History VideoGame / HauntedHotel

[[folder: The list of games in order]]

[[folder:Shared Tropes]]
* AmbiguousTimePeriod: The first three ''Haunted Hotel'' games from Elephant (''Eclipse, Ancient Bane,'' and ''Death Sentence'') appear to have a late Victorian or Edwardian setting, although the opening cinematic of ''Ancient Bane'' includes what appears to be some kind of television set. ''Personal Nightmare'' is explicitly set in 1958, and ''Beyond the Page'' seems to be in the late 90s or early 2000s. Yet all of these games (and others) have James Blackthorne as the player's companion, and he hasn't aged a day.

* DownerEnding: The games end as happily as they can, but some installments can be regarded this way because of the fate which befell various characters in them. ''The Evil Inside'' is one such example - sure, James is able to put the unhappy spirit to rest, but not before the ghost murdered dozens of people over the years.

[[folder:Haunted Hotel]]

[[folder:Believe the Lies]]

[[folder:Lonely Dream]]

[[folder:Charles Dexter Ward]]
* AntagonistTitle: Charles Dexter Ward is the bad guy. Also a LiteraryAllusionTitle, since it references the story of the same name.
* ForegoneConclusion: Anyone who has read Lovecraft's horror story of the same name knows what will happen to Charles.
* TheGameOfTheBook: This game is based on the Creator/HPLovecraft short horror novel of the same name.
* GrandTheftMe: [[spoiler:Joseph Curwen successfully took possession of Charles's body at the end of the main game.]]

[[folder:Eclipse]]
* DivineConflict: More or less drives the plot. The forces of good and evil meet every several hundred years for an epic showdown; unfortunately for them, the player and her friend James are caught in the middle of the latest gathering.
* TheDogWasTheMastermind: [[spoiler:The Maid that you seen in the beginning]] is the murderer and the main antagonist.
* EventTitle: The game is named after the eclipse which heralds the events.
* MeaningfulName: The game is set in the Final Journey Hotel, and the events are pretty much a matter of life and death for humanity.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Ancient Bane]]
* AffectionateNickname: In his opening dialogue at the start of the game, James fondly greets his friend by saying, "Hello, dear." Given some of his other commentary and facial expressions during the game, this could have been intended as some slight ShipTease which the devs ultimately elected not to pursue.
* AncientEgypt: The BigBad is a tortured mummy; also, the CollectionSidequest involves locating various artifacts related to Egyptology.
* ArtifactOfHope: The player carries a gift from James - an ancient amulet of light which protects her from the BigBad.
* ButterflyOfDeathAndRebirth: In the bonus chapter, [[spoiler:James uses his partner's amulet to release the banshee from her torment, and she explodes into a flock of blue butterflies.]]
* GrumpyOldMan: Abraham Shadowy manages to be both grumpy and creepy. Justified because he's under the influence of the BigBad; his real personality returns in the bonus chapter, and he's actually quite pleasant and helpful.
* TheLostLenore: Gender flipped in the bonus chapter - Anabel never got over her lost love Richard, and kidnaps James because he looks just like him.
* MeaningfulName: The owner of the [[TitleDrop haunted hotel]] is named Abraham ''Shadowy''.
* StarCrossedLovers: The bonus chapter is about an UptownGirl and the man she loved. Her father had the young man murdered and locked his daughter away to keep her from marrying below her station; after her own death, she became a banshee as a result.
* SupernaturalSealing: The missing guests and, eventually, Shadowy and [[spoiler:James]] are all sealed inside sarcophagi by the BigBad and have to be released.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Death Sentence]]

[[folder:Eternity]]

[[folder:Phoenix]]

[[folder:The X]]

[[folder:The Axiom Butcher]]

* AssholeVictim: Almost all of the murder victims are eventually revealed to have unsavory pasts. [[spoiler:The pianist was charged with sexual assault; he pinned it on someone else, who was sent to prison for the crime. The hotel owners committed tax fraud, and the husband is also guilty of sexually harassing his employees, and possibly murdering one; and the maid was sleeping with her married boss in hopes of supplanting his wife and becoming rich.]] The only exception is [[spoiler:the fortune teller]], who - like James and the player - was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

* VigilanteMan: The BigBad is seeking vengeance against everyone who ever hurt his murdered girlfriend. Unfortunately for them, there are three people in the hotel who aren't part of that plan - but he can't afford to leave witnesses.

