a ship. In Episode 7, Yubin explains that it's one of the Administration's earliest ships and is tricked out with some of their best technology including the ability to jump between Worldlines]].

* CursedWithAwesome: So you got yourself a Watch? Congrats, you now can have SuperStrength, SuperToughness, and possible ElementalPowers, and possibly more! You also have to feed it Eternium for the rest of your life, otherwise you might start to break down and if you're in the Counterside, possibly become a [[HumanoidAbomination Shadow.]]

** '''Tropes marked with "€" are in need of being updated or reviewed.'''

* KickingAssInAllHerFinery:€ The 1st anniversary provides skins with ornate designs.

* LostTechnology:€ The technology of the fabled Old Administration.
* LovecraftLite:€ The world is besieged by an EldritchLocation unleashing alien monsters, and powerful {{Eldritch Abomination}}s lurk in the shadows of the Counterside. The main factor keeping the setting from being a CosmicHorrorStory is that people have the ability to fight back, from superpowered Counters to {{Badass Normal}}s with guns, including a few [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu capable of taking on even the most powerful foes]], and most side stories have characters [[EarnYourHappyEnding earning a happy ending]].

* ScrollingText:€

** € [[spoiler: Initially presumed to be Tammel, the girl shown at the start of Episode 1 is revealed to be Yoo Mina of Fenrir Division[[note] by virtue of her wielding Wolvesbane]][[/note]]. However, Adminstration Complete seems to abandon that and switch back to it being [[spoiler:Tammiel]].

* WarfareRegression:€ The game has a MilitaryScienceFiction aesthetic with most soldiers equipped with realistic or futuristic guns, but many Counters like most of the Fenrir Squad use [[ArchaicWeaponForAnAdvancedAge swords]], often of implausible size. It's explained as being how their Counter powers work. In the Nanahara Family Alliance, the Nanahara twins use katanas and Nayuka Minato uses a bow, keeping with the theme that they are descendants of prominent families that uphold their tradition.

** Some units like Bomi and Shin Jia an summon copies of themselves.
* MyNameIs???:

** Also played straight with Operators and ships, as high-rarity Operators universally have more functionality than lower-rarity ones and higher-rarity ships generally have better stats and stronger abilities.

* PowerLevels: The Administration has classification systems for ranking the power of Counters, Mechs, and Corrupted Objects:
** € Counters receive a grade from D to S based on their CRF output, with D being the lowest and S being the highest including "[[ReadingsAreOffTheScale anything off the chart]]".
** € C.O.s are ranked from Category 1 through 6 depending on their Corruption Ray intensity.
** € Mechs are tiered in terms of output from T1 through T5, with a few outliers (such as Cold Case Horizon) rated simply "Beyond Scale."

'''Note by [Class 1 Administrator]: Due to the various later servers being newer and behind on progress of the Korean server, there will be spoilers (marked and unmarked) regarding future events, characters, and story. Additionally, everything in the first main arc (up to Episode 5) will be declassified.'''

* KickingAssInAllHerFinery: The 1st anniversary provides skins with ornate designs.

* LostTechnology: The technology of the fabled Old Administration.
* LovecraftLite: The world is besieged by an EldritchLocation unleashing alien monsters, and powerful {{Eldritch Abomination}}s lurk in the shadows of the Counterside. The main factor keeping the setting from being a CosmicHorrorStory is that people have the ability to fight back, from superpowered Counters to {{Badass Normal}}s with guns, including a few [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu capable of taking on even the most powerful foes]], and most side stories have characters [[EarnYourHappyEnding earning a happy ending]].

** Counters receive a grade from D to S based on their CRF output, with D being the lowest and S being the highest including "[[ReadingsAreOffTheScale anything off the chart]]".
** C.O.s are ranked from Category 1 through 6 depending on their Corruption Ray intensity.
** Mechs are tiered in terms of output from T1 through T5, with a few outliers (such as Cold Case Horizon) rated simply "Beyond Scale."

* ScrollingText:

** [[spoiler: Initially presumed to be Tammel, the girl shown at the start of Episode 1 is revealed to be Yoo Mina of Fenrir Division[[note] by virtue of her wielding Wolvesbane]][[/note]]. However, Adminstration Complete seems to abandon that and switch back to it being [[spoiler:Tammiel]].

