History VideoGame / FlawedCrystals

* HateFic: An odd example. The authors actually ''loved'' ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse''... right up until "A Single Pale Rose" turned everything on its head. The story is a ''very'' pointed and scathing criticism of the canon ending, particularly the move away from the supporting cast to focus entirely on Steven, but the characters and overall setting are portrayed with a surprising amount of love, almost feeling like a FixFic at times. But the "hate" part is taken UpToEleven in the final arc, where [[spoiler:the canon ending is revealed to be [[AllJustADream nothing but a sick wish-fulfillment fantasy of Steven's]], and is subjected to ''scathing'' criticism by the characters in the story, portraying it as a nonsensical mess of {{Plot Hole}}s and CharacterDerailment. The good ending actually requires the gems to stand up for themselves and criticize Steven for his behaviour, a complete inversion of the ending of ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverseFuture'' where he is saved by unconditional support.]] [[invoked]]

** Killing [[spoiler:Steven during the final battle]] or [[spoiler:during the Dying of the Light phase]] gets you the bad ending.
** Standing up to [[spoiler:Steven during the final battle without Jasper]] gets you the good ending.
** Standing up to [[spoiler:Steven during the final battle with Jasper]] gets you the best ending.

** Killing [[spoiler:Steven during the final battle]] gets you a bad ending.
** Killing [[spoiler:Steven during the final battle during the Dying of the Light phase]] also gets you a bad ending.

* AllLovingHero: Steven plays this straight throughout the main game, much in line with his canon self. Though he disagrees with the others and their use of the Sonicizer to shatter the Diamonds, he understands that it had to be done and that he hopes to have a normal life after this. During the final dungeon, this part of his character is deconstructed. Steven valued loving everyone, even the monstrous Diamonds, more than he valued justice. This led to [[spoiler:his fantasy of making up the canon ending, where the injustices against the gems are swept under the rug so that everyone can get along. Steven ultimately admits that he cared more about inhabiting the persona of the all-loving hero than he cared about what people actually needed.]]

* BecameTheirOwnAntithesis: Once the corruption takes hold of him, [[spoiler: Steven's dark side is revealed to be a controlling, petulant, holier than thou individual who can't stand the flaws of the Crystal Gems and wants them to change the way he wants them to. Effectively making him exactly like White Diamond in canon.]]

* BeYourself: This winds up deconstructed hard during the final battle. [[spoiler: At this point, Steven has become completely corrupted, saying that he's perfect the way he is despite the Crystal Gems' horror at his corrupted form. When the gems decide that Steven cannot be reasoned with, they have no choice but to fight him. Saving Steven from his corruption requires you to call him out on his selfish and cowardly fantasy.]]
* BigBadSlippage: [[spoiler: Steven. Healing the gems makes him absorb their corruption, and his desires slip out.]]

* {{Cap}}: Levels are capped at 35 (unless you're [[{{Superboss}} the Perfect Crystal]] who is Lv 100), Attack and Defense stats are capped at 30, and HP is capped at 100.

