History VideoGame / DragonQuestVII

* AcceptableBreaksFromReality: In Disc 2, when [[spoiler: the continents that are home to the great spirits are sealed off]], curiously, Dharma/Alltrades Abbey, one of the most crucial locations in the game, is still accessible despite that it does not fit the apparent criteria. But see also the fridge section.

* GameplayAndStoryIntegration: One party member is Gabo / Ruff, who joins you at level one. It seems a little weird... except that Gabo is a [[RaisedByWolves feral child]] and technically an adolescent -- ergo it makes ''perfect'' sense that he doesn't have a lot of combat prowess ''or'' experience. Melvin/Mervyn and Aira/Aishe, meanwhile, are at a much higher level when they join.

* GodIsEvil: Subverted, the God you first resurrect is actually [[spoiler:the Demonlord in disguise]].

** [[spoiler:Kiefer, somewhat infuriatingly.]]
* GuideDangIt: Many map pieces, which are needed to advance the plot, are hidden in out-of-the-way places. This fortunately becomes averted in the 3DS version, which will often direct you to the next tablet fragment, but even then a player may find themselves confused onto just what these hints mean.

* MarathonLevel: Dharma Temple/Alltrades Abbey.

* PapaWolf: Borkano. The remaining sea-monsters in the world are why he's so against you and Maribel traveling with him.

* BoringButPractical: Have everyone master the Dancer and Sailor professions -- the ultimate ability for the Sailor is Lightning. This is an ability that hits ''everything'' on the field, whereas Muscle Dance just hits a group. Neither cost anything, and while Lightning becomes weaker later on (and outclassed by other abilities) it is still great for the mid-game.

* ReplacementGoldfish: [[spoiler:Eri/E.L.L.I.E., for {{Jerkass}} Zebbot/Autonymus's dead wife.]]

* PenninsulaOfPowerLeveling: The Treasure Hunt [=DLC=] Tablet contains Metal/Diamond Mannequins. They give absurd amounts of experience by the truck loads, and they can be easily dispatched by landing a good Hatchet Man blow. Some players like making Liquid Metal Slime Tablets to create their own penninsulas.

** Rexwood/Ballymolloy: [[spoiler:The monsters are defeated and the town's women are rescued, but the tragic story of Maev leaves the party shaken and hammers it into them that their adventures are NotAGame.]]

** Ballymolloy: [[spoiler:The monsters are defeated and the town's women are rescued, but the tragic story of Maev leaves the party shaken and hammers it into them that their adventures are NotAGame.]]

* BoringButPractical: Have everyone master the Dancer and Sailor professions - the ultimate ability for the Sailor is Lightning. This is an ability that hits ''everything'' on the field, whereas Muscle Dance just hits a group. Neither cost anything, and while Lightning becomes weaker later on (and outclassed by other abilities) it is still great for the mid-game.
** Thin Air. Paladins and Pirates learn this skill and does at least 90-100 damage to every enemy for free, crowd-clearing enemies up to the end game. The Champion and Hero classes learn this too. Even the enemies who resist it will take enough damage to be taken out the following round. Even fewer enemies are immune to it, and there is often something else that can be used that will knock them out (such as Boulder toss or the breath attacks) or it will just be easy to [[AttackAttackAttack have everyone smack them]].

** Pendragon/Preator in past Aeolus Vale. He disowned his own daughter for being born without wings by telling her that she was a human orphan that he was kind enough to take in, and is so fearful of having his cover on this lie broken that he doesn't even want to tell her when the heroes need her to open a door that ONLY a member of the Cirrus tribe can open. His own mother constantly calls him out on how big of a cowardly asshole he is, though.

** Faraday: [[spoiler:The Automatons are defeated, but ELLIE, who was instrumental in the victory, is ostracized and abused by the very people she helped saved simply because she herself is an Automaton. To make matters worse, Automynous learns ''[[IgnoredEpiphany absolutely nothing]]'' from the whole ordeal and spends the rest of his days in bitter, misanthropic seclusion.]]

