History VideoGame / EpicBattleFantasy

Epic Battle Fantasy is a series of flash games developed by Matt Roszak (AKA "[=Kupo707=]", which was changed to "Kupo Games" sometime around the release of [=EBF4=]). It consists of three individual series: the main ''Epic Battle Fantasy'' series of {{Eastern RPG}}s (consisting of five games), as well as two spin-offs.

* VideoGame/EpicBattleFantasy1
* VideoGame/EpicBattleFantasy2
* VideoGame/EpicBattleFantasy3
* VideoGame/EpicBattleFantasy4
* VideoGame/EpicBattleFantasy5

* VideoGame/BrawlRoyale (technically predates the series, but some characters are borrowed from it and there's a ContinuityNod in ''1'')
* VideoGame/BulletHeaven
* VideoGame/AdventureStory
* VideoGame/BulletHeaven2

** In EBF 5, the Putrid Worm summon has a pitiful attack and only affects a single target. However, that effect is to reduce the target's evasion to the minimum, which greatly boosts the chance of capturing an enemy ([[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5r3icD7E0JI including bosses]]).

** UpToEleven in [=EBF5=]. [[spoiler:The final boss of that game, the Devourer, serves as the final boss of not just the game, but of ''the entire series''.]]

** Numerous references are made to earlier games in ''Bullet Heaven 2'', ranging from clear ones like Akron ([[spoiler:which turn out to be relevant at the very end of the game]]) to more obscure ones like ''[=EBF3=]''[='=]s beach scene.

* CuteKitten: ''[[AuthorAppeal Everywhere]]''.

*** Godcat (the 4th of the ''EBF 3.3'' bosses) is coming back for ''[=EBF4=]''. [[spoiler:And is once again the FinalBoss, being revealed to have literally created the world.]]

** Matt and Natz's seemingly aimless Epic Battle Fantasy quest from [=EBF1=] sparks off events leading to them [[spoiler: fighting and earning the respect of a god in [=EBF4.=]]]

--> '''[=EBF3=] Medal Description:''' ''Please don't leave 1,000 comments about this again.''\\
'''[=EBF4=] Medal Description:''' ''Please don't leave [[SerialEscalation 100,000]] comments about this again. Seriously, [[YouBastard you freaks]].''
* GameBreakingBug: As of December 2015, Chrome updates have introduced a number of bugs to the older Flash EBF games that can make them almost unplayable.
* GameOver: The series plays around with this. Be prepared to see some form of it on [[HarderThanHard Epic (Heavenly in Bullet Heaven 2)]] ''a lot'' in any of the games.

* HyperactiveMetabolism: [=EBF3=] starts replacing potions with various food items. [[CommonplaceRare This has the side effect of making pizza incredibly rare.]]

* SequelEscalation[=/=]SortingAlgorithmOfEvil: The first game's final boss was Zombie Goku, [[RecurringCharacter again.]] Not so awful for Matt and Natz to deal with, you say, [[spoiler:aside from him destroying a good portion of the world upon his defeat.]] The second game has them fight the guy trying to take over the world in the aftermath of the first game. Again, not so horrible to deal with, especially compared to the final boss of the original... then we get to [=EBF3=], where the main villain is [[spoiler:a demonic being of god-like power who represents a huge threat to the world relative to previous final bosses, and to existence in general.]] And [[spoiler:the final boss of [=EBF4=] is ''Godcat herself'']], which pales in comparison when the final boss of [=EBF5=] goes meta.

** [=EBF4=] onwards allows you to set the difficulty whenever you want. Also, you can try beating the fourth game on Epic without changing the difficulty while keeping Lance in your backup slot the entire time (this means no {{Total Party Kill}}s on the front line).

** '''Berserk''': [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin The "Berserk" status effect.]] The character automatically uses a normal attack on their turn, but their attack power is increased. Note that Matt, Lance, and Anna will randomly cast their strongest non-LimitBreak physical attacks (Legend, Unload, and Combo Shot respectively) when berserk in [=EBF4=] onwards, possibly turning this into a case of StatusBuff.

*** As of [=EBF5=] v 2.0, it also protects players from getting their physical attack or magic attack debuffed.

** '''Defend''': [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin The "Defend" status buff.]] Reduces all incoming damage by half for the remainder of the turn. Can be granted by selecting "Defend" from the tactics menu, and can be granted to the entire party at once by using the "Ancient Monolith" summon in [=EBF4=].

*** As of EBF5 v 2.0, it also protects players from getting their physical defense or magic defense debuffed.

* ThisIsADrill: Tera Drill in [=EBF3=] and Giga Drill in [=EBF4=] onwards, an extra skill that drills into an enemy from below to deal physical earth damage, doing more damage the higher the target's defense is overall.

** Very rare items in [=EBF5=], such as Espresso, which also buffs your maximum HP and is one of few ways to do so. They ''cannot be bought'' at all, so you'll probably save them up for BonusBoss battles. Stat raising items can be now gotten from some nasty enemies (think Cosmic Monolith), but their drop rate is very low.