* DeconstructionFic: The game's final dungeon is this to [[spoiler: the Diamond Days arc of ''Steven Universe''. Several moments from the canon events specifically are acknowledged as a nonsensical wish-fulfillment fantasy of Steven's that molds the Crystal Gems into what he wants:]]
** [[spoiler: Lapis joining the Crystal Gems to fight Blue Diamond because Steven believes that Lapis needs to get over herself and stop being depressed. Lapis wishes she could fight for Steven but acknowledges that she can't due to her traumas.]]
** [[spoiler: Peridot is omitted because she'd be a constant reminder that Homeworld's atrocities cannot be forgiven and that Steven never forgave her actions, not to mention that his desired happy ending would be impossible otherwise. Her returning to fight White Diamond's mecha alongside Lapis and Bismuth isn't acknowledged, likely because Peridot is seen as incompetent by Steven.]]
** [[spoiler: Bismuth is portrayed as hateful and the antithesis to Steven's all loving nature, implying that Steven never got over the trauma of nearly being killed by Bismuth. Her accepting that Rose and Pink Diamond are the same allows him to justify his own self loathing and Bismuth's hatred of the Diamonds. Bismuth is merely confused, wondering why Pink Diamond would shatter herself despite never having to face the consequences of her actions.]]
** [[spoiler: Garnet splitting in two over Pink Diamond so that Steven could tear them their perfect relationship and fix it on his terms. He decides he wants Ruby and Sapphire to break up, forgive each other and have a wedding despite them being fused for centuries and having a full understand of what being Garnet entails.]]
** [[spoiler: Pearl is reduced to Steven's Pearl because he wanted Pearl to do things for him all the time and because he can't stand how opinionated and emotional she is. As such, Pearl is reduced to be a background prop who only cares about Steven's approval, much like the other Pearls who serve the Diamonds.]]
** [[spoiler: Amethyst caring more about the Diamond's Era 3 ball over the gems that are still being shattered, likely because Steven views Amethyst as immature.]]
** During the bad endings, this desire [[spoiler:leads to Steven's corruption and him capturing the gems, or the gems killing him in self defense]].

*** [[spoiler:Some of the gems' attacks that had flippant or enthusiastic descriptions will change to become more serious, in some cases preventing them from attacking at their full power]].
*** [[spoiler:Every gems' basic attack will have an altered description noting that the attack draws blood, since you are now fighting an organic creature]].

* DissonantSerenity: After defeating the [[spoiler: idealized versions of the Crystal Gems, Steven's description of his own corrupted state describes it as a great thing wheras the Crystal Gems are horrified. When they decide he needs to be cured of his corruption, Steven goes beserk and tries to poof them.]]

* EnemyScan: You can do this for free at any point by clicking on an enemy's name, displaying their stats, level, and any active status effects. In some cases such as [[spoiler: The Perfect Crystal or Steven, their Attack and Defence will obscured and in the latter's case, his HP will be obscured as well.]]

* FixFic: The game serves as one to Steven's characterization in the Diamond Days arc and for all the Crystal Gems. The final dungeon even has Steven feel guilt and loathing for the last few episodes his fantasy is based on and the Crystal Gems (and Jasper) even help him overcome [[spoiler: his corruption, where Steven finally gets to live a normal life.]]
* FlunkyBoss: All of them, except for Corrupted Amethyst, Corrupted Bismuth,[[spoiler:Steven and the Perfect Crystal]]. Each one has a slightly different method of summoning and maintaining flunkies.

** The opening scene. Steven decides at literally the last minute that now is a good time to push for ThouShaltNotKill against the other gems, who have all agreed the Diamonds need to die and whose plan will only work if they do so without hesitation. The gems pre-empt the fallout by choosing to drop Steven from the mission, but this leads to them being corrupted without his shield to protect them from the Diamonds' attack.
** ''Dissonant Harmony'' reveals this was the case among the ''gems themselves''; their plan to dupe Steven was such a poorly-coordinated mess it's a miracle they pulled it off. They kept Amethyst in the dark until it was too late for her to back out, knowing that she would also argue, they kept Bismuth in the dark about keeping ''Amethyst'' in the dark, and they appear to forget to consult Lapis about it at all.

* IAmAMonster: During the final dungeon, [[spoiler: it's clear that Steven feels awful about using the Room to cope with the revelation of Rose Quartz shattering Pink Diamond. When the Room copy of Rose starts exposing Steven's fantasties, he tries to deny them, not wanting the Crystal Gems (and Jasper) that side of him.]]

* JourneyToTheCenterOfTheMind: Steven must do this for each of the gems to cure the source of their corruption. During [[spoiler: Steven's corruption, it's suggested that Stevonnie do this to themselves somehow but as the Room Rose points out, doing such a thing is a Catch 22.]]

