History VideoGame / CthulhuSavesTheWorld

''Cthulhu Saves the World'' is a 16-Bit style EasternRPG from independent developer Creator/ZeboydGames, with tongue in cheek [[Franchise/CthulhuMythos Lovecraftian]] humor, rampant [[LampshadeHanging Lampshading]] of {{JRPG}} tropes, and NoFourthWall to speak of. It was released on December 30, 2010 for Xbox Live Arcade, with a proper Platform/Xbox360 and [[Platform/IBMPersonalComputer PC]] port getting funded on Website/{{Kickstarter}} and following a year later, and an [[UsefulNotes/IOSGames iOS]] port launching in 2012. It has built a reputation as both a loving tribute and parody of the 16-bit JRPG since then.

See also ''Videogame/BreathOfDeathVII'', the spiritual predecessor of ''Cthulhu Saves the World'', which features similar gameplay and writing. Both games are available on Platform/{{Steam}} in a two-for-one pack, or can be bought separately on [[UsefulNotes/XboxLiveArcade Xbox Live Indie Games]] on the Xbox 360.

''Cthulhu Saves the World'' is a 16-Bit style EasternRPG from independent developer Creator/ZeboydGames, with tongue in cheek [[Franchise/CthulhuMythos Lovecraftian]] humor, rampant [[LampshadeHanging Lampshading]] of {{JRPG}} tropes, and NoFourthWall to speak of. It was released on December 30, 2010 for Xbox Live Arcade, with a proper UsefulNotes/Xbox360 and [[UsefulNotes/IBMPersonalComputer PC]] port getting funded on Website/{{Kickstarter}} and following a year later, and an [[UsefulNotes/IOSGames iOS]] port launching in 2012. It has built a reputation as both a loving tribute and parody of the 16-bit JRPG since then.

See also ''Videogame/BreathOfDeathVII'', the spiritual predecessor of ''Cthulhu Saves the World'', which features similar gameplay and writing. Both games are available on UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} in a two-for-one pack, or can be bought separately on [[UsefulNotes/XboxLiveArcade Xbox Live Indie Games]] on the Xbox 360.

** There's a fixed amount of random encounters in every dungeon. Getting lost in an area eventually means you won't have random encounters anymore, but at the same time they give enough so you keep leveling. And, if you want to keep fighting after you've exhausted the random encounter limit, going into the menu and selecting "Fight" triggers a random encounter.

* AffectionateParody: The game parodies the JRPG games of the SNES era, without sacrificing gameplay integrity.

* LovecraftLite: The story is about Cthulhu, one of the central beings of the Franchise/CthulhuMythos (created by Lovecraft), losing most of his power and being forced to prove himself a hero to regain it.

* TookALevelInBadass: Umi is a so-so WhiteMagicianGirl in the main campaign, but your most powerful damage-dealer in ''Chtulhu's Angels''. [[spoiler:Since she's wielding Sharpe from the previous campaign, and quite insane, this makes sense.]]

* EvilIsSexy: InUniverse, this is Umi's exact reaction when she finds out she's been hanging out with an Elder One. Lampshaded by the game even when she thought he was a KnightInShiningArmor-esque hero, noting that her image of Cthulhu doesn't exactly match actual appearances.

* TooManyBelts: There's an enemy named Beltman who wears an outfit made entirely of belts, which is stated in the director commentary as a reference to Creator/TetsuyaNomura.

* UpdatedRerelease: The PC version contains extra bosses, four more party members, a director commentary, ''an entire second campaign'', and more!

* AbsurdlyHighLevelCap: As seen in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kT6A2Ew1fT8 this video]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpZ3N8cN260 this other one]] (ATTENTION: Final boss spoilers in both videos!), there is no such thing as a level cap in this game. Even though new skills stop being obtained and upgraded at level 40, you can keep gaining stats as long as you keep gaining experience. The amount of experience needed to level up doesn't even go up after that point, you always need 99999 experience points to go up a level. Killing the final boss over and over gives you so much experience that there's no reason to fight other monsters anymore, and pretty soon you're so powerful there's no reason to even continue playing.

* WhipItGood: October's weapons are whips, which can add a variety of status effects or AOE attacks to her basic attack.

''Cthulhu Saves the World'' is a 16-Bit style EasternRPG from independent developer Zeboyd Games, with tongue in cheek [[Franchise/CthulhuMythos Lovecraftian]] humor, rampant [[LampshadeHanging Lampshading]] of {{JRPG}} tropes, and NoFourthWall to speak of. It was released on December 30, 2010 for Xbox Live Arcade, with a proper UsefulNotes/Xbox360 and [[UsefulNotes/IBMPersonalComputer PC]] port getting funded on Website/{{Kickstarter}} and following a year later, and an [[UsefulNotes/IOSGames iOS]] port launching in 2012. It has built a reputation as both a loving tribute and parody of the 16-bit JRPG since then.

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* WhipItGood: October's WeaponOfChoice are whips, which can add a variety of status effects or AOE attacks to her basic attack.

* ContinuitySnarl: ''Cthulhu Saves Christmas'' is quickly established as a prequel to the original (in that it's fine for Cthulhu to wish to regain the power to end the world because it's canon that he'll lose his powers again later), but due to the series having NoFourthWall, the protagonists are aware that ''Cthulhu Saves The World'' and ''VideoGame/CosmicStarHeroine'' exist and are able to reference their events.