** Any {{Status Effect|s}} (such as "[[AC:DEATH]]"), or StatusBuff has this when applied in [=EBF4=] and 5 (and the Steam update of 3!).

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: EBF 2 & 3 have a summon called Meow Meow where a giant sword-wielding cat is summoned to attack the enemy. Meow Meow vanishes the next game. What makes this notable is that Meow Meow violates the WorldBuilding of [=EBF4=], which stresses the fact that cats don't have arms or legs in this world. It's rather jarring that all the players make a big deal out of seeing cats with arms, legs, and tails despite the fact that they had a summon that was just that.

* WomenAreWiser: This was averted in [=EBF3=], as Natalie and Lance alternated between being in the right while Matt was consistently an IdiotHero. The trope was played straight in [=EBF4=], as Natalie and Anna were much more down to earth and wise compared to their male counterparts.
* WorldOfSnark: Downplayed. Most [=NPCs=] are limited to LampshadeHanging at best, but the playable cast all tend to snark. Especially noticeable in [=EBF4=], where certain pieces of scenery provoke a different snarky line from every character. Take the wall of "warning" signs in the factory, for example:

** [[spoiler:Godcat]] also uses holy and dark, but this trope is best shown in ''Bullet Heaven'', where she uses both at once. In [=EBF4=], she's split between her dark and her light side, who only use spells from their element.

* NonNaziSwastika: This is set up purposefully. The BigBad Lance is portrayed as a neo-Nazi intent on destroying the world to rebuild it. However, if one looks carefully at his uniform, his swastika is facing the other direction from the Nazi swastika to form the Buddhist symbol for peace, an appropriate reflection of his ultimate motives.

* CreepyCoolCrosses: They appear a lot in the series, mainly in WhiteMagic spells. However, the fourth game has them as decorative "flair".

* HarderThanHard: [[IdiosyncraticDifficultyLevels Epic mode]]. Oh so very much.

-->'''Matt''': ...And I think Natalie would hate you less if you stopped staring at her non-stop.
-->'''Lance''': That's not a fair criticism! I'm very subtle about it. I've got hidden cameras on my clothes, [[ComicallyMissingThePoint so that I don't even have to look in her direction.]]

** Any StatusAilment (such as "[[AC:DEATH]]"), or StatusBuff has this when applied in [=EBF4=] and 5 (and the Steam update of 3!).

* WaveMotionGun: A lot of the enemies. [[spoiler:Godcat's creation form's]] in particular is pure pain in beam form. Also, Lance's bomb in the ''Bullet Heaven'' games, and his [[Franchise/{{Pokemon}} Hyper Beam]] attack in [=EBF4=], complete with charge-up turn.
* WhenTreesAttack: "Stop pretending to be a foe, tree, you're just a tree." Also, the Laurelin and Telperion boss battles in the fifth game

*** '''Reflex''' (now called '''Reflex Breeze''') has a 5-turn cooldown like '''Protective Shield''' and '''Magic Barrier''', cures '''Shroud''' status (see StatusEffects below) as well as buffing everyone's evade.
*** '''Dark Pulsar''' has a 2-turn cooldown, but possesses the exact same power (skill-based factor for damage per target hit) as '''Dark Pulse'''.

** Cloudburst hits everything once for water damage in ''3'', gives everyone "Wet" status in ''4'' and ''5'', and is learnable in ''4'' (and possibly ''5'').

** '''Berserk''': [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin The "Berserk" status effect.]] The character automatically uses a normal attack on their turn, but their attack power is increased. Note that Matt, Lance, and Anna will randomly cast their strongest non-LimitBreak physical attacks (Legend, Unload, and Combo Shot respectively) when berserk in [=EBF4=], possibly turning this into a case of StatusBuff.

*** As of EBF5 v 2.0, it also protects players from getting their physical attack or magic attack debuffed.

* ElementalWeapon: Most weapons are elemental based and can sometimes cause StandardStatusEffects such as freezing, burns, or paralysis.

*** '''Reflex''' (now called '''Reflex Breeze''') has a 5-turn cooldown like '''Protective Shield''' and '''Magic Barrier''', cures '''Shroud''' status (see StandardStatusEffects below) as well as buffing everyone's evade.

** Play as one player. Or two in the third game, seeing how some battles have up to five enemies in one wave, in contrast to the first two games' three. This makes a one-player run nearly impossible and [[StandardStatusEffects stunning/freezing]] enemies (''2'' onward) will make these challenges harder.

* StandardStatusEffects:

** Any [[StandardStatusEffects status ailment]] (such as "[[AC:DEATH]]"), or StatusBuff has this when applied in [=EBF4=] and 5 (and the Steam update of 3!).

--->'''[=NoLegs=]''': ''*feels right at home*''
--->'''[=NoLegs=]''': ''*commits violent thoughtcrime*''

** Zombie Goku carries a scar from his previous battle with Matt in ''Brawl Royale'' (although the scar is much smaller than you would expect for a guy who got perfectly bisected).