** At the end, [[spoiler:Steven corrupts into a giant-armed monster with a canine body and Rose's hair representing his self-loathing, his belief and resentment of Rose Quartz's perfection and how he demands the Crystal Gems to change in the ways he wants.]]

** Rewriting [[spoiler: Jasper's personality to Ocean Jasper's]] during her healing sequence gets you a bad ending.
** Forcing [[spoiler: Jasper's to choose between her friends or Pink Diamond]] during her healing sequence forces you to fight her and gets you a bad ending.
** Killing [[spoiler: Steven during the final battle]] gets you a bad ending.
** Killing [[spoiler: Steven during the final battle during the Dying of the Light phase]] also gets you a bad ending.
** Standing up to [[spoiler: Steven during the final battle without Jasper]] gets you the good ending.
** Standing up to [[spoiler: Steven during the final battle with Jasper]] gets you the best ending.

** If the player decides to [[spoiler: kill Steven during the phase where he spams Dying of the Light, Jasper can kill him due to the game being scripted to have Steven's HP at 1 during that part of the battle.]]

** Despite Centipeetle (aka Nephrite) being the first Corrupted Gem in the series Steven tries to heal, she's seen nowhere in the game and doesn't even get mentioned with Jasper being the first Gem in your party instead. This little factoid is one of the many things that disproves the idea of [[spoiler: Steven not being a real hero, and only doing it for his selfish hero complex.]]
** Early on, Stevonnie go to Rose's Fountain to fill up a bottle with healing tears and they go back there every time they need to refill bottles. So why do they neglect to use her tears to heal themselves when [[spoiler:their corruption begins to take hold?]]

* ProtagonistCentredMorality: During the final dungeon, it's clear that [[spoiler: Rose Steven very much believes that they because they're the centre of the universe and an all loving hero, ergo he's right to try and control the Crystal Gems so they'll be what he wants them to be. The Crystal Gems and Jasper very much prove him wrong.]]

* RejectedApology: If you make too many excuses instead of actual apologies during [[spoiler:Jasper's true healing sequence, she will decide you're not really sorry, because if you were you would have changed your behaviour instead of continuing to abuse her]]. Steven will also suffer this in the good ending if [[spoiler:he bungled Jasper's healing sequence; she will declare she will never forgive him and doesn't want to see him ever again]]. The only way for the apology to be accepted is to [[spoiler:navigate Jasper's healing conversation properly and take full responsibility for your actions]].

** The knowledge that Rose really shattered Pink Diamond, the final nail in the coffin against the possibility she could be saved, drove Steven [[spoiler:into a FreakOut that led him to using Rose's room to create a wish-fulfillment fantasy where he ''could'' save everyone: the canon ending. The final arc of the game explains why this desire was selfish: He valued saving the Diamonds more than he valued justice for their victims. When dealing with villains as evil as the Diamonds, attempting to save them will only create more harm; there comes a point where you have to be willing to pull the trigger.]]

* ShutUpHannibal: While the other characters are willing to let the [[spoiler: Room Rose explain, Peridot in contrast points out that it's admitted that it's a corruption fragment and should be poofed. It doesn't take and Rose is allowed to explain what she wanted to say.]]
** Peridot also does this again when it's clear that [[spoiler: Steven won't see reason due to him being fully corrupted and again if you pick the correct dialogue option when it's her turn to talk to Steven.]]

* {{Superboss}}: The Perfect Crystal, [[spoiler:a twisted Room phantom representing Steven's guilt for the deaths of the Great Diamond Authority]]. It can only be fought in TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon,is extremely difficult and has 2000 HP (the most of any boss in the game) using several {{Video Game Set Piece}}s based on [[spoiler:the Diamonds' canonical abilities]].

* TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon: [[spoiler:Rose's Room.]] You're trapped in a claustrophobic nightmare where Rose Quartz is surrounded by puppet versions of the Crystal Gems, who must be [[BossRush fought and defeated]] to see pieces of [[spoiler: Steven's fantasy]] before the final fight. There's also a healing fountain and a [[BonusBoss bubbled shard fusion]] that can be popped.