* ChangelingFantasy: Implied, although it never comes to the hero's attention. Early in the game it is noted that the hero had an unusually short gestation -- only five months -- before being born as healthy as a full term baby. During the Buccanham chapter, the player meets Anais, the pregnant wife of the {{pirate}} Sharkeye, in poor condition due to worrying about both the curse of the island [[spoiler:that turns all babies into monsters the first full moon after their birth]] and her husband [[spoiler:sealed off in [[HumanPopsicle demonic ice]] somewhere far away after having fought the Demon King.]] After clearing the curse and restoring the island, Anais disappears. [[spoiler:Her prayer reached the Undersea King, who abducted her and turned her into a mermaid in order to live long enough to be reunited with Sharkeye when he was to be defrosted.]] Meanwhile, her unborn baby is said to have been transported to another land, possibly another time by the Water Spirit. This baby is strongly implied to be the hero. [[spoiler:Later it is all but confirmed as both he and Sharkeye bear halves of the mark of the Water Spirit, Sharkeye passing his half to who would've been his son.]]

* AcceptableBreaksFromReality: In Disc 2, when [[spoiler: the continents that are home to the great spirits are sealed off]], curiously, Alltrades Abbey, one of the most crucial locations in the game, is still accessible despite that it does not fit the apparent criteria. But see also the fridge section.

*** There is also a feature that'll tell you which areas the tablets are, as well as a (rather useful, but not direct) hint on where in said area it is. (e.g, "It is in this volcano dungeon in the present, on the floor", "It is in L'arca, check in the buildings")

*** In a moment of GuideDangIt, you can get around the vocation area cap woes by using any Tablet in Haven and battle the monsters there, even lowly slimes. Yes that's right, you can turn all your characters into uber powerhouses with their jobs shortly after the Alltrades Abbey Arc!

* AwesomeYetImpractical: Blade of Ultimate Power / Ultra Hit. The final ability of the Champion / Godhand class, an ability that deals close to 400-500 damage and costs 20 MP to use. In the 3DS version, the ability is tied to the Champion class, which has rather low MP so using it will cause your MP to get drained ''fast''. What's more, it's not even affected by Oomph, Muster Strength, or Sap - a champion can deal more damage to a single target by delivering a knuckle sandwich.

* BalefulPolymorph: The town of L'Arca, where the people have been turned into animals by a terrible curse and the exact opposite happens to the actual animals themselves. Fortunately, they are changed back except for Ruff who is out of luck since the hackrobat made his spell permanent. Later on, another town has been hit with a similar curse where the children of the town are transformed into monsters on their first full moon.

* BookEnds: The game begins in Fishbell/Pilchard Bay during the Amitt Harvest when your mother gives you a Fishsub to deliver to your father, but he sails off before you have a chance to give it to him. You also discover [[FieryRedhead Maribel]] stowing away on his ship, and she promptly gets kicked off. Later, [[spoiler:at the start of disc 2, after the [[DiscOneFinalBoss first fight with Orgodemir]] and [[NiceJobBreakingItHero resurrecting "God"]]]], you are given another Fishsub by your mother to deliver to your father, but this time, it actually gets delivered. Then, [[spoiler:after the rematch with [[BigBad Orgodemir]]]], the annual Amitt Harvest begins again, and once again you are given another Fishsub to deliver to your father, but this time she makes one for you to bring with you on your first [[TurnOutLikeHisFather fishing voyage with your father.]] Once again, you find Maribel stowing away on the ship, but before she gets kicked off, Borkano allows her to stay on just this once.

* DidIJustSayThatOutLoud: [[spoiler:After the Time Sage is defeated, as he dies he boasts that even with him gone, El Ciclo will remain trapped in his time loop...unless his giant hourglass is destroyed. Bonus points for how he actually [[OhCrap realizes his blunder]] just before he dies.]]