** Going further back, Natalie's first appearance had her using shuriken as a weapon instead of magic, and Matt's appearance in ''Brawl Royale'' had him use a gun at one point, something he never does afterwards.

* VideoGameSettings:
** In the third game:
*** [[FirstTown Only Town]]: The Town (lampshaded even, one NPC tells you the town has no name as it's the only one in the game.)
*** TheLostWoods: Vegetable Forest
*** PalmtreePanic: Rock Lake
*** SlippySlideyIceWorld: Glacier Valley
*** HailfirePeaks: The volcano part near the end of Glacier Valley. This one might have been done to introduce some of the fire enemies early.
*** ShiftingSandLand[=/=]RuinsForRuinsSake: The Kitten Kingdom Ruins
*** LethalLavaLand: Volcano Peak
*** [[spoiler:SpaceZone: Outer Space]]
** In the fourth game:
*** FirstTown: Greenwood Village
*** LethalLavaLand: Ashwood Forest and the lava caves in most of the areas.
*** DugTooDeep[=/=]UndergroundLevel: Crystal Caverns
*** SlippySlideyIceWorld: Parts of Crystal Caverns and Whitefall Town; your character doesn't slide, but the [[BlockPuzzle blocks]] do.
*** BigBoosHaunt[=/=]BlackoutBasement[=/=]BonusDungeon: Graybone Cemetery
*** EternalEngine: Waste Disposal Facility
*** JungleJapes[=/=]LostWoods: Lankyroot Jungle
*** TheMaze: The upper-left corner of the world (in Lankyroot Jungle)
*** PalmtreePanic[=/=]ShiftingSandLand: Goldbrick Resort
*** BubblyClouds[=/=]TempleOfDoom: Temple of Godcat
*** All of these count as some form of HailfirePeaks, as they often bleed into each other. Battle Mountain in particular includes all the terrain types in a 6 x 3 map.
** In the fifth game:
*** FirstTown[=/=]PalmtreePanic[=/=]ShiftingSandLand: Hope Harbor
*** EternalEngine[=/=]BigFancyCastle: Iron Fortress
*** DugTooDeep[=/=]UndergroundLevel: Just about every premium dungeon counts as this (except the [[BossOnlyLevel Temple of Trials]])
*** TheLostWoods: Mystic Woods
*** SlippySlideyIceWorld: Frozen Valley
*** [[spoiler: {{Cyberspace}}]]: The area where [[spoiler: Snowflake]] resides.
*** SpaceZone: The Rapture

* ChewToy: [=NoLegs=] was originally a doodle by Roszak [[http://kupo707.deviantart.com/art/No-Legs-the-Cat-67256690?q=gallery%3Akupo707&qo=353 that he would torture over and over again]]. He even made an entire game about it, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin The Kitten Game]]. It can be played [[http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/476742 here]].

** In the second game, if Natz is hit with the Seal status effect, she can still use Purify to un-Seal herself.

* IdleAnimation: A frequent source of {{Shout Out}}s.

** He doesn't appear to have legs on the world map, but when summoned in battle he has them.
** Jusified in that the Meow Meow character doesn't belong to Matt Roszak, but to fellow Newgroundser NCH. Meow Meow was specifically removed from future installments as too many people believed that the cat was originally Matt's.

* LimitedAnimation: The idols introduced in ''4'' really stand out in the way that they have only one cohesive sprite. Most characters from the game have a number of segments to them that move and stretch for their actions, but the Idols are completely unmoving. The Pixel enemies from the bonus areas of ''5'' act the same way.
* LeitMotif: Prominent throughout the series. An example being Rage of the Abandoned (played during a difficult encounter) and Derelict Factory of Twisted Metal. Both are essentially the same thing, but the latter sounds more rearranged.

* ElementalPowers: Ten in the main series. Nine of them are standard — Fire, Thunder, Ice, Earth, Poison, Dark, Holy, Water, and Wind. The tenth is Bomb, which specifically refers to explosive force, and works best on enemies made of solid stone or metal.

* VideoGamePerversityPotential: You can click on Natalie's chest to make it bounce.

%%* UnusualEuphemism: "Fffffffffiretruck!" and "Shiiiiiiiiipyards!" (context?)

** [=EBF4=] onwards allows you to set the difficulty whenever you want. Also, as a more fair variation on the above example, you can try beating the fourth game on Epic without changing the difficulty while keeping Lance in your backup slot the entire time (this means no {{TotalPartyKill}}s on the front line).

* SexySantaDress: Playing the fourth game very completely might result in you missing this one from your inventory. [[spoiler:You have to set your computer's clock to December unless your playthrough lasts through that month.]]

* SpectralWeaponCopy: Matt's skill Seiken / Holy Sword /Light Sword skills attacks with a sword made of light to deal holy damage.