* VideoGameCrueltyPunishment: If you treat the gems cruelly and callously in their healing sequences, [[spoiler:Steven may become corrupted early, leading to an unwinnable boss fight and GameOver.]]
* WhatTheHellHero: The final boss being a corrupted [[spoiler: Steven winds up getting this from the other Crystal Gems, Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl in particular.]]

* AttackReflector:
** Stevonnie's "Thorns" ability, which will protect a character from one attack and damage the attacker.
** Corrupted Lapis and her urchin monsters don't protect themselves from damage, but you'll suffer the same damage you did to them -- [[AchillesHeel unless you use a ranged attack to avoid their spines]]. (The endgame rematch removes this exemption and makes you suffer ''more'' than the damage you inflicted.)

* FieldPowerEffect: The [[spoiler:Blue Diamond]] fragment of [[BonusBoss the Perfect Crystal]] can use these to debuff the gems' stats or prevent them from generating star points.

** The BonusBoss uses "Blood Therapy", the ClimaxBoss theme from ''VideoGame/AVeryLongRopeToTheTopOfTheSky''.

* BeYourself: This winds up deconstructed hard during the final battle. [[spoiler: At this point, Steven has become completely corrupted, saying that he's perfect the way he is despite the Crystal Gem's horror at his corrupted form. When the gems decide that Steven cannot be reasoned with, they have no choice but to fight him. Saving Steven from his corruption requires you to call him out on his selfish and cowardly fantasy.]]

* BrainwashingForTheGreaterGood: You are given several chances to express this attitude towards Steven's accidental mind-wipe of Jasper. [[WhatTheHellHero Some gems will call you out on it]], but [[PragmaticHero some won't]]. [[spoiler:When she regains her memories, Jasper will demand an apology if you did so at any point.]]

* ClimaxBoss: All the gems are the bosses of their dungeons, which are themed around them.

* ContractualBossImmunity: {{Downplayed}}; bosses are ''resistant'' to stun effects, but with the exception of the BonusBoss, not completely immune.

* ContinuingIsPainful: Outside of the tutorial, falling in battle will make you lose half your scrap. This is justified as Lapis needing to drop her current stockpile of scrap to rescue you.

* BonusBoss: The Perfect Crystal, [[spoiler:a twisted Room phantom representing Steven's guilt for the deaths of the Great Diamond Authority]]. It can only be fought in TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon,is extremely difficult and has 2000 HP (the most of any boss in the game) using several {{Video Game Set Piece}}s based on [[spoiler:the Diamonds' canonical abilities]].

* {{Cap}}: Levels are capped at 35 (unless you're [[BonusBoss the Perfect Crystal]] who is Lv 100), Attack and Defense stats are capped at 30, and HP is capped at 100.

* PlotHole: Despite Centipeetle (aka Nephrite) being the first Corrupted Gem in the series Steven tries to heal, she's seen nowhere in the game and doesn't even get mentioned with Jasper being the first Gem in your party instead. This little factoid is one of the many things that disproves the idea of [[spoiler: Steven not being a real hero, and only doing it for his selfish hero complex.]]
** Early on, Stevonnie go to Rose's Fountain to fill up a bottle with healing tears and they go back there every time they need to refill bottles. So why do they neglect to use her tears to heal themselves when [[spoiler: their corruption begins to take hold?]]

** [[BonusBoss The Perfect Crystal]]'s use of mathematical functions as attacks is a reference to the Secretary enemies of ''VideoGame/{{OFF}}'', with "Oblique Asymptote" being a direct reference to one of their abilities.

* TitleDrop: The CosmeticAward for beating [[BonusBoss the Perfect Crystal]] is a "Flawed Crystal". The Perfect Crystal itself is also an inverted title drop.