[[folder:Silent Waters]]
* BittersweetEnding: At the end of the bonus chapter, [[spoiler: Jim is still dead; but thanks to his efforts, Sarah is rescued, and his killers are brought to justice.]]

[[folder:The Thirteenth]]

* DoubleMeaningTitle: ''The Thirteenth'' is, as can be easily observed, the thirteenth game in this series. It's also eventually revealed to be a reference to Matt Barlow - the Sons of Dusk have murdered twelve other descendants of the Sons of Dawn, including Dave and both of his parents, and Matt is expected to be the thirteenth and final victim.

* WouldHarmAChild: Matt is maybe seven years old when he's kidnapped, and his kidnappers fully intend to murder him once they're done with him.
* WouldntHarmAChild: The Sons of Dawn fatally battled with the Sons of Dusk; however, one of the Sons of Dusk had a son who was only a baby, and the Sons of Dawn elected to spare him. The baby grew up to be Derek, the leader of the new incarnation of the Sons of Dusk, and he's the one out for revenge.

[[folder:Personal Nightmare]]

* IronicName: The setting of the game is called the Freedom Hotel. Once you're there and sign a contract, you can never leave unless you fulfill its terms - which are almost impossible.

[[folder:The Evil Inside]]

[[folder:Lost Dreams]]

[[folder:Beyond the Page]]

[[folder:Room 18]]

* FamilyDisunion: A variant. The Blackthorne brothers are lured to the hotel with a fake invitation to a family reunion. They're actually looking forward to the gathering - James comments that he can't wait to see one particular aunt, because "she always has the best stories!" - but instead it's just them (and, in the bonus chapter their uncle Samuel), dealing with a mass haunting.

** The concierge blames Caroline for the fire that killed everyone in the hotel. This is despite the fact that Caroline was just as much a victim as she was, and it was Leonard who set the fire that killed them - all because he wouldn't accept the fact that Caroline wasn't interested in him.

[[folder:Lost Time]]

[[folder:A Past Redeemed]]
* BilingualBonus: Overlapping with ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin. The game takes place at a location called the Hotel del Pasado. In Spanish, this literally means "the last hotel" - and as the bonus chapter shows, this is indeed the last haunted hotel that James investigates.

* SharedUniverse: These games exist in the same universe as several other Elephant Games properties, including ''VideoGame/GrimTales, VideoGame/MysteryTrackers,'' and ''VideoGame/DetectivesUnited''. They also are revealed to exist in the same universe as the ''VideoGame/MysteryCaseFiles'', owing to the fact that Richard Gray (of ''Grim Tales'') once studied at a black magic school run by Alister Dalimar. (Elephant Games was the developer for two of the MCF games.)

* CruelAndUnusualDeath: And how!
** Isaac Rotenburg was killed by drinking alcohol tainted with [[BitterAlmonds potassium cyanide]].
** Tony Norton was killed by suffocation while trapped in a car supposedly owned by Esrael.
** Gordon Marshall was killed by shooting his head with a bullet from his gun.
** Veronica Redmond was killed by drowning in a bathtub.
** Casey O'Connor was killed by frightening him to death, taking advantage of his superstitious nature.

* InheritanceMurder: Veronica conspired with the orphan child's uncle, Ray, to kill him and split the inheritance.

* MakeItLookLikeAnAccident: Veronica and Ray sabotaged a boat, drowning the boy, to make it appear as if he drowned by accident.
* MarriedToTheJob: Lilith's marriage to Esrael suffered because he was fixated on his career as the judge, especially when she wanted to start a family with him.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: The reason most of the victims didn't get punished was usually because they have friends in high places. The main exception is James, who made an honest mistake.