* EarlyBirdCameo: ''Cthulhu Saves Christmas'' is a prequel to ''Cthulhu Saves The World'', but four party members make brief appearances in "R'lyehtionship" events; Umi is immediately smitten with Cthulhu at the Beach but is told she'll have to later deny already knowing him if she wants to date now, Paws uses his ([[ContinuitySnarl future]]) friendship with Cthulhu to help escape from a Pet Shop, October is at the Graveyard, and Dacre is at the Park. An achievement, "Memories of Future Past", is unlocked by meeting at least one of them.

* ModularEpilogue: The ending of ''Cthulhu Saves Christmas'' has an additional scene for every "R'lyehtionship" that Cthulhu had maxed out, including [=NPCs=] from the main hub.

* SavingChristmas: It's the main plot of ''Cthulhu Saves Christmas''.

** While you can [[ArbitaryHeadcountLimit only field four party members at a time]], benched characters still get EXP.

* AntiFrustrationFeatures: For a turn-based RPG, it does many things right to lower the annoyance level that usually comes with the genre.
** Winning a battle revives everybody and earns you back all your HP and a small portion of MP, which makes fights less stressful if you came out of bad random encounter with only one character alive and they are one hit away from death, and also, if you can't find the exit this means the only thing you will truly be lacking in is MP, increasing your survivability.

** The only item you have are potions and equipment, meaning you don't have to rummage through the menus to find something, while still making potions effective enough to to be useful.
** You can save anywhere you want, but save points restore your MP for you, acting as a full heal basically and letting you save.

** The only vaguely annoying thing about the game is that you can only have four people in your party, but even so after every battle everyone including the people not in your party gain the same amount of experience points.

* OneTimeDungeon: Defeating the boss lets the party take control of the space ship. [[spoiler:Umi attempts to take control by pressing the BigRedButton, which starts self-destruct.]]

A prequel, ''VideoGame/CthulhuSavesChristmas'', was released on December 23, 2019.

* BonusBoss:
** [[spoiler:Dem, the protagonist of ''Breath of Death VII''.]]
** Cthulhu's Angels has [[spoiler:Sara, the heroine of the same game.]]
** [[spoiler:In [[BonusDungeon Soulcaster Cave]], there are [[VideoGame/{{Soulcaster}} Soulcaster and his Soul bosses]].]]

* DefeatMeansFriendship: This is how you get Sharpe and Ember in the main game. Similarly, you can beat [[spoiler:Dem]] in the main game, and he'll join your party. Played straight ''and'' subverted in ''Cthulhu's Angels'': [[spoiler:Dark Umi]] is a mandatory recruit and [[spoiler:Sara takes Dem's place as the BonusBoss]]. Subverted with [[spoiler:Dacre and Ember]]: since this is a different story than that of the main campaign, events unfold somewhat differently...

* TimeLimitBoss: If the BonusBoss isn't beaten in a few turns, he uses an unavoidable TotalPartyKill attack.

* TotalPartyKill: The BonusBoss in the main game wipes out your entire party after a few turns.

* NPCRoadblock: There's an area where there are [=NPCs=] permanently stationed in front of a bunch of doors, and you can't get in no matter what. If you talk with the [=NPCs=], they just say "sorry, you're not allowed inside". Eventually after talking to one, your party members will say to themselves that there's probably nothing behind the doors anyway and that the developers are obviously doing it just to mess with you.

-->'''October:''' Pain. What I feel when I bleed in the dark recesses of my soul. I linger in the light but yearn for the darkness.

A prequel, ''VideoGame/CthulhuSavesChristmas'', released on December 23, 2019.

''Cthulhu Saves The World'' is a 16-Bit style EasternRPG from independent developer Zeboyd Games, with tongue in cheek [[Franchise/CthulhuMythos Lovecraftian]] humor, rampant [[LampshadeHanging Lampshading]] of {{JRPG}} tropes, and NoFourthWall to speak of. It was released on December 30, 2010 for Xbox Live Arcade, with a proper UsefulNotes/Xbox360 and [[UsefulNotes/IBMPersonalComputer PC]] port getting funded on Website/{{Kickstarter}} and following a year later, and an [[UsefulNotes/IOSGames iOS]] port launching in 2012. It has built a reputation as both a loving tribute and parody of the 16-bit JRPG since then.

See also ''Videogame/BreathOfDeathVII'', the spiritual predecessor of ''Cthulhu Saves The World'', which features similar gameplay and writing. Both games are available on UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} in a two-for-one pack, or can be bought separately on [[UsefulNotes/XboxLiveArcade Xbox Live Indie Games]] on the Xbox 360.

!!''Cthulhu Saves The World'' contains examples of:

* TheBadGuyWins: PlayedForLaughs. Your protagonist is Cthulhu, after all. [[spoiler:To clarify, upon beating what seems like the final boss, you regain your powers then drive the world insane. Only the narrator isn't quite sure if he should stick to that, so he arbitrarily makes Cthulhu good again then adds a BiggerBad so you'll seem like a hero.]]

* AllianceWithAnAbomination: The plot is Cthulhu acting as the NominalHero allying with regular mortals though begrudgingly because of a curse. [[spoiler:In some endings, he becomes a genuine hero]].