%%* TrueCompanions: Stevonnie and the gems are this.
* UselessUsefulSpell: Every character except Stevonnie has a useful-sounding joke ability. They potentially have some use, but tend to have severe downsides.
** Jasper can try to recall one of her memories. You may think this would result in a powerful attack, but [[spoiler:it instead results in a nervous breakdown, stunning her for the next round and resetting all aggression against her]]. Since she's your tank, this is generally not a good idea. After [[spoiler:Jasper regains her memories]], this changes to [[spoiler:''intentionally'' crying it out to vent her emotions]]. This averts the stun, making it potentially more useful if Jasper is in a bind and you really need to take heat off of her.
** Peridot can insult a monster to gain a ton of aggression. She is also TheMedic ''and'' has the worst defense of any gem, so this is almost always a terrible idea.
** Garnet can unfuse to attack twice. This does result in a stronger attack... ''if'' both hits land. Ruby and Sapphire each have a 50% chance of [[CutenessProximity being too distracted by the other to fight]], giving the attack poor performance on average.
** Amethyst can shapeshift to attract monsters' attention... but in doing so, she'll overexert herself, sustaining a ''defense debuff''. Oops.
** Pearl can guard a specific gem, taking all hits that would otherwise strike them... but she has so little concern for her own well-being that her defense stat goes to ''zero'', making this effectively a suicide ability.
** Bismuth can forge "the perfect weapon", providing an ''immensely'' powerful attack buff that outperforms any other item... but it takes her ''five turns'' to make it, during which she can't do anything else.
* WhatTheHellHero: The final boss being a corrupted [[spoiler: Steven winds up getting this from the other Crystal Gems, Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl in particular.]]

* ProtagonistCentredMorality: During the final dungeon, it's clear that [[spoiler: Rose Steven very much believes that they because they're the centre of the universe and an all loving hero, he's right to try and control the Crystal Gems so they'll be what he wants them to be. The Crystal Gems and Jasper very much prove him wrong.]]

** The developer commentary makes a sarcastic jab at the direction ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' took in its final episodes and particularly in ''Steven Universe Future'':

** Lying to Ruby and Sapphire about their relationsh bad endings also corrupts you early on.

** Forcing [[spoiler: Jasper's to choose between her friends or Pink DIamond]] during her healing sequence forces you to fight her and gets you a bad ending.

** Killing [[spoiler: Steven during the final battle during the Dying of the Light phase]] gets you a bad ending.

''Flawed Crystals'' is a ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' text-based RPG fangame made by A Friendly Irin and Farla in Twine.

Set in an AlternateUniverse where Rose Quartz actually shattered Pink Diamond, the Gems leave Steven behind to fight the Diamonds themselves. They return from the mission corrupted; Steven and Connie now need to track them down, capture them, and figure out a way to restore them to their former selves.

** If the player loses to Pearl, the game allows them to return straight to the fight without having to go through the rest of The Great Desert.

During the bad endings, this desire leads to Steven's corruption and him capturing the gems, or the gems killing him in self defense.]]

* BonusBoss: The Perfect Crystal, [[spoiler:a twisted Room phantom representing Steven's fear of the Diamonds and guilt for their deaths]]. It can only be fought in TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon, and is extremely difficult, using several {{Video Game Set Piece}}s based on [[spoiler:the Diamonds' canonical abilities]].
* BossRush: The final dungeon involves a rematch against every boss at their highest level.

* {{Cap}}: Levels are capped at 35 (unless you're [[BonusBoss the Perfect Crystal]]), Attack and Defense stats are capped at 30, and HP is capped at 100.

* DeconstructionFic: [[spoiler: Of the canon ending of ''Steven Universe''. The canon events specifically are acknowledged as a sick wish-fulfillment fantasy made up by Steven that shaves the gems' personalities down into the traits he likes most. During the bad endings, this desire leads to Steven's corruption and him capturing the gems, or the gems killing him in self defense.]]

* EnemyScan: You can do this for free at any point by clicking on an enemy's name, displaying their stats, level, and any active status effects.