* WouldHurtAChild: Veronica was willing to help kill a child to get a share of the money.

* BigBrotherInstinct: The main antagonist's younger brother was a test subject for the experimental vaccine and lost his life to it. Big brother then swore to get revenge on Dr. Reynolds for his role in the project that created the vaccine.

* {{Irony}}: Dr. Reynolds tells Terence in the bonus chapter that if the experimental vaccine is dangerous, then he (Reynolds) deserves to be executed. By the present day in the main chapter, Dr. Reynolds is hunted down by the main antagonist for his role in the vaccination project which cost many people their lives, including said antagonist's brother.

* FauxAffablyEvil: For a while, the masked man is excessively polite to the detective, asking how he feels and complimenting him on his success as he navigates the puzzles. This eventually tapers off because he has absolutely no qualms about killing the detective, even though he's got nothing to do with any of the situation.

* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: The masked man is ultimately on one of these, although it takes a long time for the details to come to light. It's never explained why he dragged the (completely innocent) detective into it, other than that the detective accepted the contract to protect Reynolds.

* LoveTriangle: As the story progresses, the detective finds evidence that Steven was in love with Amanda, who was in love with Duke, who was using them both for his own ends. [[spoiler:This is actually still true. Steven's not as dead as Amanda would have the player think.]]

* AssholeVictim: With the exception of [[spoiler:the fortune teller]], all of the murder victims are eventually revealed to have unsavory pasts. [[spoiler:The pianist was charged with sexual assault (and pinned it on someone else); the hotel owners committed tax fraud (and the husband is also guilty of sexually harassing his employees, and possibly murdering one); and the maid was sleeping with her married boss in hopes of supplanting his wife and becoming rich.]]

* ContinuityNod: While searching his car for useful items, the detective finds three newspapers with headlines related to the plots of ''The X, Eternity,'' and ''Death Sentence.''

* OffingTheOffspring: In the bonus chapter, the detective finds the diary of Alfred Maxwell, who owned the hotel when it was his family's mansion. He felt like he had no choice but to do this to his youngest son, Jerome, because the boy kept trying to kill others.

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: Jim is still dead, but thanks to his efforts, Sarah is rescued, and his killers are brought to justice.]]

* YouWakeUpInARoom: As noted above, Jim ends up embroiled in the conflict at the Silent Waters Hotel because he has a vision of the two brothers fighting. Unfortunately, he happens to be ''driving'' at the time, and crashes his car as a result. Someone, or something, drags him into the hotel, where this trope kicks in as gameplay begins.

* PastExperienceNightmare: In the bonus chapter, Matt is concerned because Dave is still having these. It's kind of hard to get over being murdered.

* IronicName: The setting of the game is called the Freedom Hotel. Once you're there and sign a contract, you can never leave.

* MeaningfulName: James finds considerable evidence throughout the game that in life, Alexander ''Valentine'' was an extremely romantic man who completely adored his wife. Her death utterly destroyed him.

* {{Past Experience Nightmare}}s: The bonus chapter shows that Rachel is still traumatized by the events of the main game, and suffers from these. She calls on James to help her [[spoiler:free the spirits of her friends, who are still trapped in the ruins of the Valentine mansion]].

* StartOfDarkness: Alexander had his when his beloved wife was murdered. In life he was a perfectly nice, normal guy who had no desire to harm anyone, but he went off the deep end when Bella was taken from him.

* UnseenNoMore: This is the first appearance of James's girlfriend Jessica, who was previously mentioned in the bonus chapter of ''Detectives United: Origins''.

* TriangRelations: Type Five. As the story progresses, the detective finds evidence that Steven was in love with Amanda, who was in love with Duke, who was using them both for his own ends. [[spoiler:This is actually still true. Steven's not as dead as Amanda would have the player think.]]

* HauntedHotel: The main setting of every game, for obvious reasons.

For further information on the trope of the same name, see HauntedHotel.