** Greenthumb Gardens. The LoveDodecahedron ends in a non-solution and eventually leads to the decline and abandonment of the town.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: When you return to Emberdale during the Greenthumb Gardens arc, speaking to the man who married the dancer will cause Kiefer to muse about how being married is incompatible with being an adventurer. [[spoiler:This ends up foreshadowing his decision to remain in the past with the Roamers.]]

* GameplayAndStoryIntegration: One party member is Gabo / Ruff, who joins you at level one. It seems a little weird... except that Gabo is a [[RaisedByWolves feral child]] and technically an adolescent - ergo it makes ''perfect'' sense that he doesn't have a lot of combat prowess ''or'' experience. Melvin/Mervyn and Aira/Aishe, meanwhile, are at a much higher level when they join.

** At one point late in the game, you must use the Empty Bottle to collect Rainbow Dew. The Rainbow Dew could be collected hours earlier - but the game doesn't really direct you to do so or tell you just ''where'' you can find it. Fortunately it's out of the way.

** [[spoiler: Matilda/Maeve - however, it's a case of ICannotSelfTerminate]]
** [[spoiler: The warrior in Pink manages to do it, earning himself a RedemptionEqualsDeath]]
** The Priest of Providence. [[spoiler: As it turns out he was more than willing to do this in the past...]]
** Twice in Nottagen:

* HonorBeforeReason: Averted by Hadid. When a monster you just defeated produces his Queen's amulet and tries to get out of the beating by claiming Hadid's people must obey whoever carries the amulet, his only reaction is to ask "Are you quite finished?" before dealing the final blow.

** In L'Arca as a result of the [[BalefulPolymorph curse of Deathpal/Hackrobat]], which turned all the humans into animals and all the animals, including party member Gabo/Ruff into humans. The curse is done, but not before the monster makes it permanent for the young White Wolf.
** When returning to L'Arca, it turns out that [[spoiler:Deathpal/Hackrobat himself has become (a rather scruffy) human due to his powers being sealed]]. His attempt to undo Gabo/Ruff's curse results in Gabo/Ruff learning to talk just like a human.

* JerkassHasAPoint: The people of Nottagen are distrustful of Buddy's second monster pet. They're clearly not meant to be sympathised with, even though they ''do'' have a point that a monster may not be the ideal choice for a pet, especially since they were just saved from monsters who attacked and took over the village ''twice'' in the past couple months. Of course, [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential you could always decide to castigate them for their behaviour...]]

* KarmicTransformation: Deathpal/Hackrobat. [[spoiler:After transforming all of the humans in L'Arca to animals (and vice verse), he himself [[HumanityEnsues becomes human]] due to being drained of his power. He's reduced to using his scary voice to intimidate other monsters, because if they saw him they would attack him. He decides to make it up to Ruff for cursing him earlier by changing him back into a wolf, but only succeeds in letting him talk just like a human...but as it turned out, he prefers his new human form.]]

* LampshadeHanging: Done quite a bit with party chat. Special mention goes to when you finally are going up to the actual church in Alltrades Abbey... when even the ''other npcs'' are getting frustrated at how long it's taking and comment just how impossibly fast it was for the monsters to set up an arena.

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: In present-Faraday, [[spoiler:upon witnessing his guards critically damage ELLIE under the false belief she was about to attack Ambrose, the King finally realizes that ELLIE is more than just a machine and how his blind obsession with advancing Faraday's technology was preventing him from seeing the big picture. He immediately agrees to return ELLIE to Autonymous's house and resolves to be more mindful and ethical in his technological pursuits.]]

* ThereIsNoGod: The Glowering Inferno believes that the deity that the citizens of Emberdale are worshipping doesn't exist at all. [[spoiler:It turns out he does.]]

* TranslationTrainWreck: There are numerous typos in the English version, but given the sheer amount of text they had to translate... Fortunately this is fixed in the 3DS version.
* TraumaCongaLine: Buddy - first he is kicked out of his house by monsters. When he goes back, one stays with him but then [[HeroicSacrifice blows itself up so Buddy won't be taken by the vines]]. Then he gets a pet monster who the townsfolk want to kill and who [[spoiler:sacrifices himself too when the town gets attacked by monsters once again]].

