History VideoGame / GuiltyParty

''Creator/{{Disney}} Guilty Party'' is a game for the UsefulNotes/NintendoWii produced by Disney Interactive and developed by Wideload Entertainment. Despite the "Disney" in the full title, it is, like ''{{VideoGame/Spectrobes}},'' a wholly original property not connected to any other Disney product. Like a great many other games with "[[VideoGame/MarioParty Party]]" in the title, it is primarily designed as a multiplayer game, and there are quite a few {{Mini Game}}s. Unlike other games of its genre, though, the mini-games are less the point of the endeavor than a means to an end. The primary gameplay is a mystery game, like a digital ''TabletopGame/{{Clue}}.''

* HeroesWantRedheads: Olivia is the wife of Commodore Dickens.

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

The Dickens Detective Agency is a world-famous group of related sleuths, lead by their patriarch, Dorian "The Commodore" Dickens. He is retiring from the business, but he'll still be around the Dickens family manor to dispense sage advice. Suddenly, disaster strikes when his archnemesis, the nefarious [[BeMyValentine Mr. Valentine,]] kidnaps Dorian's wife Olivia. Now it's up to the six active Dickens sleuths to track down their mother/grandma/aunt and put a stop to Mr. Valentine's plans!

* BeMyValentine: That's ''Mr.'' Valentine to you.

* '''Charlotte Dickens-Johnson:''' This [[LittleOldLadyInvestigates sweet little old lady]] is definitely the [[TheChick heart of the group,]] keeping the others in line with her [[TeamMom matronly ways.]] However, despite her outer sweetness, she's a [[CoolOldLady raging firebrand]] who knows kung-fu and probably a number of other dangerous self-defense techniques. She's Dorian's sister and Butch's wife.

* FrenchMaid: One works for the family. Her dress even has a GiantWaistRibbon.

* [[HonoraryUncle Honorary Grandparent]]: Strictly speaking, Dorian and Olivia would be Ling Ling's aunt and uncle. However, she refers to them as "Grandma" and "Grandpa" nonetheless.

* [[TalkingAnimal Singing Animal]]: It's the Three Manatee Tenors!

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: You can poke suspects during interrogation. Fair enough. It is also somewhat context-sensitive -- so a head-tap registers somewhat differently from an arm-tap or a belly-tap. [[MsFanservice Starlet Carlotta]] reacts... ''interestingly'' to being poked [[ThanksForTheMammary in the chest]] or in the behind...

* TooSoon: Max always makes the worst jokes.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: You can poke suspects during interrogation. Fair enough. It is also somewhat context-sensitive -- so a head-tap registers somewhat differently from an arm-tap or a belly-tap. [[HelloNurse Starlet Carlotta]] reacts... ''interestingly'' to being poked [[ThanksForTheMammary in the chest]] or in the behind...

** Max: [[Film/TheMalteseFalcon Sam Spade]]

* FiveManBand:
** TheHero: Max
** TheLancer: Phoebe
** TheBigGuy: Butch
** TheSmartGuy: Ling Ling
** TheChick: Charlotte
** TagAlongKid[=/=][[strike:TeamPet]]: Kid Riddle

''Creator/{{Disney}} Guilty Party'' is a game for the UsefulNotes/NintendoWii produced by Disney Interactive and developed by Wideload Entertainment. Despite the "Disney" in the full title, it is, like ''{{Spectrobes}},'' a wholly original property not connected to any other Disney product. Like a great many other games with "[[VideoGame/MarioParty Party]]" in the title, it is primarily designed as a multiplayer game, and there are quite a few {{Mini Game}}s. Unlike other games of its genre, though, the mini-games are less the point of the endeavor than a means to an end. The primary gameplay is a mystery game, like a digital ''TabletopGame/{{Clue}}.''

''Guilty Party'' (technically, ''[[InCaseYouForgotWhoWroteIt Disney]] Guilty Party'', but who's paying attention) is a game for the UsefulNotes/NintendoWii produced by Disney Interactive and developed by Wideload Entertainment. Despite the "Disney" in the full title, it is, like ''{{Spectrobes}},'' a wholly original property not connected to any other Disney product. Like a great many other games with "[[VideoGame/MarioParty Party]]" in the title, it is primarily designed as a multiplayer game, and there are quite a few {{Mini Game}}s. Unlike other games of its genre, though, the mini-games are less the point of the endeavor than a means to an end. The primary gameplay is a mystery game, like a digital ''TabletopGame/{{Clue}}.''

* '''Ling-Ling Johnson:''' [[TheSmartGuy The brains of the operation]], who bears more than a passing resemblance to NancyDrew. While [[AsianAndNerdy her intellectual mettle is formidable,]] she's one of the most upbeat members of the family and tackles situations with an unstoppable perkiness. While not of blood relation to the family, she is the adopted daughter of Butch and Charlotte.

** Ling Ling: NancyDrew

* LeFilmArtistique: Naturally, what Director Lester Noogie makes.