* WarfareRegression: The game has a MilitaryScienceFiction aesthetic with most soldiers equipped with realistic or futuristic guns, but many Counters like most of the Fenrir Squad use [[ArchaicWeaponForAnAdvancedAge swords]], often of implausible size. It's explained as being how their Counter powers work. In the Nanahara Family Alliance, the Nanahara twins use katanas and Nayuka Minato uses a bow, keeping with the theme that they are descendants of prominent families that uphold their tradition.

* AlternateUniverse: The Counterside is revealed to be the zombified remains of different Worldlines and it's inhabitants that are trying to devour the Normalside. [[spoiler: It is also revealed that you can travel to different Normalside Worldlines with the correct coordinates to the Counterside. But barring the use of the Arks, the are mostly by accident.]]
** Deconstructed in ''Dead End Road'', [[spoiler: which focuses more on this aspect and the Counterside rather than the usual route against the Demon Lords.]]

* BigDamnHeroes: In Chapter 5, [[spoiler:right as Replacer Queen is about to kill Mina and destroy the Enterprise, down comes Awakened Hilde, utilizing her Qliphoth factors as Type:Siegfried]]. Fittingly, the Global version launched with this as the big capstone event of the launch story content and with the spoiler character in question as one of the big, featured gacha targets.

* TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture: The game takes place in an UrbanFantasy version of a vague near-future, where AppliedPhlebotinum has made things like flying ships and particle weapons real, but much of the technology is still reasonably recognizable to people of the real-life [=2020s=]. [[spoiler:The end of the "Administration Failure" side story gives the start of the main story a more exact date: the year 2044AD, in the calendar and relative space-time frame of reference [[AlternateUniverse for this reality]], with the events of the side story itself taking place twenty years ago in 2024.]]

** The ''[=Operation Pathfinder=]'' Side Story reveals that alternative dimensions exist, and people can actively travel between them. This is more than just to introduce GenderFlip characters, but [[spoiler: is essential to the existence of the CounterSide itself as a mishmash of alternate dimensions]].
* WhatAPieceOfJunk: In "End of the Maze", Sooyeon and a few others have this reaction to Coffin-6, which on the surface is a blocky, brown, decades-old junkheap of a ship. Yubin explains that it's one of the Administration's earliest ships and is tricked out with some of their best technology [[spoiler:including the ability to jump between timelines in the multiverse]].

'''Note: Due to the various later servers being newer and behind on progress of the Korean server, there will be spoilers (marked and unmarked) regarding future events, characters, and story.'''

* AerithAndBob: All over the place as a result of the different cultural juxtaposition. In just Delta Seven, you have Kyle, Jake, Maria, Dominic, Sylvia...and Jaina? [[note: This is without even getting into ther last names]]

* AlternateUniverse: What the Delta Seven: Pathfinder event is about. It is also revealed that you can travel to different timelines with the correct coordinates to the Counterside. But mostly by accidents. [[spoiler:At the end of Chapter 5, Maria is shown a video tape discussing the destruction of the world in another timeline.]]

** The "Routine Branch Report" Dispatch Mission shows Shiyoon in front of a bar graph, but the x-axis labels the bars the four quarters of , which predates not only Coffin Company itself but also the ''Administration Failure'' (which explicitly happened in 2024 of the setting). This seems to be an old asset from the game's official KR release in 2020.
** The updated Collector's tonight tab has indepth information on employees, but said information often runs contrary to awhat is shown in story.
** [[spoiler: Initially presumed to be Tammel, the girl shown at the start of Episode one is revealed to be Yoo Mina of Fenrir Division[[note] by virus of her wielding Wolvesbane]][[/note]]. However, Adminstration Complete seems to abandon that and switch back to it being [[spoiler:Tammiel]].

* SeriesContinuityError: The "Routine Branch Report" Dispatch Mission shows Shiyoon in front of a bar graph, but the x-axis labels the bars the four quarters of 2019, which predates not only Coffin Company itself but also the ''Administration Failure'' (which explicitly happened in 2024 of the setting). This seems to be an old asset from the game's official KR release in 2020.

[[folder: Layer 1: I to Z]]

** Counters receive a grade from D to S based on their CRF output, with D being the lowest and S being "[[ReadingsAreOffTheScale off the chart]]".

* InterfaceSpoiler: The Collection tab after "Counters Saga" was added to the Global servershass in-deptg information on employees that feature heavy Spoilers.

[[folder: Layer 1: I to Z]