* UselessUsefulSpell: Zig-zagged - only a couple bosses are immune or resistant to Sap, and only a couple trash mobs are outright immune to instant-death spells. However, it is often better (and more practical) to just spam cost-free abilities that hit harder and sometimes all enemies, or use a scepter later in the game that will cast a powerful spell for free.
* ValleyGirl: The people in Nottagen ("Worst. Town. Ever."), like, totally talk like this. Even the elderly say things like "ASAP".

* VideoGameCrueltyPotential: You can cause Nottagen to be destroyed in the present by [[spoiler:deciding to just go ShootTheDog]].

* WarIsHell: The central theme of Faraday and Probina/Providence is the brutality and tragedy of war.

* YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle: You ''finally'' made it back to Alltrades Abbey... oh wait, now they built an arena. [[LampshadeHanging In an impossibly short amount of time -- the characters are just as surprised as the player is.]]

** You have just killed the monster causing darkness around Nottagen. Wait a moment, why is it still ruined? Back to fix it! Well, now you saved them from a man-eating plant. Now let's see what-wait why are they ''still'' ruined?

* RebelliousPrincess: Kiefer hits every part of this trope's description save gender.

* RedundantResearcher: The desert scholar.

* AndIMustScream: In one village, everyone was turned to stone by the Gray Rain... [[spoiler:and have been worn away by the seasons for ''decades'', rendering it impossible to save anyone. With one exception...]]
** [[spoiler:The worst part about this is that they ''glow'' at night. Poor Clayman assumes this is their hatred for him radiating off of them. In reality, they are just trying to pass on their memories so they can "die" in peace.]]
** [[spoiler:Later on, you come across a village that was ''just hit'' by the Gray Rain, and can get revenge on the monster responsible before saving everyone.]]
* ApologeticAttacker: The first world-sector boss is [[spoiler:Matilda/Maeve]], who refuses to fight. This becomes a cross between TearJerker and free exp...

* AFeteWorseThanDeath: The Festival of Engow/Emberdale, which involves [[spoiler:throwing torches into the volcano -- something the local BigBad plans to turn to his advantage by stoking the [=EvilFlame=]/Black Flame and setting off an eruption.]]

* ChangelingFantasy: Implied, although it never comes to the hero's attention. Early in the game it is noted that the hero had an unusually short gestation -- only five months -- before being born as healthy as a full term baby. During the Buccanham chapter, the player meets Anais, the pregnant wife of the {{pirate}} Sharkeye, in poor condition due to worrying about both the curse of the island [[spoiler:that turns all babies into monsters the first full moon after their birth]] and her husband [[spoiler:sealed off in [[HumanPopsicle demonic ice]] somewhere far away after having fought the Demon King.]] After clearing the curse and restoring the island, Anais disappears. [[spoiler:Her prayer reached the Undersea King, who abducted her and turned her into a mermaid in order to live long enough to be reunited with Sharkeye when he were to be defrosted.]] Meanwhile, her unborn baby is said to have been transported to another land, possibly another time by the Water Spirit. This baby is strongly implied to be the hero. [[spoiler:Later it is all but confirmed as both he and Sharkeye bear halves of the mark of the Water Spirit, Sharkeye passing his half to who would've been his son.]]

** The [[Film/{{Woodstock}} Hubbstock]] festival has among its torban candidates Music/{{Jimi|Hendrix}}, Music/{{Eddie|VanHalen}}, [[Music/{{Motorhead}} Lemmy]] and Music/{{Yngwie|Malmsteen}}.