** Butch: {{Shaft}}

* '''Butch Johnson:''' [[TheBigGuy Huge, imposing,]] and the very picture of the ScaryBlackMan, the {{Shaft}}-like Butch is actually a GentleGiant with a high-pitched voice and a friendly smile for everyone. While he used to solve problems with his brawn, now he prefers to use his brain. A lesson in not judging books by their covers to be certain. Married to Charlotte.

''Guilty Party'' (technically, ''[[InCaseYouForgotWhoWroteIt Disney]] Guilty Party'', but who's paying attention) is a game for the UsefulNotes/NintendoWii produced by Disney Interactive and developed by Wideload Entertainment. Despite the "Disney" in the full title, it is, like ''{{Spectrobes}},'' a
wholly original property not connected to any other Disney product. Like a great many other games with "[[VideoGame/MarioParty Party]]" in the title, it is primarily designed as a multiplayer game, and there are quite a few {{Mini Game}}s. Unlike other games of its genre, though, the mini-games are less the point of the endeavor than a means to an end. The primary gameplay is a mystery game, like a digital ''TabletopGame/{{Clue}}.''

* '''Phoebe Dickens:''' [[TheLancer Max's sister]] is his opposite in many ways--much more shrewd, much more tactful, and took to the family business like a fish to water. She is often exasperated with her kin, from her overly-jokey brother to her over-the-top son. Leave it to her to [[DeadpanSnarker snark]] the family.

* '''Rudyard "Kid Riddle" Dickens:''' Loud, brash, and breathlessly wrapped up in his superhero persona, Kid Riddle seems to [[TagAlongKid tag along]] mostly because nobody (not even his mom, Phoebe) could stop him. However, his determination is off the charts, and even if he is a bit odd, he is certainly enthusiastic. And let's be honest--would you want to be called "Rudyard?"

* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: Mr. Valentine seems to be well-liked by many of the womenfolk, despite the fact that logically, given his history, he'd have to be around 60. [[spoiler: Doubles as retroactive LesYay.]]

* BatmanGambit: [[spoiler: The Commodore's plan to show his relatives that they could take over for him if they wanted to and reveal his wife's true identity as Mr. Valentine.]]
* BattleCouple: Butch and Charlotte first met during a case, and they used their combined kung-fu powers to fight off a hoard of bad guys. [[LoveAtFirstSight That pretty much sealed the deal there.]]

* ChubbyChaser: In Chapter 6, one of the most important clues you get about the murdered ([[NeverSayDie ?]]) Tooty is that he's a bit of a chubby chaser. [[spoiler: So no matter how much she adores him, the beautiful thin starlet probably ''wasn't'' his ex-girlfriend...]]

* CollectorOfTheStrange: The judge and her love of [[spoiler: egg-shaped objects.]]

* CoolOldLady: Charlotte--knows martial arts, loves rock climbing, and still enjoys a nice cup of tea.

* EasilyForgiven: ''Every'' suspect, but especially [[spoiler: Olivia. The top criminal mastermind in the world for the past several decades? Well, it's our anniversary, so... maybe we'll cart you off to the authorities another day.]]

* EvilLaugh: Mr. Valentine prefixes each of his nefarious deeds with one. [[spoiler: Pretty impressive, Olivia.]]

* ForgottenAnniversary: [[spoiler: Olivia is not happy with Dorian's forgetfulness. Not happy '''at all.''']]
* ForTheEvulz: [[spoiler: General Mission]]'s reason for helping Mr. Valentine: "For the fun of being evil!"

* FreudianExcuse: [[spoiler: Olivia couldn't stand watching her entire family go off to trot the globe as famous detectives, so she found her... ''own'' way of getting involved in their personal lives.]]

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: You can poke suspects during interrogation. Fair enough. It is also somewhat context-sensitive--so a head-tap registers somewhat differently from an arm-tap or a belly-tap. [[HelloNurse Starlet Carlotta]] reacts... ''interestingly'' to being poked [[ThanksForTheMammary in the chest]] or in the behind...
* GroinAttack: Not shown on-screen, but quite implicit when Charlotte attempts the--ahem--Monkey Steals The Peach technique on the family [[TheButlerDidIt butler]].

* HappilyMarried: Commodore Dickens and Olivia, and Butch and Charlottem are couples that have been married for years.

* InCaseYouForgotWhoWroteIt: Well In Case You Forgot Who Owns The Intellectual Property, since Wideload developed the game.

* ItRunsInTheFamily: Judging from the look of things, it runs it about four ''different'' families. What is "it," anyway? Deductive reasoning, business sense, probably insanity.
* JokerImmunity: A rather unusual case: [[spoiler: Even after beating Story Mode, Mr. Valentine is still the main antagonist. Presumably, Olivia is just doing this now to keep her family on their toes.]]

* LivingWithTheVillain: [[spoiler: Dorian is actually well aware that his wife is Mr. Valentine, but he let her think he didn't know so he could trick his relatives into exposing her to boost their confidence... no, it doesn't make a lot of sense.]]

* MeaningfulName: [[spoiler: Mr. Valentine's name comes from the fact that Olivia and Dorian's anniversary is, indeed, Valentine's Day.]]
* MiniatureSeniorCitizens: Charlotte is by far the most diminutive member of the cast--and is also dwarfed by her husband, Butch.