* BigBrotherInstinct: The main antagonist's younger brother was a test subject for the experimental vaccine and lost his life to it. The main antagonist swore to get revenge on Dr. Reynolds for his role in the project that created the vaccine.

* {{Irony}}: Dr. Reynolds tells Terence in the bonus chapter that if the experimental vaccine was dangerous, then he deserved to be executed. By the present day in the main chapter, Dr. Reynolds is hunted down by the main antagonist for his role in the vaccination project that cost many people their lives, including the main antagonist's brother.

* AluminumChristmasTrees: The Mystery Trackers contact the player by fax machine... in 1979, which seems like a gaffe. But this is actually entirely possible, because fax machines had been in use for over ten years at that point.

* TheDogWasTheMastermind: The Maid that you seen in the beginning is the murderer and the main antagonist.

** An unnamed male detective is the player character of ''Eternity, Phoenix, The X, The Axiom Butcher'', and possibly ''Silent Waters.'' These games likewise contain references to one another; ''The Axiom Butcher'' also has a reference to ''Death Sentence.''

* TheDogWastheMastermind: The Maid that you seen in the beginning is the murderer and the main antagonist.

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: Jim is still dead, but thanks to his efforts, Sarah is rescued, and his killers are brought to justice.

* DownerEnding: [[spoiler:Jim is KilledOffForReal in the bonus chapter.]]

* IllGirl: Ill Boy. Terence had terminal cancer and was running out of time. He was enthusiastic about Project Eternity because if it worked, he would get a second chance at life.

* IllGirl: Stephen's little sister, Kate, was ill, and no doctor could help her. This is why their mother took Kate to the Freedom Hotel, reluctantly submitting to one of their contracts in an effort to cure her daughter.

* YourCheatingHeart: The married hotel owner was having an affair with the maid. Also a MayDecemberRomance, since the maid was in her early twenties and the hotel owner was old enough to be her father.

* StockSubtitle: One of many pieces of media with the subtitle ''The X''. In this case, it's a DoubleMeaningTitle, because it's the tenth ''Haunted Hotel'' installment.

* AntagonistTitle: Charles Dexter Ward is the bad guy.

* AffectionateNickname: In his opening dialogue at the start of the game, James fondly greets his friend by saying, "Hello, dear." Given some of his other commentary and expressions during the game, this could have been intended as some slight ShipTease which the devs ultimately elected not to pursue.

* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: The reason most of the victims didn't get punished was usually because they have friends in high places.

* IllGirl: Ill Boy. Terence was severely ill and was running out of time. That is why he was happy that he got a chance to have the vaccine in hope that he will live longer.

* TriangRelations: As the story progresses, the detective finds evidence that Steven was in love with Amanda, who was in love with Duke, who was using them both for his own ends. [[spoiler:This is actually still true. Steven's not as dead as Amanda would have the player think.]]

* CommonalityConnection: To judge by the scene where they meet, Stephen and James have already been friends for some time when the game takes place, but they're in the Freedom Hotel for effectively the same reason. Stephen is there because his mother reached out to him for help, while James came running at a distress call from his cousin Mary. They vow to work together to save their relatives.

* KilledOffForReal: In the bonus chapter, Mark discovers a Mystery Trackers badge belonging to Agent Black. Tony had called on the agency for help, but the unfortunate agent died while trying to save the boy.

* FamilyDisunion: A variant. The Blackthorne brothers are lured to the hotel with a fake invitation to a family reunion. They're actually looking forward to the gathering - James comments that he can't wait to see one particular aunt, because "she always has the best stories!" - but instead it's just them and their uncle Samuel, dealing with a mass haunting.

* SharedUniverse: These games exist in the same universe as several other Elephant Games properties, including ''VideoGame/GrimTales, Mystery Trackers,'' and ''VideoGame/DetectivesUnited''. They also are revealed to exist in the same universe as the ''VideoGame/MysteryCaseFiles'', owing to the fact that Richard Gray (of ''Grim Tales'') once studied at a black magic school run by Alister Dalimar. (Elephant Games was the developer for two of the MCF games.)