** [[MadScientist Zebbot/Autonymus]] and [[RobotMaid Eri/ELLIE]] from Falrish/Frobisher; one is a misanthropic cientist who chooses to live away from people, the other is robot, robots being widely feared in the island.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: Talking to everyone, both the various [=NPCs=] and your own party via Party Chat, results in a lot of questionable scenes.
** In one instance, you can talk to two kids trying unsuccessfully to milk a cow. Your party observes among themselves that said cow is male, and Melvin/Mervyn comments that he milked many a teat in his day.
--> '''Engow Mayor''': Let's go get piss drunk!
** The 3DS version has less party chat, but you can still get a few gems. Namely, Maribel mentioning that [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything a currently unwed woman can lay with whoever she wants]] and it's none of their business.
** In the ending, you can see an old woman sitting across from another woman using the "Playboy bunny" model. Talking to both reveals [[GenderBender the playboy bunny was an old man originally and profession changed at Alltrades]]... and the woman asks if she should [[GenderBender become a strongman for her husband-turned-playboy bunny]].

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: A village, in the present, [[FurryFandom dresses up in animal costumes in a celebration]].

** The present day Mayor of Labres is this, CrazyPrepared, and AxCrazy. He feared someone was going to find the tablet eventually, and had a giant axe ready to smash it to bits when they did. [[WhatTheHellTownspeople Why he did it has no real justification either.]]

* DoomMagnet: Loomin/Nottagen's an entire ''town'' suffering from this. And no, it's not a DoomedHometown, either. [[spoiler:[[NiceJobBreakingItHero Unless you screw up]].]]

** Loomin/Nottagen if [[spoiler:you make the wrong choice regarding Chibi (i.e. kill him)]].

* AFeteWorseThanDeath: The Festival of Engow, which involves [[spoiler:throwing torches into the volcano -- something the local BigBad plans to turn to his advantage by stoking an [=EvilFlame=] and setting off an eruption.]]

** Sometimes, if you talk to Mayor Mayde after completing an island, he'll remark that sometimes he worries so much about Maribel that it makes him sick. At the time, you probably consider it a figure of speech, [[spoiler:but he in fact ''does'' become critically ill after the events in Mardra/Hubble.]]

* GambitRoulette: Played by [[spoiler:GOD]] of all people. Blocked entirely for plot contents. [[spoiler:God has set up his battle with [[BigBad Orgodemir]] so that his four Spirits can be revived if they fell. He sealed his warrior Melvin away for the Hero to gain and add strength to his party. The Hero was about to be born in a DoomedHometown, but God saved him and moved him to the continent of Estard in the future when the Ruins could be used. The Hero was originally a child marked with the Aqua Spirit's brand -- but only half, his father Sharkeye was not killed, only Sealed in ice until needed so that the Hero can gain the entire seal. Estard, on the other hand, was the ONLY island that was spared from Orgodemir's destruction. On that island was the Ruins that allow the Hero to go into the past and save all the worlds. The shards to get to each world are arranged in difficulty to allow the Hero to grow. Then, right after the Hero has killed Orgodemir, the revival ceremony to revive God is allowed to finally work. Sadly, right after that is the Body Snatcher incident, but... God's Gambit works perfectly.]]

** [[spoiler: Matilda - however it's a case of ICannotSelfTerminate]]

* KillerRobot: The Mechsoldiers assaulting Falrish. [[spoiler:Comes complete with TurnedAgainstTheirMasters / HoistByHisOwnPetard when the strongest Mechsoldier ''crushes'' the monster commanding them.]]

* TheCasino: One located near Alltrades Abbey... oddly in the well. Another is in a palace.

** Played straight in the original with [[spoiler:Maribel, with no warning. Hope she wasn't carrying anything useful, like the Bless Staff or Tiny Medals... [[{{Unwinnable}} or that empty bottle]]. No idea what would happen if she was holding the [=DarkRuby=], which would normally be taken from you later beyond your control.]]

* TimeyWimeyBall: ''Oh yeah''. There isn't much mention as to how many years have passed between the past and present, made even more confusing once you revisit previous locations and characters while working on other locations.

* {{Tsundere}}: Maribel, who's heavy on the ''tsun-tsun'' and not so much with the ''dere-dere'' for most of the game.