* MurderTheHypotenuse: What was ''supposed'' to happen in [[spoiler: Chapter 6.]] It got mucked up.
* NeverSayDie: Tooty the flautist from Chapter 6 was out-and-out ''murdered,'' but they never come out and say it. Then again... [[spoiler: When two of the suspects get ''hit by a falling anchor'' at the end of the chapter, they're only knocked unconscious. So maybe he survived after all.]]
* NintendoHard: The later levels of the story mode (in particular, stages 6 and 7) are downright ''evil.'' In addition to plenty of red herrings, there are numerous clues that really require you to ''think'' about them to understand what they mean. The final stage also has Mr. Valentine screwing you up almost every turn, [[spoiler: though finding the culprit is much easier because it becomes quite obvious--from a story perspective--who it has to be.]]
* NoAccountingForTaste: Dorian and Olivia can verge into this at times. [[spoiler: And he still loves her, despite her being, admittedly, a criminial mastermind and his archnemesis.]]

* NonLethalKO: [[spoiler: An ''anchor'' falling--and creating a huge rut in a stage--is somehow not enough to do more than knock out a pair of suspects.]]

* SamusIsAGirl: [[spoiler: Mr. Valentine ain't a "Mr". It's Olivia in disguise.]]

* StealthPun: The All-Play minigame on the Train has Mr. Valentine releasing snakes into the luggage compartment. This is unremarked upon. [[spoiler: ...[[Film/SnakesOnAPlane Snakes On a Train.]]]]
* StrangelyEffectiveDisguise: In the Ship level in Story Mode, General Ed Mission dresses up as a captain and calls himself "Mort Sherman." [[spoiler: Nobody realizes it's him until Kid Riddle takes off his hat, but the second they see him in his general's cap, it's obvious to them. Somehow.]]

* TeamDad: Commodore Dickens is the matriarch of the family, and wanted them to join in his business.

* TenMinuteRetirement: [[spoiler: Dorian has absolutely no plans to retire. It was just a SecretTestOfCharacter. He then becomes a playable character after story mode is done.]]

* TrademarkFavoriteFood: The Commodore ''loves'' his pudding. [[spoiler: All of Mr. Valentine's golden artifacts end up being pudding related, as well. ''Hmmm...'']]
* TrailersAlwaysLie: One trailer features Kid Riddle dramatically shouting, "WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY GRANDPA?!" He's actually talking ''to'' his grandfather--The Commodore just announced his plans to retire.

* VideoGameCaringPotential: In co-op games, you can shake the Wiimote and any time to cheer on your teammates, just because.

* RedheadedHero: Phoebe and her son Rudyard inherited Olivia's red hair, and they are both detectives.

* StealthPun: The All-Play minigame on the Train has Mr. Valentine releasing snakes into the luggage compartment. This is unremarked upon. [[spoiler: ...[[SnakesOnAPlane Snakes On a Train.]]]]

* CoolMask: Mr. Valentine's.

* EvilRedhead: [[spoiler:Olivia becomes Mr. Valentine, not out of malice or greed, but because being her husband's nemesis would get her involved in the family business.

The Dickens Detective Agency is a world-famous group of related sleuths, lead by their patriarch, Dorian "The Commodore" Dickens. He is retiring from the business, but he'll still be around the Dickens family manor to dispense sage advice. Suddenly, disaster strikes when his archnemesis, the nefarious [[BeMyValentine Mr. Valentine,]] kidnaps Dorian's wife. Now it's up to the six active Dickens sleuths to track down their mother/grandma/aunt and put a stop to Mr. Valentine's plans!

* {{Fiction 500}}: The Dickenses must be pretty high up there. As Olivia even says, "I'd have the money to buy a hundred zeppelins if we didn't spend so much on [[TrademarkFavoriteFood pudding...]]"

* FrenchMaid: Complete with a GiantWaistRibbon.

* GenkiGirl: Ling-Ling, very much so!

* HappilyMarried: Commodore Dickens and Olivia, Butch and Charlotte.

* HeroesWantRedheads: Olivia, the wife of Commodore Dickens.

* HugeGuyTinyGirl: Gone to hilarious extremes with Butch and Charlotte--Butch is a 7-foot-odd ScaryBlackMan while Charlotte is a MiniatureSeniorCitizen.
* InCaseYouForgotWhoWroteIt: Actually, it's In Case You Forgot Who Owns The Intellectual Property--sice, actually, Wideload made the game.

* ThePerryMasonMethod: The game {{Hand Wave}}s it by saying that the suspects want you to "impress" them before they talk. Still, when a good portion of the interrogations involve flagrant nose-pinching, you really have to wonder.

* PrettyInMink: Olivia wears a long, white fur coat.

* RedheadedHero: Phoebe
* SamusIsAGirl: [[spoiler: Mr. Valentine ain't a "Mr".]]

* TeamDad: Commodore Dickens
* TeamMom: Olivia

* TooSoon: Max's catchphrase. He always makes the worst jokes.

* LadyInRed: Carlotta

* MaxTrope