* FlunkyBoss: All of them, except for corrupted Bismuth [[spoiler:and Steven]]. Each one has a slightly different method of summoning and maintaining flunkies.

** [[spoiler:Corrupted Steven]] crosses this with BodyHorror to [[spoiler:shapeshift his arm into a thorny vine]].
* HappinessInSlavery: [[spoiler:Pearl in Steven's fantasy, just as she was in canon.]] This is called out as twisted and awful.
* HateFic: An odd example. The authors actually ''loved'' ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse''... right up until "A Single Pale Rose" turned everything on its head. The story is a ''very'' pointed and scathing criticism of the canon ending, particularly the move away from the supporting cast to focus entirely on Steven, but the characters and overall setting are portrayed with a surprising amount of love, almost feeling like a FixFic at times. But the "hate" part is taken UpToEleven in the final arc, where [[spoiler:the canon ending is revealed to be [[AllJustADream nothing but a sick wish-fulfillment fantasy of Steven's]], and is subjected to ''scathing'' criticism by the characters in the story, portraying it as a nonsensical mess of {{Plot Hole}}s and CharacterDerailment. The good ending actually requires the gems to stand up for themselves and criticize Steven for his behavior, a complete inversion of the ending of ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverseFuture'' where he is saved by unconditional support.]] [[invoked]]
** [[RevengeFic Steven in particular]] is portrayed as a self-centered narcissist with a god complex who only helps people to fuel his savior fantasy. [[https://archiveofourown.org/works/21257453/chapters/56586208 The author commentary]] outright calls him "a terrifying, awful person" and that "no one but the Diamonds deserve to suffer his twisted, possessive, controlling idea of 'love'." (They do, however, go on to say that they liked Steven before his character took this turn in the final episodes, and his CharacterDevelopment in the fangame is something of a FixFic in this regard.)

** At the end, [[spoiler:Steven corrupts into a giant-armed monster representing his self-loathing and how he demands people to change in the ways he wants.]]

* {{MST}}: [[MindScrew Sort of.]] [[spoiler:This happens in-universe within the final dungeon, as the characters are shown specific scenes from the canon ending of ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' and comment on them, often by accusing them of CharacterDerailment. Insterestingly enough, it's Steven himself who provides the harshest criticisms, with the Crystal Gems mostly just being baffled.]] [[invoked]]

** When fused into Stevonnie, Steven's thoughts are colored pink, while Connie's thoughts are colored indigo.

** [[spoiler:Rose's Room]] has a claustrophobic reddish background that fades to black at the edges, representing [[spoiler:Steven's stress and panic as the corruption encroaches on him]].

%%* TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon: [[spoiler:Rose's Room.]]

* HurtComfortFic: The gems' healing sequences take this format, showing them beaten down by their worst fears, traumas, and mental illnesses, and requiring Steven to show them love and understanding in order for them to recover.

* JourneyToTheCenterOfTheMind: Steven must do this for each of the gems to cure the source of their corruption.

* RejectedApology: If you make too many excuses instead of actual apologies during [[spoiler:Jasper's true healing sequence, she will decide you're not really sorry, because if you were you would have changed your behavior instead of continuing to abuse her]]. Steven will also suffer this in the good ending if [[spoiler:he bungled Jasper's healing sequence; she will declare she will never forgive him and doesn't want to see him ever again]]. The only way for the apology to be accepted is to [[spoiler:navigate Jasper's healing conversation properly and take full responsibility for your actions]].

[[spoiler: ->''I need you to respect me, I don't respect me\\

* AlternateUniverseFic: Passive-aggressively termed "[[ShapedLikeItself Rose Quartz is Rose Quartz]]". Rose Quartz is, obviously, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin a Rose Quartz]] and not Pink Diamond. Several other changes are made as well: During this continuity's version of "A Single Pale Rose", Pearl showed Steven a memory of Rose ''actually'' shattering Pink Diamond; a few months later, Bismuth was reunited with the Crystal Gems, Lapis Lazuli and Lars returned to Earth, and work began on a special weapon to assassinate the Diamonds, bringing us to the opening scene. [[spoiler:In addition, it is later revealed that Steven had a FreakOut and made up the canon ending of ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' within Rose's Room to cope.]]

->''I need you to respect me, I don't respect me\\
I need you to love me, I don't love me\\
But I want you to know you don't know me\\
Can you change my mi-i-i-i-ind\\
Can you change my mi-i-i-i-ind\\
Can you change my mi-i-i-i-ind\\
Change my mind''

* AbsurdlyHighLevelCap: Averted; the level cap is relatively low, at 35. You're likely to reach at least 30 easily by the end of the game.

* AllLovingHero: Deconstructed. Steven valued loving everyone, even the monstrous Diamonds, more than he valued justice. This led to [[spoiler:his fantasy of making up the canon ending, where the injustices against the gems are swept under the rug so that everyone can get along. Steven ultimately admits that he cared more about inhabiting the persona of the all-loving hero than he cared about what people actually needed.]]

* DarkReprise: Textual only, but the chapter description for the final dungeon is a warped version of the lyrics of the song "Change Your Mind" from the main show, with the message and pronouns inverted.

* HateFic: An odd example. The authors actually ''loved'' ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse''... right up until "A Single Pale Rose" turned everything on its head. The story is a ''very'' pointed and scathing criticism of the canon ending, particularly the move away from the supporting cast to focus entirely on Steven, but the characters and overall setting are portrayed with a surprising amount of love, almost feeling like a FixFic at times. But the "hate" part is taken UpToEleven in the final arc, where [[spoiler:the canon ending is revealed to be [[AllJustADream nothing but a sick wish-fulfillment fantasy of Steven's]], and is subjected to ''scathing'' criticism by the characters in the story, portraying it as a nonsensical mess of {{Plot Hole}}s and CharacterDerailment. The good ending actually requires the gems to stand up for themselves and criticize Steven for his behavior, a complete inversion of the ending of ''Steven Universe Future'' where he is saved by unconditional support.]]

* {{MST}}: [[MindScrew Sort of.]] [[spoiler:This happens in-universe within the final dungeon, as the characters are shown specific scenes from the canon ending of ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' and comment on them, often by accusing them of CharacterDerailment. Insterestingly enough, it's Steven himself who provides the harshest criticisms, with the Crystal Gems mostly just being baffled.]]

** When Jasper is fully healed, several of her abilities are upgraded to stronger variants. This occurs right before [[spoiler:ThePointOfNoReturn and TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon]].

* HealingFactor: Stevonnie shares Steven's healing powers, which self-apply. This is the justification for why they can recover as quickly as the gems after a NonLethalKO.
** They can also gain this as a gameplay benefit... [[YouHaveResearchedBreathing once they reach level 15]].

** When Jasper is fully healed, several of her abilities are upgraded to stronger variants. [[spoiler:This occurs right before ThePointOfNoReturn and TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon]].

* RealityEnsues: Throughout most of the game, exhausting HP only results in a NonLethalKO. [[spoiler:But during the FinalBattle with Steven, if you defeat him, he will ''actually'' die, because he is organic and can't recover from mortal wounds like the gems can.]] Bismuth will warn you of this if she's been recruited.

* DidntSeeThatComing: [[{{Seer}} Garnet]] is completely blindsided by [[spoiler:Steven suffering from corruption]].

* LiteralTransformativeExperience: The gems' corrupted forms are giant monsters representative of their worst fears and traumas. Healing them requires addressing those traumas.
** [[spoiler:Steven, at the end, corrupts into a giant-armed monster representing his self-loathing and how he demands people to change in the ways he wants.]]

** The author has also stated that the particular mechanic of [[spoiler:Steven poofing every character except Jasper with an unstoppable attack]] is meant to evoke a very similar moment from the final battle of ''VideoGame/Mother3''.